KarmaB

Quote: Originally Posted by Just Martha GBS? Is that the strep B test? The vagina swab? If so, I have a problem with this because I had mine way early....like 24 weeks or something! I had it before my friend had hers and she was 9 weeks ahead of me! When I told her I had it done, she was shocked...I thought it was kinda early too because I could always develop the yeast or whatever before I deliver! Are we talking about the same thing? If so, what should I tell him? I mean he is a doctor....how do I ask him to do it again w/o insulting him Yes, GBS is Group B strep. Wow, that is crazy that you had it so early. You are totally right, a test that early is absolutely unreliable. That is actually what happened to my friend, she had hers two weeks early at 33 weeks and it came back negative. Well, needless to say that was not true and she really was positive at the time of her delivery. Now, he baby is in the NICU fighting for her life and if she lives will have permanent brain damage and most likely be mentally retarded. And it all could have been avoided with some simple antibiotics. It is so sad. If I were you I would just mention that you would like to be tested now that you are closer to delivery if he says he was not going to do it again, and tell him your concerned because you know someone who tested too early and got a negative but their baby still got sick. I would laugh it off and say something like "better safe than sorry right". Honestly the chances are very slim of a baby getting GBS syndrome, but after it just happened to my friend, I would definitely not take any chances.

Quote: Originally Posted by Just Martha How are you feeling, Lisa? Anymore stomach issues? I had an OB appt and I am SO frustrated with my doctor. I am totally changing doctors after Noah is born. He has been my OB/GYN since I was 16. He is the one that diagnosed my PCOS (after I took him some stuff I found on the internet) and he is the one that removed the tumor from my ovary and half of that ovary...He has always taken his time with me and took time to talk to me and stuff..However, since I got pregnant, I feel like just a number and he doesn't take time to sit with me and ask if I have any questions. He is also my mom's OB/GYN and she says that she has noticed he is real rushed when she goes to see him also.... This is how my appt went yesterday...The nurse does weight check (still only up 22 pounds, no weight gain since my last appt 2 weeks ago), did urine sample, blood pressure. Went into examination room. She asked if I have had any contractions, if the baby is still moving a lot, etc...Asks if I have any problems or issues....I tell her that I still have a lot of vaginal pain and discharge and that for the past week I have had a sweet taste in my mouth that wont go away and that I can never quench my thirst. Super thirsty all the time! She says I still have sugar in my urine, so she will talk to him about it. She writes everything down and has me get undressed for the exam then leaves. After a few minutes of waiting, my doctor & nurse come in. Says that he doesn't know what the sweet taste in my mouth is, but it's probably just because I am pregnant. Ummm. oKay, nice answer. He ignores the fact that my last 3 or 4 visits have shown sugar in my urine. He doesn't ask me any questions about my discharge nor my pain. He does the exam, which is super painful...He is a big man with big hands and fingers. blah! Anyhow, baby is still way up high and cervix is not softening yet. He pulls me up and tells me he will see me in a week. He is a jokester, so I wasn't real surprised when he said, have sex 3x a day to soften up the cervix. I started laughing and said "ya right!" He said "why not? This is what got you in this situation to begin with." I said "ya, but not 3x a day!" He said "oh, well just lay there!" I totally knew he was joking and wasn't offended at all. He was saying all this as he was walking out the door. He never asked if I had any questions or anything. UMMMM HELLO! I had questions to ask....like the sugar in my urine, if the baby is head down, can we tell about how big he is, my vaginal pain..ughhh! He was wearing his hospital scrubs, so I don't know if he had a busy morning at the hospital or what, but this is how all my appts with him have been since March! WTF? You are getting PAID to essentially take care of me. Make sure I fell okay before you just run out. I told Jay and he was upset about the sex comment because he doesn't think the way it was said was appropriate. He was also mad because he is concerned about the sugar in the urine... I came home and Googled to see if I could figure this out on my own. It seems that because I passed the GTT, I am probably okay. Sometimes there will be sugar in the urine because of the kidney filtration. It's not too uncommon with preg women. This is reassuring. I had my dad check my blood sugar this morning and it was 80. So, I guess all is well there, but still!!!! UGH. OMG, sorry that was so long! Yikes, that sounds horrible. I'm sorry that you had a bad appointment. That is defiantly not how a good OB works. Even if he is a jokester I think they whole sex comment was a little out of line. Have you done your GBS test yet? I am doing mine at my 35 week appointment next week. Make sure you ask him about it next week if he doesn't because it is SUPER important and should be done between 35-37 weeks. A good friend of mine just had her baby and it is now very sick, might even die because she was not tested for GBS and now the baby has GBS syndrome. It's really sad. Anyway, he should defiantly be communicating with you a little better. Next week, you should make it clear to the nurse ahead of time that you have some questions that you would like for him to answer. Make a list a head of time, and if he tries to run out the door again with questions unanswered wait there until he answers them!

