Some questions for ladies near the end and BTDT

I'm only 23 weeks but I like planning ahead. I have two questions regarding the last 2-3 months of pregnancy:

1. Compared to the first trimester, how difficult is it to function? I know it varies from person to person. I had pretty bad MS (from morning to night) and was exhausted all the time. I still managed to work my FT job and my PT job. I'm a teacher and go back in September (but my hours are much longer than other teachers- I work 9-5 three days a week). I was able to work both jobs in the first trimester. I'm trying to figure out if I should stop working my PT job come september. I would want to tell them in advance which is why I'm thinking about it now.

2. Towards the end, how often are your appointments? Just trying to plan that with work as well. I'm starting a new job so I would hate to go in late/leave early too often, but with a 9-5 job that is a good 40 mins from my doctors I dont have much of a choice!

Thank you!!!

Re: Some questions for ladies near the end and BTDT

i felt better at 40 weeks than I did at 12 I had no complaints at the end with #1

From 36-40 weeks, you go weekly.

Some questions for ladies near the end and BTDT

not BTDT but i'm 28 weeks now (just entered the 3rd trimester a few days ago) and am starting to notice that i can't walk as fast as i used to. Otherwise, i'm still ok.

My appointments were every 4 weeks up until now. From now until 36 weeks, they're every two weeks and then every week after that (so 24, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 37, 38 ...). It stinks - i hate doctor appointments, but at least they're pretty quick, for the most part.

Some questions for ladies near the end and BTDT

I had issues that started my first week of the 3rd tri but here is what I was able to do.

I was taken out of work but I still worked from home. There was no way I would have been able to be on my feet with or without the issues I had. Near the end of my 2nd tri I was tired all the time and my commute was killing me. Stairs sucked!!!!!!

I had appts weekly from 28 weeks on but if all goes normal for you you shouldn't have weeklys until 36 or so weeks.

I delivered at 37 and my last 2 weeks (35 & 35) were horrible. I felt like DS was going to fall out but yet I wasn't dialated at all.

I had it bad and I know most people feel much beter than I did. My sister was PG at the same time and she worked up until the fri before her cSection....coomuted by subway for 45mins each way and lives on a 3rd floor walk up soyou really never know.

Some questions for ladies near the end and BTDT

Thanks for the replies!!

One other question about the weekly appointments at the end: do they do a sono every appointment? (I'm pretty sure the sono tech at my dr's office is only there certain hours)

Re: Some questions for ladies near the end and BTDT

I'm entering into my 37th week now. I had extremely bad MS first trimester and was so tired. 2nd trimester was great. 3rd trimester is very uncomfortable. I am almost as tired as 1st trimester but I don't feel sick like I did then. It's more of a laziness/discomfort since I can't really bend anymore or find comfortable positions. But I think it would almost be easier to work now than 1st trimester as long as it didn't require a lot of physical activity because it is really hard to physically do a lot. As a teacher, don't you have to walk up and down stairs a lot and stuff? That might be a problem towards the end.

My appointments are still every other week. I will have weekly appointments starting the 38th week I believe, but that is only for 2 weeks max. It depends on the doctor and how you are doing at that point-what kind of care you need.

eta: to answer your new question, sonos are never done except growth sonos every 3 weeks because of GD. If you don't have GD I think you get one sono near the end. Otherwise, it's just the heartbeat check.

Message edited 7/26/2012 10:22:54 AM.

Re: Some questions for ladies near the end and BTDT

Re: Some questions for ladies near the end and BTDT

Re: Some questions for ladies near the end and BTDT

The end was way way way more enjoyable than the first for me. I felt like it was exciting and overall I felt pretty good. Way better than the first because I was so nervous and sick.

I didn't have a sonogram after 34 weeks. I had a cervix check starting at 36 weeks and the appointments were short. He listened to the heart, checked me, did blood pressure, and left a urine sample.

Some questions for ladies near the end and BTDT

For me, the end was easier than the beginning my first pregnancy. You get big, you have more BH, you get uncomfortable, sleeping gets harder, but the m/s never came back.

I'm almost 29 weeks now and it's the same thing. I feel a lot better now than I did at 20 weeks. Getting up and down off the floor with DD is getting harder, but functioning is easier because I'm not throwing up.

Same appointment schedule as most. Every 4 weeks until 28 weeks. Then every 2 weeks until 36 weeks, then every week.

No sonos after 20 weeks unless there is a complication. We went to a 3D place last week for "fun" and DS is Frank breach so we will likely be getting another sono now at some point. I'm hoping soon because I wanna know if he's flipped and un-pretzeled!!! I feel lucky I went and paid for a sono because otherwise I wouldn't have known and it would've been an auto c-section rather than having some time to get him to turn. But anyway, that's a very specific situation.

You can call the appointment line at your office and ask what your OB does as far as scheduling at the end. Last pregnancy, I also would make more than one appointment at a time so I'd schedule the whole month's worth at once which I found easier.

Re: Some questions for ladies near the end and BTDT

i'm different because i have had a fairly easy pregnancy, with the exception of heartburn... i'm 36 weeks now and i only really feel back pain. I am going weekly to the OB starting this week... my doc did a sono when I saw him yesterday but before then it was just mostly the doppler. Next week he said he will do an internal (37 weeks).

Some questions for ladies near the end and BTDT

I am 35 weeks and I swear things happened overnight for me. Walking is a chore, I cannot bend, and I started retaining a lot of fluid so my feet and ankles are swollen. My entire pregnancy has been healthy. I honestly feel each pregnancy is different. Some people are fine and others not so much. IMO I would not do your PT job because you will need the time for yourself.

Re: Some questions for ladies near the end and BTDT

I had a really rough 3rd trimester with my first pregnancy. I had high BP, severe swelling, etc starting at 29 weeks. I was taken out of work and put on bed rest 1 month before my EDD.

Other than a lot of Braxton Hicks, I had a really good 3rd trimester with my second pregnancy. I started taking it a little easier and tried to stay off my feet a little more the last few weeks of pregnancy. I continued to work FT until the day I delivered.

I had some complications with both pregnancies so I saw the doctor more than usual. With my last pregnancy, I had weekly NSTs, sonos and OB visits starting at 32-33 weeks. Normally, the doctor's visits increase to every 2 weeks until 36 weeks and then weekly until delivery.