35+ TTC 1st Graduates!!! Come on Over!

[pablo797]

Morning All!!

So just got caught up and hope everyone had a good weekend.

Austin, so glad to hear from you!!! I was a little worried. I am sorry you have to quit your job, sounds like you really love it. However, I don't think it's realistic to carry triplets and go to trials. plus the added stress on your body. Also sorry about the boat. Going out on a lake sounds so nice!! It's a balmy 55 degrees here and it feels like spring, but not summer and I miss being warm!!!

MA, so happy you are feeling better!! I have been looking at diaper adds in magazines but haven't done any research yet. DH informed me he did NOT want to deal with cloth diapers. I think he has a poo phobia, he's bad at picking up dog poop too. As far as I'm concerned the discussion is not over, but we'll see. Also looking at car seats, strollers, etc. So many choices!!

Vivienne, yea that no tsunami for you, but so tragic for those in Japan. I heard that the wave went 6 miles in land. If lived 6 miles in land and heard there was a tsunami coming I wouldn't think it would hit me. I heard there are four trains missing. You better than anyone know what their dealing with. I am glad you are safe and the new hospital sounds nice, but I know what you mean about a "hospital" experience versus a birthing center.

Missmuffett, sorry that last week was so yucky for you. Hope this week is better!!

MrsJ, Scarlett is sooo big! Are you or your husband tall??

AFM, doing well and nothing to tell. This is our busiest week of the year business wise and I was hoping to lay low this AM before going into work at 1:00. Alas the hound is looking at me with big sad puppy eyes, so off for a hike I go to get him some exercise. I know it's best for me too, but I was hoping for a mellow morning before the chaos of this afternoon and tonight. Oh well, no rest for the weary, at least it's beautiful outside. Have a great Monday!!

Anna

 

[Mommy's Angel]

Hi Anna,

Well, Cloth diapers are more economical in my opinion HOWEVER, many working women find them too much with their schedules. Check out the Diaper Pin forum and maybe post a note to other working women and see what diapers work for them and their husbands. I know there are some cloth diapers that aren't male savvy. Others like the easy pull-ups AIO or AI2's are known to be good but may not be suitable for newborns right away. For infants though I've found that the first few weeks are better with old fashioned flats OR Prefolds. The one I just mentioned is a prefold workhorse that they kinda made to look like a shaped regular diaper. I've heard nothing but awesome feedback on them for all ages paired with thirsties covers over them.

If you decide that disposables are better for you, let me know so I can get you that mommy program from Amazon so you can save on diapers!

This is the fun part for me. I like to keep my mind busy looking at the fun stuff. We're not going to buy for awhile, but I want to get an idea of what we'll want and since nobody really knows about our pregnancy...I find it fun to confide in our board here and search for the fun stuff to talk about here.

It's the busiest week of the year? Why is that? Are people getting ready for Easter or something?? Enjoy your walk and rest easy dear friend!

Hello to everyone else. It's been quiet over the weekend. I spose that no news is good news!

I'm praying for Japan, still praying for the clean up and rebuilding process of New Zealand, for those oppressed in the Middle East and Africa, for everyone nationally and internationally who are hit by the economy and especially for all our men and women serving to protect our countries, those who are protecting our health and well being like the police, fire as well as nurses and Dr.s. May God provide help where it is needed, monetary, physical, emotional and spiritual donations to help those who are helpless and may His presence be among all in Jesus name...AMEN!

My heart has been all over the place emotionally with everything going on in the world. We are donating where we can to different places and most importantly praying for everyone but I can't help but feel so helpless at a point where I'd love to be shipped off and get in the middle of it all to help in some way. ((sigh))

 

[pablo797]

did I say 55 degrees? I meant 25 degrees. Wroye that last post befoe I ventured outside. It's still sunny and beautiful though and the labradore loved his walk.

 

[MissMuffet08]

Hi All,

I am somewhat caught up on the thread.

Anna - glad the weather is nicer...though still cold!
MA - I am definitely doing disposable diapers. I just don't think me or my hubby could cope with cloth, though I do have several friends who did the cloth.
Did I read a few pages back something about Darien Lake? When I was younger (like 5-8 years old) we lived in Buffalo and would go to Darien Lake Fun Country several times in the summer. It was the best! Don't know if it is still there or not, but liked the fact that you had beach area, water park rides, and regular amusement rides.

I know that was totally off topic...

AFM - nothing new happening here. We have our second Lamaze class tonight and we learn breathing techniques.

