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I managed to scandalize the ultrasound tech / medical assistant at the perinatal center while getting our 20-week anatomy scan. They needed a better view of the cervix and so had to swap for the transvaginal probe. She is waiting for it to be done sterilizing so is explaining the procedure to us as "It's... like a pap smear... but it won't be uncomfortable, because you know... we need a better view..." *hand waving and gesturing in her pelvic region* Overall it seemed like she was trying to avoid using the word "vaginal", and hadn't said "probe in your vagina." I assumed this was because I was standing there or didn't want to embarrass us so I decided to break the ice: "It's an ultrasound dildo." Her eyes went WIDE "OH MY GOD I can't believe you said that!" and then she was quite embarrassed. My wife is cracking up, and we were both confused, "Surely you've heard that before at a perinatal center? Or joked with each other? No?" Apparently we were the first ones. She still seemed mind blown a few minutes later when the doctor came in to finish the scan. And that is how I scandalized the perinatal ultrasound MA.
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Dec 18, 2015 16:41
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Ahaha, that's awesome. Maybe she's new to it, I've heard that one before a couple times and these days I'm not squeamish about getting the scan over and done with. I like calling it a wand, and I brandish it in front of the patients while I do it to show them. Probably explains my high decline rate, heh. One lady the other day hailed me as a feminist and thanked me profusely for taking the time to explain the whole procedure and giving her the choice to say no, which makes me worry that there's probably a good percentage of people agreeing to a highly invasive test when not entirely ok with it  It's not true that it's not uncomfortable, not all the time anyway- if you're in for an ovarian cyst for example it's likely there will be some discomfort during the scan.I'm probably going to have to have one at 32 weeks myself now, yey. At least I could probably insert it under the blanket without a colleague having to actually look at my downstairs, as it were. 24.5 weeks now and I can feel baby move around lots now, she seems to sometimes respond to us talking to her in bed. I wonder if they can learn their names this early on, we're stuck on a first name for her and have been using it when we talk or sing to her. It's the second name now we're struggling with!
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Dec 18, 2015 22:01
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Well it's been a crazy and stressful day. She had the baby this morning. Something about her liver enzymes and they had to deliver straight away or risk her getting sick. But the baby and my friend are doing fine. The baby will probably have to stay in the hospital until February but she might get to come home early if she's growing right and fast. She's like 14.5 inches I think it was and 3.7 pounds. She's on a ventilator right now but that's normal because as some have said, the lungs take the longest to develop and poo poo. But everything looks good. Thanks everyone for your support and information. I still wish I drank and or smoked. Although SCIENTISTS claim smoking doesn't relieve stress. I have a whole family that disagrees with them but whatever.
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Dec 19, 2015 07:04
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Nikkolasking, I'm glad your friend and the baby are doing well. I want to thank Dr. Chaco and El_Elegante for their explanation of why maternal serum chromosomal tests are not a good idea for low risk patients, back on page 274-275. During our 20 week anatomy scan (I'm H110Hawk's wife) we found out that the baby has Fetal Pyelectasis, which means that there is some enlargement in the area of one of the kidneys that collects the urine. The doctor explained that in 95% of cases, this clears up without any intervention within a month of the baby's birth. She also said, though, that it was a marker for Down Syndrome. She said that if we were worried about that, we could get the Harmony test or amniocentesis. I explained to the doctor that I understood that the Harmony test is only recommended for people who are high risk. I only wanted to take the test if the likelihood of a true positive was significantly higher than the risk of a false positive. I'm not of advanced maternal age, and my first trimester screening results showed I had a very low risk of Down Syndrome (1 in 3800). The doctor explained that the Fetal Pyelectasis approximately tripled that risk, which meant that my odds were now about 1 in 1300. The Harmony test itself has a false positive risk of 1 in 1000. We determined that if I received a positive test result, there would still be greater than even odds that the results would be false. I also knew that I didn't want to risk amniocentesis to confirm any diagnosis. As a result, we decided the test would provide very little benefit with the possibility of stressing us out for the remainder of the pregnancy. If I hadn't had read this thread, I don't think I would have been able to have such a rational conversation about the subject, especially when we were just hit with distressing news. The doctor was really impressed as well, and asked me if I was in the medical field. So, thanks for helping me make important medical decisions, anonymous internet people!
