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Valdara posted:How many of the ultrasounds that you get are transvaginal? I didn't even know that was a thing until all the "required if you want an abortion in misogynist states" laws started up. Does it just let you get the information earlier than transbelly ultrasounds, or what? It seems really invasive and rather unnecessary, but I say that this side of being pregnant and am curious. Depends on your practice, I guess. I've never had one, mine seems to do just fine with the regular type. They also have one particular nurse doing it every time and she's like an ultrasound master, she just whips that thing around and inspects every organ in the fetus and her measurements are always spot on.
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Feb 16, 2013 15:11
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Seven for a Secret posted:I'm 15 weeks along now and telling people at work. Most of my coworkers have said congratulations and asked about the due date, gender, etc. which is all very nice. But yesterday I told a man I work closely with, and he said, "So what brought this on?" After I stared at him for a few moments, he said, "I mean what inspired it?" Congratulations, Lullabee and newts, I'm glad your babies are home safe! And my sympathies, Greycious. Bed rest for any reason sucks. When I was on it I tried learning a new language, which at least gave me something to focus on and helped with the boredom. Plowing through entire series on Netflix streaming was also good.
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Feb 16, 2013 15:46
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Schweig und tanze posted:I had transvaginal u/s exclusively until I was 16 weeks (I had at least 4 before 16 weeks due to vaginal bleeding from a blood clot) and they're truly no big deal. Doesn't hurt, and it allows a much clearer picture of what's going on if there are problems. This was pretty much my experience too. My Dr. at the time had and ultrasound in his office and I had probably 2-3 transvaginal ultrasounds between the start of my pregnancy and about 12 weeks. I think the main reason was because I have very unusual periods. They usually came every like 38ish days instead of every 28 days, so it helped to figure out how far along I was when the embryo was super tiny. They really aren't bad..I'd rather have that done than a normal vaginal exam, and really would prefer it to a Dr. manually checking my cervix. The wand looks sort of big but they don't insert it that far, only a couple inches. I wouldn't consider it invasive at all...and I'm a huge wimp about stuff.  e;Seven for a Secret, that's good to know that guy wasn't a huge creep or something haha. And the language idea is actually really great..my husband speaks fluent spanish and I've really wanted to learn especially so we could teach our kid from a young age. Might help me get my mind off other things. UltraGrey fucked around with this message at 15:54 on Feb 16, 2013 |
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Feb 16, 2013 15:52
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It's no more invasive than your annual exam or actually giving birth. I had a couple early on to check on my cervix. Since I had a LEEP done a few years ago I was more at risk for early dilation.
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Feb 16, 2013 16:59
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Hastings posted:If you have a complication like I did, a transvaginal ultrasound is much more successful at catching cervical bleeds, tearing or punctures. It just tends to get a much more accurate picture and was actually very noninvasive compared to the routine "sticking fingers up your lady bits" examinations. Thanks for everyone's response. I feel a lot less weirded out now. I have hypothyroid, so when I do get pregnant I'll have to be monitored throughout, and I was hoping "stick needle in your arm, stick wand in your vag" wouldn't be the routine. Is sticking fingers up your lady bits a routine exam for pregnant ladies? Or do you mean the yearly pap?
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Feb 16, 2013 17:48
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I had a thyroid issue while I was pregnant. Mine was maintained, but I still had to have all my levels checked once a month. You have to make sure you maintain your thyroid at normal levels while you're pregnant or it could be very bad (as in deadly) for you and the baby. You'll get your cervix checked by a hand when you're at the end of your pregnancy. They have to get up there far enough to feel around your cervix so take from that what you want.
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Feb 16, 2013 17:51
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Congratulations Lullabee and newts! At 37 weeks and after at the practice I went to the ob/gyn or midwife would stick a hand up there to feel for dilation/effacement of the cervix, but you can decline that if you want to. At 39 and 40 weeks they asked if I wanted my membranes stripped, where they reached a finger into the cervix and swept it around between the uterus and the amniotic sac to try to help stimulate labor. That felt really invasive and painful, but you can also decline it. And I never got any transvaginal ultrasounds, my first ultrasound was the regular type at 12 weeks.
