Winter Cycle Friends 2009/2010 - Everyone Welcome!

[ashleyncsu77]

Katie - yay to the sac and dot!!! Doesn't that sound funny? I guess it's the little things with IVF.

I'm can't wait to hear your update next week - hearing the heartbeat for the first time is something words can't describe. I was 6w6d when we saw the heartbeats last week and I think they can sometimes see them as early as 6 weeks so keeping my fingers crossed you see good things again.

Keep the good news coming!!!!

Ashley

[hjw]

Off to bed, it's been a bad night (running around all day because of the dog hasn't helped with the 'evening sickness'!) but popping in quickly to say:

Katie - YIPPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! So happy for you!

Chat to you all tomorrow,
Hazel

[teachermom]

Hi everyone,

I'm not sure if you all remember me, but I was on the November/December thread. I'm now 17 weeks pregnant with TRIPLETS which makes me EXTREMELY exhausted all the time. I lurk and read the boards as much as I can, but sitting at the computer is just not as comfortable as it used to be. I wanted to pop in to say hello and congratulations to all the BFP's! I'm so excited for all of you.

A note to my special friend Katie- I just wanted to tell you that I read your posts about a week ago (about the whole retrieval and donor situation) and sat sobbing!! Absolutely sobbing!! I was sad then happy! I have three times the amount of hormones flowing! You can't do that to me! Well, when I signed on to see how it turned out today- I was crying again!!! I am SO SO SO SO SO SO HAPPY for you!!! I cannot believe you were ready to give up not too long ago. You hung in there and you're PREGNANT!! YOU'RE PREGNANT!!!! I told DP today when she got home and she too is absolutely elated for you and DH. Even now- hours later, when I think about it it brings tears to my eyes. Did I say how happy I am for you??

Nanine

[karenthescorpio]

Hi ladies! Anyone hear from Katie? I hope she is MIA due to internet outage and all is ok otherwise. I am a BALL of nerves. I went this morning to my ultrasound (one day ealry) bc we are getting a horrible snow storm. And tomorrow morning will be dangerous to drive. So my DH said just go today and see if they will do it today. And they did which was awesome and they saw TWO sacs!!!! But he couldnt see the yolk sac but he said its veryyyy early and half of the time he cant see them this early. So he said not to worry. Im on track. But i said to him that my HCG isnt high enough for twins. And he said they vary person to person and if they continue to rise at a normal pace then i should not worry. So now i wait for THE call. Please pray for me that my levels are good. I need a PMA boost. Going to go meditate and visualize everyone growing!!!!!!!!!

I

[katie99]

Hi everyone -

Sorry that I didnt repost last night, I grabbed some dinner and ended up knocked out on the couch. I dont really have any pg symptoms except by the afternoon, I feel wiped out! I mean I'm thinking of going to bed by 8:00 some nights, and I'm ususally a night owl. My DH is working double shifts until Sat, so now that we're having another storm (UGH they're saying 1-2 FEET of snow!) I keep running outside to shovel the steps, but the RE told me yesterday - NO lifting, straining or snow shoveling! I have to be able to get the dogs out, so this is looking like a really fun day! I told the RE that I was getting crampy towards late afternoon and he told me thats a warning sign from your body that you need to take it easy. Jeez - I'm glad I didnt tell him that I had to shovel out the driveway yesterday to get to his appt! So he also told me I'll stay on the PIO inj until 12 weeks - OH JOY!! he took me off of the progesterone in ethyl oleate and said it contains alcohol, so has switched me to PIO in sesame oil, he told me that its more unpleasant! Boy he wasnt kidding! I couldnt even draw the med up in a 25 gauge - I had to draw & inject with a 22 gauge. That stuff is thick!! The real problem is trying to find a spot on my hips that isnt covered in lumps though, now matter how long I massage or sit on the heating pad I'm still stuck with these lumps of unhappy muscle. How long did you all stay on meds afterwards? I have 1 crinone AM, PIO PM, and estrogen x2 day, plus baby aspirin, prenatal vit. Does staying on til 12 weeks seem excessive?
I cant wait until next Tues to (crossing fingers) see the HB! I still almost burst into tears every time I see my RE, so if all goes right next week he'll release me
guaranteed tears when that happens!

