BUMPIN' 08 - Fall Mommies

[CT_Michele]

tina- I feel the same way as you, I feel like Ella has spoiled us and we are bound to end up with a fussier baby. Ella was sleeping through the night by 2 months and even when she was night feeding, she would go for atleast 3 hrs at a time. She almost never cries, is just happy hanging out with us and smiles all the time. So even though I know our chances of being so fortunate twice are slim, I am prepared for it. I think it will all be worth it, having a larger family than what we have now. I am such a family person, I am willing to risk having a fussy baby for a bigger family. Maybe it is a good thing I had Ella first, makes me love being a mom more than I could have ever imagined. I have so many friends that joke about how their second or third was a horribly fussy baby and if they came first they may not have had more...even though they seem to be joking, it may be true. If they early years were horrible, I don;t know if I could do it all again. Once in a while, Ella does screech from constipation and I wonder, "how could i handle this if it were all the time, or if I had 2?" God bless you suga for having twins...but I bet it is double the joy too!

Your right...so much to think about...

Suga- I paid $300 for a year storage of sperm...not too bad, but tough when I am not working.

I went to the clinic today. They said my hormone levels and lining was good. I have to go back tomorrow b/c they forgot to take my blood pressure and after that i can start bcp's. Even though we have frozen sperm, dh may have to do TESE again in order to get more. If everything goes as planned, we will be cycling next month...I will keep you all updated.

[Mellie_1233]

I guess we're all in very similar boats. I have one frostie (a 6 day blast). My RE said it had a 25% chance. My insurance pays for two more egg retrievals. although even w/insurance we will be paying about 9k per retrieval since I have to go to CCRM.

Given that egg quantity is my problem I asked my RE about possibly doing two retrievals and freezing the first one. I will be 38 in May (the earliest they'll let me retrieve) and I had egg problems already at 35 when I was first diagnosed. My worry was that if I cycled and got pregnant only to miscarry many months would pass before I could get to that 2nd cycle. So, I could do a "freeze all" with cycle one and then either transfer fresh from cycle 2 or freeze them, too. The RE thought it might be an ok strategy. They are currently doing a study on the effectiveness of freezing to give the woman's body a chance to recover from all the drugs before transfer. He said he might have better info for me by the spring when the study is further along.

I got the idea from reading posts by Ghost over on the other board. Too bad he's gone.

[TammyS]

How come Ghost is gone?

I have 3, 5 day blast. I also pay $300 a year.

How exciting to be gearing up for the next cycle.

[TwinMommy]

Gosh I seriously can not think about being pregnant at the moment lol. I need mine to sleep through the night for a loooong time before I can get pregnant again! They woke me up at 6:30 and I am exhausted at the moment because, well, they wake me up at night still lol.

Yeah why is Ghost gone now?

Mellie: Since you have only one frozen with a 25% chance does that mean if you had more frozen you would have more of a chance? What is CCRM?

[riogirl71]

Wow - those are such hard decisions... I am not looking forward to those! I also could not imagine being pregnant right now but I desperately want a sibling for my little guy. We also have 3 large dogs right now, one is very senior at 14 yo (poops in the house every day )and one is a 8 mo old pup (high play drive). I think I need for that situation to settle before I can get pregnant (also my DH was rear ended and has a bad back right now and cannot even hold the baby at this point) so maybe once things settle a bit I will go for another. I am just not looking forward to the 2WW and deciding how many embies to put it (we put in 4 and got one). I think twins are great but I don't think I could do twins and a toddler, 2 would be great. Then there is the fear of a BFN and the financial difficulties, ouch!

Last I saw Ghost had a post on why women were trying to have a baby in such difficult economic times and girls got upset. I don't know if that's why he left...

CT/Mellie - good luck and keep us posted on your progress - much BFP vibes and baby dust!

[Mellie_1233]

Suga - CCRM is the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine. They are perhaps the top clinic in the US -- or at least one of the very best. I live in Chicago so I have to add $$ for travel, too. But for me it's worth it b/c if you don't have many eggs to work with you have to have a really great lab so that every egg gets the best TLC.

Yeah, the frostie, I'm told, has a 25% chance so I would imagine that adding more embryos would increase those odds. Last time I transferred 3 blasts and have my little Evie.

