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I gave birth to my son via c-section on February 14th. I was planning on waiting until my 6 week postpartum check up to have sex since it's recommended that women wait 6 weeks and also because I did it after about 4 weeks with my first baby and was embarrassed to admit that to the doctor at my check up when she asked. She didn't yell at me or anything but she definitely didn't approve. Anyway, I'm about 7 weeks post-partum now. I had to reschedule the appointment last week because my kids and I were sick and then my appointment was supposed to be tomorrow, but I got my period yesterday. I called the office and had to reschedule the check-up again, but they didn't have an available time until about 9 weeks post-partum. I know technically I can do anything I want, but will the doctor get all bent out of shape if I have sex before getting the green light from him since I've surpassed the 6 week point now?

I'll be 28 weeks pregnant tomorrow. This is my second pregnancy and I started out obese. I was about 197 when I got pregnant and up until about 2 or 3 weeks ago I was still under 200 pounds. I was really excited to be keeping my weight gain under control and the baby was growing well. I gained about 40 or 50 pounds the last time I was pregnant so I was really proud this time of my slow weight gain. However in the last 2 weeks I shot up to 207 pounds! I'm gaining about 1 pound every 2 days or so. I don't think I've been eating that much more than usual- maybe a little more, but certainly not enough to pack on 1 extra pound every 2 days. I don't have any signs of high blood pressure or preeclampsia. I know that rapid weight gain is thought to be water retention, but I don't have any swelling. I see my doctor in a few days so I don't think it's urgent that I call the doctor right now. But how in the world did I gain so much weight so quickly? Is it normal for this to happen?

My laptop is only about 9 months old. It works great. I've had no problems with it. But recently it started humming ALL THE TIME. It used to hum for a second or two when I first started it up and then recently it became constant when my computer is on and in use. I am 99% sure it's coming from the fan. I just blew into the vents and the sound changed pitch when I blew into it, but it didn't stop. (I'm not gonna try that again when it's running. lol) Is this likely to be an expensive or difficult fix?

Does it just need cleaned?

I'm 26 weeks pregnant and I don't think my baby ever changes positions. Of course I can't be 100% sure, I'm not an expert. I always feel the exact same movements in the exact same spots and I can tell where his head is when I palpate my uterus. His head has been in the same spot for a few weeks now. He's horizontal with his head in my left hip bone and his butt on my right side. I already knew his position, but it was confirmed at my 3d/4d ultrasound yesterday. I know his position at this point isn't very important but at my ultrasound yesterday we couldn't see his face at all. His face was smashed against something (the side of my uterus probably) and his hands were both covering the side of his face. We got to reschedule for Monday to try again for free. I paid them $100 for the ultrasound so I'm hoping the second (and last) attempt will be more successful. I'm worried that we won't get to see his face any better this time since he never seems to change positions. I realize there is no guarantee when you schedule a 3d/4d ultrasound that it will be successful, and that's fine, but is there anything I can do to help encourage my baby to change positions? Has anyone had any success with doing the all-fours position? I know that's typically used when the baby is breech, but I thought maybe it would help encourage my baby to move. I don't have a birthing ball to sit on. Any advice would be great. =)

The last time I was pregnant I had PPROM (Preterm premature rupture of membranes) which means that my water spontaneously broke (without being in labor) before I was full-term. I was 36w6d. That was 2 years ago. I'm due again in February and I was wondering how many ladies out there have had PPROM more than once. Anyone have any experiences with this? I know there is absolutely no way to determine how/when I'll deliver this baby, but I'm trying to figure out my odds of having a similar experience this time.

We're definitely naming our little guy Owen, but we're still struggling with middle names. All the names we think we like end up being crossed off our list because they either end in an "en" and sound bad with the name Owen or they end in an "er" and sound bad with the last name. What do you think of these two?

Owen Chance Heiser (Chance means "good fortune". Lord knows we could use some good fortune, and maybe he'd end up having better luck than his daddy and I tend to have.)

Owen Patrick Heiser (I love the way that sounds but the meaning of it isn't very interesting.)