I am so sorry this is happening to you. The girls are right though, in the end it will all work out for the better and you will find a man who will love you and your children no matter what. Big Hugs!

Wow, what a beautiful shower! It looks like you have great friends!

What a fantastic review! I am so glad that everything turned out so well for you! Your cake looks so beautiful and yummy!!!!

Everything turned out beautiful! I am in love with that suite you stayed in at Sandals. I think I'm putting that on my short list of vacation destinations in the future! Thanks

Quote: Originally Posted by all4jj2 Karma-you looked absolutely beautiful!! And your after party dress was even more fabulous! You're wearing that pregnancy glow beautifully! Great review. Does royal plantation offer wedding packages? Also do they offer group discounts to guests? Yes, they offer 3 different packages. They are listed on their website. It included a good deal of the wedding details, but we ended up adding quite a bit. I do believe they offer group discounts, not really sure how much it is though. None of our guests stayed at the resort with us. ( Kids and budget reasons)

Lisa- Yeah, Centennial is right on 121. Coit is one of the other cross streets and I'm pretty sure it is Lebanon. We live just right around the corner from there. Lizz- You got a great deal on the Petunia Pickle Bottom. I've read that they are defiantly the "It" diaper bag. :-) Also, don't worry about the weight gain. I gained like 15 pounds the first couple of months, but I am hardly gaining anything now. I've only gained 10 oz in the last month. Mo, is defiantly right. It comes in spurts sometimes. Mo- I love that bedding!! It is so cute. I love the idea of doing the embroidery. I love anything embroidered for babies! Such great keepsakes! Martha- I have been horrible about taking pics too. I'm already kind of regretting it, but oh well. I guess we should get on that now though! :-)

Lisa- I'm delivering at Centennial Medical Center here in Frisco. I really wanted to deliver at Baylor-Frisco but Steve wanted to be closer to home. LOL. Baylor Frisco is 15 minutes away and Centennial is 5. You look absolutely adorable, All baby! Cute Mama!!!! Ladies- Have any of you picked out your diaper bags yet? I'm really struggling with this one. It's the only thing I don't have. Her stroller is brown, and I'm really a neutral kind of girl. I want quality but also don't want to pay a ton. Any suggestions on brands?

LOL...that's horrible.

Pool Small Pier Main Bar (Kinda dark, Sorry) Garden and pathway to spa Random Setting Area

Awww, Thanks girls. The second dress wasn't always that "Boob-a-licious", but I swear the girls grew like crazy in two weeks before we left! :-) Jamie- Here are a few more pics that I found for you! I think you should defiantly do the dinner. It really was so romantic and special. Make sure you book it early, and request the pier with the gazebo. The night we did it 3 other couples had a dinner to. But they set theirs up on the beach and on the little pier. Our WC made sure we got the best pier! :-) Large sink area Small sink area Jacuzzi Bath Large shower (no door) Bathroom with separate door Another balcony shot Main entrance Jacuzzi

Quote: Originally Posted by LisaG The hospital's standard rules are: -no continuous monitoring - just every 30 minutes....perfect! -no iv with fluids until needed by the cap thing they put in your hand when you get there...perfect and exactly what I wanted. -no students...only residents -the baby will go straight to your chest when delivered. they wipe them down and you bond for a few minutes until he goes to the warmer with dad. they do all the measurements and fun stuff them they bring him back to you to breastfeed. THEN you go to your room and dad goes with the nurse to give the first bath and foot prints. they don't give a bath until like hour 7 after their born. -all suites are private! -one nurse per room. so, me and Luke will have the same nurse so there is no confusion. Glad your appointment and class went well! The hospital rules sound perfect Lisa! What hospital are you delivering at? I love the fact that they put the baby on your chest first. Steve and I have been arguing about who is going to hold Hannah first. :-( I'm just going to tell my dr. ahead of time to make sure I do!

