My LO just turned 3 and for the past couple of months I've been having to deal with more defiance and testing of boundaries. I've had to be far more firm with him about getting him to listen to me. I don't give in though and just let him know he can do what I'm asking him to do or else he won't get to do whatever he finds fun. Being difficult at coop preschool? We can go home right now. Yelling when we tell him its time to get changed into pjs? Then you can go to bed right after instead of getting to play before bed. I also tell him that if he doesn't stop doing X,Y, Z that I won't play with him and I walk away.

I've done a lot of attachment parenting of him up until now and continue to do so, so he knows that I love him and will support him. I also will let him have some say over what activities we do -- so he has some control over what goes on in his day (such as wandering around stores and taking escalators on the way home from downtown/work yesterday -- not something I wanted to do but he wanted to explore which is fair enough).

I feel like my parenting since he was a newborn is paying off though, even as he needs to test his boundaries and authority in the world. Still it is a challenging phase with lots of yelling (him) and more scolding (me and his dad).

We had our NT scan on Friday and in spite of my feelings that something terrible was going to be discovered -- mostly fears that the baby had died -- our little one was big and healthy looking, jumping, turning, and wiggling around. It was a relief. The NT measurement was .9 mm which is a nice low number; the crown to rump length was 50 mm another reasonable number. The legs were proportioned nicely and we did see the nasal bone, so I'm thinking that from a soft marker standpoint baby is looking really good. I could see the chambers of the heart as he wiggled back and forth as well.

I've been feeling pretty well, mostly fatigued but I try to get to bed early. My appetite slowed down a bit last week, and I haven't been nauseous at all if I just eat a little bit every couple of hours and stay hydrated. I struggling with drinking enough fluids. Tea I can get down about half a cup; water is okay if I sip it; juice is okay but I usually dilute it so it isn't too sweet; my favorite go-to beverage is club soda with Rose's Lime Juice.

I do have a cold right now, with aches even, but I know it isn't a flu. It is some bad cold that is going around through the preschool set as Jonah caught it and half of his class was out sick with it last week. I've been using a little bit of nasal decongestant spray at night, plus saline spray during the day, to help keep it in check. A hot water bottle helps with the aches in my legs.

I'm in the midst of preschool selection for Jonah and I think I found a good one. It is a small program, blended ages (3-5) with a Montessori-based approach. I think it will be a nice fit for Jonah and they have easy access to a great park for outdoor play. So many Seattle preschools only have tiny yards to play in.

Since the new baby is due just a few weeks before school starts I have been looking at drop-off preschool instead of coop. I think it will help give our family some extra bandwidth to adjust to the new addition and let me have some good baby-bonding time.

I really wonder how different it is going to feel this time around -- Jonah got the best of everything -- time, cuddling, etc. The new baby will have the benefit of a loving big brother though. I wasn't pushing trying to conceive too quickly though we were not preventing for a long time. I sort of wanted Jonah to be more independent by the time we might have a second child. It does rather limit our childbearing time though as I'll be just 40 when the new one arrives.

I feel blessed enough. If it was 30-40 years ago we couldn't have had children at all given our surgical needs, though perhaps we would have tried conceiving sooner and maybe my partner wouldn't have had a vasectomy in the first place. So hard to know.

Hi all, I just got done with my OB appt and the u/s shows a perfect little bean in there. Baby is measuring spot-on per how far along I am. Due date is 8/17 give or take. We saw the little heart beating and baby even moved a teeny bit. My partner and I were so tense and stressed out until the u/s. They even screwed up my appt. but were able to fit us in. I felt like crying the entire time, and even still. Oh my goodness, we are going to have a baby!

Blech. This nausea is getting to me. I just feel like something is imminent, but doesn't quite happen. I threw up two nights ago, while trying to clean up the cat vomit from the rug. Nice. Then yesterday morning, in spite of already having eaten once, I threw up a little again. Hardly anything either time but unpleasant either way.

As it is Christmas Eve I figured I better try to get the bull by the horns before the stores are closed tomorrow, and the weekend. I stopped by the drugstore and picked up some Sea Bands which I'm wearing now -- so very stylish. They seem to be helping a little bit already, which is promising. I think I better knit some wrist warmers though so I don't have to show them off at work. Obviously we aren't planning on telling folks at work for a while.

I'm so tired all the time, not miserable, but enough that I really need a nap. So of course my not yet 3-year-old has been pushing back on having naps this week with, "I don't wanna haf mnap." Brilliant. And I'm on my own with him which makes it a little more challenging.

Anyway, the nausea can be thought of as a good sign. The pregnancy hormones are increasing at least. I'm 6 weeks 3 days today and less than two weeks until my OB appointment.