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Feb 16, 2013 17:58
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I had transvaginal until the latest one (19 weeks) because my uterus was super retroverted and stupid. Question. At my first ultrasound (9 weeks), they dated the baby one day ahead of my due date based on ovulation. A the 12 week scan, it was something like three days ahead. Now, at 19.5 weeks, they're dating the baby <i>eight</i> days ahead (ten from my due date based on my period). Am I doomed to birth a teenager? Or are my viking genes just making themselves heard? My youngest brother was 9.5 pounds at birth. I'm still not showing much, despite carrying a creature that is apparently part moose. Hurray for being tall and wide-hipped? Just escaped my normal BMI range too, so it's not like I'm heavy usually. Greycious, I'm so glad they caught that for you. You just can't catch a break, can you? Congrats to all the new parents. 
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Feb 16, 2013 18:18
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Congrats Lullabee and newts! Hang in there, new mommas. I'll be 24 weeks on Wednesday, and I've only had one internal exam at my first OB visit, and that was just because I hadn't had an exam in a couple years. I had one transvaginal ultrasound, to check my cervical length, because I've had LEEP and cryosurgery--thankfully it's fine and I don't need to be stitched up. Needle sticks have been an almost-monthly thing too, though the last 2 visits I didn't have any bloodwork done. This is partly because my practice is attached to a teaching hospital so they have lots of research going on and a couple times they've said "hey we're doing a study on CMV in pregnant women, do you want to give an extra vial of blood for the study?" and I say yes since I'm already there, might as well. My 20 week anatomy scan I just had to give urine, then last visit last week, I literally just walked in, they took my BP, said the anatomy scan from last visit looked great, listened to his heart with the doppler, and I was on my way. I have to do the one hour glucose screen between 26-28 weeks and before my next visit. I'm 37, and this is my first pregnancy, I've been seeing the doctors rather than midwives at my practice but since everything has been textbook thus far I'm going to switch over to the midwives. This is a practice in Rhode Island in the US, just for a data point.  I've also just gotten to the "okay this is sort of physically uncomfortable" point in the past week or so and feel ungainly... I've been so lucky thus far!
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Feb 16, 2013 18:21
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Bubble Babble posted:I had transvaginal until the latest one (19 weeks) because my uterus was super retroverted and stupid. It's normal for baby to measure a few days ahead, things tend to even out toward the end. Even if you measure ahead they don't tend to change the due date after the first few weeks.
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Feb 16, 2013 18:26
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 I pushed a human being out of my vagina  Meet Frøydis, born February 16 at 42 weeks gestation. She weighs 3554 grams (7 lbs 13 ounces). Her length is unknown - she was breech for so long, they don’t want to stretch her legs out.  We knew she was breech from week 32, and it became more and more clear that she wasn't going to flip around. She was just too comfy! Since I have had a previous uncomplicated delivery and there were no indications that she was going to be huge, my hospital recommended that I try vaginal birth. I was nervous, but decided to follow their recommendation. My due date came and went with no baby. At 41 weeks 6 days we went in for a check-up. They are hesitant to induce breech babies since there's a higher risk of complications. The doctor decided to sweep my membranes to hopefully nudge my body into natural labor. Only an hour after the membrane sweep, I felt nauseous, and soon after that I started puking. I puked the whole afternoon, and inbetween emptying my stomach, I started having some contractions. They quickly became more frequent, and soon they were 3-4 minutes apart and hard to talk through, and off to the hospital we went. I was at 4 cms and we were admitted. I labored for a while and the contractions got very intense. I got an epidural and it was very helpful. It turned out at this point that the baby’s heartbeat was a little elevated, and so was my temperature. I got some IV fluids, some Tylenol, and they decided to put an electrode on baby’s butt to monitor her more closely, and also draw a blood sample from her. So they did, and that lead to my waters breaking. More like leaking out in gushes of various sizes actually. Luckily, there was no sign that she had pooped in there, as the water was clear. The blood they drew also showed that she was fine, so that was a relief. I also got some food to give me some much needed energy. Dilating to 10 cms went pretty fast, and the midwife called for the doctors (there are always doctors present at breech births). They arrived, but the baby’s butt wasn’t far enough down in my pelvis yet to start pushing. So everyone in the room stood solemnly staring at my vagina while we waited for the contractions to push her down far enough. My contractions became weaker and shorter and my temperature was still elevated, so I got another Tylenol and some more fluids. They started me on a low dose of pitocin, which seemed to do the trick! Soon I was pushing. When her butt came out, she pooped and peed all over the place like a tube of toothpaste being squeezed. Then came the midsection, and they swung her from side to side to get her shoulders out. It felt weird, but not painful. Then came her head. It felt very strange to see her whole body outside of me, legs wriggling, and her head was still inside of me. They did an episiotomy and used forceps, and she was out. She didn't scream right away, so they had to whisk her out for a bit which was scary, but right as they left I heard her scream. They were back again super fast and I got her on my chest. The doctor delivered the placenta and sewed me up. I got to have her with me and nurse her for a long time. We're all doing fine, and her big brother thinks she's rather noisy 
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Feb 16, 2013 18:30
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rectal cushion, that's great you managed to deliver her breech.  She's too cute!