My second baby will be born about 2 years after my first. I still have my first's car seat. I know the safety regulations change regularly and that the hospitals (at least mine) make sure your car seat is up to date before letting you take your baby home. We're planning on getting a new car seat for #2, but I don't want to spend the money on a new one if it's not necessary. Is there a chance my son's car seat from 2 years ago still meets safety regulations? Is there a way to find out if it still does?

I always hear stories or read questions on here about children way younger than my son, sometimes even as much a a YEAR younger than him, who are being bad and throwing temper tantrums all the time.

My son doesn't really do anything bad. Sometimes he'll try to touch something he shouldn't (like an unprotected outlet in someone else's home, or the stove) but he doesn't know any better and every kid tries to get into things they shouldn't simply because they are curious. If we say "no" and take him away from it he'll try to go back to it several more times, but we simply continue to pick him up and move him away and he'll eventually give up. If he DOES throw a temper tantrum about anything all he does is lay down on the floor and put his thumb in his mouth and fake-cry or pout for a few minutes, but usually he only does that if he's REALLY tired and needs to take a nap. I'm not trying to brag about my kid by any means, I'm actually a little concerned that he's abnormal... maybe he isn't developing mentally as quickly as he should? He still doesn't talk much. He only says a few words but he knows what LOTS of other words mean. He is also physically very small. He's in the 1 percentile in both height and weight although we feed him as much as he will let us. He's otherwise very healthy and happy. He is never sick, he's very active, and he smiles and laughs all the time. The pediatrician seems only slightly concerned about his size, but not enough to make a big deal about it. Could my child's lack of temper tantrums be a sign that there's something wrong with him mentally?

I'm pregnant with my 2nd baby and crocheting a baby blanket for him. I'm making it 36"X36" and now that I'm soon done with it I'm paranoid that it's not large enough. Is 36"X36" a good size for a baby? I can add a border once I'm done but I don't really want to make the border very wide.

I know this is a weird question.. but my water broke when I was pregnant with my first at 36w6d. I was asleep when it happened. I guess since my water broke prematurely once I can't stop thinking it's going to happen again. I'm currently 18 weeks pregnant with my second baby. Every time I poop I'm afraid that straining will cause my water to break. Frequently fluid comes out when I am trying to poop. I assume it's just urine which didn't come out when I urinated, but I am always paranoid that is amniotic fluid. It makes me so nervous that I rarely finish pooping . I just go a little bit but then stop when that fluid keeps coming out. I doubt the paranoia will go away until my baby is actually viable and could survive my water breaking. Please tell me I'm not alone in this fear...

We're about 90% sure we're having a boy based on our last ultrasound, and the first name we have picked out for a boy is Owen. We're thinking about making his middle name Joshua (the name of one of our close friends) which is also biblical and has a great meaning.

But his first and middle initials would be OJ. I know our son won't know who OJ Simpson is and neither will any of his friends, but I'm afraid that older people (adults, employers, older family members) might automatically think about OJ Simpson and react negatively when they hear/see his name. Do you think it would actually be a big deal? His full initials would be OJH

I had an ultrasound done at 16 weeks because I was spotting. We couldn't tell the gender with the abdominal ultrasound and I had a vaginal ultrasound done immediately after to check my cervix. I thought I saw a penis during the vaginal ultrasound which was very clear, but I did not see a scrotum. I asked the technician if it was a penis and her response was, "Yep, that's a penis." There was no "maybe" or "probably" about it, she simply stated that it was a penis. When I joked that I was hoping for a girl this time (I have a son already and thought having one of each would be fun) she said, "Well it's still a little early to tell for sure."

Was she just saying that? Is it actually possible that we were wrong? The ultrasound was very clear and she seemed very confident with her assessment. I'm fine with having another boy, and I'd love to start calling him by his name instead of "the baby" as soon as possible. I hate waiting for the next ultrasound to name my bump when I've already had one and seen "boy parts". Did anyone out there get told "boy" early but then find out they were actually having a girl? Should I just assume the baby is actually a boy?