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Dec 19, 2015 18:14
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Hey goon parents, does anyone have advice on how much we should plan to spend on our first year of (Flex-eligible) medical expenses? So far, Vivian is healthy and she had negative results for the newborn screening conditions so I'm feeling optimistic about that. On to the important stuff. Baby pic of Vivian Rose, born Dec. 4 weighing 7.8 oz, on her first day home from the hospital. elle vee fucked around with this message at 20:56 on Dec 20, 2015 |
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Dec 20, 2015 20:50
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If she doesn't have any special medical conditions, you might have a couple of sick visit co-pays. If she gets croup you're in for an ER visit, but there's no way to predict if that'll happen or not. All of her well visit checks & vaccinations should be fully covered under your insurance with no co-pay.
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Dec 20, 2015 23:59
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Kawaii, excellent name 
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Dec 21, 2015 00:09
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elle vee posted:Hey goon parents, does anyone have advice on how much we should plan to spend on our first year of (Flex-eligible) medical expenses? I assume you mean FSA and not HSA? If FSA - frontload as much as possible. It comes out every paycheck (1/12, 1/24, or 1/26 depending) but the full balance is available immediately. Download the list of eligible expenses and submit anything on that list which you purchase. Ask your doctor for a prescription for any OTC stuff you take, mine has this giant form with like mucinex, sudafed, etc on it. (Don't buy extra or hoard, just make sure you're not leaving any on the table for uncle sam.) Congrats!
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Dec 21, 2015 00:48
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GoreJess posted:
Thanks! I didn't know that. H110Hawk posted:Download the list of eligible expenses and submit anything on that list which you purchase. Ask your doctor for a prescription for any OTC stuff you take, mine has this giant form with like mucinex, sudafed, etc on it. (Don't buy extra or hoard, just make sure you're not leaving any on the table for uncle sam.) Great suggestion. Thank you! 
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Dec 23, 2015 14:44
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elle vee posted:Thanks! I didn't know that. Check with your insurance of course, but unless you're in a grandfathered plan all preventative care, which includes the every 3 month infant well checks, should be fully covered. We only had to pay for sick visits & trips to the urologist for my son's multicystic dysplastic kidney.
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Dec 23, 2015 17:43
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Almost 32 weeks and I feel like I've grown exponentially in the last 2 weeks. Baby also likes to practice his karate moves when I'm trying to fall asleep, and I'm experiencing near constant pelvic pain. We also still haven't decided on a name for the little guy. I've definitely made the mistake of reading too many blogs/websites and trend charts, and now nothing sounds good. Next week we are meeting with the pediatrician we've chosen. What are some good questions we should ask? Also, does anyone have recs for a contraction timing app, and a newborn app (to keep track of feedings and diaper changes in the first few weeks)?
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Dec 23, 2015 23:57
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Hi_Bears posted:Next week we are meeting with the pediatrician we've chosen. What are some good questions we should ask? What is your vaccination policy? (Note the neutral tone. Make them state the preference.) If it is anything other than an unequivocal "medical reasons only to skip vaccines" just turn around and leave.
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Dec 24, 2015 02:56
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Hi_Bears posted:Also, does anyone have recs for a contraction timing app, and a newborn app (to keep track of feedings and diaper changes in the first few weeks)? On Android, we planned to use Contraction Timer, but a non-spontaneous birth killed that idea. We are huge fans of Baby Daybook for recording stuff. Syncs to drop box, reports statistics, nice graphs, etc.
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Dec 24, 2015 04:42
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^ I used those two and they are good.
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Dec 24, 2015 21:48
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can i incubayte an egg in my womb &givebirth to birds
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Dec 25, 2015 12:43
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If it was possible you would have already done it!
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Dec 25, 2015 15:01
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Big Bug Hug posted:^ I used those two and they are good. Yes, can't speak for Baby Daybook, but I remember Contraction Timer being very useful. Simple to use, which is good when you're in the middle of a contraction. I remember frustratedly trying to write times down at first, which was nearly impossible once the contractions got quite strong, before thinking, "Duh, there's probably an app for that!"
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Dec 27, 2015 02:48
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Baby connect, white noise and wonder weeks app have been our go tos.