Everything looks great, Yari! I am so happy for you! The fruit roll ups are an awesome idea! So cute.

Quote: Originally Posted by Just Martha Wow, that is a high BP! Seems like everything is good this time around! Hopefully you don't develop it again...it's good your doc is keeping an eye on it though! LOL..yeah. They were expecting me to go into seizures at any moment. The crazy thing was the appointment before that (a week before) my BP was totally normal.

Quote: Originally Posted by Just Martha That's good news! Hannah and Noah may end up sharing a birthday! Did your first baby come early since you were dialated and effaced by that much? No, he had to come early because I had severe pre-eclampsia. My BP was like 210/150. My Dr. is keeping a very close eye on it this time around, since my risk of having it again is pretty high (30-40%).

I had my 33 week appointment today and I asked my Dr. about the induction and she said that she was fine with it as long as I was dilated a little and my cervix was ready for it. I'm pretty sure it will be, with my 1st I was at a 2-3 and 70% effaced by 36.5 weeks. So it looks like she will be here around 39 weeks, if she doesn't come on her own sooner!

KarmaB's (FutureMrsB) Wedding Review I know that I am about two months late doing this, so I’m going to use pregnancy as my excuse. I'm sorry it has taken me so long. This review is pretty long; I hope that I included everything. If you have any questions about the resort feel free to ask. Here goes: Misc Vendors Lasting Impressions Bridal (Dallas): A Their on site seamstress: A+ I really had a rather uneventful experience with them while purchasing my dress. I went in once and tried on about 5 dresses and found the one. My dress was a little late being delivered, but this was out of their control. I still had plenty of time for alterations. The alterations came out AMAZING. Considering I purchased the dress when I was not pregnant and then needed to wear the dress 5 months pregnant she worked a miracle and the work was completed in minimal time. Neiman Marcus (Dallas, Willow Bend Mall): A Their onsite seamstress: A I bought a second dress to change into after the wedding from Neiman’s and they were amazing. My sales lady was a dream to work with. She was not snotty at all to the fact she was selling a “wedding†dress to a very pregnant women. I had alterations done and my second dress was perfect for what I wanted it for (comfort)!! Papyrus (Dallas, Willow Bend Mall): A We bought our invitations and seals and wedding napkins from Papyrus and I can only say great things about them. They were so nice and friendly and really were a joy to work with. We will be doing all of out “paper†goods here in the future! American Airlines (DFW): A- I normally love AA and have had no problems but this time there was a slight exception. I called the customer service line BEFORE we left to see if my wedding dress would count toward our carry on allowance and they assured me it would not. The day of our flight, Steve and I both had 2 small suitcases, plus I had my very large purse and he had his laptop case. PLUS, we had my wedding dress. We ended up having to do some major consolidation and rearranging at the gate. It was just a pain in the butt, which could have been avoided. Evita’s (Ocho Rios): A Since all of our guests were staying at different hotels in the area, we decided to go off site for our rehearsal/night before dinner. We choose Evita’s and I am glad we did. Eva was very nice to work with and had everything perfect for us. We requested a TV because Steve had made a video for me and our guests to watch before the wedding and she took care of that for us without a problem. Everyone enjoyed the food and at the end the tab was not that expensive. Royal Plantation Royal Plantation: A+++ I really cannot say enough about RP. It was the most amazing hotel stay ever for Steve and I. And we have stayed in some amazing places. It made our $600 a night stay in the villas at the four seasons feel like a Holiday Inn. Seriously! RP was like a dream come true. You get such personalized service since it is such a small resort (70 rooms total) and the decor and scenery is unbelievable. The staff is amazing. From the moment we arrived at the airport Royal Plantation made us feel like Royalty! Here are some of the details: After we cleared customs we were directed to the Sandals waiting room. They immediately offered us refreshments. Minutes later our private driver came dressed in a suit to pick us up. He brought our things to a private van, which was very nice. He took care of everything and handed us our welcome envelope to read while he put our bags up. He had the car stocked with red stripes, cokes, and water for the drive. The ride was nice and peaceful. Once we arrived at the hotel the beauty of the resort immediately blew us away. We were led a comfy couch to relax while we were checked in and immediately offered chilled towels and champagne. After we were checked in we were given a short tour of the resort. Rooms: A When we opened the door to our suite we were again blown away. We stayed in room 355, which had one of the best views in the whole resort. The room was beautiful and they had a gorgeous very large floral bouquet waiting for us (wedding gift). The bathroom was to die for. It had a beautiful large Jacuzzi tub and a large shower. The shower was all marble huge and had no door. It was amazing and