I have been told by 2 different ultrasound technicians that my placenta is in the front. They never used the term "anterior placenta" and never spoke to me about it at length, but I've done research on my own. Everything I read says I probably won't feel the baby move at all until 18-22 weeks, but I've been feeling very noticeable movements since about 14.5 or 15 weeks! I thought I was feeling quickening for a week or 2 before that. (This is my 2nd pregnancy and I'm currently 16w4d). I asked the technician at the last ultrasound if my placenta was near my incision spot from my previous c-section and she said that it wasn't that low. So this leads me to believe it's right in the front of my stomach and I have no idea how I've been able to feel so much movement already. I felt movement very early to begin with and many women with posterior placentas don't even feel it that early. Is my baby a pro soccer player? lol But really, has anyone else with an anterior placenta felt the movements this early?

I've had 3 ultrasounds already and the measurements are right on. There is no chance that I'm further along and there doesn't appear to be twins.

Cohen popped into my head earlier today without warning. I wasn't even thinking about baby names when it happened, in fact, I was literally falling asleep. I repeated the full name to myself a few times (Cohen Heiser) and I suddenly felt like this name is "the one". It sounded just right. It sounded like our future son's name. My husband quickly agreed that it's perfect.

Unfortunately, I didn't research the name until AFTER my husband and I both fell in love with it. I never imagined that it could be a controversial name. It's a religious title for a Jewish priest and a common Jewish last name. I respect people of all religions and would not mind giving my child a name with that meaning, but from what I've read, many people are understandably offended when non-Jewish people use this name for their child. According to my research only the spellings "Cohen" and "Kohen" refer to the Jewish priest and the alternative spellings have the same pronunciation as Cohen but different origins. Since I like the name so much, I'm thinking about using one of the alternative spellings so it won't be offensive to anyone.

What do you think of the alternate spellings below? I'm a little worried that those spellings are too unusual and my child would be picked on for having a weird name if I used any of them. I might end up ditching the name all together, but I hope someone manages to talk me out of it. I would be so sad to make that decision.

Cohen Heiser << Original spelling. I think this one looks the best, unfortunately.

Cowen Heiser

Cowan Heiser

Coen Heiser << I don't like that one

Koen Heiser << I hate that one

I've liked the name Owen for quite some time. That was the name I was planning to use for my second son, if I ever had one. But ever since I got pregnant this time I felt like that name just isn't "right" for our child and I started to hate that it starts with an "O". Cohen sounds almost the same but starts with a "C" and feels just perfect. I think that's why I'm so attached to this name.

I'm 16 weeks pregnant and we're about 90% sure it's a boy. I've been seriously struggling to find a boy name and I can't find a single name I want to use. I was laying in bed just a few minutes ago, about half asleep, and suddenly the name Cohen popped into my head. It was entirely random; I wasn't even thinking about baby names at the moment. I haven't even thought about the name Cohen since middle school (because there was one person named Cohen in my school). So when Cohen popped into my head I instantly decided to wake up and research it to see what it means and to see if it's a name I could consider using. Ironically enough, I was kicking around the name Owen for a long time but it felt like it was lacking something. I liked the way it sounded but hated that it started with an "O". Our last name is Heiser and Cohen Heiser sounds great when I say it in my head. I was getting super excited about the name until I read about it.

It means priest, but not just any priest... It's apparently a "Jewish" priest. It's also a common surname among Jewish people. I read that it's a very controversial name because a lot of Jewish people are offended when non-Jewish people use this as a first name for their child. I'm totally bummed, this name might have been "the one". But I don't want to offend anyone by using this name! What do you guys think, and what would you do?

I sort of feel like this was the name I was waiting for, like it popped into my head for a reason. But like I said, I'm torn over how controversial it is. I'm the type of person to avoid any conflict whatsoever in my life and I hate to offend others.

I had an ultrasound yesterday at 16 weeks and we're pretty sure the baby is a boy. We have another ultrasound in a month which will most likely confirm this. This is our second child, and our first son was named after his father and grandfather so we didn't have to pick out a name.

I used to like Owen, Riley, and Mason for a boy. I think I still like Riley and Mason but they are overly popular right now so I don't love them anymore. I just don't like Owen as much as I used to. I don't love any boy names enough to actually use them for my child.

I'm so jealous of the people who have a HUGE list of names they love because I'd rather have too many to choose from than none at all. Does anyone have any advice? Any good name suggestions are welcome too.

