MARCH/APRIL 2009 LADIES

[jennywit]

Hi Ladies, Just a quick post from me to update-Hope all is well with ALL of you!!!! We welcomed Matthew Lee into this world on Friday April3 via c-sec(ouch for the recovery, by the way) But WELL worth it. He weighed 9lbs, 15 oz-I guess I should have been thankful for the c-sec-He is BEAUTIFUL!!!!! I am in such awe of him!!! Just wanted to thank ALL of you for ALL of your support-will do personals soon as my incision is not feeling the best right now-Esperanza-your time SOON!!!!!! Savor the moments-CT-Michele-room 358 for me, Dr. Sivkin assisted-Tell Dr. Levi I said a BIG THANK YOU!!!! They sure picked the best sperm for the icsi-He is amazing!!!! Hope all is going well as you embark on this incredible journey once again. Love to all-Will talk soon- Jennifer

[kerpupples]

Jennifer - oh CONGRATS on little Matthew Lee! Sorry to hear about your recovery. My only would be advice would be to stay on top of those pain meds. When did you come home from the hospital? Do post a pic of your gorgeous little guy if you can when you are feeling better.

Esperanza - relax and take it easy friend! I have a feeling you'll be meeting your little ballerina very soon.

Lit - sounds like you are adjusting to life with your 3 princesses. Too funny about the cereal bowl! I'm sure the nanny is a big help.

Nothing new with me - still very tired and getting very uncomfortable. I can't believe I'm still 7 weeks away from a natural delivery. Previa or not, I'm selfishly a little glad this little girl will be joining us early!

[washingtonda]

Hey girls -- Long time no talk. I see that most you you have already become little Mommies. CONGRATS!!!!! The babies are a wonderful joy.

ESPERANZA -- You know the main reason I stopped by was to see if you had already had Michaela's college roommate. I have been on and off this board reading and not really posting but I've been with ya my dear friend. As soon as the little princess is here, please post pictures. I have not posted any pictures to Michaela's site because I am having probelms accessing it. Will send new pictures once I get a handle on what's going on with the site. Keep us posted.

CT - I hear you are back in the running for number 2. Have you started stimming yet. Glenn and I thought we wanted a number 2 but Michaela is a handful. We are much older and that could be why it seems harder but we have no time for nothing as we are both full time professionals who work and do business travel alot and sleep comes far and in between as Michaela has many nights were she is up two and three times a night. I am wishing you and DH the best of luck your second time around. I bet Ella is getting bigger by the minute. At Michaela's 6 month visit she was 17 lbs and 23 inches long. She has this little fat legs and is cute as a button.

Well I am at work so I must go but good luck to all of you who are waiting for your new arrivals and to all the new mommies. Glad to have you join the Mommy club!!!

[CT_Michele]

Hey Everyone!

Jennywit-

I am so happy for you, and I can't believe we met on this world wide side, and you were in the hospital room next to me...I guess it really is a small world. At almost 10 lbs, I think I would have been thanksful for a c-sec too! It's funny you mention dr. levi. Last time I went through this I was a member of this site too, and I noticed an ad for park ave fertility on the site, so I mentioned the site to him. He had never heard of it and didn't know how his ad got on there. So this time I told him I met someone (talked to) on the site that was pregnant now and cam e to him. He asked who and of course all I could say was jenny or jennifer from milford, but he was pretty sure he knew who I was talking about. He wished you all the best. I will be sure to thank him for you...he is awesome, and I will be starting stims on friday.

washingtonda- I will start stimming on friday, just got the all clear yesterday. I think part of the reason I am ready for #2 is that Ella is not a handful at all, she is such a good baby, almost never cries and has been sleeping through the night since 3/4 months. It is very rare for her to wake at night. I also don't know how you do it both being full-time professionals, I couldn't dot it. Ella is getting bigger, but still on the small side. At 6 mo 3wks, she weighed 14.5 lbs and was 26.5 inches long, 25th percentile for weight, 75th for height. I bet michaela is a cutie with those chubby little legs! I would love to see pics. You can see Ella's most recent pics at her website. I finally had professional pics done and they came out awesome! So cute in her easter dress, I will post my favorite one for you guys...