I am actually really excited at the thought of doing this all again. OK, not the IVF part so much, but being pregnant and having a newborn all over again. I just loved it so much. I hope that God gives me the chance to do it all again!

Evie is 3 months today. As I understand it that makes her no longer a newborn. She's growing up so fast! If the weather behaves we're going to drive to my grandmother's this weekend so she can meet her great-granddaughter. That's a 7 hour drive normall so much longer I guess w/a baby. Hope the weather is good!

[loopie]

Hi all- happy new year!!
suga, michele hope those babies are loosening up- poor dears! congrats on getting the twins to sleep in their cribs- i hope the travel didn't get them off schedule too much! I think you are a real trooper to have done another road trip with them-
Pulman had a nice holiday- saw both families- 2 hours to dh's, then 4 hrs to mine- and all were mostly on good behavior. we're doing bf, pumping, and formula and he seems to be gaining weight- he's getting some chubby cheeks and is finally fitting in the cloth diapers without too many leaks.- we're doing disposables at night as he gets very upset when wet- i mean, who wouldn't!

jomae- how's the weather down there? happy warm summer i hope!

I love all the new photos- beautiful babies- and oh such mean mommies making them wear little santa suits!!heeheehee!!!

sounds like everyone is progressing well- save for some reflux and poopin issues--when you talk about spitting up- how much is it? I was told that some is normal- is this truly a reason to be concerned? how can you tell your babes have reflux? Tammy- so sorry about Gavin needing surgery-

rio- glad you're back! I getcha on the bf-- it's hard. I'm pumping to see how much I get for him, bfing morning and at night, and i'm supplimenting with formula due to the weight issues, but now i'm finding it hard to produce more milk to meet his needs. i don't want to take away the formula and risk that he'll stop thriving, so I guess i'll just keep up with all 3- he gets about 8-10oz formula/day and the rest bmilk.

Suga- you're feeding your girls 6oz or so per feeding? how do you know how much to feed them? When did you start giving them more? Pulman gets 4oz/ every 3hrs during the day ( when i can measure) then I don't know how much when he bfs

WHEW it's chilly here. Obama is coming to Baltimore this weekend, his train will pass right by my house, and unless he's waving off the back like they used to do, i don't think i'll see him. the whole region is buzzing about inauguration day!

tammy- great to hear from you! gavin is a cutiepie!

how are all the mommies feeling? we've talked about the babies, but how are the mommas? I had a bit of a rough patch, but am feeling good now-

wow- all the talk about siblings for our beans- awesome!!!! i know it's pretty important for us AMA's to get on the bandwagon- it's amazing how soon some of you wonderful women are getting started on #2 .
dh & I don't have any frosties, so it would be from scratch- I plan to finish school, and perhaps at the end of grad school ( before I lose my great insurance) I may try 1 more time- that would be about 1 1/2 yrs from now (42!!)- we'll see- dh is happy with a singleton, and adoption is still on the table for us as well. My sibs are adopted, i like the idea of having more than 1- however it works- the universe will figure it all out. I wish we could just have one of those happy accidents and wind up with a BFP!!!!
Pulman now weighs about 9 lbs- he's doing well, is very strong, and is grasping at things like mad- he loves the dangling toys I hang over him. oh and boy does he kick!

I promise not to be such an absent friend in future- I guess the wind was just taken out of my sails. Oh- and I just finished my 1st post baby sculpture installation! it's a 2 person show at Loyola College- I couldn't have done it without dh & some wonderful friends who looked after Pulman so I could get in the studio and get some work done- it was exhausting, though!

ok- that's it for the very long post
LOVE TO ALL!!!!

xxloopie

[TammyS]

Hi...Loopie. Glad to hear the Pulman is gaining weight...he will be caught to Zach very shortly. It is Zach, not Gavin though. LOL Just had to tease you.

He hopefully wont need surgery, I am just afraid it may be heading that way. He had an Upper GI done and that is how we know it is Reflux. He throws up anywhere from 3-15 times after every feeding all the way up to his next feeding. He is even on AR which is supposed to help. It is sad and messy. We will know more tomorrow at his appt.