Best wishes for a Merry Christmas if you celebrate. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy the long weekend holiday.

Never fear, morning sickness is here.

I'm 6 weeks, 2 days pregnant today and I'm feeling icky this morning. Like I'm hungry and nauseous at the same time. I missed taking my b-complex last night, as I took it yesterday morning to make up for missing it the night before. Surely that isn't enough to get this blech feeling started.

I'm also feeling flushed which is also uncomfortable and I'm definately more bloated than I was a week ago. While I've been fitting into my pants fine, I don't know how much longer I will be able to fit into the more fitted pairs.

I don't feel like my fibroid is growing as much as it was last pregnancy, which would be a blessing. It measured 2.7cm x 4cm when checked by my RE in October. It was up around 9x7cm at its peak during my pregnancy with J.

My breasts and nipples are more sore, but on the whole nursing isn't that much more uncomfortable than it can be during the luteal phase. J has said he has enough ba-ba, though he seems to be eating more solids and nursing more frequently, which might be related to a supply dip.

I was supposed to travel to the East Coast for a week for Christmas and I decided to cancel the trip. Hauling myself and my almost 3yo to the airport on top of 10 hours travel, while on a restricted diet (no deli meats, nuts, dairy products) and anticipating nausea, as well as food aversions and exhaustion -- it just seemed like too much. I had planned the trip back in October long before I was pregnant.

Man, I feel like vomiting right now. I think I'll go have some toast. Blah.

Anyway, I bought tickets for my parents to come out for New Years weekend in place of my going there and that seems to have ameliorated the situation.

Just about 12 days until my first ultrasound. I can't wait to get a peek.

Ooh, how frustrating. I tried to do a post via email and it didn't show up and it isn't in my sent items. Bummer.

I'm 5w2d today and not feeling too many symptoms other than sore breasts and constipation. I've got some bloating but not much, and it hasn't increased over the past week. I've got sine acne on my scalp but overall my skin has been really dry, which probably has to do with the cold spell we had been having in Seattle. No real nausea or food cravings or aversions. No massive fatigue. I went back and read through my posts from my last pg and I had more symptoms so of course I worry. This baby us so wanted.

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I was thinking about how nice it was to have chosen to follow my child's lead and not wean him early, and to be facing a natural path, driven by biology and timing. It is what I had hoped for, even as we are coming close to the end of our third year nursing and I'm now pushing forty.

I mentioned to my mother about how vitamins through my breastmilk helped my son's eczma and she commented that he wouldn't be doing that for much longer. I feel that I should just keep meeting my firstborn's needs and if he wants to nurse than so be it. Why should I wean now? My body and his will do what they need to do.

It reminds me of the little jabs here and there I got over the past few years from family about how his having teeth should mean the end of nursing (he would barely eat solids until 16 months); how we wouldn't be able to conceive if I didn't wean; etc. I just ignored them, consulted with more knowledgable sources and trusted that things happen for a reason.   

I got my blood test results back and my beta HCG is 1058 and my progesterone is 38.5. They told me to keep using the progesterone cream since I have already been using it. They said the levels looked great so I guess I just sit tight until our Jan 5 appt. I had some twinges of nausea (so faint) this AM and I wanted to cry when J peed on the floor in his bedroom (but that can make any tired parent want to cry). I was super grouchy over the weekend with J when he was nursing so I'm trying to be mindful that there's a lot going on and I need to be nice to him as well.

I'm trying to send this little bean loving thoughts about growing. It seems so small an insignificant right now, though I know that will change quickly enough. I feel like I have already made a little room in my heart for the new one, but it makes me so sad for J to know that his world is going to change so drastically. I'm grateful for having nursed him so long and I hope his nursing needs will settle someplace agreeable to us both.

I had sort of resigned myself to the possibility that we might only have one, perhaps more than I thought. It is a wonderful thing to be able to give him a sibling (if everything goes well) but our little family of three will be forever changed. It just makes me a little sad.

I was able to get in for a blood draw this afternoon and I should have the results tomorrow morning for my beta HCG and progesterone levels. They asked me if I was taking a prenatal and then I started rattling off the list of supplements I'm taking hehe. I think I overwhelmed the woman.

As my partner is going to be out of town and he wants to be there for the appts and ultrasounds (he learned from our losses how important it was to have support during these early appts), our first obstetrical appt is Jan 5th. Man this seems to go quickly.

My head is already starting to think about when the baby is due, how this will impact our decision-making about preschool for J for next year, where the baby will sleep, how I'm going to manage with my house in a total state of disruption until the kitchen is done, etc.

Holy holy! I was feeling some odd twinges last night and AF still hadn't shown up today so I decided to test using the one digital I had in the house this AM. Of course it didn't work and just gave me a question mark.