You can see the rest at: http://ellamichele.shutterfly.com/

And my dear Esperanza- Is today your official due date? Maybe being tired is a good sign. What will happen from here? If you don't go into labor on your own, when would they induce by? I hope it happens soon for you, I can imagine the last week being miserable, I had a c-sec at 38.5 weeks, but I know if I didn't have a planned c-sec that ella would have stayed in for the long haul and I would have been miserable. Hang in there, it will be anytime know that you will get to meet that little ballerina!

Congrats to everyone here, and I am waiting and watching for the rest of you!

[kerpupples]

Ladies, the end is in sight! I have an amnio scheduled for April 30th and a C-section will follow on May 1st if her lungs are ready to go. I can't imagine they won't be after having the steroid shots. I'm excited and trying to decide when I should stop working. Any thoughts on that are much appreciated.

Michele - Ella is beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing that picture.

[CT_Michele]

kerpupples- I just posted a reply to you on the other thread...it said...

I am lucky enough to be a teacher and was off for the summer when my due date approached, but had I been working and had a metrnity leave coming, I would have wanted to work as long as I could and save as much time for when I would be home with my new baby. I also had a scheduled c-sec and felt fine in the days leading up to it, so I think I could have worked with no problems. Of course, if I felt uncomfortable or my job was strenuous, I might have taken a few days off before, just to relax and do last minute preps. If you have an amnio 4/30 and c-sec 5/1, maybe make 4/28 (my b-day btw) your last day at work, so you will have the 29th and 30th to mostly relax and prepare...just my thoughts.

[esperanza]

Hello friends,

WASHINGTONDA--so good to hear from you!!! I think of you often. Yes, Michaela's rommie is close to being born, although it feels like forever at this point just waiting. I can't wait to see Michaela's latest pics, last ones I saw were from Christmas, I think, and she was looking adorable. I will keep you posted, and will post pics as soon as possible for sure.

MICHELLE--yes, today is my official due date, and I'm going to teach this afternoon, can you believe that? it's crazy, I thought I would be out today. The ironic part of it is that I co-teach an undergrad course with one of my professors and last week we were talking about "troubleshooting" for her to do it by herself this week on, and guess what? the poor thing got run over by a car two days ago while ridding her bike. Thankfully she's alive, but badly hurt so today she's the one who's not going to be in class, and I'll be there with my big belly and swollen feet I took a walk this morning, I've been trying to do that every day (except yesterday because I was wipped out), to see if it sends a message to this girl. I must say that I'm feeling more crampy and feelings as if I need to pooh every-now-and-then but not really; I've heard that contractions can feel that way because it's the same general area. So who knows? maybe I'm in the early stages of labor and don't fully know it. Thankfully I practically live and work by the hospital. DH is on edge...it's kind of cute. He asks me every few minutes, how are you doing? how are you feeling? in the middle of the night if I move he wakes up and touches me "are you ok?"....today while taking my walk I called him for something completely unrelated and the first thing he asked me was "are you ok? are you in labor?"....hehhehe. Then, yesterday he tells me "I feel really tense, I need a massage, but I don't know why?" go figure, he "doesn't know why?" hehheehe.

Stims on Friday...wow! exciting!!!!! grow follies, grow!


KERPUPPLES--wow! it's nice to have a date. May 1st is a special day around the world for labor movements and such, what a wonderful day to be born. My b-day is on 5/10, so I know for a fact that May babies are wonderful lol!

About when to take your leave, I'm with Michelle, it depends on the type of work you do, and how ready you feel to welcome baby (I didn't realize there was so much to do in preparation). I know that I'm still working the day of my due date (as I'm teaching today my regular class plus covering another one for my professor!), BUT I have a lot of down time in between. I don't have a 9-5 type of job. I do a lot from home, which has allowed me to rest and get the house ready for baby. Think about it, and most importantly listen to your body.

Ok, ladies, I'll keep you posted on any changes. I have an appointment with my midwife tomorrow, and that's when we're discussing next steps.

