Sorry to hear you are having problems :grouphug:! When is your next appointment with your regular OB? I would ask what his/her policy is for pre-term labor. Each doctor seems to have a different tolerance for how many and how often you can have contractions at home before getting checked out. You are almost far enough along that they won't do much if you start labor. Most dr's won't give steroids after 34 weeks, or meds to stop labor after 36. Are you able to be on bed-rest for the next several weeks? I know some people are not willing to do it but I highly suggest it! I believe it saved both of my pregnancies, well that and some nasty meds :lol:. Just know that you aren't alone! I had pre-term labor with my ds at 25 weeks (luckily it was stopped with Mag). Then with my twin pregnancy I felt the same thing at 18 weeks and went to the ER and there were no cervical changes. It was so confusing, it felt exactly the same! I felt like an idiot but I would rather be safe than sorry! Remember to listen to your gut! If you think you need to go in do it, who cares if you inconvenience people. It's better than a premature baby! Marisa

I'm so sorry for all of you who have had losses :grouphug:!!! I struggled with infertility and high risk pregnancies where the fate of my babies was a daily question :-( Even now 3 years later, anytime I see a post about bed-rest, twins, or preemies I can feel my heart start to race and it's hard to breath. Just writing this brings back a flood of emotions. Be gentle with yourself and honor the loss you had. It was real and you have every right to be upset! If the pain continues and becomes overwhelming please get yourself some help. It is nothing to be ashamed of and I think we as a society diminish the heartbreak of early losses. Gentle hugs, Marisa

Hi Elfinlady, I see you posted this a couple of weeks ago so I hope you are doing a little better now!!! I have Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease which my Rheumatologist thinks may be RA. It doesn't really matter the name they give it because the treatments are the same. I've been doing the med rollercoaster ride since last year, Prednisone, Methotrexate, Plaquenil, Sulfasalazine, Arava and who knows what's next. If you have never had a chronic health problem it is going to be a big change for you. Try to do a lot of reading up on it and join an RA forum, this can help you feel more in control of your life. I really like the site http://www.arthritis.org. They have a very active RA community. I hope you start finding relief soon and feel free to PM me! I've only been at this a year but I can help you as much as I am able to :001_smile:. Marisa

Thank you Jenni for posting this! I thought I was the only one and have felt like a horrible mother for it :blushing:. I don't know why I don't like it but I just don't. I love to read to myself but for some reason reading aloud is not enjoyable. My three are still little so I do read to them, but definitely not as much as I think I should. Maybe just saying this out loud will be cathartic :). Marisa

If you didn't have it with your first two maybe those pregnancies loosened the ligaments up and now they are stretching more with each subsequent pregnancy? I know that I am hypermobile so I am not surprised I've had it with each of my pregnancies. Those pregnancies hormones can do some wacky stuff to our bodies :tongue_smilie:! I hope you can find something that helps you with the pain soon! Marisa

Hi Pencil Pusher, I do not envy your pain right now! I had this with both of my pregnancies and it is not fun. I was on bedrest most of my pregnancies and I think it helped with the SPD. I would suggest taking it as easy as you can, find an experienced chiropractor and maybe buy a pelvic support of some kind. How are you doing at night? If sleeping in a bed is too uncomfortable a recliner chair may work. It may take several weeks after you deliver for the pain to go away. If it doesn't make sure to discuss it with your OB or primary care doctor. With my son it went away within a month and everyday it got a little bit better. Unfortunately with my twins the pain only got worse :(. I ended up having Diastasis Symphysis Pubis, a complete separation of my pubic bone. The pain was horrible and they kept telling me it was the SPD and would go away. Finally they did an x-ray that showed the separation and they were much more sympathetic. I hope you are able to find some relief! Marisa