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Feb 16, 2013 18:47
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rectal cushion posted:
Congratulations! She's absolutely gorgeous So many goon babies this week, oh my goodness.I'll be 36 weeks on monday and I haven't had ANYONE look at my ladybits at all since a routine pap I had last April. Is that normal? All my appointments have just been bp check, pee check, weight check, fetal heart. I had 2 ultrasounds, one at 20 weeks and one at 32 weeks.. I wonder if someone's going to suddenly decide to have a look up ol' cervix lane at my appointment on friday
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Feb 16, 2013 18:50
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Dandy Shrew posted:Congratulations! She's absolutely gorgeous Thanks! And nah, there's no need for cervix checks routinely. I only had one when I was in labor with my first, and when I had my membranes sweeped this time around. Your cervix can be slightly dilated for weeks and it doesn't really tell you that much about when labor will start. Better to leave things alone. e: vvv oh, yeah, it's different when it's done for a specific reason bilabial trill fucked around with this message at 19:18 on Feb 16, 2013 |
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Feb 16, 2013 18:55
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I got cervix checks every time because I had a ton of preterm contractions starting at 28 weeks. My OB always asked though, and I opted to make sure everything was ok.
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Feb 16, 2013 19:16
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Dandy Shrew posted:Congratulations! She's absolutely gorgeous I had one at 37 weeks and one at 40. My midwife offered to check it for me, along with giving me the info that it doesn't necessarily mean anything if my cervix is open yet or not. I opted to go for it, she used her hands. At 37 I was between 1 and 2 cm dilated but baby wasn't down into my pelvis enough to feel yet. At 40 weeks it was 3 cm and she could feel my daughters head and a bit of hair =3. I went into labour naturally 3 days later and had her at home.
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Feb 16, 2013 19:27
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Valdara posted:Thanks for everyone's response. I feel a lot less weirded out now. I have hypothyroid, so when I do get pregnant I'll have to be monitored throughout, and I was hoping "stick needle in your arm, stick wand in your vag" wouldn't be the routine. I had some suspect bleeding, so at one point the ER OB, a resident, two nurses and every mother on the goddamn block came in to explore my awesome vagina like it was Dora. I know my co teacher claimed they did a lot of deep sea diving on her too, but I can't speak for every woman out there.
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Feb 16, 2013 19:53
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rectal cushion posted:
That is a ridiculously cute newborn.
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Feb 16, 2013 20:49
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Yeah cervix checks just make you nervous I think, they started checking mine around 36 weeks and OH GOD 1CM but then I just effaced at a glacial pace, went a week overdue and still needed a pictocin boost at 9 days over. So I guess if you really want to know, go nuts. It is pretty uncomfortable and leaves you crampy for a bit afterwards.
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Feb 16, 2013 21:31
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LOL, love the WTF face she's making. Also, much appreciate the new flow of female babies in this thread. It's a nice intro to the stream of BRO TIME that will be around these parts in 15-20 years.
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Feb 16, 2013 22:41
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I love the "What? Speak up!" hand to the ear! Congrats RC, she's a cutie. And yeah, the boy thing is insane, my grandma would've said, "Must mean war is coming!" when there were lots of boy babies. (She also said this when the scrapyard got full, and told me that when girls whistle it makes the Virgin Mary cry so...)
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Feb 17, 2013 00:35
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sudont posted:I love the "What? Speak up!" hand to the ear! Congrats RC, she's a cutie. And yeah, the boy thing is insane, my grandma would've said, "Must mean war is coming!" when there were lots of boy babies. (She also said this when the scrapyard got full, and told me that when girls whistle it makes the Virgin Mary cry so...) There's actually a little bit of truth to that. Look up the returning soldier effect.
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Feb 17, 2013 00:54
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sudont posted:I love the "What? Speak up!" hand to the ear! Congrats RC, she's a cutie. And yeah, the boy thing is insane, my grandma would've said, "Must mean war is coming!" when there were lots of boy babies. (She also said this when the scrapyard got full, and told me that when girls whistle it makes the Virgin Mary cry so...) I would think the Virgin Mary would be quite fond of the whistling, honestly.
