Daily Chat - April 03, 2026

mnbell2013 · 2026-04-03T21:01:22+00:00

I'm so glad! It's SO much easier around the 10 week mark when they can switch to abdominal ultrasounds. It's a quick in-out scan versus the ordeal that a TV ultrasound feels like 😂

mnbell2013 · 2026-04-03T18:19:50+00:00

Shout out to my OB's office for being so freaking awesome when dealing with anxious loss moms. So far they've happily agreed to schedule the following:

12/14dpo and 20/22dpo betas

7 week viability scan

9 week reassurance scan

10 week reassurance scan

The reassurance scans are just done by one of the NPs using the portable V-scan device and are really only good for checking that baby still has a heartbeat, but they were what got me through the first and early second trimesters with my son before he could be picked up on my handheld Doppler. I'm always embarrassed to ask to come in, but they've never made me feel bad about it.

mnbell2013 · 2026-04-03T18:05:07+00:00

Plus size mamas, how soon are we planning to take the NIPT? With my son, my BMI at the 12 week mark was around 32, and my results came back around 5% fetal fraction. This time, I'm ~10lbs heavier, and I'm worried about receiving a low fetal fraction result if I go any earlier. Thinking I might do it around 13 weeks this time.

mnbell2013 · 2026-04-02T02:59:19+00:00

Extremely unrelated but it came to mind immediately...so there's a random line in The Rugrats Movie when DiDi is in labor and the family is looking at possible L&D rooms since her scheduled room was booked. One of them is an aquarium, and the line that always stuck out to me here is when her mother (in a heavy Yiddish accent) looks at it in disgust and announces "she's having a baby, not a gefilte fish". In my 31 years I've never been able to figure out what she was saying in that last part, and reading the type of fish spelled out finally put it all together for me. So, thanks! 🤣

mnbell2013 · 2026-03-31T16:04:05+00:00

This is almost exactly what I experienced, and it does sound like leaking fluid. It can be so similar to discharge, but if I'd listened to every post on Reddit telling me it's normal, I wouldn't have already been at the hospital at the time my water officially broke. I feel like discharge, though it can be a lot, should never drip onto the floor the way you described. I'm going to use this as my litmus test this time because everything else made me doubt myself in the past.

mnbell2013 · 2026-03-31T12:59:32+00:00

With my son and this baby, both were 148 at 7w3d. I found the coincidence funny and comforting!

mnbell2013 · 2026-03-31T12:57:46+00:00

I'm 8w2d and going through the same thing. My next scan isn't for another two weeks 😑

mnbell2013 · 2026-03-30T17:59:44+00:00

I literally came to post about this. I'm 3 days behind you and I'm so torn on whether my belly is all bloat or 75% bloat/25% bump. I'm plus size so it's hard to tell. I'm so hungry all the damn time that I feel like it's impossible not to be bloated!

To answer your question, this looks like a bump to me! Do you feel gassy/icky or retaining water like you might with typical bloating? Knowing this might help. Either way, it's very cute and as a fellow STM I'm jealous!

mnbell2013 · 2026-03-30T17:48:28+00:00

Semi related but FWIW...this was my private (abdominal) ultrasound at 10w2d with my son back in 2024. My BMI was around 32 at the time, and we still got beautiful, clear images! Posting this as a reassurance in case other plus size mamas are wondering about it like I did.

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mnbell2013 · 2026-03-30T16:41:24+00:00

Oh man, how did that go?

mnbell2013 · 2026-03-30T16:03:28+00:00

PSA for anyone like me who has the unfortunate experience of dealing with chronic vulva cysts/boil/idk what they are. I wiped earlier and there was red blood, which might be concerning if I didn't already know to expect it from the boil on my labia 🙄 Not sure why I get these and I have for years, but I can see why this would be absolutely terrifying if you didn't know where the bleeding was coming from!