I was in a sorority at a large University (45,000 students) and we had around 50 sororities and fraternities, in other words a large Greek system :001_smile:. I lived in the house and had a very good experience! If my daughter wanted to join a sorority I would support her decision though I have a few years before I need to worry about that! Being at a large university it was easy to feel like just another number so having a home away from home was very comforting. The house we lived in was very nice though not very private with 80 other girls! We had food cooked for us for each meal and there was a "mother" there if we needed an adult for anything. Academics were very important in our house and we had lots of study groups and required study hours for freshman. As other posters have said my sorority sisters became lawyers, doctors, engineers, etc. We also did a lot of community service projects in our community. Drinking in the house was forbidden as well as males in the sleeping areas. So we would go to the fraternity parties, drink there and then come home to our nice quite house. There was a lot of drinking done by members of the sorority, but the same can be said for students at the dorms, in apartments or anywhere else. Having said all this I would NOT recommend someone joining a fraternity. At least at the university I attended the fraternities were absolutely disgusting! All of the parties happened there because it wasn't allowed at the sororities. The houses smelled like urine and beer and were noisy all the time. I don't know how anyone was able to study. So there's my 2 cents about Greek life :lol:. Marisa

Congratulations, he is adorable!!! My brother and I are 2 years and 12 hours apart and shared lots of birthdays :-) It was fun when we were young and it still is! Marisa

Hi everyone, I've been having cramps the last three days which at first I thought were ovulation cramps but now I'm not so sure. I have the Mirena IUD but the strings have migrated into my uterus and at last ultrasound check (in Dec) it was still in place. After consultation with my Dr we decided to leave it in until it expires since it wasn't causing any problems. The cramps aren't severe but they are certainly present. Any thoughts? I highly doubt it would be a tubal since my dh has a vasectomy. It's the weekend so I would have to go to the ER if I want to get it checked out. Thanks for any info/advice! Marisa

Could the baby have changed positions? All my kids (except twin B) were breech so I don't know what it feels like when a normally positioned baby drops. Are you having any other symptoms of labor? To be on the safe side I would try to drink a lot of water and take it easy until your ultrasound and appointment. With all my preterm labor issues, the baby dropping was never something my Dr's had me keep an eye on. So I'm not sure if it means much in regards to when you are going to go into labor. Take care! Marisa

Hi Catherine, I am sorry your child was quizzed. I was homeschooled when I was young and homeschooling was more uncommon so there was a lot of mystery surrounding it. I was quizzed all the time and honestly it was not good for my self esteem :-( I remember one of my ballet classmates would quiz me all the time in the changing room. She was and still is extremely intelligent (MIT undergrad, Harvard Med School) so as you can imagine her questions were very advanced! I would really try to stop the quizzing in its tracks and tell your children how they should respond to such bullying. Marisa

Hi Koala Mum, I have no advice on which particular diet is best but I have a book recommendation for you. My girlfriend has lost 55 lbs in the past 6 months and she highly recommends the book "Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It" by Gary Taubes. I personally haven't read it but any time someone asks my friend about her weight loss that is the book she suggests reading. Good luck! Marisa

Hi Amy, I am another fan of Nordstroms!!! I went to VS for years and was always told I was a 34D, but the bras just never seemed to fit correctly. At that age I didn't really care though since their bras were so cute :lol:. When I finally went to Nordstrom and was fitted I found out I was actually a 32DD. The problem was that VS didn't carry that size so they just moved me into a size they did have :glare:. The women at Nordstrom are very professional and mature. They will bring you bras until you find the perfect one for you. I think it is well worth the money to get a bra that is flattering and fits you properly. Marisa

I'm so sorry about your traumatic birth experience but congratulations on your twins!!! 31 weeks is early but getting past 30 weeks is a great milestone! As other have mentioned watch for PPD and PTSD. I had a similar experience at 25 weeks with my oldest (med-evaced during labor) but luckily they were able to stop it with Mag. It was the worst day of my life, they were giving my son not very good odds if he were born :-( Then with my twins I started having problems very early and was on bedrest from 18 weeks on. Every day I thought I was going to lose them. By the time I had them I was numb, I don't think I really bonded with them until they were a year old. I just "knew" something awful was going to happen to them. I knew people that had been through so much worse but it didn't mean that the experience wasn't traumatic for me. I was finally told I had PTSD and started treatment. It has helped but I still feel like I've been kicked in the stomach when I hear stories similar to mine. I think if I would have gotten help sooner it would have helped. I hope your babies do well in the NICU and have a short stay! :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: Marisa