Hazel OH no! poor Joya!!! oh, its just awful when they get hurt isnt it? It makes you feel so helpless! Thankfully it was on a pad that she doesnt need to walk on! I couldnt imagine having to watch the poor girl limp on a stitched pad! Guess she's getting lots of extra cuddles today, huh? I wouldnt worry about your BP, its a bit low, but nowhere near the need for concern. Ack! your m/s is back ?! Well, as debilitating as it must be, at least it lets you know that all is well in there.Thanks for the link for that band! I love it! I'm going to need a crash course in all things pregnant and babies - I feel SO clueless! I know which books I want, but kinda feel like ordering them before seeing the HB might jinx something - Yes, I've lost my mind, I know! much love- xoxo

Karen Now we're waiting on pins and needles for your u/s on Friday! I bet you cant wait either! I've had no m/s either but Hazel said it kicks in for her at 6 weeks - so maybe we should get ready for it? You are the PMA Queen! we are lucky to have you with us! Crossed for Friday!

Sonya I cant believe how different countries have such different schedules - making you wait forever! its not right to test your patience like that. i know they had Hazel wait forever also! You girls are the Patience Queens! At least you have the comfort of all those betas! It must help a bit - i'll stay crossed for your next one!

Ashley How are you felling? Are you still starving all the time? Or has the m/s kicked in to drive you mad? twins!!!! I have to admit that I was hoping for 2 also, when I saw 2 dots on the screen I was thrilled, then I realized that the RE was right - it WAS just the glare from the light - bet he gets that alot!

Nanine OMG!! I'm so happy to hear from you!!! How are you Mama? I can imagine how easy they are telling you to take it! Thank God you're not on strict bed rest. 17 weeks already?!! How is little Sam? It must be so hard to not strain yourself when you pick her up. Careful, careful! Yes, it was a real roller coaster for me - in the same morning "You have no eggs" to "but go calm down so we can talk" then an hour later to have a gift like that offered was TOO MUCH to take in so quickly. I did see how happy my RE was yesterday though, Super Efficient nurse hugged me three times! it was definitely a crying visit
The funny part is - I'm SO NOT the crying type! But I'll never get my RE to believe that since I cant even look at this most generous human being without completely choking up! Are you still able to work? I hope that you're not on your feet too much! I hope that you pop in every now and again - I know its hard for you - but I missed you so much!!! much love! xoxoxo

[Riley baby maybe]

Hi girls! So glad to hear everyone is doing so well. Sorry I've been MIA...between work, 3 dogs, making supper, trying to do some laundry and dishes in between I am exhausted by 8 pm!!!!

Forgive me for only doing an update and no personals; I really need to catch up. Yesterday at 12:30 pm I went to the restroom because I've been having lots of clear discharge (TMI, sorry) yet I saw LOTS OF BRIGHT RED BLOOD!!!! Of course I panic and call my RE who is in surgery for the next 3 hours. Well, I'm bawling my eyes out and I'm not about to wait 3 hours. So, I head to my OB/GYN (the one I worked for for years) and the baby looked fine (arm buds are starting to form...they are cute!). He thinks it may have been a subchorionic hemorrhage. I went home, went to bed & at 6 pm when I got up I had only had a very small amount of dark blood since I laid down at about 2 pm. A few drops in the commode and only very light dark brown spotting last night. Today has been clear and I'm feeling a bit more optimistic. I can't tell you how I felt when I went to the restroom and there was so much blood, but I never had any real cramping. By the time I got home I had to rinse off and clean up. It was down the inside of both my pant legs, etc. I go to my RE for another u/s tommorrow and we've been praying the baby still looks good!

Hope to catch up soon. Much love!

[karenthescorpio]

Riley- I will be thinking of you and saying a big prayer for nothing but a healthy looking baby on you u/s. I just had my first u/s today (5w2d) and they found two sacs...OMG. But only gestational sacs. No yolk sac yet, so I have to go back on Sunday for another u/s and b/w. My beta today was 2689 or 2869...I honestly can't recall what she told me! ugh! I was feeling so worried when she called b/c I started seeing brown/pink tinted blood on the toilet paper when I wipe! UGH. This early pregnancy stuff is HELL. My nurse said NOT to compare my betas to other mommies...everyone is different. And spotting is normal right now, especially with twins she said! She said if it gets worse and crampy and lots of red, then to come back tomorrow. So I'm sending myself positive, healthy baby vibes and that the yolk sacs will be there on Sunday!

xo
Karen

[katie99]

Hi everyone -

Well we had the record -breaking snowstorm here - snow up to my thigh, no power for almost two days - oh, the joys of winter!
My DH was stuck in NYC for the whole time - so I was stuck home alone with 2 giant dogs that were having to "swim" through the massive amounts of snow that I weasnt suppossed to have been shoveling - Jeez that was nerve wracking! we finally got ahold of someone with a front loader to come and get the 4 foot drifts that used to be a driveway dug out! fun, yes? I did as little shoveling as I could, pretty much only enough to get the door open and the steps, but wow was I nervous the whole time! Luckily I feel fine, no cramoing or spotting at all - So whew! I'm still waiting for some sort of symptoms though, maybe now that I've hit the 6w mark I'll feel something? Other than that, I'm just patiently waiting for the u/s on Tues & hopefully a HB!