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Dec 27, 2015 05:28
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Hi_Bears posted:Also, does anyone have recs for a contraction timing app, and a newborn app (to keep track of feedings and diaper changes in the first few weeks)? I just searched for "contraction timer" and downloaded the first free app that showed up, it's basically just a glorified stop watch, so you don't need a particularly fancy one. When I showed up to the hospital, and the midwife asked about my contractions, it was great to be able to just hand off my phone and have her scroll through all my contractions over the last couple of hours. She hadn't seen apps like that before, and thought it was awesome! As for newborn apps, we never used one. I get needing to keep track of feedings if you're using formula, but I can't imagine the need to log diaper changes unless your kid is sick with something.
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Dec 27, 2015 14:01
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Sockmuppet posted:As for newborn apps, we never used one. I get needing to keep track of feedings if you're using formula, but I can't imagine the need to log diaper changes unless your kid is sick with something. If you have any trouble breastfeeding, lactation counselors will ask you to keep track of daily number & length of feedings, and number of wet/poopy diapers. It helps them identify potential problems while making sure the baby is getting enough milk. I wish I'd thought to use an app but I was in survival mode.
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Dec 27, 2015 22:15
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Yep, that was why I used it. It was also helpful when dad would watch the baby and want to know when she fed and slept, since I had a memory like a sieve.
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Dec 27, 2015 22:41
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Does anyone have any experience with being on lamictal while pregnant? I'm on 150mgs a day, and my ob is suggesting a level 2 ultrasound because of that. I kind of need it as a mood stabilizer, and I didn't find much about it being associated with birth defects, but my doctor's reaction to it has me worried.
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Dec 28, 2015 03:52
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Palisader posted:Does anyone have any experience with being on lamictal while pregnant? I'm on 150mgs a day, and my ob is suggesting a level 2 ultrasound because of that. I kind of need it as a mood stabilizer, and I didn't find much about it being associated with birth defects, but my doctor's reaction to it has me worried. Talk to your doctor. Ask them why. This is also a good excuse for them to get your insurance to pay for the high resolution ultrasound so why not take it. Ours does for all pregnancies ($25 copay), others do not without some kind of risk. You are on a Class C drug which means they need to monitor you and your baby. According to 8 seconds of wikipedia research the risk they're looking for is in-line with the general population. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamotrigine#Pregnancy_and_breastfeeding The high res ultrasound is WAY nicer than what they typically have in their office. It's mind blowing the resolution they get.
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Dec 28, 2015 04:33
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Palisader posted:Does anyone have any experience with being on lamictal while pregnant? I'm on 150mgs a day, and my ob is suggesting a level 2 ultrasound because of that. I kind of need it as a mood stabilizer, and I didn't find much about it being associated with birth defects, but my doctor's reaction to it has me worried. My doc says it's their go to mood stabilizer for pregnancy, since it has the least amount of risk. I went digging because I'm on it, and the only completely controlled study suggested that folic acid could offset most of the risk. When I first went on it my psych at the time said it caused issues, but my ob said he suggests it over anything else, and I trust my ob to know birth defect risks more than my psych
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Dec 28, 2015 17:44
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AA is for Quitters posted:My doc says it's their go to mood stabilizer for pregnancy, since it has the least amount of risk. I went digging because I'm on it, and the only completely controlled study suggested that folic acid could offset most of the risk. I had an appointment today and I just didn't know if I should be preparing to try something else or what, but the doctor said the level 2 is just a normal precaution and that the lamictal was the best option I had available. I had read through quite a few of the studies (that I could find) and it seemed like, at worst, there just weren't enough studies done to say anything one way or the other. But I'm not a medical professional of any sort, and I am super great at working myself up over things, as you can see from my first post. Related, the doctor said I have to call the office and ask them about any concerns before I google anything from now on.
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Dec 28, 2015 19:48
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Palisader posted:I had an appointment today and I just didn't know if I should be preparing to try something else or what, but the doctor said the level 2 is just a normal precaution and that the lamictal was the best option I had available. I had read through quite a few of the studies (that I could find) and it seemed like, at worst, there just weren't enough studies done to say anything one way or the other. But I'm not a medical professional of any sort, and I am super great at working myself up over things, as you can see from my first post. You'll be fine. Keep up on those prenatal vitamins. Free with obama care!
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Dec 28, 2015 20:33
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H110Hawk posted:You'll be fine. Keep up on those prenatal vitamins. Free with obama care! If your not on a grandfathered insurance plan*
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Dec 29, 2015 00:23
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So about how long does it take for an induced delivery? Wife just started one.
