I have my next ultrasound (and last with the RE) tomorrow at 9w3d. I'm so nervous!
I'll also have my progesterone level checked, and if it's good I can stop the PIO and suppositories, which I'm looking forward to.
How was your ultrasound today? Can to stop PIO yet?
Thanks for asking! With my queasiness I knew typing in the car wasn't a good idea, and I've been in turbo mode since I got into the office. But now that most of my co-workers have left for the day, I can slack for a minute. :-)
Everything was perfect! Both babies are measuring 9w1d, which is within the acceptable variance range. Their sizes are within a few millimeters of each other, which is also good. Heartbeats are now 197 and 196, which the doctor was pleased with. We could see them both moving today! The doctor spent a lot of time with the ultrasound; we must've been in there for almost 20 minutes!
We chatted afterwards and it turns out my Ob was one of his students; he spoke VERY highly of her. And he used to practice at the hospital I'll deliver at, and he said the L&D is great and well-equipped for twins. (I was a little concerned because they only have a level 2 NICU, and I wasn't particularly happy with any of the nearby hospitals with level 3s. We have some hospitals in the region with top-notch facilities within easy transport distance, just not close enough to home or work in traffic for me to want to deliver at.)
I am over the moon. It's feeling a little more real!
ETA: And progesterone came back high enough to stop supplementing! Yay!
Trying for #3; FET 8/18 -- BFN. Leaving things up to chance for now... After three years, three IVFs, and two FETs, we finally have our miracle babIES!
cookiemonster read expecting better and you'll be set! It's quick.
Yes! I found this book to be really helpful in understanding which rules mattered the most to me.
Although she makes a big deal about how people who have more nausea have less miscarriages and I haven't had any nausea, so I think about more often than is good for me.
Yes! I found this book to be really helpful in understanding which rules mattered the most to me.
Where does unpasteurized cheese fall? Do I want to know?
In general, she said listeria outbreaks are so random and not generally associated with a lot of things people avoid. She said deli turkey had the highest risk of any deli meat, so heating that isn't a bad idea. Avoiding deli ham lowers your listeria risk from something like 1 in 8200 to 1 in 8300 which seems ridiculous. For cheeses she said queso fresco is the unpasteurized cheese most associated with listeria outbreaks and that's probably the one to avoid and that soft cheeses in general are associated with listeria but they aren't that common in the U.S. I don't remember if it's avoid all or just avoid queso fresco.
The rule about drinking in the UK is much more lax. 1-2 units of alcohol per week are considered relatively safe. As the author points out, nausea causes me to avoid wine/beer and coffee at this point anyway, but I'll probably have the occasional small glass when I finally feel better. No one bats an eye at pregnant women who order a glass of wine in restaurants here.
cactuscookie, I wouldn't worry about her claim that nausea might mean a more viable pregnancy. I know of several women who 'felt great' during their first tri and ended up with a live birth. Count yourself lucky your head isn't in the toilet 10 times a day. I'm totally jealous!
cookiemonster read expecting better and you'll be set! It's quick.
Yes! I found this book to be really helpful in understanding which rules mattered the most to me.
Although she makes a big deal about how people who have more nausea have less miscarriages and I haven't had any nausea, so I think about more often than is good for me.
If it helps, I felt great 99% of my pregnancy with DS, even at 39 weeks. He turned out pretty great.
I feel worse this time, but I'm attributing it to having 2.
I think some people are just more prone to morning sickness than others. My aunt was terribly sick with all 3 of hers.
ginkgoleaf, I agree. I think some people are more likely to experience morning sickness than others. I once read an article suggesting that those prone to motion sickness tend to also suffer morning sickness, and this is definitely true for me. I can't sit in the backseat of a moving vehicle without wanting to hurl, even when I'm not pregnant.
I would count yourself lucky with not barfing. I threw up for 18 weeks (lucky me) I think it is so dependent on how your body reacts to hormones. Just like in treatment some people have really bad side effects with the meds and others sail through. It never is an indicator of how well you will do treatment wise and this is the same case. Although I get that any sign of it being a successful pregnancy at this point is welcome.
