Week of Oct 8

[thoseareradishes]

How is everyone?

E has a bit of a cold, and she's started coughing a little.  I hope she can get a good night's rest.  Anybody give honey for a cough?  She's 19 months.

I took the tray off her booster and she's been eating at the table the last few days.  It's about the cutest thing I've ever seen - she does so good!  Kid loves to eat.  I wish she'd drink out of her sippies better.  The speech therapist suggested giving her an electric toothbrush to help her stimulate her mouth more.  She was scared of it for a few days - she'd point at the drawer in the bathroom where I kept it and shake her head NO NO!  Today I got it out and she did put it in her mouth a little, but it's so loud that I'm not surprised she's wary of it.

[woowoo]

I've asked my IVF nurse to move up my first ultrasound. I'm feeling fairly pronounced pressure/twinges just on one side and I'm terrified the pregnancy is ectopic. I'm not having any other symptoms but it's still so early I don't know if I would. I go in tomorrow at 5.5 weeks just to confirm the pregnancy is in the right place, and I'll go back at 7 weeks.

This just proves I will have ZERO CHILL this whole pregnancy but I. don't. care.

[shauni27]

thoseareradishes, S is OBSESSED with my electric toothbrush. He tries to steal it and use it at least 3721839 times a day. If we forget to shut our bedroom door, he immediately runs in, goes straight for the bathroom and straight to the drawer with our tooth brushes, lol.

woowoo, I remember feeling scared I had an ectopic for the same reasons. I think our first ultrasound was around 6 or 7 weeks and my H and I were honestly cryingin the waiting room. We were sure they were going to tell us something was wrong because I felt nothing other than twinges on one side. We both broke into sobs when we saw a little heartbeat. For me, those feelings and the anxiety and the calling of the medical team for reassurance lasted until 38 weeks. I was very open with my midwives that I had severe anxiety and had a history of a late loss and infertility so they were incredibly patient and kind. One thing my midwife said was "midwives are not here to just delivery babies. We are here to care for the women in entirety. That means your mental health as well, and we need you to tell us everything so we can care for you." The entire staff at our clinic was so amazing and would never look at me funny or make comments or do anything other than welcome us with open arms whenever I had a freak out moment of anxiety. They would bring me in and reassure me everything was ok, be it with a heartbeat check or a stress test or just a conversation. I hope you have the same experience.

[icedcoffee]

woowoo, I'm glad you spoke up. When I told my OB with my first pregnancy that I was a super anxious, IVF patient she told me that if I was ever worried I should call and she can u/s me real quick. I never did it, but it really helped to know she was so kind and understanding. Don't be scared to speak up. FX for you!!

[woowoo]

shauni27, icedcoffee, thank you for your support with my crazy.

[oneslybookworm]

Hey ladies! Not a ton going on here...I'm in the midst of college recruiting for internships here at my job, so that's been crazy busy. Otherwise, things are going fairly well! G is walking more and more, which is so much fun to watch, and I'm hopeful that, come Halloween, he'll be fully walking so he can show off his costume!

Honestly, that's it. Life has been fairly boring lately, which is nice!!

[luv2rn4fun]

Oct 9, 2018 7:42:47 GMT -5 icedcoffee said:

woowoo, I'm glad you spoke up. When I told my OB with my first pregnancy that I was a super anxious, IVF patient she told me that if I was ever worried I should call and she can u/s me real quick. I never did it, but it really helped to know she was so kind and understanding. Don't be scared to speak up. FX for you!!

woowoo- after my first loss my OB was willing to do betas and then even brought me in for an early u/s when I had spotting with my second (we saw the heartbeat and then found out we had lost the baby just a few days later). With DS1, she was encouraging whatever it took to ease my concerns. So, that meant I had 5 u/s in 1st trimester, another at 15 weeks, a/s at 18 weeks, and then another handful throughout. My anxiety lessened as time progresses but never fully went away til he was safely in my arms (his induction was a complete fail too to include his heart rate dropping to 70 multiple times before they decided to do a c section...this all happened during contractions I wasn’t even feeling so no way he would survive real labor).