Still no AF this morning so while heading into work this afternoon I picked up some more FREs. I just tested in the bathroom at work and two lines came up right away. I'm rather in disbelief but I remember that my early pg symptoms not being that different from AF pending.

I'm calling the doc now to see about getting in for some blood work and stuff. It is still a little early, based on my past history of early m/c.

In case you are interested, here are all the supplements I have been taking:

B-Complex (daily)

2 Prenatals (daily, half of the recommended dosage as I couldn't stomach taking 4 of these huge pills)

D3 as Carlson's D-drops (2000-4000 IUI daily)

Liquid calcium, magnesium, phosphorus plus D. I was taking it daily but with all the construction I've been managing a couple times a week.

Slow FE Iron - 1 tab almost daily

Zinc plus C

Emerita ProGest progesterone cream, during my LP



I hope this sticks. We have been trying for a long time.

Today is actually CD 14 and still no AF. I was thinking about Toni's TCOYF book and how it says that your LP should be constant. I know when I've been ovulating due to using the fertility monitor and check out my past 6 cycle LP lengths:

10
7
13
8
13
8

Hehe -- I guess I've proved that wrong -- at least while nursing a 2yo.

I just ate an entire bag of Hershey's kisses that I meant to bring to the office. Naughty me as the dairy and chocolate will make J's eczema flare up. But I needed it (and his eczema is down right now anyway).

My good new is that it is 12dpo and AF hasn't shown up yet. My TCOYF software is telling me AF is due today. Which reminds me that I forgot to pick up more sanitary supplies at the store this AM (grumble). I'm not feeling pg or anything, mostly just PMS-y. My breasts have been sensitive on the underside, from the progesterone I think.

Here's to cycles longer than 8/9 days.

This cycle, to try to extend my luteal phase I opted to use natural progesterone cream. I haven't used it in a few years. I originally tried it to deal with my fibroid, but I don't think that was the cause of my fibroid.

I can tell the progesterone cream is working, I just started using it this cycle again. It is a topical, natural progesterone cream. I used it a few years ago as well. My breasts are a little more sensitive than they have been. I'm 9dpo today and no AF yet. I guess that is a good thing. I'll keep my fingers crossed that she stays away for a bit longer.

Affects of maternal diet on child's immune system

I have a new theory about how a breastfeeding child may come to react (eczema, hives, etc.) to mother's milk, after coming across some new information about how the intestinal lining works. Perhaps your b-levels are low in both you and your LO and it is affecting the intestinal permeability for you both -- allowing partially digested proteins into your milk, and allowing them through your LOs lining to allow her to react.

Leaky gut is a condition where the intestinal lining us damaged and it let's through bacteria and partially digested or undigested nutrients, including proteins.
Dr. Weil - What Is Leaky Gut?
Is Your Digestive System Making You Sick?


B6, and magnesium both help with sulphation, the breakdown of sulfur, sulfites and toxins in the body. B6 also is needed for production of mucin, a protein that helps protect the lining of the intestine. Taking Tylenol can affect sulphation, as it uses up your sulfate stores, which are needed for this process.
Mothering.com Discussion - sulfur sensitivity
Intolerance to Sulphur (diagram and info)
Sulfation

B vitamins are soluble vitamins that will increase in your breastmilk if you take extra.
Vitamins & other supplements for breastfeeding mothers


If you read my post about supplements for extended nursing, I've had delayed ovulation, digestive issues and my little one has eczema (thought to be related to leaky gut and low D3). I recently started taking a b-complex and vitamin D3 to help with my cycle and the I noticed that his eczema started improving.

Perhaps you might see about adding in some extra B vitamins to your regime. It might help both your and her intestines to improve your intestinal lining. Eating foods to aid your liver will help with bile production, and detoxification. (Top 10 Nutrients for your Liver, Kidney and Gallbladder) and probiotics can help support good flora in the gut which should aid in digestion -- though again, I've seen a big change with just the extra Bs.

A lot of what I've read about anti- inflammatory diets have talked about paleolithic diets. If we ate more traditional diets we would probably be consuming more organ meats, like liver, which are rich in Bs. This might explain why someone eating a Western diet might not be taking in enough B for breastfeeding demands over time.

Supplements for Extended Nursing

Since hitting a fatigue wall last Spring I've been working on taking more supplements. I'm taking my prenatal every day, or not every other day, alternating with a B-complex. The B-complex is for my late ovulation and it is a little soon to tell if it is working, maybe by next cycle.

I'm also taking almost daily a liquid calcium-magnesium-phosphorus-vitamin D supplement.

I also take Slow FE as I've always been on the anemic side. I take that every other day.

I recently added in Carlson D-drops (D3) as we get little sun during the winters in Seattle.

