Nicole and I have both frequented PregnancyLounge.com, it had a very active user-base and was generally close knit and friendly, as well as having good information. They did have some policies that were a little annoying, such as forbidding any posting of URL’s at all because it might compeat with their advertising. But these sorts of things are understandable, as running something of this sort is hard work, and a popular site costs quite a bit of money to keep up. However, a few weeks ago, a post from the admins appeared saying anyone with a signature file with a url in it would be banned for 30 days if the signature was not removed within 24 hours. This seemed questionable to me, both for the length of the ban, and the short notice. Granted, the terms of use clearly express the ban on posting URLs but, many people who used that site, used tickers, and some of those tickers were very subtle in their inclusion of the URL.
Two days ago however, the site suddenly went to a subscription format, in which you had to pay $15 for a membership in order to post at all. This was done with no notice whatsoever. It seems as if even the moderators were not notified. The site admins claimed this was due to a problem with spammers (a problem we can all identify with), but the suddenness of it strikes me as odd. On a board like that, people develop mini-communities and form friendships. By making this change with no notice, it seems that people who communicated regularly through that board, would be forced to pay the subscription fee, or else not be able to communicate with people they’d grown close to. Nicole is starting to look at other pregnancy forums, but we are both dissapointed in the way things seem to have been handled over at Pregnancy Lounge.
Keep in mind, that these opinions are based on limited information, as the site is “unavailable at the moment while we are testing some functionality.” So I haven’t been able to find out more.

See all the pics in the photo album

I had my 32 week appointment and ultrasound to monitor growth today.

Blood pressure: 132/78
Weight: Lost 3 lbs.
Baby×?Ts heartrate: 145 bpm
Baby×?Ts weight est.: 4 lbs 2 oz
Baby×?Ts head size: ~34w 2d
Baby×?Ts overall size: ~32w 4d

The ultrasound technician said that everything looked good. The fluid levels are good. The heart, kidneys, bladder, and stomach all look good and appear to be functioning normally. I was a bit surprised that the head measured 2 weeks ahead when everything else seems to be right on track. This is a little scary to me as I have to push that head out. This better just be a strange growth pattern and not a consistent thing.

My midwife was not too concerned about the weight loss. I think it is more like I did not gain anything. I wore jeans and a sweater with tennis shoes last appointment. I wore a short, sleeveless, lightweight dress and loafers (which are lighter than the tennis shoes) this time. I think the clothing difference account for most of that 3 lbs. This puts me back to 3-4 lbs over my prepregnancy weight.

My PT seems to have helped my hip quite a bit. Well that and falling on the stairs and pounding my knees into the ground. The fall was not that hard, but I have had little or no hip and back pain since I fell on Friday. Maybe something was just a little out of place and it got jarred back into position.

Update on me and the baby.

Friday I saw my rhuematologist and started physical therapy for my back and hip pain. My rhuematologist said she though everything was going well. She did not see any signs of major inflammation. She wants to see me back in 6 weeks. She did tell methat due to my loose ligaments, and floppy heart valve, it is very likely that i will dialate very quickly. This is news I shared with my midwife today (will get to that in a bit).

After that appointment I went to therapy. The therapist who evaluated me said that she did not think I needed a brace because my pelvis was not shifting around at all. She feels that I have inflammation in the joint from my arthritis and need to strengthen my core muscles and pelvic floor. She gave me a few exercises to do at home, but there is not much I can do because I can’t lay on my stomach (obviously) and I should not lay on my back for any period of time. She has also had me start aquatic therapy 2 days a week. I starte that on Monday. The therapist that I am working with in the pool is 27 weeks pregnant so we have something in common to talk about while I am there.

So far the therapy seems to be helping me. My back and hip feel much better. They are still a bit sore, but getting better.

Today, I had my 30 week appointment. Everything seems to be going well. My blood pressure was 138/70. My heartrate is also a bit elevated. It has been between 88 and 100. My second glucose test was 96 (the first was 94). I have gained 8 pounds in the last month. I have finally passed my prepregnancy weight. I am now 6 pounds above it. My midwife said that normally she would tell a patient to be a bit cautious about gaining that much again, but in my case she is not concerned. Even if I gain that much each month for the rest of the pregnancy, I will still be within the allowable weight gain for my pregnancy.

I mentioned to her that my rhuematologist said that I would probably dialate quickly. She said that normally she does not do internal exams, but with that knowledge, she would like to consider starting them around 36 weeks. That way we will know if I am dialated at all before I go into labor and will know how quickly to get out the door to the hospital (especially since it is about 20 minutes away).

I think that is everything.

Are there any resources with information, resources, forums, or even ideas about infants on public transit?
I don’t drive unless I absolutely have to, and when The Pickle gets here, I don’t expect to change that. However, I’m concerned, mostly, about protecting his hearing. Those trains can be loud (busses too) and I don’t want to screw up his hearing. We’ll let him do that on his own when he gets into his teenage-rock-n-roll years. Also I have questions like, is the train better than the bus? If he lets go with the full-diaper special, do I get off and change it right away, or ride it out to our destination.
It’s complicated. Any suggestions would be appreciated.