Due Winter 2012

[deftonesmo]

Addy: hooray for almost being done with meds!

Dallas: I need to look at my old facebook ultrasounds and see when DD had her first u/s with the OB. I know I had one right away with the OB and then another (4-D) when they did the first trimester screening near the end of the first trimester. I just remember them listening for her heartbeat most of the time and the one time they couldn't hear it, I went in for a quick u/s . . . nerve racking, but I did get to see her again!

Bliss/Red Riding Hood: happy OB shopping. There are 4 in my practice and they suggest visiting all of them because you never know who will be on duty to deliver. DO you have some freedom as to who to choose with your insurance?

AFM: I think I have a touch of m/s. no vomiting, but definitely nauseous. ugh.

[DALLAS]

1st OB appt went well. The Dr said that she will be ok with me delivering anytime after Nov 20th. Christmas will be full term for twins so she thinks I will go anytime between the 2 holidays. She also told me to be prepared to either cut down my work schedule or be taken out of work as early as SEPTEMBER! Thats only 3 months away!!!! Alot to think about. My u/s is in 2 wks!!!

[BlissfulCS]

Dallas- Glad the ultrasound went well. How exciting to have the game plan hashed out! Looks like you might lead us off!
Wow- that is a lot to think about for you. How workable is the early leave for you? I know when we thought we might be having twins I was ultra worried about it because I am the primary breadwinner and a "career gal". I know we will be in a very tight spot if I needed to take a lot of additional leave.

Ladies- question for you while we are talking about work. I am in a very high stress job. Lots of hours, lots of intense meetings, every moment of every day I am "performing". I normally thrive in that environment, but just because I enjoy it and am somewhat used to it doesn't mean I don't have a chemical response to it. I can feel stress hormones coursing through my veins everyday. Today it was particularly bad and I am concerned about the baby. I am doing my best to work fewer hours, take a couple of breaks throughout the day, etc. However I still have a lot of stress. All the reading on the internet talks about it causing pre-term labor and it has me a little worried (but I am trying not to STRESS over it...ha ha ). Did any of you Mom's have that with previous successful pregnancies? Any advice?

[deftonesmo]

BLiss: Stress is everywhere. I always think about what I can control: how I eat, exercising, resting, pre-natal vitamins, etc. I'm a teacher and have to "perform" every minute as well. Again, I tried not to worry about the things that were out of my control and instead, focused on the things I could control. If I did feel stressed, I took a few minutes to take deep belly breaths until I felt better. My DD was a bit early (most IVF babies are) but she's happy and healthy

Now it's my turn for a question: I'm a working mom and am struggling with what to eat a lunchtime. My old go-to were Lean Cuisines, but I'm trying to stay away from those sodium foods (had edema pretty bad last time). What are you guys eating for lunch that I could eat at work?

[DALLAS]

Well, I will definitely have to have a meeting with the boss's at work about the changes coming to my work sched. I am an RN at the local hospital. I am a supervisor and i work Mon, Tues, Wed, 12hr shifts. So I will either have to move to an adm. position, or leave everyday at 3pm instead of 7pm. But like the Dr said, If they cant do that then I will just have to stay home. Fortunately, I have 2 short term disability policies and my husband has a good income, he owns his own business. We will just have to see. Everything seems to be moving soooo fast now!

[BlissfulCS]

Thanks Mora. Your post really made me feel a lot better. I had a similar conversation with another Mom who assured me the kind of stress they talk about causing issues is fairly extreme and consistent and that I have nothing to worry about. I really appreciate the advice. I have been trying to step away and do some deep breathing, but what made me so concerned was that on Wednesday my schedule just did not allow for that at all. Plus I had an intense and lengthy disagreement with a partner that I could just not break away from so I was feeling like the stress hormones were really flowing. Those types of situations are fairly rare though, so I am sure it will be fine.

As far as what to eat. I never really got into processed food but I used to eat a lot more PBJ at work than I am now. My DH is a splendid cook and always makes enough leftovers for me to take it to work for lunch. He always makes wholesome, healthy stuff. That's when I am in the office of course which is rare. Unfortunately I eat out A LOT on business lunches but can usually find healthy stuff on the menu. The difficult thing is when I am in meetings and sthey erve cold cuts as I learned this week. Thankfully all our meeting locations have microwaves so I can nuke them which kills the listeria, but it is a little weird.

Dallas- its great that you are in the position to have that flexibility. I have a good short term disability plan at work too so that helps. Things are going pretty fast. Savor every moment!

