The Over 40 Crowd

[mrscutter]

Hey Tammy,
Yes my beta is tomorrow(wed). I haven't gotten AF yet. I know it will come any second though. I feel it. What is so torturous though is I go check for it like every 30 minutes. I keep thinking its there. I wonder when AF comes after transfer. Mine normaly is day 22-25. Today is 26. but all of the stims probably has it screwed up. I have cramping and "grouch syndrome" lol. so thats why I feel like I will probably start today or tomorrow. Want it be bad to start tomorrow as I had to the RE to have the beta. I also live on my skiing trip in the am. Having the beta at 7:45am then leaving for West Virginia. I will let you know what happens. I have taken HPT several times including yesterday and still BFN!! I wonder if anyone else kept getting negatives on HPT but got positive on beta. The waiting to discover AF before getting to do the beta is driving me nuts. Well sorry to ramble on. I hope you are doing ok. I will let you know what happens.

Rhonda

[Catharine]

Hi all

Rhonda-that's how I felt like AF should arrive any moment. Several of my girlfriends felt the same way. All the symptoms of AF's arrival but then suddenly the symptoms disappear. Don't get worked up over this. Try to remain calm. Think positive thoughts.

Hope everyone else is doing well.

We're hanging in there. Aislin is quite the party girl, up all night, sleeping all day Tried to out smart the little smarty pants last night by feeding on her demand cluster feeding schedule, thinking that she would ware herself out by 11p or 12 midnight. Ha! She stayed up well past 3a enjoying the buffet style eating. What's a mother to do? What's more she hates her craddle. Once I think she is sound asleep. I carefully place her in her craddle. Then zing, eyes wide open and she's fully awake for at least another 30min. I would love anyones suggestions on how to overcome this. I would really love to sleep in my bed next to the craddle with her in it. Currently when she is out cold asleep I can place her in her infant carry seat and there she sleeps happy as a clam and I on the coach next to her. In case you're wondering, the bed is too high compared to coach to view her when she is sleeping.

Well, need to get ready for the day.

Cheers!
Catharine

[children]

Hi all,

I am back from NJ's trip. It was the worst trip that we had! DD was sick the whole time with hi fever for three nights in a row. We wound up being in my nieces' pediatrician's office on Friday morning and stayed home most of the other times. The sick child suddenly grew strong affinity to the daddy and refused to be with me. As a consequence, my DH got infected by her deadly unknown virus...

The good part is that by staying home with my relatives, we could chat a lot which I enjoyed it. We did not plan on doing much in this trip anyway. It's nice to break the routine and get into relaxed mood. Next week, DH will leave us for thailand for 8 days, that would be a challenge for us. I hope the child stays health during that time because my belly is huge now and I don't think I have any energy to hold a sick child all the time!

Tammy,

I did not pay special attention to my diet during my frozen cycles other than eating 1/2 fresh pineapple per day for 3~4 days from the third or 4th day of post transfer. All my transfer was 3day embryos at 6~8 cell stage. If you do 5 day transfers, you may need to start eating pineapple earlier, like the second day after transfer to help the implantation. I am not sure how helpful that is, but at least, it does not hurt.

Another thing that I strongly recommend is to do Yoga, 30 min per day would be really helpful to relax you. Each cycle is very stressful and I totally relied on Yago to calm me down.

Rhonda,

2ww is always the hardest part of each cycle, sometimes we just wanted to get over with a BFN! But I do wish you a wonderful BFP in the end. I know of few people here had negative HPT but positive blood pg tests. Stay positive and hopeful...I love skiing but prefer Rocky Mountain's and Alp's powder snow. I am so jealous of your ski trip because that is our winter routine for the last 6 years! Now with my growing big belly, I can only imagine it...

Catharine,

I remember I cried many times at beginning days. I was scared, not knowing why my DD cried and why she threw up all the milk that she just had...it will get easier everyday, that was my experience.

If your DD stays awake but not crying hysterically, just leave her alone after each feeding in her infant carry seat, bouncer, bassinet, crib or whatever she likes to be in. I strongly recommend not to attend her every whine.

My cousin's both DDs had the same time-confusing, they slept day time and kept awake night time. She or her mother attended every cry and every whine...she told me that her second pg was very difficult for her, she felt very tired because it followed the first too close - the two kids are two years apart, although she stopped breast feeding them 3 months after their birth...I have to say that my second pg is not nearly as tired as my first one.

Having said above, I don't really know how difficult it is to leave your little one alone at this early stage as I have not done so myself. But I am going to do that with our second child. I witnessed few other mothers who are taking motherhood very easily. They just leave them awake all by themselves. Sometimes the little ones make fusses and sometimes even cry a little. I think as long as the kid is 1) not hungry, 2) not cold/hot, 3) not dirty needing diaper change, 4) not sick...I am going to leave him alone as much as I can stand...

Every one else, take care,

Yasmina

[teachertam]

Yasmina: My transfer will be a 3 day transfer. So I should start eating the pineapple 3 days post transfer? How did you eat 1/2 of a pineapple per day? That seems like a lot. I just "googled" pineapple and implantation and most articles say to start eating pineapple the day of ET and then eat it for 5 days. Do you think they are assuming a 5 day transfer and that is why they start on the day of ET? Did you watch your caffeine intake?

I'm sorry to hear that DD was sick on your trip, but it sounded like you had a nice visit with relatives.

