u/gingersnap30

I recommend getting a full panel of bloodwork before you get too far into the journey so you can have baseline information. I know this probably seems common sense to most people, but I didn’t think about it until a friend recommended it to me.

I ended up using Superpower Health and got their advanced panel + advanced hormone panel and it was SO THOROUGH. I learned a lot about my body and my health. Superpower gave me a protocol based on my results, but I also took the entire thing to my doctor to have them review it as well. I ended up being put on Vitamin D, an extra iron supplement on top of my prenatal, and Metformin based on the results of my bloodwork. I was severely deficient in vitamin D, my ferritin stores were very low, and I had mild-to-moderate insulin resistance. The low vitamin D was making the insulin resistance worse. My iron levels in my blood were fine, but my ferritin levels were very low so they wanted to build that up pre-pregnancy as well. My doctor agreed with everything the Superpower protocol suggested, and it ended up being cheaper for me to use Superpower because I don’t have great health insurance.

My husband and I just started trying for a baby and my doctor has already told me I should try and lose 10% of my body weight to increase our chances of conceiving naturally. My body image/weight is already a trigger for me because I have had PCOS since I was a young teen, so I’m just wondering if my entire pregnancy journey is going to be punctuated by doctors telling me I’m too fat. Has anyone had any success with asking doctors to refrain from mentioning your weight and letting them know you are aware you need to lose weight?

Has anyone lost weight /maintained weight while pregnant and care to share what they did? I’m just getting in my head about all of it.

Edit: thank you SO much for being so open about your experiences. This has helped my anxiety a lot. I am 5’11 and 240lbs so I feel better about my chances of conceiving, how doctors will treat me, etc.

I normally feel like I handle the balance well between being child led and following a child’s interest during a session while still feeling like the session was somewhat structured/productive. I have a new client that is 6 years old, unmedicated ADHD and suspected Autism. She struggles to maintain attention to anything in my room for longer than 30 seconds, and spends the session bouncing around from activity to activity. I am in a large space that is shared by other therapists on days I am not here, so I cannot control that my room is full of toys/ sensory gym equipment.

If you try to say “1 minute then _____” or first/then, or anything along those lines, she throws herself on the floor and screams as loud as she can. She will continue to scream until she throws up according to her mom. Her mom says that when she needs her to be still she will give her an iPad with Cocomelon 🙃. Mom bribes her with new toys or candy as well. She buys her something new every single time they go to the store to prevent the screaming. Mom is also very defensive about her parenting choices and stated she left the last speech therapist because she was too critical about her parenting.

I feel like I am spending the entire session chasing her around. I don’t feel like I am doing anything meaningful. I feel as if this is a behavior issue that is preventing me from doing my job.

Advice??

Anyone tried it? Recommended to me by a friend who said she got more detailed information from their testing than any of her in person physicians.

My dog will go weeks between episodes, but every now and then she will have a hard day when I am away and she will shred her dog bed. It’s getting very expensive but I feel guilty not providing her a bed. Any suggestions? Right now we are just using folded up cheap quilts I don’t care if she destroys because my husband was sick of spending money on beds.

What are your recommendations for a partner to help them provide support during labor? I want my husband to be my primary support person and he feels overwhelmed at the thought. I will have midwives etc present during the birth, but I would like my husband to not feel like he is drowning during the process.

How often do you take quantitative data for private practice sessions? Especially with early intervention and/or high support autistic clients? I am coming from a school setting where I only take quantitative data maybe once a month. I can’t seem to find any “official” answers from insurance companies about exact requirements.

I have not had a feeding patient in approximately 4 years when I was in graduate school, and am about to have one in a month. What are your recommended CEUs for me to refresh my skills?