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Feb 17, 2013 02:04
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rectal cushion posted:
Finally! Congratulations! And what a gorgeous name, I haven't heard that one in a while. Also what the hell are membrane sweeps called in Norwegian? Thanks to the Internet I know much more English pregnancy and birth terminology than I do Norwegian, which might be a problem come July.
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Feb 17, 2013 10:09
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Sockmuppet posted:Finally! Congratulations! And what a gorgeous name, I haven't heard that one in a while. Thanks! The doctor called it å tøye fosterhinnene. I've also heard people call it stripping.
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Feb 17, 2013 10:40
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Congrats Lullabee, newts and rectal cushion! The transvaginal ultrasounds are kind of weird, but not uncomfortable or anything. I had a bunch of them since I conceived via IUI, so they used them to check follicle size and when to time a trigger shot. My first ultrasounds with this pregnancy were done this way as well, since they could see with the abdominal ones, but I guess the measurements are more accurate with the transvaginal. I didn't have a single one with my first pregnancy though, so it seems to vary depending on a lot of things. I am totally showing at 11 weeks. So weird. I was giving sex talks last night, and most people at work don't know yet, so I had to spend the whole night trying to suck it in after dressing creatively. So uncomfortable.
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Feb 17, 2013 20:30
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So, my husband deployed. He won't be home until some time at the end of the year. It was very emotional when he left. We both cried.  On the up-side, my sister is flying me and the baby out to PA so my mom and grandma and youngest sister can finally meet him. Everyone but my grandma knows (we want it to be a surprise) and they're very excited. Does anyone have any tips for travelling? He'll be about 6 months old.
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Feb 18, 2013 06:44
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ChloroformSeduction posted:Congrats Lullabee, newts and rectal cushion! A friend filled my head with horror stories of babies dying from bacterial infections caused by vag exams during pregnancy, so it's good to hear it's common to have them and rare for complications. Also, sex talks? I'm just curious. Edit: \/\/\/\/\/\/ CravingSolace posted:Wait, but the baby is in the amniotic sac. How would a vaginal exam harm it? I had quite a few trans vaginal ultrasounds, both before I managed to conceive (had to see a fertility specialist) and during (I was high risk). He was fine. They were just mildly uncomfortable. I have no idea, that's just what she told me. Maybe she was talking about sweeping the membranes? The mother was GBS+ (which, as a goon, cracks me up every goddamn time, even if, as a hopefully soon to be knocked up woman, it isn't funny at all), and it was something something related to that. I don't remember exactly, but she freaked me right the gently caress out about anything going near my vag with a baby in there. I'm trying to undo the alarmism, basically. Valdara fucked around with this message at 07:31 on Feb 18, 2013 |
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Feb 18, 2013 07:03
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Wait, but the baby is in the amniotic sac. How would a vaginal exam harm it? I had quite a few trans vaginal ultrasounds, both before I managed to conceive (had to see a fertility specialist) and during (I was high risk). He was fine. They were just mildly uncomfortable.
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Feb 18, 2013 07:10
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CravingSolace posted:Wait, but the baby is in the amniotic sac. How would a vaginal exam harm it? I had quite a few trans vaginal ultrasounds, both before I managed to conceive (had to see a fertility specialist) and during (I was high risk). He was fine. They were just mildly uncomfortable. Stuff doesn't generally ascend through the cervix to cause issues; it's more often that things might happen during a longer birth with early rupture of membranes when the infant has increased exposure to the vaginal flora. GBS or Group B Strep is a very common bacteria that likes to hang out in that neighborhood. A very large percentage of women carry it asymptomatically, and it has nothing to do with vaginal exams. It's harmless to the mother, but with extended periods between the water breaking and the ultimate birth, the incoming (out-coming?) baby is at risk for exposure and infection. Luckily, expecting mothers are regularly screened for this (in the US, at least), and an antibiotic drip initiated early in birth in the mother and some antibiotic goop smeared in the newborn's eyes virtually eliminate the chance of any infection. My wife tested positive for this early on in the pregnancy and we both briefly freaked out before learning the story behind it (I also covered it in class a few weeks later.) 2 months post-partum, and Dominic has no time for (or any past signs/symptoms of) GBS:  *disclaimer: I'm currently just a medical student, so my advice isn't absolute on this.