Catharine: When Andrew was a newborn infant, I would swaddle him with a blanket. When it was done correctly he looked like a burrito. It would help calm him so that he could sleep. Eventually, as he grew older he could loosen the blanket and pull his arms out. I stopped it around 3 months. The book you might want to read is "The Happiest Baby on the Block". It talks about swaddling the baby to recreate the womb experience.

Rhonda: I'm thinking of you as you go tomorrow for your beta. Let's hope you get a BFP.

Take care all,
Tammy

[children]

Hi Tammy,

I don't drink coffee in regular basis, but one of my over 40 friends is addicted to it and she had cut down from many cups/day to only two, one in the morning and one in the afternoon during entire pg. She had a healthy boy. According to what I read, one cup/day is safe. BTW, I drink alcohol during both pgs, but not more than 12oz beer or one glass wine each time, not more frequent than twice per wk.

Yes, I had to force myself to eat 1/2 pineapple per day for few days after transfer, because my teeth are sensitive and hurting, otherwise, I would have eaten more. I read somewhere, you do need that much, if not more! And fresh pineapples work better than canned ones.

Good luck on the coming cycle!

[children]

Tammy,

About when you should start, I just googled it myself, but could not find satisfied answer. I started later than ET bc I thought that implantation won't happen until then, and I didn't eat more than 4~5 days for the same reason, implantation doesn't take that long. However, I don't believe it matters so much. Do what your instinct tells you.

[mrscutter]

With great sadness I wanted to tell everyone that I got a BFN. I am here on my skiing trip and I am trying to be strong for everyone. DH is taking a shower right now so I jumped on to give you my bac news. I don't understand. I had to great embies. 8 cell and 6. I guess maybe it was chromosomaly defective or something. She says my lining and uterus is beautiful and my ovaries are beautiful even though I have low reserve and high fsh i did have to fertilized eggs. I didn't cry. i got the news in the car on my way here and I had to pretend to be ok. Thanks for all the support.

Rhonda

[children]

Rhonda,

i am very sorry to learn your sad news. i sometimes say that i prefer bfn than a bfp but few weeks later only to have a miscarriage. the unpredictableness is the major thing in ivf. no one knows why a particular cycle works or not. most of us here have been through more than one cycle to achieve pg and live birth. unfortunately, not every one has this option, since the cost is so hi, both financially and emotionally!

i hope you and your dh take some time off the ivf and enjoy your ski for now. if you ever decide to give ivf another go, we will still be here to support you.

take care,

yasmina.

[teachertam]

Rhonda:

So sorry to hear your sad news. Sometimes we just don't know why a cycle does not work. My last IVF I transferred 5 embies back, 2 were extended blasts. My RE thought for sure that I would get pregnant, but I still not did. Try to have a nice time with your family on the ski trip. I know if it hard not to be sad. We are thinking of you.

Tammy

[Catharine]

Rhonda-
I was sadden to learn of your news. Know that we are here to support you if you need us. As Yasmina said they really don't know why one cycle works over another. Please take care of yourselves.

Thinking of you and your DH.
Catharine

[natashamom]

Hi ladies,

I was just wondering if you`re all did use an egg or embryo donor?

Thanks,

Natasha.

[teachertam]

Hello all:

Natashamom: I have not used an egg/embryo donor. I am going to use my frozen eggs left over from IVF #2.

Yasmina: Did you have any side effects from the Estrace? I am having bad headaches at night. Since I take the pills in the morning, I don't understand why I have the headaches at night.

Rhonda: I hope you and your family are having a nice ski trip.

Catharine: How are you and the little one doing?

Well, I'm off to take some ibuprofen, as I have a splitting headache.

Tammy

[children]

Tammy,

I only used estrace for boosting the E2 level at the end of stimulation for 2~3 days, not long, 2~4 mg/day. The rest of the times I used E2 patches. No, I did not notice any headaches at that time. Did you check your blood pressure?

Natasha,

My both pgs resulted from my own 43 yr old eggs.

Rhonda and Catharine,

Thinking of you two too. Take care!

Y

[mrscutter]

Thanks everyone. I don't know what will happen now. We don't have the money to try IvF again. If we did, I would do donor egg. The sad thing is we don't have the money to anything now. that is why I am so sad. I feel if I had the money, I would eventually get pg. I will never know. I can't thank you all enough for being here to listen. It means alot. I wish you all the best of luck in your journey.

rhonda

[Catharine]

Good Monday Morning All

Okay it's cold and gloomy weather and some spirits are paralleling this description.

Rhonda-I know it is hard, take the time to grieve nad you and DH make some time for yourselves.

Natasha-we used my own eggs.

Tammy-I agree check your blood pressure; it may be very high at the end of the day.

Yasmina-how is this last trimester going?

Okay-I know this sounds funny, I miss being pregnant. We spent the holidays up int the Georgia mountains away from much af the suburby distractions. There's no tv, no phones, just radio and CD player. It was wonderful. DD is doing well. She had a rough night last night: completely unconsolable and over-tired. Now her mum is completely over-tired and maybe unconsolable I will try to grab a nap here shortly. Having been up all night I need human contact, conversation, something. DH slept through all the wailings. Good thing for he had to go into work early.

Wishing everyone all the best as we start the final month of 2008.
Cheers!
Catharine