Hazel How are you doing, hon? has the m/s taken over again? I hope not!

Karen Two sacs???!!!! YAY!!!! I'm crossed for your u/s tomorrow!!

Riley How did your u/s go? Was it yesterday? I know in texas you werent affected by the crazy snow storms!

Sonya I'm glad that you got your u/s earlier - they really wanted you to wait a loooong time. Sometimes you just have to be the squeaky wheel! It does sound like you had a lousy u/s tech though! I was getting annoyed reading your post! Dont these people realize that IVF'ers go through so much to get that BFP?
Hopefully you can relax a bit now - just a little bit more til your next u/s!

Hugs & prayers to us all! - xoxo

[hjw]

Hi girls, sorry to have been MIA, it was a busy end to the week back and forth to the vets with the dog. We've just come back from another check-up, the bandages are off and the wound seems to be knitting together nicely, which is a relief. Now it's just a case of stopping her from licking the (dissolvable!) stitches away and opening up the wound again - she absolutely HATES the plastic lampshade collar so we're leaving that off and just keeping a close eye on her instead.

Katie - OMG, how much snow??? Pleased to hear that the shovelling didn't cause any pain/cramping, sometimes you've just got to do what you've got to do (like lifting a dog with a badly cut foot in and out of the car!) - provided you take it slow and steady you'll be absolutely fine. Remember, the clinic told me at 4 weeks (and I absolutely believe this to be true) that once the embryo has implanted and you've got to the point of getting a positive HPT, if it's going to stick it's going to stick, pretty much regardless of what you do physically. So if it's OK to go back to exercising in moderation, a bit of slow and steady snow shovelling isn't going to be a problem. Provided you don't shovel away as if it's an Olympic race!! The answer to your question is yes, unfortunately the m/s has come back (a knock-on effect of a busy and stressful week with the dog, I think) but it isn't as bad as it used to be, so I'm hoping that it's finally starting to slowly ease up. Fingers crossed another week or two and it'll be gone (pretty please....). Only two more sleeps until your next u/s, and hopefully you'll see a hb this time - I can't wait!!! I wonder whether the 'dot' will have been upgraded to a 'blob', lol... p.s. Regarding progesterone, I'm only on the Crinone once a day, but I have to stay on that until week 13, then take it alternate days for a week before stopping. So you being on PIO until week 12 sounds about right to me, although your poor hips aren't going to like that much..

teachermom - of course we remember you! I can't believe you're 17 weeks along already, time flies (at least it seems to for other people's pregnancies, if not your own!). I can only imagine how tiring it is carrying triplets, hope you are managing to get lots of rest in the evenings and at weekends, and pampering from DP!

Karen - yay for two sacs, another twin mommy on the thread! Try not to worry that you didn't see much else, your u/s was really early days. I think you're back for another one today? Can't wait to hear how it went!

Riley - OMG, I'm so sorry about the bleeding, thank goodness it has stopped. How did your u/s go on Friday?

Hugs,
Hazel

[CT_Michele]

I haven't been on these boards in forever. I have to get use to the new style. But I had to crash and say hello.

Hazel and Katie, my 2 dears friends that I have prayed for so long could come to this side of the boards...I am so happy for you both. Hazel, I have known about you for a while, but Katie, this was a surprise to me! Congrats girl, you have been to hell and back for this baby and you deserve it! (you too hazel). Well, I guess I will have to check in on you guys more frequently, and keep up with the bump stories. Good luck to everyone here, and don't worry, everything gets better in the 2nd trimester for a little while.

[karenthescorpio]

Hi everyone. Just wanted to give a quick update on my ultrasound this morning. All looks great. Saw both yolk sacs. Doctor very happy with things. So darn relieved!!!! Will do personals later!!! Xo Karen

[karenthescorpio]

Riley- how did your u/s go? All ok? We're thinking of you!

Hazel- how are you feeling? Is the m/s subsiding?

Nanine- Hi there! How are you? I'm so happy to hear that your triplets are doing well! I just found out I'm having twins. Your good vibes worked!

All you Oct mommies, I put some messages on that board!

xo
Karen

[Riley baby maybe]

Hi Ladies!

Katie - I still don't have symptoms, other than feeling like I need to eat every hour or two and my boobs are finally growing a little bit...and that's at 9 weeks! I'm not complaining too much, I don't want to get pukey!! GL with you u/s tomorrow.

Karen - I'm so glad that you saw both sacs!! What a relief!!

Hazel - I hope your fur baby is doing ok. It kills me when anything goes wrong with my babies!! We did vet visits for standard shots Sat & DH has to hold them...I can't stand it!