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Dec 29, 2015 02:00
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sullat posted:So about how long does it take for an induced delivery? Wife just started one. It depends on if the induction fully works. My sister's took more than 24 hours.
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Dec 29, 2015 02:19
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My first induction took 4 hours, the second about 13. My second child was face up and had to be turned though, so I didn't progress as quickly. He was born about 15 minutes after the doctor flipped him.
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Dec 29, 2015 03:27
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Ok, cool. As long as we get it done by Thursday so I can get the exemption & credit for 2015.
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Dec 29, 2015 03:40
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Mine was 8 hours, but once I gave in and got an epidural, I had her in 45 minutes. Good luck to you two!
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Dec 29, 2015 03:42
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Mine was less than 2 hours once the iv was in.
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Dec 29, 2015 04:15
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sullat posted:Ok, cool. As long as we get it done by Thursday so I can get the exemption & credit for 2015. Ha! Hope all is well, congrats! You will for sure have a baby in your arms by Thursday!
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Dec 29, 2015 05:34
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sullat posted:Ok, cool. As long as we get it done by Thursday so I can get the exemption & credit for 2015. Mine was 57 hours. So...could be cutting it pretty close.
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Dec 29, 2015 20:26
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 9 hours. Uncomfortable bed, mediocre food, poor wi-fi. But I perservered.
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Dec 29, 2015 21:19
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My fiance and I go to the OBGYN on the 11th, and I'm trying to figure out a good list of questions to ask. For instance, I take a blood pressure pill and an antidepressant; could that somehow affect my sperm and then the baby? Just things like that and any "right" questions, since I don't have any goddamned idea what I'm doing.
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Jan 1, 2016 00:48
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Today is our anatomy scan ultrasound!!! I can't wait to find out the sex! I'm guessing it's a girl, based on the 14 week scan, but my "symptoms" are more boy-like so who knows! My husband thinks it's a boy because my tummy is fuzzy now. Recent symptoms, at 19 weeks: -My hips are suddenly much wider. I can't sit sideways in a booth, the chair at Starbucks now barely fits, when I was in a plane two weeks ago I was touching the armrest on both sides, it's crazy! -Night sweats started this week. Nothing is quite so refreshing as waking up in a freezing house drenched in sweat and feeling like the blanket is stifling you! Woo! -I only gag or get nauseous the day after I go running. And I can run again! I think my hypoglycemia resolved? I have plenty of energy and don't hit the wall when I try to run now. Also: I've gained way too much weight. From weeks 3-16 I gained about 20lbs. I wasn't eating "for two" and I wasn't eating much more decadently (aside from the occasional order of fries and some ginger ale). But I had to snack constantly to keep the hypoglycemia and nausea at bay and I guess I didn't reduce my meal size enough? I dunno. I haven't gained too much weight in the past few weeks so at least there's that... I don't know how much to adjust at this point, surely I shouldn't gain 1lb/week when I'm already too large?
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Jan 12, 2016 16:57
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dopaMEAN posted:But I had to snack constantly to keep the hypoglycemia and nausea at bay and I guess I didn't reduce my meal size enough? This is a huge problem for me. And the only things that work for me to snack on are carbs, which aren't super filling. I'm scared to get on a scale, but I have been tracking my calories so I'm hopeful it's not horrible. =/
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Jan 12, 2016 17:03
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dopaMEAN posted:Also: I've gained way too much weight. From weeks 3-16 I gained about 20lbs. I wasn't eating "for two" and I wasn't eating much more decadently (aside from the occasional order of fries and some ginger ale). But I had to snack constantly to keep the hypoglycemia and nausea at bay and I guess I didn't reduce my meal size enough? I dunno. I haven't gained too much weight in the past few weeks so at least there's that... I don't know how much to adjust at this point, surely I shouldn't gain 1lb/week when I'm already too large? Don't worry, unless the nausea keeps up throughout your pregnancy, the weight-gain will level off when you go back to eating normally. Half my total pregnancy weight gain came before week 14 because I was nibbling something salty and starchy constantly. When the nausea went away and I could go back to eating regular food at regular intervals, the rapid weight-gain stopped.
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Jan 12, 2016 17:31
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