Top products from r/PregnancyAfterLoss

I love youtube workouts (although, I've been a total lump for the last 3 weeks). For when you're feeling low energy, I recommend:

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1. Fitness Blender. They have a huge range of workouts at different levels of intensity. I did their barre workout the other day--I found this workout really easy pre-pregnancy, but it was actually pretty challenging for me at 9 weeks pregnant...
   
2. Yoga with Adriene. Good range of easy-to-moderate yoga routines. I always feel relaxed when I do these.
   
3. Pilates. I haven't fully explored youtube's pilates offerings, but I've found a few videos I like. I linked to one of them here.
   
4. Resistance Band workouts. I lifted heavy prior to getting pregnant, but I don't plan to continue with that during the pregnancy (although, from what I understand, if you're used to it, it's perfectly safe--I just feel better not doing it because I'm anxious). So, instead of heavy lifting, I plan to get in my resistance training with resistance band exercises. Nicole Perry on youtube has some good workouts using resistance bands.
   
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   For those who want more of a challenge, I highly recommend Melissa Bender. I *love* her workouts, but they've been too high intensity for me during my first trimester. I hope to get back on the wagon if I'm feeling better in a couple months. She was pregnant a couple years ago and has a bunch of her pregnancy workouts compiled in a playlist, so I plan to start with those: Melissa Bender Pregnancy Workouts Playlist
   
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   *Obviously, some of the above workouts will have to be modified if you're too far along to be lying on your back, belly, etc.
   
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   Edited to add: Melissa Bender also has a couple standing core workouts (i.e., creative core exercises that don't involve lying on your back!).

I'm sorry you've gotten this worrying news. I wouldn't be chill either.

The weeks of waiting, between first finding out there might be a problem and getting the test results are so hard and stressful. I was not chill either. I remember oscillating between hope and worry/grief.

Our son had something extremely rare, so I definitely understand the limitations of citing statistics. ("F- statistics!") Having acknowledged that, the T13 screens are the least reliable (in large part because it's so rare, there aren't as many cases to test the technology on). As seriously as we take the chance baby has the disorder, we should also own the chance that this might be a false positive. There's room for some hope, if you want it.

Even more so for 22q11. As of last year, when we did our NIPT's, the companies didn't have sensitivity/specificity/PPV data for that test, so our hospital refused to even offer it. Maybe that's changed with Harmony. But when there's no way to know how often it's wrong, it's not really helpful. Not to imply things are definitely okay on that front...but room for hope is even greater on that front.

When we were first referred for amnio, I was just starting to feel movement. And suddenly, it wasn't joyous. I didn't really want to feel it. Wanted to detach. And then I realized that I might have a long life with my baby, or just a few more weeks. Either way, I wanted to make the most of the time I had.

I don't regret it. A loss like this is devastating no matter what. After we did lose my son, I think it helped to have those memories of the things we did in those weeks. We have places and activities we revisit to feel closer to him.

Testing for T13 is on the quicker side. Testing for 22q11 requires a microarray, which we were told takes 2-3 weeks to return results. (Ours have been on the shorter side of that, but we were also farther along and did amnios, which is different.)

While we waited for results, I read other women's TFMR stories. There's a website "Ending a Wanted Pregnancy" that's a good resource. Because our amnio results were due so close to our state's limits for TFMR, we also had conversations about our options with my OB before we got the results. I didn't want our decisions to be rushed. But I think it was also emotionally easier to have those conversations when everything was hypothetical, and I had hope that we wouldn't need to act on what we were learning.

(Because you asked in the comments, our amnio was done at the MFM. For my TFMR, I was induced and had a vaginal delivery in the maternity ward with my regular OB--It was what I preferred, and luckily it happened to be the safer option, because I was so far along. But inductions aren't very common.)

After my TFMR, I found a book at our library, The Prenatal Bombshell, which I really liked. It covers these sorts of diagnoses, and the options of a.) raising a disabled child, b.) prenatal hospice, and c.) TFMR, and life after TFMR loss. Even though we did decide TFMR was the right decision for our son, I bristled at the tone of many of the providers we interacted with--an immediate assumption that we would opt for abort!on, combined with a lack of preparation to answer questions about alternatives. Almost like, of course you wouldn't want your child if they had mental handicaps. I liked the fact that this book laid out all the possibilities--To me, it felt more respectful to me and more valuing of these imperfect, but very wanted, babies.

My fingers will be crossed that you'll get good news at the end of these next couple stressful weeks of waiting. Sending all my good thoughts that baby girl is perfectly healthy!

I’m sorry you had such a scare. I’m in Eastern Washington and we’ve been under snow and ice for a few weeks. It makes every trip outside pretty scary.

I’m glad everything went well, and that the hospital staff was so great, I really love that someone was there to literally hold your hand!

Kind of a side note, but a PSA for all our iced in friends out there, my mom got me these and at first I thought it was over the top, but once I got them on my boots I was sold! Now my only concern is getting over confident because they really do give a lot of traction.

Still can’t convince my husband to wear them and he broke two ribs falling on ice the other week 🤷🏻‍♀️

My husband uses [these] (https://smile.amazon.com/Insulin-Cooling-Reusable-Evaporative-Medication/dp/B0002262DA/ref=sr_1_4?crid=18OGO3UXLWFA9&keywords=insulin%2Bcooler%2Btravel%2Bcase&qid=1563473297&s=gateway&sprefix=insulin%2Bcooler%2Caps%2C164&sr=8-4&th=1) to keep his refrigerated eyedrops cold when we travel. They're designed to keep insulin cool, but will work on other things too! It doesn't keep them refrigerator-cool, but definitely below room temperature, which I'm guessing will be cool enough, though definitely check with your doctor or pharmacist to confirm.

During my last pregnancy, when growth was a bit slower, I just bought a regular bra a cup size up for professional things and got away with wearing sports bras for casual clothes (I don't have to wear structured clothing most of the time.) I didn't feel like it was too much of an expense, since you'll probably hit that cup size again at some point, whether you keep that one through pregnancy or go back down to it when you finish nursing.

The comfy bras I'm current wearing are these, they are relatively inexpensive but be warned that for some reason the gray one and only the gray one shrunk in the wash?

https://www.amazon.com/Caramel-Cantina-Nursing-Maternity-Medium/dp/B07MLV2DX5/ref=sr_1_16?keywords=nursing+bra&qid=1562352691&s=gateway&sr=8-16

I also have another one with more structure but I'm not seeing it on Amazon right now.

Note - even though I feel hUuUuge right now, for me, that's a C-cup; if you're starting from a bigger place you're probably going to want more support.

Prenatal Vitamins and Minerals - Mama's Select Pre-Natal Plus - Long Lasting 90 Capsule 3 Month Supply - with Iron, MTHFR Safe Methyl Folate for Folic Acid and Calcium - Gentle Veggie Pills https://www.amazon.com/dp/B012U0FCVY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_1rHUDbZ1GGRB0

This is what I take. It’s 800 mcg of folate, just under what your doctor wants you to take.

Thanks!! It was actually really cheap on amazon.

JustVH Maternity Fitted Gown Cross-Front V Neck Ruched Long Sleeve Maxi Photography Dress https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B3HS9DN/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_6MfDCb9VFC2VE

If it helps, long before we tested professionally I used an EldonCard at home and it was accurate. I wouldn't make major medical decisions based on it, but LabCorp and other discount out-of-pocket labs probably offer the blood type test relatively cheaply as well.