Right now, he has his first very bad cold and I dont think they will give him his shots tomorrow and we'll have to go back next week, too. Ugh. At least it wont be -25 with the wind chills next week. I hate the idea of even taking him out tomorrow to the docs....but know I should so they can check his ears.

You should post your new sculptures.

[loopie]

Hey Tammy- argh! soo sorry - I meant Zach!!! I knew that, just making sure you remembered your baby's name wow- up to 15xs that's a lot, poor dear- and you, too it must be soo sad to watch
oh soo chilly -25???? it's about +19 here. Pulman is just getting over a cold- ick I hate the bulb sucker thing. we had a big New Year's day party and I think he caught it from another baby
woops- there he is now
good luck at the docs- the shots are sad, too- I cried when they gave Pulman his
xxloopie

[TammyS]

Ugh, I just wrote this long post and wham....it is Gone. Oh well. I basically said ....LOL @ you, Loopie. You crack me up.

Jomae...can we trade weather, pahlease?

Sorry to hear Pulman was sick ...but glad to hear he is almost over it. Zach hasnt been around anyone lately so I dont know where he got it. He has been around tons of kids and people since 2 weeks old and never got sick. So this is strange.

Tomorrow at 9 am they said to expect -30 wind chills. This is much too cold for Ohio. We got a snow day today. My DH is a Supervisor Custodian for our local highschool and walks a block to work. He has 4 1/2 more years before retiring. Today he only had to work from 5 am to 9 am. So it is nice to have him home since they called off school. He isnt walking in this extreme cold right now, though. LOL

[Mellie_1233]

Tammy - A snow day! how fun!

Loopie - So glad to hear from you! Yay for Pulman gaining weight. I'd love to see your sculptures when you have time to post pics!

Add me to the list of frozen Mommies! It is positively arctic here! We have a high of -1! I'm not sure about our trip anymore. I'm afraid we'll get down to my Grandmother's house and have trouble getting back b/c it's supposed to flurry Sunday and Monday. We'll see.

Even though I'm excited at the possibility of a second child, if I could have my choice I would wait a little while. I'd like to give my body a rest and lose the weight. It would also be nice to just not have to think about fertility stuff for awhile. But, I don't have that luxury so there's no use worrying about it.

Speaking of fertility stuff, where's my cycle? I pumped for the last time on Dec 26th but started weaning off of lactation around the 16th. Still no AF. How long did it take you guys who have stopped lactating?

Gave Evie her last of the frozen breastmilk at 4 am this morning. It makes me sad somehow. I can't believe how much pleasure it gave me to give her milk from me even if it was in a bottle. She's doing fine on formula, it's just me who is upset about it.

Stay warm Mommas!

[TwinMommy]

I am at my wits end today. I literally cried this morning I was so tired/frustrated. Brooke did not eat as much as usual but she is probably just not hungry and she was tired cause Kenzie woke her up too early...thats fine I can get over that. What I can not get over is the fact that Kenzie does not want to eat all the time. I mean she has eaten 3 oz this morning. (7am feed and 10am feed) that is 3 oz total today. Hopefully she will eat at the 1PM feed but who knows! She has bottle aversion now sometimes because she knows that is what makes her hurt. She eats solids like a champ but she needs her milk still. I finally broke down and gave her some pears because she could not sleep she was so tired. She is not sleeping because she is overtired/hungry. But she will not eat so I can not get rid of the hunger for her! I weighed her...she is not gaining any more. So maybe the doctor will listen to me this time when I go in in Feb. I am having the husband buy some Enfamil AR because she hates Barley and the oatmeal gives her the runs. The rice cereal makes it too thick for her to eat. So hopefully this formula will do her better...I dunno! PLUS I do not know if it is a rash around her face or just acne. When she sucks her thumb a lot is when I notice it so I think it is just her spit irritating her face...the doctor says she does not have a milk allergy thus will not put her on a formula without lactose as it will be too hard to put her back on milk at one year....*sigh* I am exhausted! She woke up a lot last night cause she was hungry but then would not eat. Then she had a hard time going back to bed. I am at a loss of what to do!!

As for us and reflux, we knew when Brooke was puking everywhere after she ate...projectile! Those have pretty much stopped though for her. With Kenzie, hers just showed up. She has silent reflux. I mean she spits up a little but mostly you can hear it coming up and she swallows it. I think she will have to get an UpperGI like Brooke did.

