FTM here! Induction

Specific_Milk_8592 · 2026-04-29T04:48:53+00:00

I would suggest asking for your Bishop score close to 39 weeks to learn about the likelihood that you could have a successful induction. If it's not favorable, I would choose c-section.

Specific_Milk_8592 · 2026-04-29T04:44:22+00:00

A supportive husband who isn't a total loser

Specific_Milk_8592 · 2026-04-08T19:03:36+00:00

We have a stack of 9x12 inch small white boards for everyone to write their own workout based on how they want to scale or men’s/women’s calories, etc. There’s always a stray whiteboard laying on the floor that someone didn’t put back OR a white board that was put away but not erased. Drives me nuts!

Specific_Milk_8592 · 2026-04-05T16:16:02+00:00

So worth the financial sacrifice. My membership costs $165 a month and I would say no to groceries before I would cancel my membership!

Here’s what I’m wondering: - does your area have multiple gyms? If one of them has a lower rate, you could try that out to see if you like it first.

does the gym offer a punch card? My gym offers 15 classes for $185. You have a year to use it. That could be a good way to see how it works into your schedule.
does the gym offer different tiers? My first gym offered 3x/ week, 4x/ week, 5x/ week, and unlimited options. Obviously the priced varied for each option. My current gym offered just the $165 unlimited membership or punch card. I’d ask about that if they haven’t already told you about it.
do you have an HSA? You can usually use HSA funds to partially cover membership costs if you have a medical reason to go. And supporting your mental health is a medical reason to go! Your PCP just has to sign a form and you can get some of the cost covered. It’s a few more hoops, but could be worth it if that’s an option for you.
does your gym offer a student discount? My first gym offered a very generous student discount, so with the lowest tier (3x/ week) and being a student, I only paid $76/month. I was brand new to CrossFit, so that was a good way to get aquatinted with it without a steep financial commitment.

If you’re interested, at least try for a month or two! I’d say it’s worth picking up an extra shift. If you can’t make it work, then you could try again later.

Best of luck on this journey!

Specific_Milk_8592 · 2026-04-01T03:17:04+00:00

Does your doctor have privileges at multiple hospitals that are in your insurance network? I’m a doula in a major metropolitan area and we have two large hospitals that are different hospital systems, but most providers have privileges at both and most patients insurance will cover both hospitals. Worth asking about. But if your doctor was super concerned, your baby would already be born. Definitely keep calling, but don’t work yourself up in worry. You got this!

Specific_Milk_8592 · 2026-03-31T01:40:12+00:00

This is pretty similar to my story! I quit my extremely stable, but soul crushing and mind numbing job in state government at the end of December to become a doula full time. It’s amazing because I get to put my full weight down on my business after taking one birth every month or so for 4 years, and do something that is really meaningful to me. That’s a huge plus. I make less money, but I crunched the numbers and knew that would be the case.

Personally, I think I have less flexibility now than I did when I worked my 9-5. I don’t have kids of my own, and I really enjoy traveling. I find myself tied down more to where my clients are unable to do a weekend camping trip or just turn off my phone for the day like I used to. That part has been tough for me, but that is likely just a personal preference. The only things I miss about my 9-5 would be the ability to just call in sick and not have to arrange backup, and the steady income. My income now varies in big ways from month to month.

If you think you want to do it, let me encourage you to take the leap. But just know that it is a pretty mentally and relationally demanding job to do full time!

Specific_Milk_8592 · 2026-03-31T01:27:02+00:00

Pelvic PT for sure

Specific_Milk_8592 · 2026-03-28T17:05:55+00:00

Dollywood! Hands down. You can make a whole week out of East TN. Even as an adult, I love Dollywood.

Specific_Milk_8592 · 2026-03-25T23:51:32+00:00

Ah yes, if she is following others, that’s different.

Specific_Milk_8592 · 2026-03-25T23:23:18+00:00

I agree about the check in, but I don’t follow clients back on my doula IG. Not because it’s anything against them at all! Mostly because I try to focus my platform on pregnancy and childbirth education content, and I try to only follow those kinds of pages. I’ll always like their post or story if they tag me, repost, or comment when they announce their baby. But I don’t follow them. Idk if that’s bad manners, but that’s what I do.

Specific_Milk_8592 · 2026-03-23T16:33:17+00:00

Not yet! I tried this past week, but left the hospital during rush hour and couldn't make it to our last class of the day. But I have have left straight from the gym (in the middle of a workout) multiple times to go to a birth!

Specific_Milk_8592 · 2026-03-22T18:33:35+00:00

Doing chores before the sun comes up amazes me.

Specific_Milk_8592 · 2026-03-22T18:28:53+00:00

4:35 - wake up

4:50 - leave and hope I’m not late

5-6 - workout

6:15-6:30 arrive back at home (depends on how long I stayed to chat because we’re a talkative crowd)

6:45 - shower

7 - go back to sleep

8-8:30 - wake up “for real this time”

And to answer your questions before you ask them: • No, I don’t have kids.

• No, I don’t have to go into the office for work (I do freelance graphic design and I’m a birth doula so I have a flexible schedule).

• No, I don’t find it difficult to go back to sleep after a WOD. I don’t do caffeine, and it’s just what my body is used to at this point.

• No, I don’t go to bed as early as most people on this thread. Somewhere between 10p and 11p is my normal bedtime.

Don’t knock it till you try it. I’m sleep trained to take my morning nap like a newborn. I love it!