I hope everyone is doing well and I will do much better this week at reading everything and keeping up!

Best,
Steph

 

[Mommy's Angel]

Hi All,

I am somewhat caught up on the thread.

Anna - glad the weather is nicer...though still cold!
MA - I am definitely doing disposable diapers. I just don't think me or my hubby could cope with cloth, though I do have several friends who did the cloth.
Did I read a few pages back something about Darien Lake? When I was younger (like 5-8 years old) we lived in Buffalo and would go to Darien Lake Fun Country several times in the summer. It was the best! Don't know if it is still there or not, but liked the fact that you had beach area, water park rides, and regular amusement rides.

I know that was totally off topic...

AFM - nothing new happening here. We have our second Lamaze class tonight and we learn breathing techniques.

I hope everyone is doing well and I will do much better this week at reading everything and keeping up!

Best,
Steph

Yes, I hear that cloth diapers are more work. I think I decided on them because I'm a homemaker anyways. If it saves a few bucks in the process, I'm doing my job by saving us a little here and there. I think if we had multiples though it'd be a bit more complicated, same as if both doug and I were working full time jobs. Luckily I came home when he was going to school full time, interning full time and working full time. I learned to cut costs and started making meals from scratch. I kinda like all this, it's almost like I'm learning the skills our grandparents and great grandparents had that seemed to have disappeared with the times.

I wouldn't have imagined 10 years ago that I would be at home so early before children, then again, who knew I'd be dealing with infertility issues too. I really feel as though my job as a homemaker and wife, soon to be stay at home mommy is REALLY the most important job. All these years of school and wondering who I'd be and who'd ever think that the job I'd love most is being a wife and homemaker and a mommy. I gave up the job for something I feel now, that I'm actually good at. It just fits. I never in a million years would have thought I'd give up the sanity of a regular pay job to stay at home.

I think the interesting part of it all though is seeing "Housewives Of Pick-your-choice" which isn't very realistic at all of real housewives. I WISH I could go out and get a lift here or a tuck there or a massage or spend like water. The drama is too funny to even watch sometimes and is really disturbing that housewives or women in general are being portrayed like that.

Anyways, I kinda got off topic when all I was trying to say was that I chose cloth because I'm home anyways. So I think I'll have the time to deal with the wash and poopy.

Oh, also I thought of another issue too...sometimes if you plan to put your baby in daycare, sometimes daycare will not permit anything but disposeables. There are a few who will allow a certain kind of cloth like the AIO's, but that's also something to be sure and ask your future daycare provider if they allow. I'm sure that would help to make a decision as well for those wondering about it.

I also wanted to share with those of you who DO plan to use disposables the information my friend Sarah shared with me. She said the following:

Amazon has two newish programs that seriously reduce costs.

First of all, there is Amazon Subscribe & Save (SS). You can use this with many, many items on Amazon, personal care, food, cleaning, etc. And there is Amazon Mom (AM).

For the SS, whatever item you want, when you are looking at the page for it you can chose to Sub & Save. You pick what interval you want the product shipped to you. If your total is over $25, shipping is free. If you want it shipped once a month, you do that, once every 2, 3, or 6 months, that is what you sign up for. If you dont want it again, there is no obligation and no problems if you cancel it. You can switch if you aren't getting diapers enough or are getting too many, and you can change the size when needed. You save 15% with SS.

For AM, currently you can get a free Amazon Prime (free two day shipping) trial. You save an additional 15% with this (this is only for baby items.

So, without using any coupons, you can get pampers or huggies or whatever shipped to your door. I have paid less than 16 cents for Pampers Swaddlers, and around 14 cents for Pampers Baby Dry.

I've canceled or delayed shipments without a problem. They send you an email a week before shipment giving you the option to change or cancel. If you do nothing, they send it to you. It's much cheaper than buying diapers locally (for me), even if there are sales and coupons. And its really, really nice to not have to worry about it.

Also, currently there are a bunch of coupons that you can get from various magazines (parenting ones and pregnancy ones) that have codes for Amazon Mom. I've got friends that are having other friends collect them and are paying less than $5 for over 200 diapers.

 

[MissMuffet08]

You know Rebekah, I used to WANT to be a stay at home mommy and still kind wouldn't mind it. I used to have visions of myself cooking and cleaning, etc...however, I learned something very important about myself...I am LAZY and easily distracted. I was going to make a chicken dish last night and couldn't find the energy to take my butt to the market to get the food! LOL. Don't get me wrong, I do clean my house...cuz I have to and every now and then I get an inkling to really clean out a closet...but that normally starts me to find something from my long ago to reminisce about and then I get bored with the cleaning and shove everything back into the closet!!! HA HA HA.