[loira]

woowoo good call on going in earlier. If you're looking for reassurance, with my ectopic I felt quite a bit of burning pain, definitely more than pressure or twinges. You should definitely get checked out, but in the meantime try not to worry (easier said than done).

[konapoppy]

woowoo, I am glad you are going in.

The girls will be 1 on Thursday. How did this happen?!? They are walking and climbing and babbling and have opinions.

H is getting ready to schedule his V. I really think we are done, but we do have one embryo on ice.

For anyone who has decided to end storage (donate, destroy, etc) how long did it take you to actually do it?

[woowoo]

Thanks again for the support everyone. Went in today at 5w3d and saw the gestational sac right where it was supposed to be. Couldn't see the heartbeat quite yet but they (and my "home office" IVF nurse) said this was very normal. Everything was measuring on target.

2nd milestone hit (first was good HCG's). Next ultrasound at 7 weeks.

[icedcoffee]

Yay woowoo! So glad you went in!

[cactuscookie]

Oct 10, 2018 13:45:41 GMT -5 woowoo said:

Thanks again for the support everyone. Went in today at 5w3d and saw the gestational sac right where it was supposed to be. Couldn't see the heartbeat quite yet but they (and my "home office" IVF nurse) said this was very normal. Everything was measuring on target.

2nd milestone hit (first was good HCG's). Next ultrasound at 7 weeks.

Perfect compromise! You got to put your mind at ease for now, and your husband will be there the first time you see the heartbeat.

[shauni27]

woowoo, YAY!!!

[icedcoffee]

DS' behavior this week been really making me question why I'm injecting myself 3 times a day with hormones. LOL

[scm1011]

lol icedcoffee. My DS did the same when we were cycling. Its like he knew something was up and was trying REALLY hard to remain an only child.

[thoseareradishes]

Glad everything looked good woowoo!!

I watch a youtube channel in which the couple markets themselves as infertility experts. Yet, they continue to say they are doing IVF when they are actually doing a FET. I don't know how you can educate people when you can't even get the terminology right.

[cactuscookie]

Oct 11, 2018 8:00:33 GMT -5 icedcoffee said:

DS' behavior this week been really making me question why I'm injecting myself 3 times a day with hormones. LOL

My announcement to my family about Baby Duo was when H was having a tantrum at dinner. "And we're so lucky that we get to do this all again starting next January!"

[Mushe]

How old is he, icedcoffee? I think roughly 18-24mo was the worst for us. He didn’t have the language yet to really tell us what he wanted, or the gross motor to really do what he wanted, and it all came together in a tantrumy mess.

[Mushe]

Happy 1st birthday to the konapoppy twins!!!!!!! 🌈🌈 It makes me so happy to see you with your sweet girls.

[cactuscookie]

Oct 11, 2018 13:04:35 GMT -5 Mushe said:

How old is he, icedcoffee ? I think roughly 18-24mo was the worst for us. He didn’t have the language yet to really tell us what he wanted, or the gross motor to really do what he wanted, and it all came together in a tantrumy mess.

This sounds about right for us too. H is 2.5 now, which has its own challenges, but I remember some really tough phases shortly before she turned two.

[Mushe]

B is one month adjusted today! It’s been a rough transition going back to work last week, but stuff just wouldn’t keep. I’m already losing a few staff that I can’t afford to lose, etc.

This is hard to admit, but it’s only now that B is getting easier and cuter, with her sweet chubby cheeks, that I am feeling that pitter patter in my heart as I go to pick her up. I know it’s really common to have PPD after a NICU experience, so I’m not sure if it’s that, or just finally letting down from the stress.

[icedcoffee]

Oct 11, 2018 13:04:35 GMT -5 Mushe said:

How old is he, icedcoffee ? I think roughly 18-24mo was the worst for us. He didn’t have the language yet to really tell us what he wanted, or the gross motor to really do what he wanted, and it all came together in a tantrumy mess.