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Feb 18, 2013 08:03
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Simon Felix was born at 9:37pm tonight , exactly 12 hours after my water broke. I dilated to 5cm in about 2 hours before I got the epidural, once that was placed I had zero pain until I pushed him out. I pushed for 2.5 hours, only the last two hurt. He didn't want to descend the last 2cm on his own so it was a forceps delivery and his ears are bruised but otherwise he is gorgeous and perfect and I am so in love :3 picture will follow later, right now we desperately need sleep. Babby was 8lb 1oz, born on his due date.
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Feb 18, 2013 09:31
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An OB I would catch a bacterial vagina infection from is one I wouldn't want to be at.  They should be putting a disposable cover on ANYTHING they stick up your vagina be it a glove on their hand or a condom on the wand.
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Feb 18, 2013 11:02
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Schweig und tanze posted:Simon Felix was born at 9:37pm tonight , exactly 12 hours after my water broke. I dilated to 5cm in about 2 hours before I got the epidural, once that was placed I had zero pain until I pushed him out. I pushed for 2.5 hours, only the last two hurt. He didn't want to descend the last 2cm on his own so it was a forceps delivery and his ears are bruised  Congrats Schweig und tanze!
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Feb 18, 2013 16:00
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Alterian posted:An OB I would catch a bacterial vagina infection from is one I wouldn't want to be at. Yeah, they cleaned it, put a condom over it, then removed the condom afterward and cleaned it again.
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Feb 18, 2013 16:03
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Valdara posted:A friend filled my head with horror stories of babies dying from bacterial infections caused by vag exams during pregnancy, so it's good to hear it's common to have them and rare for complications. I don't think there's a HUGE risk but there is a risk of infection with internal exams. They're not necessary and don't tell you anything until you're in labor anyway so I avoided them completely until they were necessary. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chorioamnionitis "Overall, 1–4% of all births in the US are complicated by chorioamnionitis" http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3008318/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3008318/table/T1/
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Feb 18, 2013 17:13
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My first weekly appt. today. She checked my cervix, and apparently I have an unusually small pelvis and cervix, because I'm pretty sure it resulted in me getting unintentionally fisted. I assume this because I ended up crying and handing her some money. Just kidding on the money, but totally serious about the crying though...it was the worst examination I've ever had, and poor lady, it wasn't her fault..I really am a tiny person. On the plus side, I'm at 1 cm now and my wall is thinned out and Asher's heart sounds like bombs dropping, so we're doing good! BTW, Simon Felix is the best name ever. Felix was on my short list of potentials.
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Feb 18, 2013 17:32
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Hastings posted:My first weekly appt. today. She checked my cervix, and apparently I have an unusually small pelvis and cervix, because I'm pretty sure it resulted in me getting unintentionally fisted. I assume this because I ended up crying and handing her some money. Just kidding on the money, but totally serious about the crying though...it was the worst examination I've ever had, and poor lady, it wasn't her fault..I really am a tiny person. Don't feel too bad about the crying..I had my first ever cervical hand check this past week with my scare before the cerclage was put in, it was not comfortable at all. It felt like she was trying to use my stomach as a punching bag via my vagina. She kept asking me to relax my muscles and I couldn't. Sorry, Doctors, I know I suck at getting examined..always have, maybe always will, there isn't much I can do about it. Just know it sucks for both of us! Not looking forward to all the cervical checks to come because of my issues now...First one is this Wednesday, I hope all/any soreness from the procedure is gone by then.
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Feb 18, 2013 19:13
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Edit: Sorry. Wrong thread. Mostly because this thread actually has activity, unlike the other one which goes days or weeks between people responding to posts or answering questions. Valdara fucked around with this message at 23:53 on Feb 18, 2013 |
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Feb 18, 2013 23:15
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Valdera, why don't you post this in the Trying to Conceive thread? This is really more for pregnancy and the first 3 months (fourth trimester).
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Feb 18, 2013 23:43
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Hi pregnancy thread! I wanted to say thanks for all the informative posts(especially the cloth diapering ones!) I'm finally about to be in my third trimester(28 weeks friday!), so it's starting to feel like crunch time. I was wondering if anyone here has had a home birth or know someone who has? I had my last in the hospital, and it was just a negative experience. After a lot of thought, we've decided to try for a home water birth this time(assuming my pregnancy continues to be low risk). No one I know has attempted one, so I was hoping to hear some first hand accounts.
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Feb 19, 2013 02:51
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