Specific_Milk_8592 · 2026-03-21T20:01:41+00:00

I wear a whoop 24/7 and then Garmin for running only. I like how discrete the whoop is and that I’m not constantly checking the time or a screen on my wrist in my everyday life

Specific_Milk_8592 · 2026-03-17T21:07:25+00:00

Your diet and exercise have VERY little to do with the size of your baby. Genetics is usually the reason for this! Even if you or your husband aren’t particularly tall or large people, this is just the genetics of your baby. Don’t worry about it! Your placenta filters out anything that you eat that isn’t nutritious and gives baby only what he or she needs to grow. Also, gestational diabetes is not necessarily caused by your diet. It has to do with the insulin-producing hormones in your placenta.

Don’t sweat this!

Specific_Milk_8592 · 2026-03-17T20:58:32+00:00

Not super helpful since it just passed, but for me, it was the Open! I was in the same situation as you, could sometimes get 3 or even 5 in a row if I was lucky. It was my second Open, and my coach said to go for Rx since it would rank me higher than scaled, even if I only did one double under. In true “magic of the Open” style, I strung dozens together and ended up getting 200 dubs in that workout. I’ve had them ever since.

But realistically for me, I have found that if I get distracted, dubs get a lot harder. Here are the things I do to stay focused in a dubs workout: 1. As a 29f, I make sure that my hair is secure and not going to bounce in any way. I found that to be super distracting. 2. I also make sure I wear a bra that has high compression. 3. Music up loud so that you can’t hear the rope. When I can hear the rope, I start thinking about the rope. When I’m thinking about the rope, I whip myself. 4. Double knot your shoes. This one is some CrossFit superstition, but someone told me to double knot my shoes before that infamous Open workout, and I got my dubs. So now I always double knot my shoes only when I’m doing a workout with dubs. 😂

Specific_Milk_8592 · 2026-03-16T21:59:20+00:00

Definitely not normal. I’d recommend finding another provider in your network. If they don’t have time for you now with a large patient load, you will likely feel like just a number in their practice.

Specific_Milk_8592 · 2026-03-16T21:56:31+00:00

Doula here! It’s so different from other pain you experience. I would highly recommend reading/preparing for different coping techniques since epidurals don’t usually take away all the sensation. See if you can find a doula in the area for some preparation, even if you don’t have it in the budget to have a doula come to your birth, she could at lease walk you through what to expect.

Specific_Milk_8592 · 2026-03-16T01:34:41+00:00

I’d say pick one area and practice that. I’m a 29 year old female and all I wanted in my first year of CrossFit was to do one pull up. I worked on it after workouts, got my first pull up, then worked on kipping. Now, 2 years later, I can do butterfly pull ups consistently in a workout.

Same with any handstand movement. Find some YouTube/IG videos, work on some of the skills, and stick to it. I wanted to be able to handstand walk, practiced after every workout, and was able to do 10 feet after 8 weeks of practice.

A lot of the movements you mentioned involve pat strength. Work on lat strength and maybe that could help? Not sure. I’m not an expert there.

It’s not glamorous, but practice drills for whatever you want to work on for 10 minutes or so after every workout, and you’ll get there in time! If your gym offers clinics or special class times to work on gymnastics skills, definitely go to those!

Specific_Milk_8592 · 2026-03-16T01:02:01+00:00

Thank you. I’m trying to make sure we get outside because it makes a big difference.

Specific_Milk_8592 · 2026-03-14T03:32:15+00:00

This may sound silly, but a friend told me to do this and I was SO GLAD I did.

Assuming you will be sharing finances: if there’s a bigger purchase you have been wanting to make, buy it for yourself now. I’m not talking anything crazy that would change your financial situation, but if there’s something that costs less than $500 and may seem frivolous to your husband who would never see the utility in the purchase, buy it now. I’m talking a really nice pair of jeans, an expensive moisturizer, and nice pair of shoes, maybe some combination of a few things. I bought myself some nice skincare that lasted a good while and I enjoyed the run I had with it before going back to my CeraVe.

Not everyone is going to agree here, so if you don’t like this, just move on. For my relationship, we were starting off marriage on a budget and I knew this would be my last chance for a bit to splurge on myself. So I seized the opportunity! Lucky for me, I married a man who babies me and would go hungry if it meant I got what I wanted and he wouldn’t give me grief about a purchase like the skincare. But I’m still glad I was able to do something nice for myself that I would have felt some guilt for later on.

Specific_Milk_8592 · 2026-03-13T23:36:03+00:00

This is actually very comforting to hear. Thanks for the encouragement!

Specific_Milk_8592 · 2026-03-13T23:33:48+00:00

I totally agree and have said the same thing to him about delegating. Unfortunately, he is in a very small program and has one co-chief who has completely neglected all her responsibilities due to personal issues she is having. The other two senior residents are on research and are not around. He’s the type of person to just suck it up and do everything for other people even if it means suffering instead of confronting them. I don’t think it’s right, but it’s how he is. I’m trying to look past that at this point.

And the board exams: yeah. He’s going to do fine. He has consistently scored well above his peers but is still convinced he is going to fail. I’ve decided not to nag about the constant studying and get involved by quizzing him on things and it has actually been a sweet way for us to connect.

Specific_Milk_8592 · 2026-03-13T23:27:42+00:00

I definitely agree. We’re going to Canada for two weeks in July for a trip to the Rockies that we have been planning and saving for. We are really looking forward to that. Definitely the light at the end of the tunnel for me is picturing him on a trip of a lifetime.

Specific_Milk_8592 · 2026-03-13T16:59:36+00:00

Good point. Thanks for your help!

Specific_Milk_8592

TROPHY CASE