The B-complex and Vitamin D seem to be helping my son with his eczema amazingly. Over time I've had increasing problems with sulfur-containing foods and I recently found mention that this may be due to not enough B6 (and magnesium, if you are craving a lot of chocolate).

I checked KellyMom and it said if you are eating a balanced diet you shouldn't need to supplement but I am feeling much better since I have been. I don't know how many studies have looked at women nursing past a year. I'll have to look into that more.

Vitamin D3 to help with Eczema

My son has eczema that through careful food logging, were have been able to isolate some trigger foods. He does not have anaphylaxis as we did the blood work to rule that out.

Starting mid- August his eczema randomly increased in intensity, and it hasn't been totally clear to me why.

Coming off a cold my son's eczema was way down - even though diet-wise were both had the same exposure to foods he is sensitive to before. He is flaring a bit today again, but perhaps I was a little too cavalier in what I ate, given his rash was down (I'm still nursing him).

I recently started supplementing myself with D3 and a b-complex. The following article and some other discussions on the Mothering forum, have me wondering if it is possible that D3 could help so much. I would be so stoked if we could get it to a more manageable level - or gone for good.

Use of oral vitamin D supplements may help prevent eczema

Mothering discussion of the above linked article.
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=1026192

Anone tried using D3 to treat eczema and seen results either way?

Reporting in from my RE appt this afternoon. My bloodwork cane back great. FSH was something like 5.7 which she said was excellent. Thyroid WA normal too. She gave me an u/s to check on my fibroid, etc. The fibroid was down from 6x9cm during my pg to 3x4 cm. It is intramural, in the wall of the uterus, but not impacting my lining or interior form. That is a relief. My lining was good and she counted 9 antral follicles on the left, which she thought was great. My right ovary had a few follicles but was far more quiet.

I remember that when I had cyclic pain in the past the u/s always showed ovulation on the left. Then fibroids in TCM are linked to blood stagnation, and my fibroid is on the right. It makes me think that maybe I should try some arvigo massage to help improve circulation.

She said the short LP was of some concern as we could be conceiving and miscarrying. She said she wouldn't want to try meds while I'm still nursing. She thought it would be a good idea to have my partner have another s/a.

We had a nice visit and i told her about my delivery and how my fibroid surgery with her was a positive experience that prepared me for my c/s. I told her to feel free to share anything from my history that might be helpful to other patients. I'm glad I went as now I can just work on tweaking things. My RE said to consider the door open once we had weaned if we might want to try letrozole or clomid.

I had some mean headaches after AF arrived last week. I don't usually get headaches and not for so many days. I ended up taking aspirin and it still didn't help. I took a tiny bit of vitex early on that last cycle, but weeks earlier, and then I also had taken a b-complex which was new for me. I'm wondering if it was all that extra b that did it to me.

I got calls from my acu and RE offices confirming my appts for tomorrow. I'm curious and a little anxious about what the RE will say.

I just scheduled an appointment with the RE for the week after next. I pressed to get CD3 bloodwork done before going in, as AF is due next week and that would be a lot more useful for the consult -- otherwise we might have to wait until mid-November as my cycles are running around 5 weeks most times.

I called my partner to let him know I scheduled a consult and he started going on about how we haven't been trying at all and that we need to try 30 times and be all mechanical about trying. I reminded him that I've been charting and we have been timed correctly. I got AF back two years ago, which means I'm ovulating.

Talking to my partner just left me frustrated. Here he keeps asking me if we are going to have another and then when I try to take the next step to get some professional input he starts to act like he knows better.

I decided that you guys were right, that a consult with the RE, who has specialized training in this area would be the quickest way to get the input that I want. I've worked with this RE before, she did my fibroid surgery and repeat d&c. It isn't like I'm going to talk to some unknown person.

Can you hear me growling and snarling? I'm having some mean PMS. My acu said it is a liver qi thing, as I also suspected. If not for my son's nursing and food sensitivities I would be all over the nearest comfort food I could find. As it us I had a chocolate chip cookie and a brownie this afternoon, but i was feeling so glum about my cat (and this crap PMS) that I just needed to indulge.

I want a vacation on an island where it is warm and quiet and I can sleep all day if I want.

Hopefully tomorow will be a better day, all this emotional upset is awful for the liver qi.

I don't think that docs can do much for infertility while nursing, since nursing hormones (high prolactin particularly) automatically compromises fertility, at least some. I remember one mom in a TTC while nursing bg took Clomid while nursing b/c she didn't realize and the doc never asked and she got pg that cycle, which was interesting to note.

My toddler is laying across me, nursing, asleep for his nap. I love that my schedule let's me be able to do this with him. With a second child things would probably be quite different.