[emfossum]

Hi ladies,

Well it has been a super long time and I apologize for that. I guess this pregnancy has taken over my life and I haven't made much room for socializing. I don't know if any of you remember me from early on and I hope that you don't mind that I bust in on the thread after being gone for so long.

I recognize some of you from earlier and have tried to read as much as I could to catch on on what has been going on. I just get so overwhelmed that I feel I can't catch up so I just read your posts and don't reply.

Anyway...I am due April 27th and feeling good.

Kerpupples - Glad to hear about your scheduled date. My husband has a May 1st B-day and he is terrific. I almost wish that my little guy would come late and I would deliver on his b-day.

Ct-Michelle - Don't recall if we talked early on but the picture of Ella is precious!!

Esperanza- Wishing you go into labor soon. Maybe today?

Congrats to you Already Blessed. What a lovely gift!

Well I am going to try to get some rest. It is hard to come by these days.

emfossum (Elizabeth)

[esperanza]

Hi Ladies, I'm just here to vent. Sorry, but this is my safe space to do that.

My family is driving me crazy I love them and appreciate the attention, but they call several times a day to find out about labor. I think I'm overly sensitive right now and I feel like I'm supposed to be fulfilling people's expectations and it's driving me nuts. I'm starting to get annoyed by their calls and endless questions. I appreciate the love and concern, and I understand they are faraway and anxious, but I've been relax for the most part and THEY are starting to make me feel anxious.

I feel like I sound like a spoiled brat...sorry, I don't really mean to sound like that (oh, yeah, poor me getting attention from my family...right? sounds stupid!), but I just burst into tears a few minutes ago after receiving yet another phone call. I just want to relax and wait for the baby to come (whenever!...it's ok by me). My mom keeps asking "are you sure the baby is ok?" OMG!!!!! she had a bad experience with my brother's delivery and she is projecting all of that on me. I keep insisting that things have changed in 33 years and that they monitor babies really well nowadays. aahhhhhhhhhh...Thank you for letting me vent friends.

Anyway, just came back from my midwife's appointment. Not much yet, I've only dilated 1 cm and my cervix is really soft. My ballerina has only dropped a bit and her head is still down. We have another appointment (if needed) on Tuesday early morning, at that point they are going to put me on a monitor to check the baby, and do an ultrasound to make sure there's enough amniotic fluid, etc. She recommended a few things that might help start labor (sex, red raspberry leaf tea, and/or evening prime rose oil capsules). I bought the oil capsules and I've already started drinking the leaf tea a couple of days ago...so that might help.

I'll keep you posted my dears. Luv to all. Thank you for "listening." what would I do without you and this forum?

[CT_Michele]

esperanza- vent all you want! I imagine it would get annoying to have so many phone calls...don't they realize you will definitely let everyone know when you know something? I had a phone call tree pretty much set up, even with the planned c-sec. We decided we would call my brother and he could relay info to everyone. We knew we would not be able to make all those calls. And you are not a spoiled brat...sometimes we just don;t need the added attention!

I hope you can enjoy your holiday weekend. Maybe you will have an special easter delivery? You will have to try and keep us posted on your progress, we are all waiting to hear the good news.

Emfossum- we have crossed paths at one time or another on these boards. Glad to hear your pregnancy is going well, and you are due one day before my b-day...yay!

[jennywit]

Ct-Michele-You arent kidding with the small world-We talk to people all over the world, and here you & I are-Same docs office, fertility and ob-1 room over in the hospital, etc... You must be sooooo excited to be starting again. Are they keeping your protocol the same since it worked the 1st time? Does dh have to do tesa again? Esperanza-vent, vent, vent all you want!~!!!!It's understandable that family is excited, but you must be so exhausted!!!!! We have this date in our head for so long that we hope the baby won't come too early, but to think that it may go past that date, how emotionally tiring. If I didn't have the planned c-sec-I'm sure I would have been in the same boat. The end is sooooo close!!!! Kerpuppies-keep hanging in there, it ends up going by in a flash when you look back-it just seemed like it lasted forever when I was pregnant. Happy babies to all of us ladies!!!! Jennifer

[Literatriz]