so romantic! The bathroom area had a ba-day. Even the toilet paper was embossed with RP’s initials! We were taken back by the amazing balcony that our room had. It was huge! We had a large dining table, two full size lounge chairs, and a large bar (fully stocked) with a sink. The bar had premium liquor and champagne including cokes, sparking/spring water. It was really nice. We spent so much time on the balcony because it was just so amazing! Food: A On our first night at the hotel we were tired from traveling and decided to go to the most casual beach side restaurant (The Grill). We were shocked to find that casual for them was a menu with T-bone steaks and Rib Eyes!! It was delicious and really set the bar high for the other restaurants. Breakfast and lunch was amazing every day as well. Most of the meals were 3-5 course meals though, which could be time consuming, but this is a place were you go to enjoy decadence and luxury so we got use to it. The French restaurant (Le Papillion) was AMAZING. The food was really fancy and delicious but not so fancy that it wasn’t edible or didn’t fill us up. We left stuffed both times we went. Different nights have different dinner themes and options. Like Monday night is Steak and Lobster grill out night on the terrace. They serve all you can eat Steak and Lobster grilled right in front of you. Another night was the market place night where they let you choose your cut of fresh fish, beef, and chicken. Even the food they served on the beach was amazing. My favorite beach lunch was the lobster BLT. Which was stuffed with tons of fresh lobster. It was great! The Beach: A+ There were two separate beaches to lounge on. Both were amazing and kept in immaculate condition. The beaches were both more than big enough for the size of the resort. The service on the beach was amazing. As soon as you go down the beach attendant rushes over and asks where you would like to sit. He then moves the chairs anywhere you like, and then sets them up for you with towels, head pillows, and comfy pillow top pads. You are also given a blue flag, so you can call your beach butler! The beach butler will bring you whatever you want to eat or drink quickly! In the mornings they bring around mango-mimosas and a large fruit tray to serve you snacks. It really was a dream come true. It was so relaxing. You truly never lift a single finger. Water Sports: A The resort supplies lots of water activities for free. We did a snorkeling tour and took a sailboat. They also had scuba, but we did not participate. Entertainment: A This resort is not somewhere to go if you want to party all night. It is really relaxing and romantic. Nightly on the terrace was always some sort of entertainment, including live bands, singers, fire dancers and other fun acts. The bar is open till around 1 and was so nice. They served so many different cocktails and martinis. They had a book full of pages of different drinks they offered. The bartender knew us very well by the time we left. He always made me special non-alcoholic drinks in martini glasses to make me feel special (since I’m pregnant). It was really nice of him. The resort also does a teatime every day at 4:00 it was so much fun. We loved the different tea and the beautiful silver pots it was served in. They also served a large array of tea sandwiches and pastries. They were really yummy! If you want to go and get a little more entertainment, you can literally walk over to Sandals Grand and use their facilities. We had no need or desire to do this, but it was nice to have the option. Wedding Stuff RP Spa/Wedding Hair and Make-up/Dressing Assistant: A I absolutely loved the way my hair came out. It was exactly what I wanted my hair to look like on my wedding day. The style stayed really well and didn’t look plastered to my head. I was really, really pleased with my hair. My make up came out nice. I love make up and probably honestly could have done a little better job, but I was not unhappy with it in any way. The same girl who did my hair was also my dressing assistant. She was wonderful and really sweet. I could not have got my dress on without her since my guests were all late getting to the hotel. Flowers/ Tai Floral: B RP uses Tai floral for larger floral pieces like arches and urns. I wanted ALL white roses during my ceremony but instead got white and pink flowers on my $800 arch. I was really, really disappointed by this but it was because they ran out of white flowers and only had pink left so they had to fill in the bare spots with the pink. It was a minor detail, but for that kind of money they should have found white flowers! LOL! My wedding coordinator redeemed him self by taking all of the pink flowers out for my reception where they reused the arch and my reception table looked AMAZING. All of the other flowers came out nice and I had no problems with them. Butterfly/Dove Release: B We wanted a butterfly release but the butterflies did not make it in time because of some delays they had in Kingston. So we had to have doves instead. They came out beautiful though and everyone said the doves were better than butterflies would have been. Onsite Photographer: B- Onsite Videographer: C Our wedding package included pictures, so we used them in addition to having a family friend take additional pictures. The photos really were not the highlight of the wedding. They took forever to get all of the pictures taken. Steve and I really