Now, I know it would probably be a different story if I were home all day and maybe it is because on the weekends I am so tired from work that I don't feel like doing "chores". Unfortunately, my hubby just got laid off and I am the sole bread winner (at the moment) so the only stay at home time I will have is Maternity leave. Still, if we could afford it I don't think I would mind being home with the kids full time. I like the idea of being home and taking care of the house and family. What a lovely experience you are going to have...I think it is great!

 

[Mommy's Angel]

You know Rebekah, I used to WANT to be a stay at home mommy and still kind wouldn't mind it. I used to have visions of myself cooking and cleaning, etc...however, I learned something very important about myself...I am LAZY and easily distracted. I was going to make a chicken dish last night and couldn't find the energy to take my butt to the market to get the food! LOL. Don't get me wrong, I do clean my house...cuz I have to and every now and then I get an inkling to really clean out a closet...but that normally starts me to find something from my long ago to reminisce about and then I get bored with the cleaning and shove everything back into the closet!!! HA HA HA.

Now, I know it would probably be a different story if I were home all day and maybe it is because on the weekends I am so tired from work that I don't feel like doing "chores". Unfortunately, my hubby just got laid off and I am the sole bread winner (at the moment) so the only stay at home time I will have is Maternity leave. Still, if we could afford it I don't think I would mind being home with the kids full time. I like the idea of being home and taking care of the house and family. What a lovely experience you are going to have...I think it is great!

Thank you. It's actually funny, I wasn't sure WHAT to do when I first came home. Then I kinda fell into the swing of things. I tend to be alittle on the over-organized side So I have a chart for EVERYTHING. For the most part I have specific days for laundry, specific rooms for chores, mopping, sweeping, dusting, etc. I have a "homekeeping" book and even an emergency preparedness binder in case of an electrical outage or a snowstorm, etc. I did that actually when we lost power for several days from a storm and I was stuck home while Doug was working at the hospital. I even bought one of those emergency radios because it has a place to plug in your cell phone to recharge it. I ran out of phone battery during this issue.

Since being pregnant It's lapsed a bit and my husbands taken on a whole lot more. I can't get down to the basement to do laundry after I feel down the stairs last fall. I sweep but don't bend down to pick up the stuff in the dust pan so it ends up going to doug. I don't lift anything too heavy, etc. Mainly all of this is because of my preterm loss and is just to be on the safe side.

I must say that it's a plus when I can be more flexible when I'm tired or sick. I am feeling a bit lazy though during this pregnancy and it feels weird to see my husband do the things I usually do, though he doesn't honestly care. I guess I'm taking a mini vacay before the baby is born to relax a bit.

My cousin tried her hand at staying home and she said she couldn't do it. She said she got pretty bored doing the same thing everyday and just needed that freedom from all the kids to use the skills she feels she's gifted at.

She amazes me as she goes to work at a crazy job with a designer in New York City, picks up the kids, goes home, gets dinner on, plays with the kids awhile, puts them to bed and tries to find time to spend alone with her husband before going to bed herself. Homemaker or working mom, I have total respect for the roles women play today. It's AMAZING!

With all the school system stuff happening around here and the fact they cut so many programs for the kids as well as we have pretty much the lowest testing scores for our schools, Doug and I decided awhile ago that we would either put our kids in private school (which we've since found is pretty expensive) OR will homeschool like my sister in law does. I think we're looking at homeschooling. At first I thought it was a cultish thing. But after seeing my sister in law with her own kids, they are THRIVING in soccer, cheerleading, figure skating, football and all but one has above average testing compared to regular parochial school kids in the area. I was AMAZED. She's using the Abecca system but I've seen other teaching plans. I think the abecca system will help me in the beginning as it's more structured like a regular classroom. Then maybe I'll get more flexible once I figure out how our kids learn.

At any rate, here I am talking about homeschooling when the baby is still a little bean. Truth is, it's something we were hoping to do with our fosterdaughters who were WAY behind in school, but the city wouldn't let the kids who were under state custody homeschool. It was a shame because alot of these kids were from off the streets and were pushed forward just to get them ahead, they actually NEEDED more structure and one on one time to learn.

Okay, back to baby things.....I seem to talk as if I've had alot of caffeine. I have to be careful getting caught in that trap of planning things months and years in advance because sometimes they don't usually go as planned.