Hahaha, hopefully you aren't going into Perimenopause at 27 LOL! If you are concerned about your Thyroid I would ask them to check it, especially if they are doing other blood work it's easy for them to add :-) I get checked every time I go to the Dr and I am somewhat thin 5'7 130lbs. Hyperthyroidism can cause weight loss, so being thin doesn't rule thyroid issues out. Hope you figure out what is going on! Marisa

Lots of carbs and protein, maybe more vegetables? Looks delicious :-) Marisa

I'm not sure how old you are but maybe Perimenopause? Marisa

Congratulations!!! What exciting news :party:!!! Marisa

As soon as I read the OP I remembered reading about that as well. Here is the article I remember: From the Associated Press 6/26/2006 Having several older brothers increases the likelihood of a man being gay, a finding researchers say adds weight to the idea that there is a biological basis for sexual orientation. One possibility, he suggests, is a maternal immune response to succeeding male fetuses. The mother may react to a male fetus as foreign but not to a female fetus because the mother is also female. It might be like the maternal immune response that can occur when a mother has Rh-negative blood but her fetus has Rh-positive blood. Without treatment, the mother can develop antibodies that may attack the fetus during future pregnancies. Whether that’s what is happening remains to be seen, but it is a provocative hypothesis, said a commentary by Breedlove, David A. Puts and Cynthia L. Jordan, all of Michigan State. I hope this is helpful! Marisa

Hi Ipsy, I'm sorry you are having muscle spasms, ouch! If the anti-inflammatory meds don't help you may need to get a prescription muscle relaxer. Until then you could try ice or heat depending on which you prefer, see if you husband could give you a massage, and maybe ask around to see if any of your friends have a TENS unit you could borrow. The TENS unit has little electrodes that you stick on your back and it gets blood circulating to those areas. I hope you feel better soon! Marisa

Congratulations!!! How exciting to have a nice surprise come out of this :-) I had a funny feeling when I was pregnant that it was twins and sure enough it was! Marisa

Another vote for duct tape! We had a progression of duct tape trials with my twins. When they figured out one we moved on to the next idea. 1. Duct tape over tabs of diaper. 2. Duct tape all the way around diaper. 3. No duct tape on diaper, but duct tape at the top of the zippered footie pj's. 4. #3 with overalls over the top of the pj's and the straps crossed in the back. Good luck, some kids are just a little more persistent than others :lol:! Marisa

:iagree: Plus the guests they have are educated and not just someone they pulled off the street :lol:! Marisa

:grouphug: I know how hard it is every time they add a new diagnosis to an already long list! Sometimes I just want to say really? Like I don't have enough problems already? Do you have an on-line medical support group you can lean on? I belong to a couple and find a lot of comfort from them. I think especially when you are younger it is hard to find people in your community dealing with chronic health problems that are your age. I remember when I was 21 taking a special arthritis water aerobics class and the youngest person besides myself was 60! My friends were out at the clubs and I was at my senior H20 aerobics class :lol:! Do you see a therapist or psychologist? Dealing with chronic illness is emotionally exhausting and it sounds like you could use someone to talk to. If your husband is active duty Tricare covers mental health with no referral. You would just have to call or look on their website for providers in your area. I would also highly recommend having your husband come with you a couple of times. This effects him as well, even if he wants to pretend it doesn't! Is your sleep and pain managed? Those two things can make everything else feel completely overwhelming if they aren't controlled. If you don't mind my asking what type of arthritis do you have? I was diagnosed with Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease and it seems to be leaning towards RA. Still trying to find the right med combo but I'm currently on Arava, Plaquenil and Prednisone for it. Have you found any meds helpful? Gentle hugs! Marisa

Thanks for your reply Crimson Wife! Both my twins are doing an early intervention program since they turned 2, but it was just a speech therapist coming to the house once a week. The preschool program your dd goes to sounds very interesting! Like your dd I'm not sure what will happen to my ds when he starts K if he needs ST? Luckily his birthday is in early September so he will miss the K cut off and will have an extra year! Hopefully by then both of our kids will be talking our ears off and we won't have to worry about it :001_smile:! Marisa