I think the more morning sickness = less m/c is kind of a weird comment. Some women get sick and some don't. It doesn't mean it is more of a viable pregnancy then another, it's just how your body handles it.
I was pretty relaxed about what you should and shouldn't do while pg. I ate deli meat all the time. My dr said the risk is so low so just eat from clean places and I'd be fine. I never heated lunch meat and every other week I got a Blimpie sub after my Dr appointments. I just avoided things like salad bars or prepackaged lunch meat. I also don't eat any of the cheeses you aren't supposed to so never worried about that.
Post by cactuscookie on Jun 23, 2015 10:24:32 GMT -5
Thanks guys, I'm feeling better about the lack of nausea. To be honest, I haven't wanted to mention it since others are struggling. "Damn, I feel so good, it's a little scary!" Ha.
I'm glad we're discussing the "rules". Mostly I'm glad that I'm not the only one who's following them somewhat loosely. (I did just pan-fry a slice of ham before eating it, but it's from the weird Mexican grocery store; I wouldn't have bothered in the U.S.) loira mentioned that her doctor recommended just 1 glass of alcohol per week, so I'm sticking to that in the first trimester, although I've only had half a glass at a time and I drink it slowly and not on an empty stomach. After the first trimester, I plan to increase my alcohol consumption to one drink a day on the weekends.
boiler717, I looked into the queso fresco thing and decided the stuff I buy at home (Cacique) is fine - it's made from pasteurized milk at a plant in the U.S.
My biggest pregnancy feeling is that my abs always feel sore. Is anyone else getting this? It actually started before I was pregnant, toward the end of stims, but it's continued off and on since then. Sometimes it feels more distinctly like stretching, but mostly it just feels like a did a ton of planks the day beforehand.
9 week ultrasound went great! Can't believe how much bigger baby is. We could see its little arms moving around! Next appointment is 7/2 after which I should be released from the RE. If all goes well, we'll tell our parents over Fourth of July weekend. They also referred me to a couple of places for an NT scan, so I'm trying to get that scheduled.
As I suspected, my dr is not a fan of using a midwife at all. She didn't say why other than we worked too hard to get here, and I guess she's had patients with not great experiences with them in the past. The practice I was looking at has two OBs on staff for emergencies and high risk situations, so I don't know if that makes a difference. I'm considering calling them to see if they've treated IVF patients in the past, and if they recommend IVF pregnancies for their care. I looked into the dr my RE did recommend, and she's out in the sticks so that's not going to happen. I'm not sure what to do.
I think it's great so many of us are lax on rules (it's okay if you aren't though!). There was so much anxiety and googling and stress about getting pregnant, it's nice to get back to normal!
I think I've had 3 drinks since BFP (after zero alcohol stating one month before stims!). I'm fine with increasing a bit in the second try to one drink/day (but not every day, just a couple of times a week).
cactuscookie my abs are super sore especially when I sit up from laying down or stretch a lot.
cactuscookie, the stretchy feeling is totally normal. I remember it from when I was pregnant with V. My abs are sore too, but mainly from barfing all the time. I will allow you a pass on feeling great though, since I have a soft spot for all TTTCers.
In some states you can train to be a midwife, like old country style, without being an actual nurse. A CNM has a BSN (and presumable RN license) and has completed a masters program. At the nursing school where I worked, midwives got a Women's Health NP degree on their way to their CNM.
This is similar to the schooling midwives get in the UK, I think, plus they have to go through quite a bit of specialised training.
In some states you can train to be a midwife, like old country style, without being an actual nurse. A CNM has a BSN (and presumable RN license) and has completed a masters program. At the nursing school where I worked, midwives got a Women's Health NP degree on their way to their CNM.
Truth! I was considering getting my WHNP for this reason, but the FNP is so much more versatile. Unfortunately, TX doesn't make it easy for CNMs. We have lots of lay midwives (at least 3 in my city alone) but not so much CNMs. Even in the big cities (Houston, DFW, San Antonio, etc).
I wouldn't trust a lay midwife either (aka direct/other entry).