AFM - Fridays u/s still showed everything looking good. HB was at 163 and we got to hear it this time as well as seeing it. Baby is measuring almost 20 mm! It's crazy that the previous Monday baby measured at 8 mm...lots of growing going on! No wonder I do nothing but sleep & eat! Thank you all for your concern...I appreciate it so much!

[katie99]

Hi everyone -

I hope that you all are progressing nicely. I havent been posting as much since there isnt anything new with me. I go tomorrow for another u/s and hopefully see a heart beat, so fingers crossed that I have some good news tomorrow! I still really dont have any symptoms other than I'm SO TIRED all the time
I'm falling asleep on the couch by 9:00 - good thing for cell phone alarms or I'd might miss my PIO shot. So far the change in PIO to sesame oil is all good, except for having to use a 22gauge because its so ridiculously thick! My boobs barely are sore at all, and I still have no m/s - but I notice an aversion to smells
like cleaning products and dog food - UGH. I finally what you all meant about about the waiting never ending, though. Boy - the 2ww was nothing compared to the wait for the HB! I want so badly to go buy my clueless self books on pregnancy and babies, but I refuse to until I see a HB. My DH has been looking and came up with this long list of baby books ( I think its co cute how eager he is!) but i insist he just hold out a bit longer. Tee heee - if he had his way we would be in the baby sores right now. I'll post when I get back tomorrow afternoon - wish me luck, I think if they see a HB he will release me to an OB! I cant wait!

Hazel Hi honey, how are you doing? How is poor Joya's paw doing? I hope she is letting it heal, poor baby! How are you making out with walking the pups? Mine seem to want to wrestle all the time - which is scary for me - I get paranoid about all that leash pulling - Jeez! Dont they know what we went through to get here?

Michele Oh, Michele! I miss you so much! This place just isnt the same without you. Thank you for your kind words. Yes, it was a really loooong year! and to have it turn out this way was nothing shy of a miracle - I can never thank my RE enough, now if only I could face the man without bursting into tears - that would be nice too. How is the gorgeous miss Ella doing? She must be keeping you on your toes, I bet! Any idea on when you may try for a kid brother or sister for her? Any word on different insurance? I'll keep you in my prayers thats its sooner rather than later - much love xoxo

Karen Hooray twins!!!! I'm so happy for you! You and your DH must be over the moon! Just a little over a week before you see them again on that u/s screen! Yes, its hard to have older dogs, isnt it? I love Border Collies - they are so sweet! But no lifting the pup up the stairs - Mom!

Jacqueline Hooray for no m/s!! And 20mm??? Wow - maybe you're looking at a big one! try to take it easy. It must have been such a joy to actually hear the HB as well as seeing it! I'm so excited for you!! Whats next as far as your appts? I assume that you've already been released to your OB? I hope that we all have a nice boring rest of pregnancy with nothing to stress about - except of course the usual stuff - xoxo

Merri How are you feeling, Mom? it wont be long now until your u/s!! exciting!!!

[ashleyncsu77]

Hi everyone - I too have been MIA. I have had a rough few days just generally not feeling well. I still haven't gotten physically ill but remain nauseous most of the day. What stinks is that I am always hungry but have a hard time finding food that doesn't make me feel like I am going to puke (TMI, sorry). Then Sunday night I started to get a headache. I think it's because I haven't been drinking enough water - gingerale seems to be the only thing that can settle my stomach. So then I started getting paranoid that I am going to miscarry because I am dehydrating the babies. I stayed home and worked there yesterday and I swear I started feeling some pains/cramps. By the end of the day my headache was terrible and I had myself completely worked up.

Long story short, I took some medication that was prescribed by my OB (even though I hate to take anything other than tylenol) and my headache was gone this morning. I'm feeling better so some of the paranoia has subsided. I think the main part of my emotions this week is that I am almost 9 weeks and this is the furthest I got with any of my pregnancies that resulted in miscarriage. So I have myself freaked out that when we go in for our u/s Friday morning there won't be any heartbeats. I know......it's crazy but I guess this is the rollercoaster we are all on right now.

On a positive note.....

Katie - good luck with your u/s today - can't wait to hear the news

Karen - I can't believe we have another set of twins! Isn't that four now on the October 2010 thread?

Riley - so glad your bleeding stopped and everything looks good with the baby. I had a subchorionic hemorage a few weeks ago and it freaked the crap out of me. The only other time I had seen that much blood I was having a miscarriage. So far I haven't had any other issues and when I had my u/s last week the clot appeared to be getting smaller.

Not much else to report until Friday when I have my u/s. Hope you ladies continue to have a good week!

Ashley