wanted to relax a little bit after the ceremony and spent the entire cocktail hour taking pictures. We wished we had been able to participate with out guests in that. The video is really, really, cheesy! LOL. It looks like a throwback from 90’s! That is all I can say. Offsite Wedding Coordinator: A+ Shaunette is the offsite wedding coordinator. She was really easy to work with and always responded to my emails within minutes, literarily. I probably sent her about 100 emails and she was always polite and prompt. I really enjoyed working with her. Onsite Wedding Coordinator: A++++ Andre is the onsite wedding coordinator at RP and all I can say is WOW. This man knows his stuff and is AMAZING. I can’t say enough about him. By the time we left we had become good friends. We both had tears in our eyes when I left! Really! He spent so much time with us before the wedding going over every little detail of the wedding and reassuring us everything would be perfect. I brought a huge suitcase full of my own décor and he used everything perfectly and I didn’t have to worry about a single thing. He even mc’d part of our reception and was hilarious. All of the guests loved him so much. We were his complete focus on our wedding day. Even after our wedding, he would find us on the beach or at lunch and come and talk to us and see how everything was and if there was anything he could do for us. Ceremony: A The ceremony was perfect. It went very smooth. Everyone was sat and a wedding coordinator brought me down promptly. The minister was good and read our script perfectly. The location was amazing; it was right on the beach under amazing trees, which provided wonderful shade. The beach was on the secluded side, so there were absolutely no un-invited on lookers. Cocktail Hour: A Although we were unable to participate in the cocktail hour because we were taking pictures, all of the guests were very pleased and amazed. The guests were led into a beautiful out door location and served a delicious array of hor’dorves and champagne, as well as other cocktails. They were waited on by waiters in white gloves and were entertained by a local calypso band. Everyone loved it! Reception Dinner: A++ The reception dinner was AMAZING. I cannot begin to describe how well this went. We were brought up after everyone was seated and two waiters opened the double doors and we were properly introduced as husband and wife. There was a live band playing. The décor was just spectacular. I was blown away. The table was set beautifully. We opted to have a champagne toast with Moet, so the sommelier came and opened the bottle for us with his sword. It was so much fun! The actual dinner was so delicious. We had 5 separate courses. The entrée was a very decadent Steak and Lobster. The guests were served champagne throughout the dinner. Everyone was so stuffed and so amazing by the presentation of the food. White-gloved waiters delivered each course. We had 4 waiters all to our selves. It truly was a dream come true. The wedding cake was yummy and was the perfect size. Beach Bonfire/Reception: A++ The beach reception was amazing and so much fun. Everyone went and changed clothes after dinner before we headed out to the bonfire. When we got down there the DJ was spinning music and our entertainment was waiting for us. The bonfire was HUGE. There were beach chairs set out with covers for everyone to sit on and a full bar was set up just for our group. It was so much fun. We danced the night away on the beach, our wedding coordinator blocked off the entire west beach for us, so if anyone even tried to walk down there and look they were asked to leave the area. It was so nice for our group to have its privacy while we danced and had a great time under the stars! Fire Dancers: A Our guests were amazing when they saw that our entertainment for the night aside from the DJ was a group of three fire dancers/eaters. They started getting the crowd excited by doing limbo and getting everyone involved. They ate fire, and breathed it along with many other amazing tricks. It really was a lot of fun and worth the extra money for sure! Other Stuff at RP: Romantic Private Dinner on the pier: A+ Included in our wedding package was private dinner on the pier. This was amazing and so romantic. We had a private butler who served us a wonderful dinner with candles all along the pier. They had roses for me waiting as well. It was so nice! Room Escapade/wedding Decorations: A Also included was a romantic room escapade. They sprinkled rose pedals all over our room and set up the cutest doves made out of towels. There were candles everywhere and a hot bath already drawn for us. They also had a chilled bottle of champagne and chocolates waiting for us. Customer Service: A++ If you ever need anything at this hotel all you have to do is call 0. It was so nice. I called so many times I felt like they were my BF! Once we needed scissors to complete some wedding projects and they sent them up within minutes. Really it was amazing, one of the hardest parts of leaving was not being able to call 0 and have literally anything I can imagine delivered to my room. They would even call after we had room service to make sure everything was perfect. I hope I didn’t miss anything. If I did or you have any questions let me know. I love talking about RP it was really a dream come true! Now a few pictures: (Sorry some are grainy, I scanned some, and some are non-pro)