Post by swiftlyirun on Jun 23, 2015 12:52:42 GMT -5
Back from u/s. We're measuring 5w, 6d which is right on track- and only one beebee! We saw the heartbeat but it was just a flutter so no bpm(which I was really hoping for, and of course now I'm right back to being paranoid!). But the RE said everything looked completely normal and right on track.
We have another u/s next week so hoping we get a bpm then!
I'm relieved (like pp said- for about 5 min) and just ready to be able to tell ppl confidently. Keeping this secret takes up so much brainspace! I asked about the nausea (because I really haven't had any major nausea) and RE said having it or not really doesn't mean much, so there's that!
Post by ginkgoleaf on Jun 23, 2015 13:10:31 GMT -5
I've bought a pair of shorts and 2 t-shirts so far. I need to get more shorts and jeans or capris ASAP. Right now I'm wearing maternity jeans from when I had DS, but I started out 25lbs less with him so these are not going to cut it for long. Plus they're all bootcut, which I don't wear anymore. I feel old school, lol.
I already have my maternity clothes leftover from V, so I probably won't be buying anything. I think I was in them by 8 weeks last time, though this time I seem to be holding out a bit longer. Part of it is the emotional anxiety over digging them out again, and part of it seems to be that with all this puking, I'm not gaining weight as quickly. Or maybe I stretched out my jeans from before with my post-partum weight. I recommend not buying a whole bunch of stuff right away. Buy what you need when you need it. This way, you can change with the seasons, too. And make sure it's stuff you'd want to wear post-partum because I can guarantee stretchy trousers are a godsend then.
Back from u/s. We're measuring 5w, 6d which is right on track- and only one beebee! We saw the heartbeat but it was just a flutter so no bpm(which I was really hoping for, and of course now I'm right back to being paranoid!). But the RE said everything looked completely normal and right on track.
We have another u/s next week so hoping we get a bpm then!
I'm relieved (like pp said- for about 5 min) and just ready to be able to tell ppl confidently. Keeping this secret takes up so much brainspace! I asked about the nausea (because I really haven't had any major nausea) and RE said having it or not really doesn't mean much, so there's that!
ivy – I’m so glad your appointment went well, I it’s the best to see the baby’s little arm/leg buds
swiftlyirun – your little bean sounds right on track and hopefully seeing it’s little beating heart put your diving worries to rest
I’m relatively lax on pregnancy rules – I eat lunch meat all the time and unknowingly my face wash has salicylic acid, and I pick up my 32lb son all the time, I’m not a big drinker, but I did have 1-2 drinks during 3rd tri last pregnancy and I probably will again this time – especially since it will be right around the holidays
You guys, my boobs have already grown to epic proportions – I mean I was already well-endowed, but I actually couldn’t wear one of my usual work shirts today because I was busting out – I guess that explains why they are so terribly sore – I hope they slow down or going to the pool this summer is going to get scary!
Post by belovedbride07 on Jun 23, 2015 14:46:01 GMT -5
I entered a new stage of morning sickness last night. Brushing my teeth made me gag (as it has been lately), but this time I couldn't recover. Blech. I really hope I don't repeat that.
I feel pretty crappy today. I was starving, but now I can't bring myself to finish my lunch. It's going to be a long afternoon! I may buy myself a Sprite out of the vending machine; it helps settle my stomach, and at least it'll give me some calories, even if they're just sugar.
I told a co-worker friend I'm pregnant today; she's due in the fall, so we're excited to have someone to talk to about this! She'll keep my secret, and she'll also be good at warning me when I look pregnant -- apparently a shirt I wore last week had her questioning, and prompted another co-worker to ask her if I was!
Trying for #3; FET 8/18 -- BFN. Leaving things up to chance for now... After three years, three IVFs, and two FETs, we finally have our miracle babIES!
I just scheduled my 1 hour glucose test for a couple weeks from now How is it already time for that already?? At least I get to take it before I go to Spain and ruin my diet with yummy Spanish food for 2 weeks!
whodey, my boobs were the first thing to really change. They grew super fast in the first few weeks. H was gone for training from weeks 4-10 and came home and freaked (in a good way) because they were so big already I was a D to begin with pre-pregnancy. I have no idea what they are now, except that they are huge and super heavy. lol