AFM- I have my next u/s on Wednesday. Can't wait! The m/s is in FULL gear now. I have to snack constantly to keep from hurling which made for an interesting meeting yesterday with my team. I had my monthly all day in person meeting yesterday and m/s was in full force. I was EXHAUSTED last night and went to bed at 8:30. I am so totally preggo!

[deftonesmo]

dallas: my mom and sister are RN's too... i think they both work 3 12's... my sister is pregnant and has been on zofran as well ... so jealous that you nurses have some flexibility in your schedule!
hope u r feeling better

bliss: when is your next u/s? sounds like u have ur maternity leave all figured out. as a teacher, i can only use my sick days for maternity leave and i basically used them all up with DD. i have some half days left, but no full days.

afm: u/s got pushed up to tomorrow. yay! all i want is to hear a healthy hb. please!

[deftonesmo]

Got my wish! We have one healthy little guy with a strong little heartbeat! SO happy

[BlissfulCS]

Congratulations Mora!!! So happy for you!

My next u/s is Wednesday afternoon. It has to be good given how sick and moody I have been. Every now and then I feel like my normal self and I completely freak out. I guess it pays to feel like crud.

I will like it much more when I feel the baby moving. That is my preferred way to know that all is well.

[Addy]

Deft - congrats on a healthy hb! Isn't it the most amazing thing to see that little heart flutter?

Bliss - good luck on your u/s tomorrow! I'm sure everything will look great.

AFM - I had my first OB appt yesterday and everything went well for the most part. I am measuring 3 days behind and that has me freaked out. My OB said it wasn't anything to be concerned with because she said anything within a week is normal. But I can't help but think the worst. My next appt is in a month, ugh that is so far away

[deftonesmo]

Bliss: How'd the u/s go?

Addy: Boo for waiting so long!

AFM: had a scare last night . . . starting spotting pinkish-peachish-tannish stuff . . . went in for an u/s today and everything is ok! even got to hear the hb! SO relieved! Now I just have to take it easy and try not pick up DD so much . . . hard to do when you have a toddler, but I'll do it!

[BlissfulCS]

Hey ladies- sorry to keep you waiting. Traveling on business tonight and just sat down to a lonely late dinner. U/S was amazing. Our little bean is measuring right where he/she should with a perfect 169 heartbeat. I nearly cried!

Addy- such a long wait. Hang in there!

Mora- sheesh! Really glad all turned out well and you got to see your little one again. Take care of yourself.

I'll update my pic when I get home and on a real computer.

[NancyB]

Hi ladies,

Not sure when it's appropriate to join this side. We've had two betas thus far. The third will be Friday. Do people generally wait until first u/s to come on over? I'm just so looking fwd to officially being on "this side". . If it's too early for me to join over here, that's fine. I think my first u/s will be July 1st.

[deftonesmo]

Hi Nancy! You got your BFP, your ticker, and you're excited! Of course you belong over here! Glad to have you!

[Blaqdymun]

Hi guys......

Whew! I finally made it over here, thanks Blissful for the invite

I just made it over here and I am about to read up on everyone from page 1 to the present, then come back with personals.

AFM : Tuesday I had my first prenatal appointment. It was nice to finally feel like I crossed the IVF threshold into another journey in my pregnancy. Everything went well, I am really comfy with my OG/GYN. We talked about genetic testings (CVS & amniocentesis) at first I wanted to go with CVS screening until I read some testimonials ... wow, leaking, bleeding, cramps.....oh my I then realized that after all that, CVS screening does not test for neural tube defects. I DECIDED to ho with amniocentesis which test for a lot more defects than CVS. I just believe that disturbing the cervix, mucus plug, etc. Is too much. Since CVS is a fairly new test, I believe your experience at this point depends on the experience of the doctor performing the test. I know both tests has their risks but I believe I'd rather the amniocentesis. Its been around for as long as I have at least. To get a little personal, I know how challanging it can be to raise a healthy child and I know my limitations. I would like to get a heads up on what I may be faced with if anything at all. Another factor that comes into play is that my husband has no knowledge of his paternal medical history which worries me as well. There is an entire Bonk space where answers should be. I want to give my baby the chance of survival that I possibly can. We are praying that all will be okay and we wont be faced with making any dreadfully painful decisions. I have an U/S appt tomorrow because the baby's HB couldn't be detected on the Doppler and I was bumbed about that! I thought for sure by noe it would be like a bongo drum up in there in any event, I feel great. No morning sickness at all. If I wait too long to eat, I will get a lil queasy but that's it. Like I said earlier, I'm gonna catch up with everyone and come back later with personals. Hello to all my April/May Cycle buddies