Hi all,
All my three girls are asleep... just enough to check on you girls!
Jennywit, congratulations on your big big boy! I've heard big babies are usually calm and easy going - hope it is true!
Kerpupples, I do remember how I dragged my days at the hospital, waiting for the big day. Now I regret not having enjoyed as much of that long wait - even a rerun of Law and Order looks like an impossible privilege right now. Enjoy your wait. Labor day will be Labor to you...literally! As for quitting work...i'd consider the commute. Many women have some trouble with falling as they loose balance at the end. Play safe and consider the $$$$!
CTMichelle, Ella is beautiful! Good luck on your project # 2.
my dear Esperanza, nice to read DH is close to you at this point. We can't speed up a river....or a baby. Tell your family that God is the only one to know when your ballerina will be ready. How did your class go? Hope all is well with you!
Best wishes to all, Literatriz (Cecilia is crying!)

[CT_Michele]

Jenny- my protocol is pretty much the same. Still follistim and menopur, but starting with a higher dose of follistim, since last time they ended up bumping it up a couple days in, and I have a different trigger shot since I guess they don't use ovidrel anymore. DH does not NEED to have TESE again, but it was highly recommended. We have one vial of frozen sperm, but they said last time it took an hour for them to find 8 good sperm to match my eggs and there is no knowing what is in that frozen vial, so we just can't risk it. Last time we did TESE ahead of time and froze, then thawed the day of ER, because we weren't even sure dh had sperm...but this time since we have a frozen vial backup and we are pretty sure he still has sperm since all his bloodwork is similar to last time, we are doing a fresh TESE with the cycle. That means he will probably have TESE the day before my ER. That is the only think that stinks, we will both be recovering at the same time, and that will be hard with Ella. It will also be tough to find someone to watch her 3 days that week (ER/TESE/ET), but we will manage.

literatriz- god bless you...I can't even imagine how you manage with 3! I wonder how I will do with another little one, but I know it will be worth it...I can't even begin to imagine if I were to get twins this time...but we would welcome it of course!

[kerpupples]

Hey ladies - thanks for the input on work. I'm really quite spoiled in that I work from home, so my commute is only downstairs! If I had to drive and walk around much I know I'd be taking up my OBs offer to cut back my schedule. I'm just having such a terrible time concentrating as my job is of the 9-5 sort. I think I'm going to try to work up to my next OB appointment and then go on disability for the week and a half before the birth.

Elizabeth - good to see you back, I've been wondering about you! Your DH is the second May 1st birthday I've heard of since we scheduled the procedure. Your DS will probably appreciate having his very own birthday. I know what you mean about rest. I can't sleep worth a darn these days.

Esperanza - most awesome vent! I hear where you're coming from. It's like they don't trust you to include them. Plus people in this age want informattion as soon as it's available. Relax - you, DH, and baby are your first priority now and your familiy will realize that eventually.

Michele - thanks again for the input. I can't imagine dealing with teaching kids right up to labor - I'm glad for your sake that you delivered during the summer!

[washingtonda]

CT -- Good luck on your stimming. It seems so exciting all over again. I have my fingers crossed that you will be blessed again. I went to Ella's website and she is so cute. The pictures came out wonderful.

Esperanza -- Much baby dust to you my dear girl. I know you are more than ready to meet that little girl. She is just being stubborn and letting her Mommy know already whos boss.

To all of you other wonderful ladies, good luck to all of you new Mommies and the ones that still have a few days/weeks left. This is the time that it gets exciting. Babies are a blessing so be happy that you've made it this far.

As for my little Michaela who turn 6 months and 3 weeks today she is doing great and growing like a bean. All she says is MaMa and Daddy is so jealous. He was feeding her baby food last night and they were in the kitchen. I was in the living room watching TV and all I heard her saying was Mama...Mama and he was telling her that she was stuck with Daddy last night. It was really sort of cute. I walked into the kitchen and her eyes lit up and she said Mama. The little girl knows what she is talking about. Please go out and take a look at her. I was able to post new pictures last night www.michaelaskye.shutterfly.com.

Everyone have a GREAT EASTER!!!!