YES. Definitely see the periodontist. It will only get worse in pregnancy, especially in the second and third trimesters. You can't get any treatment with Novocaine in the first trimester, but he or she can show you proper brushing and flossing habits. That made a huge difference for me about eight years ago when I was diagnosed. Now that I'm pregnant, I see him for cleanings every three months. There is a "deep cleaning" procedure that he or she can do, which is not a surgery, but it requires aforementioned Novocaine, so it will have to wait until after the first tri.

Now that you are pregnant it is more important than ever to see a specialist.

Good luck! Congrats on your pregnancy. Hope all goes well.

It's definitely worth checking with your dr or midwife to see if he or she has suggestions. Here are some things that have helped me.

Pelvic tilts, standing: Stand up, and you'll probably notice that your butt points back and your stomach forward; this gets worse as you get bigger. This causes a strain on the lower back. To correct, draw the tailbone down and scoop it forward, so your pelvic begins to tilt. What you're trying to do is add some length to the lumbar (lower) spine, which may be getting strained.

You can do this from a "Table" pose in yoga -- it's essentially the cat part of cat/cow. I find that cow actually exacerbates the pain in my lower back. To do this, come onto hands and knees; hands under shoulders, knees under hips. Spine should be neutral. Push into the hands and round the spine, scooping the tailbone under. Then come back to a neutral spine. I would skip the cat portion (where you actually dip your belly down and arch through your spine), as for me that actually increases lower back pain.

My back pain was so bad by 22 weeks that my midwife sent me to physical therapy, which helped a lot. I also see a chiropractor that specializes in pregnancy, and I think that's helped -- Dr. Anthony Noya, www.noyachiropractic.com.

I hope you feel better soon!

I am 33 weeks and don't have any of the symptoms you are talking about -- a little bit of pelvic pressure, but no feeling like the baby wants to come out. I would definitely call your OB and if there is any question get over to the hospital. Good luck -- I hope everything is okay!

Ice cream cake. We have a ridiculous amount left over after our shower, and my husband is off dairy so it's all on me.

I could use some homemade buttercream frosting now!

Baby Bargains is indeed the book. I also think a subscription to Consumer Reports online is great -- they have wonderful buying guides and product ratings.

I think Medicaid has restrictions on the amount of liquid savings you can have. So if you own property you are okay, but if you have money saved for a rainy day fund you are not. It's pretty low what they allow for liquid savings -- I think under $5k. So that may not be an option.

Like PPs, I would recommend checking out home-birth midwives. Since you're uninsured, you might as well will look beyond Birthcare (where I believe the real advantage is that they take insurance) and look to others like Joey Pascarella, the MAMAS midwives, etc., who come to your home for all the prenatal visits too. There is a great list of midwives at www.birthoptionsalliance.org.

Best of luck OP. Please keep up posted on how it goes.

I have heard Dr. Tchabo is the go-to person for VBACS. I know that WISDOM midwifery does them too, but at 32 weeks you are probably too late to get into the practice. Definitely call and get on the wait list, though; you never know.

I love WISDOM midwifery at GW. I think it's the best of both worlds -- I'm seen by the midwives, but if anything comes up I can very easily transfer to the doctors there and they will have all my records and be up-to-speed on my case. I also really am happy to be delivering at GW, where I've heard the nursing staff is great (and most are supportive of unmedicated childbirth), and where they have all private rooms, which insurance covers because there are no semi-private rooms (unlike, say, Sibley). Good luck OP!

breakfast: smoothie w/0% Green yogurt (MUCH higher protein than regular yogurt), flax seeds, frozen acai, banana, and strawberries. Sometimes when I'm really hungry I'll put a little bit of granola on top and some toasted nuts. Occasionally, I'll blend 1/2 an avocado into the smoothie if I am particularly hungry or low in general on fatty acids. (If the avo is ripe, you don't actually taste it, and it adds a nice, creamy texture to the smoothie).

Lunch: Salad from one of the many local salad places -- generally do this high-protein by having them put avocado, egg, chickpeas, nuts, and maybe once a week some tofu into it.

Dinner: I get a lot of recipes here from the 101cookbooks.com site, which is a GREAT site for veggie recipes and breaks them down by the ones that are high protein. If I'm feeling lazy, I'll make whole wheat pasta with red sauce and parmesan. I also like to do eggs for dinner--generally an omelet or frittata.

Good luck! I have had no problems with the diet my midwives gave me as a vegetarian. The one thing they suggest is eating fish, which I don't do, so I bought some Spectrum prenatal DHA, made from algae, which has been a helpful substitute.

Having a lot of lower back pain and hear that a support belt can be very helpful. My midwife gave me a handout suggesting a specific brand and different potential belts, which I have somehow lost. I don't see her for a couple more weeks and would love any recommendation on this from you all. Thanks for any help you can provide!

I have heard the Dr. Brown newborn bottle set is great. I don't speak from personal experience, as I'm expecting #1 right now, but I've done a lot of asking and that brand keeps getting recommended.

I love "Momma Zen" by Karen Maezen Miller. I've also heard "Hand Wash Cold" by the same author is good, but I haven't read it.

I would read Baby Bargains (newest edition just came out) and Consumer Reports. Then I'd go to Great Beginnings, where I've found the service to be fantastic and where I know they don't work on commission, to get advice. Good luck!

I had morning sickness in my first trimester, then was okay in my second, and now in my third definitely have nausea again (though not as bad as in the first trimester).

I still exercise regularly, but I've really cut down on what I do. Whereas before I could do a level 8 on the elliptical, now I'm down to a five, and I'm sure by the time the baby comes I'll be lucky to not be in negative level territory! I also do a lot of walking but have to move much more slowly, especially up hills. My friend couldn't believe that I was winded walking slowly on a hill on 19th street the other day, as I used to run that hill with her, but c'est la vie. I think exercise remains important throughout the pregnancy in order to prepare for labor, but it doesn't take much to get my heart-rate up these days.