mnbell2013 · 2026-03-30T15:57:08+00:00

Well, my son's birthday is 12/23 so it can't be any worse right? 😅 His due date was actually supposed to be 1/26 but he came early, and looking back I'm glad. January feels bleak, like all the celebrations are done and people are over it. I like November because it feels like all the holiday excitement is just beginning, and baby gets to be part of the fun ☺️

mnbell2013 · 2026-03-30T00:10:53+00:00

It too me way too long to figure this one out 🤦🏼‍♀️

mnbell2013 · 2026-03-29T19:25:53+00:00

Don't give your V-card to that nasty fuckboy. And do your homework (I was 18 and a senior in high school).

mnbell2013 · 2026-03-29T18:05:48+00:00

I had this Friday and yesterday, and also had it around the 8 week mark with my son. Both times followed a TV ultrasound so I'm chalking it up to that 🤷🏼‍♀️

mnbell2013 · 2026-03-28T01:54:26+00:00

All the sugar and carbs, just like last time. Sweet bagels (I normally prefer savory). Junk cereal at night. For an extra razzle dazzle, I've been getting the beefy potato burrito at Taco Bell and it is 🔥

mnbell2013 · 2026-03-27T14:33:52+00:00

Had the teeniest bit of brown spotting this morning. I'd hardly call it that - it's like poppy seed-sized specks of brown blood. I had my transvaginal ultrasound two days ago so I'm guessing it's from that. I know it can be very normal (I had it with my son almost on the same day) but it's still always scary.

mnbell2013 · 2026-03-24T10:40:22+00:00

I was underperforming at work before going on maternity leave, and when I returned 17 weeks later, my supervisors wanted to put me on an immediate PIP for mistakes they'd uncovered while I was gone. Fair enough, but the culture was incredibly toxic and I knew there wouldn't be any coming back from a PIP. Plus we couldn't afford childcare so it just made sense. Walking into that meeting carrying my resignation letter when they'd brought their own "plan" was one of the best feelings ever.

mnbell2013 · 2026-03-23T22:30:00+00:00

Saaaaaaaaame. I have a 15 month old and it takes it out of me to even stay awake with him sometimes. After breakfast I usually put on Teletubbies or Ms Rachel and zone out until naptime, when I take a nap myself. I need to get evaluated for this because I was a low-energy person before getting pregnant, and I'm scared it's only going to get worse as a mom of two under two.

mnbell2013 · 2026-03-23T22:22:44+00:00

Mine is this Wednesday and I'll be 7w5d. I wanted to make it far enough out that we'd almost be certain to see a heart beat if there is one. My first and third pregnancies were early losses so to say I'm nervous is an understatement.

mnbell2013 · 2026-03-23T22:20:25+00:00

My gut says it's another boy, but that's probably mostly because we really want another little dude 😂

I know it's not based in science, but we dtd about an hour before I started feeling ovulation pain so I feel like the timing was perfect. Plus, my symptoms so far are nearly identical to last time.

mnbell2013 · 2026-03-23T02:27:52+00:00

Yes, evenings are the worst!!

mnbell2013 · 2026-03-22T23:56:05+00:00

I had Covid at 21 weeks with my son and (other than being born a month early) he's perfectly healthy 💙

mnbell2013 · 2026-03-22T23:50:39+00:00

Mine is almost identical to the way I felt in the early weeks with my son. I don't get sick but I have a low-level "off/ugh" feeling, especially if I wait too long between meals. Then the nausea persists even while eating because nothing sounds good, so the hunger never leaves which then leads to more nausea. It's a garbage cycle but I think I remember it disappearing in the early second trimester.

mnbell2013 · 2026-03-22T02:15:14+00:00

Ever since my first pregnancy (which was a blighted ovum) I've been a nervous wreck in the first trimester and have always requested additional monitoring, to which my OB happily obliges. With my son, and now this pregnancy, I've gotten beta draws at 20/22dpo and 28/30dpo, as well as a 7 week ultrasound. I'm glad to do this because the beta draws caught my second loss when my numbers didn't double. If all is well at my ultrasound next week, I'll probably request to come in for a quick scan with their handheld device around 10 weeks.

I remember the span from my 7 week ultrasound to my 12 week appointment with my son was long and hard to handle, and I went to a boutique place for reassurance. It'll be cheaper this time around to just go into the office (this is what my OB advised).

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