23 months.  I do think it's all related to not having language yet.  So many tears!

[thoseareradishes]

Mushe, I didn't have warm fuzzy feelings for E for a long while - the stress of her birth, NICU stay, coming home, and sleep deprivation muddled everything so much. I know I had PPD/PPA, but I never saw my doctor about it. Sleep deprivation was definitely a huge part of it for me. Glad things are going well!!

[cactuscookie]

DH and I didn't have warm fuzzy feelings for H at first either. During skin-to-skin, instead of thinking "OMG, I'm so in love", my thoughts were more along the lines of, "OMG, it's so squiggly." I remember telling my mom a couple months later that we were really starting to like H, and she was all taken aback.

No NICU stay for us, and I don't think PPD. Colic sucks, but it's nothing compared to a NICU stay. Maybe DH and I are just dead inside. We like her quite a bit now at least!

[Mushe]

cactuscookie OMG colic. I feel for you! H would ask me if it was “normal,” and lol yes. It’s called the witching hour. “But it’s going on for more than an hour!”

thoseareradishes, you’ve been such a help during these past few months! It is great to know others who have been through this and come out the other side intact.

[loira]

Oct 11, 2018 15:21:46 GMT -5 cactuscookie said:

DH and I didn't have warm fuzzy feelings for H at first either. During skin-to-skin, instead of thinking "OMG, I'm so in love", my thoughts were more along the lines of, "OMG, it's so squiggly." I remember telling my mom a couple months later that we were really starting to like H, and she was all taken aback.

No NICU stay for us, and I don't think PPD. Colic sucks, but it's nothing compared to a NICU stay. Maybe DH and I are just dead inside. We like her quite a bit now at least!

I was glad that A was handed to my H all cleaned up. When they first held her up during my c-section, I remember thinking that she looked a bit like the mandrakes in Harry Potter, all grey and gnome-faced. She keeps getting cuter, thankfully.

[shauni27]

Oct 9, 2018 21:07:07 GMT -5 konapoppy said:

woowoo , I am glad you are going in.

The girls will be 1 on Thursday. How did this happen?!? They are walking and climbing and babbling and have opinions.

H is getting ready to schedule his V. I really think we are done, but we do have one embryo on ice.

For anyone who has decided to end storage (donate, destroy, etc) how long did it take you to actually do it?

within 3 months of S being born, lolol. And only that long because I was too hormonal and overwhelmed right away to deal with it sooner, haha.

Happy birthday to the kiddos!!

[konapoppy]

Oct 12, 2018 7:32:31 GMT -5 shauni27 said:

Oct 9, 2018 21:07:07 GMT -5 konapoppy said:

woowoo , I am glad you are going in.

The girls will be 1 on Thursday. How did this happen?!? They are walking and climbing and babbling and have opinions.

H is getting ready to schedule his V. I really think we are done, but we do have one embryo on ice.

For anyone who has decided to end storage (donate, destroy, etc) how long did it take you to actually do it?

within 3 months of S being born, lolol. And only that long because I was too hormonal and overwhelmed right away to deal with it sooner, haha.

Happy birthday to the kiddos!!

This is so helpful to hear. Thanks for sharing how quickly you did it!

And thanks for the birthday wishes! The girls had a good first birthday.

[icedcoffee]

Mushe, I think it's totally normal. I remember when DS was tiny and people were all "enjoy the newborn snuggles" and I was like "I just want to put him down and sit alone". I don't think I really fell in love with him until close to 4 months when he stopped being so sad all the time.

[oneslybookworm]

Mushe, I totally understand what you mean. I don’t really think I started bonding with G until about 3-4 months. Between having ZERO time to prepare for a child, the NICU stay, ICPC and living in another state the first 3 weeks of his life, and just anxiety in general, I was a mess during his initial newborn stage. Add colic to it and it’s a wonder I survived. Hang in there lady!!