I can imagine you being the breadwinner is a tad stressful. My dad was laid off as well and my mom is supporting them as sole breadwinner. It kinda gets tough on her sometimes. I think it makes my dad a bit depressed sometimes too. Our men have the instinct to provide for their wives and when a job loss comes into play, it sometimes makes them feel bad.

I pray your able to find rest though on your days off. I enjoy our little talks. I like the diversity among all of us. We all seem to be from different places in our lives and I love hearing from other women what they plan to do, what fun baby gear they choose, and the stories behind their beautiful pregnancies. I'm looking forward to more ladies from the other thread joining us hopefully soon too!

 

[Mommy's Angel]

Of all that's Holy in the world!!!

I told many of you that I'm going to be on progesteron wk 16 until my 36th week. I heard a "rumor" that the U.S. approved the "special" mix of progesterone shots I'll be on called P17 and that they run over a thousand dollars.

My pharmacy doesn't get it and it's only made by a specific manufacterer and only a handful of pharmacies dispense the stuff.

I thought I'd contact a friend of mine who lost her twins a few weeks before I lost my son Jackson. Again she got pregnant with TWINS a few weeks before me. She's pretty much similar protocal. She's told me that her pharmacy covers the drug HOWEVER the Drug is 1500.00. I'm not sure if that's just ONE shot or if it'll be for the full amount I'll need. In which case I'll be taking one shot each day from wk 16 until wk 36. Because it's not available at the hospital pharmacy, we'll be paying 40% of the cost and I'm not even sure our flex account with cover the cost of this drug.

This drug HAS to be used because it's a specific mix which specifically keeps my uterus calm. The others aren't as potent by any means and won't get the job done.

So here I sit. We plan to talk with the perinatologist on Fridays appointment. There's not a whole lot we can do. We'll have to pay the 500.00 a pop if we actually have to come up with it. Which may mean we may have to ditch the dula. We'll cross that bridge when we get there I guess.

In the meantime, I'll do my research tomorrow to find out if our flex will cover it. Even then, if it's 500.00 a pop, there isn't a whole lot of doses our flex account will cover. Typical for the United States to do something so detrimental to the health and wellbeing of mothers and babies. Lets put families in debt while they're already concerned about getting through their pregnancies safely!!

 

[sunshine71]

Good morning ladies - hope everyone had a good weekend!

Austin - happy to see you and the babies are okay! I am sorry about having to give up the job, though. (And the boat!) Maybe you & hubby could downgrade on the whole boat thing instead of giving it up entirely? I know how tough it is to have to give up something you love, even if it is ultimately for a greater goal.

We have a motorcycle that we ride a lot over the summer months (he drives, I'm chauffered on the back). I must say, of the few toys we have, that one's my favorite. When the DH mentioned possibly selling it, I said "Oh, HELLL no!" As long as I'm not too big to fit on the back, we're riding! I'm thinking I'll still be able to get on it through the end of June. I hope... And his parents live close by, so I'm sure they'd be more than willing to watch their grandchild on occasion next summer so we can get out for a few hours on a nice sunny day...

Of course, a bike doesn't require a fraction of the financial upkeep as a boat. I'm sure if we were expecting multiples, not only would he be selling the bike, he'd be pawning my jewelry!!

MissMuffett - you're a woman after my own heart! Lazy and easily distracted - I'm SO with ya on that! I do the basic cleaning too, but as soon as I start on one of the many cleanout projects I need to do... "Ooh! Look at these old pictures!" and after an hour and a half of sitting crossed-legged on the floor flipping through stuff, it all gets re-piled in the box and back down to the basement it goes... *Sigh* And I plan on using disposables, too. The thought of the extra work involved with cloth just doesn't do it for me. Besides, we've already decided that our child is going to be such an advanced genius that s/he'll be potty trained within the first year, anyway.

And yep - I was referring to the same Darien Lake. It's huge now, with a big hotel, campgrounds, a bunch of roller coasters, and a large amphitheater that hosts most of the Western NY summer concerts. A far cry from what it was back in the early 80's. It's expanded it's waterpark, too, but since I don't do bathing suits I haven't been to that part of it since I was about 13 years old.

Titi - you go for your scan today, right? Good luck!!