Quote: Originally Posted by Tracy So, I am kind of freaking out. I am 7 days late on my period...I took a pregnancy test yesterday and it came back positive...just to be sure I took two more (ANSWER, with the lines), well there is definintely 1 line (not pregnant) but also a very, very, very faint 2nd line....(both times) -so I just don't know what this means. We wanted to start trying to have the baby right after the wedding...as i'm turning 40 next week - so it is not a bad thing necessarily if we found out now - but of course, it wasn't really planned on, and i'm worried about my dress fitting, not looking pretty in the photo's, and being sick ....i'm sure all the usual things that anyone in this case worries about - right?? Yay, let me go ahead and Congratulate you now!!! From my personal experience even super, super faint lines are positives! Some tests just have less dye in them than others. Answer and First Response are notorious for having faint lines early on. I didn't get a dark line with them until around 6 weeks. Don't be freaked out or scared. This is really great news! I was in your exact same position and was worried when I found out. I found out I was pregnant in February and got married in July. I still wore the dress I bought pre-pregnancy (altered of course), a lot of people said they couldn't even tell I was in the pictures, and all of my morning sickness was gone by then. I wouldn't change the way it worked out for anything. I married the man that I love and get to have his baby in the same year! :-)

I know we have a few threads on here about Marriage Licenses, but I wanted to specifically ask the June and July 08 Brides if any of them have received there marriage License's yet? I got married July 7 and still don't have mine. :-( It really wouldn't be a big deal, but I would really like to have my name changed by the time my little girl gets here. I'm wondering if the hurricane they just had will delay it even more than the usually long wait? Thanks in Advance girls!

Martha- Awww.. That is so sweet that Jay was in the nursery. I Love that idea for the quilt. That is really creative. Can you believe you will be full term in 3 WEEKS? I know I'm only a week behind you, but I'd love to be at 34 weeks now. LOL. I'm getting very, very, anxious to meet her.

Hi Girls. Lisa and Martha - Glad your showers went well. You guys are lucky that you got most of the stuff you need. We decided not to have a shower since this is technically our third child. But since they are both 6 and they were both boys we had NOTHING. So we had to buy everything from scratch. Luckily we are all done now but we spent a LOT of time in Babies R Us the past few months. We officially finished this weekend. Now Steve just has to put stuff together. (Bassinet, Swing, Pack and Play and Stroller) Fun!! And Yes, I think you guys have more than enough wash clothes! Mo- It sounds like Tim is super handy. That is great! Steve trys to tinker with stuff, but it takes him forever to finish one project. Lizz- That is great that you found goodies on craigslist, I LOVE craigslist. I know how you feel about wanting to get the nursery done. We didn't start until after we got back from the wedding and that was torture for me.

He is a Harvard and Columbia educated Lawyer and he's very good looking as well. Obviously, going on the show was a way for him to further his career, because he obviously was way to good for New York. Jennifer owes her success to reality TV (Idol), which is kind of ironic. Hopefully they don't do any Reality TV shows together (Newlywed Style). :-)

Mo- Thanks for the reassurance and positive story! That makes me feel a lot better! Martha- Wow, that is crazy that you guys didn't get any rain. I'm happy for you though. It rained pretty much most of Saturday for us, but it was like a light rain on this side of town all day. Have you tried Old Navy or Gap? Lisa is right about the clearance racks. I got a really cute sleeveless dress at gap for like 29.99 when it was normally 80 a few weeks ago. Lisa- Ah, what a cutie pie! Hannah likes her hands by her head too. Looks like we will have to keep mittens on our little ones.