I'll be 16 weeks pregnant and the ultrasound is going to be performed because I was spotting today and the doctor wants to check on everything. My doctor's office records routine ultrasounds on DVDs for the patients if the patient provides the DVD. I have some blank DVDs in my car from the last ultrasound we got. Would it be appropriate to ask if they'll record this ultrasound even though it's only being done to quickly check on things? Do you think that might be against the policy? We had an ultrasound at 13 weeks because the doctor couldn't find the heartbeat with the doppler, and I didn't even think to ask for a recording (mostly because I was so terrified the recording would only show a still baby with no heartbeat). I often regret not asking because I have this memory of watching my little bean bouncing off the walls of my uterus like a gymnast and I wish I could have had a DVD of it.

Also, I know 16 weeks is a little early to determine the sex properly, but is it even slightly possible we'll be able to tell tomorrow?

First of all I don't know the gender of my baby yet (I'll find out in about a month) so I'm not sure if I'm having a girl, but this is the name I'm thinking of right now.

Iris means rainbow. It is the name of the Greek rainbow goddess in mythology who is also considered the messenger of the gods. It's also the name of a beautiful flower. =) I love the meaning of the name, rainbows are gorgeous. They are so rare to find, and always a shock. It's almost impossible to see a rainbow without pointing to it, excitedly telling someone else to come look, and then taking pictures of it.

Full name would be one of these:

Iris Leona Karyn Heiser. Or Iris Leona Karin Heiser (Spelled Karyn differently in each name)

Iris Karyn Leona Heiser. Or Iris Karin Leona Heiser

Leona is my deceased grandmother's name and my mom and mother in law are named Karan and Karen. We are not going to use the spelling "Karen" or "Karan" because we don't want to represent one grandmother more than the other. The 2 middle names are very special so I don't plan on changing them. Another thing is that my husband, myself, and my son all have 4 letter names so Iris would fit right in.

What do you think of the name Iris? Which middle name combination do you like best? I'm not 100% sure on the name yet, but it's growing on me every minute. This might be "the one". I'd love to hear some feedback.

This is a re-post from earlier this morning because I only got 1 answer (it wasn't a good answer) and I think I posted it before everyone woke up. =)

I am 15w5d pregnant and my uterus is up to my belly button. At my 13 week appointment the Dr. couldn't measure my uterus yet because it was too low in my pelvis. 1.5 weeks later it was already halfway to my belly button and 1 week later (this week) it has reached my belly button. If the doctor took a measurement of my uterus right now I'm pretty sure I'd measure about 4-5 weeks larger than I should and my bladder isn't full. I know some babies just measure large the whole way through pregnancy, but it's growth over the past 2.5 weeks has been astounding and I'm worried.

We had an ultrasound at 9 and 13 weeks and the baby measured perfectly and we only saw one baby each time. I haven't gained a pound yet, in fact I've lost a few pounds. I'm about 6 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight. I did gain about 4 pounds in one day 2 days ago, but I dropped them over night. I'm worried that I could have too much fluid, cysts or tumors in my uterus, gestational diabetes, or even a missed twin.

Should I call my doctor tomorrow? My next appointment is in a week and a half, and they'll probably just blow me off over the phone because I'm going to see them so soon. If I'm measuring this large or larger at my next appointment (at 17 weeks) will they want to get me tested for gestational diabetes or give me an ultrasound to make sure everything is okay?

I always hear about women going to the doctor for an ultrasound in the 2nd or 3rd trimester and their doctor changes their due date if the baby is measuring large. But almost all of those women had an early ultrasound which is much more accurate at determining the due date than a later ultrasound. An ultrasound between 8 and 12 weeks is only likely to be off by a few days when determining the gestational age but later ultrasounds can be off by much more, even by a few weeks. Why do the doctors change the due date instead of just admitting that the baby is large for it's gestational age? I'd personally be really annoyed if my doctor changed my due date and because I am not wrong on the date of my last period, I fully trust the measurements they took at my 9 week ultrasound. If my doctor changed my due date I'd probably still just go by the first due date I was given. It's not like having a big baby means you will deliver earlier. The size of the baby often has very little effect on when a woman goes into labor.