Loopie: Great to hear from you!!! They are not quite at 6oz yet. I thought Brooke was ready but she is not. So I give 5 oz in a bottle each time. Sometimes they finish sometimes it is only like 3 oz. I do every three hours still though. You know to increase them when they start to finish the bottle each time. I up it 15cc each time when they start to do that so I do not waste formula.

Mellie: WOW! So I have like a high chance of my frosties taking if they thaw out alright! YAY! Now, this sounds horrible and I know, but I pray it is just one that takes. I mean if both eggs take that is a blessing and I know that because that will be our last chance but I do not know if I could handle twins again....

[tinaO]

So...I guess no one wants to hear that it is 60 degrees here, huh? I am so grateful to live in the South in the winter. I have been taking Noah out in his new jogging stroller the past few days. But geez - the summers here are BRUTAL.

Suga - Hang in there. I swear that I don't know how you do it with two of them. Taking care of babies can be tough and you have TWO! I think you have all of our admiration. I wish I had advice for you, but I don't...just support for what that is worth! I love Noah to pieces, but when he is grouchy, I think to myself - what would I do if I had twins??? And then with the eating issues you are dealing with, I know it is so hard!! Just hang in there as it will get easier. As they get older, I am sure the eating issues will be less as they develop more. The lack of sleep can make you crazy.

I can't believe Ghost is gone. How sad.

[TwinMommy]

Hello ladies! I know you can not tell this through the screen but I am rested!!! DH did the night shift last night and HOLY COW I have more energy than I know what to do with!!!! I still woke up at 3AM but I passed right back out when I saw the kitchen light on (over light) and heard him doing a bottle...He had a rough night because Brooke had bad gas at 5AM and woke Kenzie up as well so he is napping now. I asked if he would do it again tonight and he looked at me like I was a crazy person...humph. So I think once Brooke starts solids we may make it from 10PM to 7AM...we shall see!

Went to the doctor today. I think they finally got tired of seeing me! I saw the lady that I usually deal with and she listened to me a lot today and saw the tears in my eyes and I think she FINALLY got the hint I was not lying. Plus the girls were screaming the whole time. (they were tired but I did tell her that this is what it is like all day). SO she put them on Nutramigen for a cows milk allergy...she was like oh have we never tried to see if it is a cows milk allergy...NO!! I asked you about that 2 visits ago and you said it was unlikely!!! UGH!!! So she switched them. They are maxed out on meds, which I already knew. She said Miralax to help with constipation but I do not want to go there if I do not have to because it is a laxative and people can get dependent on those and I do not want that. If that does not work by Tuesday (the formula) then we are off to Shans to get an UpperGI for both of them and they will also look at their bowls. (bowels?) to see why they are so stopped up. SO please pray the formula works and we do not have to go there.

K, well since I have energy I am going to make myself an omelet! I have lost 1 lb since being on South Beach in just 2 days!

[CT_Michele]

suga- so nice you got some sleep! I use to joke about dh should do one night shift, but he is such a deep sleeper I don;t know if I would have even trusted him. I am glad you have some energy back, you deserved it girl! Glad the dr finally listened too. Good luck on south beach...just ask if you need some low carb ideas, I have been doing it forever and have lots of tricks up my sleeve. (I eat an omlette almost everyday, I love them)

tina- so jealous of 60 degrees. That is my perfect weather, fall up here in new england. ella almost never goes outside. She was too young in the fall and then it got cold, so I am looking forward to getting her outside when it warms up and swimming in the summer.

Tammy- I hate when that happens to my posts...and I learned the hard way, now after I type, I always copy it first in case it magically dissappears.

Loopie- it must be so exciting there right now with Obama coming. I am excited about the future. I completely forgot about photobucket...thanks for reminding me, I just posted a couple new ones...and of course her website is updated (ellamichele.shutterfly.com).

Mellie- I was wondering when they are no longer "newborn." I guess its 3 months huh? Oh well, i have still been calling her newborn, she is to me!

Photobucket pics are cute- mellie, evie is just adorable, pulman and declan pics are awesome and katie looks like you had a nice xmas...keep the pics coming.

Ok, I gotta run and go warm up, whew its cold. I should have fertility news next week, I will keep you all updated.