AFM - we went to the 12 week scan yesterday. So far, everything looks great. The doctor said that when you combine my age & the nuchal fold measurement, the odds of a genetic defect are about 1 in 700. Woo HOO! BUT - that's without the blood work being factored in. That won't come back until next week, and could theoretically squash those odds. So even though things look promising, we're still not spilling the beans until we get those results back. The doctor said she'd try to put a rush on it, but couldn't guarantee it. So I'm hoping we'll know by the end of the week, but I'm not expecting anything until next week.

Hope everyone has a great day!

 

[AustinGurrl]

Whew!!! Sounds like everyone had quite the week and has good news all around…

Pablo – Yay for Spring Break! I’m sure you will be crazy busy for the foreseeable future!! Take time to rest & don’t stay on those feet too long! Last week during trial, I was in heels (not too much walking) but looked down at my ankles on the 3rd day and yikes – they were like little sausages! Cankles!!! Feet up & plenty of water made them go down, but you gotta watch the time on the feet!  Also – LOVED the story about your dog biscuit dream! Lol…

Viv – So glad are doing well and were not affected by the tragedy in Japan…

MissMuffet – Hope you’re enjoying the classes! And you are so right on the cleaning perspective! I am with you on that one at times…. There’s just too much other stuff to do… 

Angela & Terri – How are your precious babies? Glad you are doing well!!!

Titi – Congrats on the test results!!! Yep – seems like we go from test to test, hurdle to hurdle… So glad you are doing so well!

MA – Thanks for all your analysis on the diapering, etc… I am definitely taking notes of all the great finds you tell us about!

Sunshine – LOL… you make me laugh!! Don’t mention to my hubs about pawning the jewelry!! Love my baubles!  Yep, boat is for sale… I will miss it. We could have likely made it work with one bambino, but three? Nope. The storage cost alone is a bit of a car payment, lol… I hear you on the bike… Hubs also has a Harley… He has mentioned selling it, as well, but I told him that is up to him… Big difference – it is paid for and we can store it in the garage. Only cost are about $200/year for insurance…. I am not riding prego, but certainly is tempting in the pretty weather. He really loves that bike, so I am encouraging him not to sell.

AFM - I am officially “out” at the office… It would be ridiculous to not tell, as I look about 24 weeks prego and tired of trying to hide it… Our next big hurdle will be the NT screens/tests next Monday… from there, we will decide about any further testing. Genetic screenings are all back and good!

My DH is finally coming around… We had a good talk last night and I told him I thought we really need to start talking/planning some things as my greatest fear is that I will be put on bedrest early and not be able to shop, etc…. and he will have to do it all without me. He agreed and just asked to wait until the NT screens.... that’s a fair compromise, so I agreed. Then, we had a great discussion about names and joked around for a bit… Really helped lighten the mood! I think it will be almost easier to choose 3 versus one… we’ll both be a little more flexible, I guess. 

Otherwise, I’m feeling good with the small exception of annoying headaches during the day… Anyone having those? Happy Tuesday, everyone!!

 

[rottpaw]

Hey girls and all around!

We're doing well here, with my mother in law here to help for the last week. She leaves this Friday and I don't know WHAT we will do with her gone. She keeps saying "oh, you'll be fine" but hubby and I look at each other like deer in the headlights!

Ethan is an absolute delight! We love him so much! On the practical side, hubs and I are both feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, but i guess that is par for the course. He eats about every 2.5 hours (doc's orders, but he has been keeping this schedule on his own anyway).

Long story short, we thought we were making strides with the breastfeeding, when I was letting him nurse for an hour each time (30 mins per side). He seemed satisfied and happy, but at his 10 day weight check he'd lost another 4 oz (for a total loss from 7lbs 8oz to 6+13 oz over his first 10 days). According to the doctor it is very easy for an infant this size to burn more calories nursing than they are taking in. Dr. was concerned at this trend, since we knew I did not get much milk when I pumped. So we started supplementing him in earnest with formula and just giving him whatever breastmilk I can pump (usually can only get about 30-40ml per 1/2 hour pumping session every 3 hours). On this regimen, he's regained his birth weight of 7+8 between Friday and Monday! YAY!

Meanwhile, we are now cleared to try nursing again. However, the current schedule of pumping and bottle feeding every 2.5 hours (even WITH a grandma here to help LOL!) is running us ragged. I'm not sure how to even begin working in nursing plus pumping plus bottle feeding, when it also takes about 45 minutes for each bottle feeding (with feeding then burping, changing, and we keep him up on our shoulder or propped upright like in a bouncy seat for about half an hour after feeding, to prevent reflux).

Sorry to just vent - I'm sort of thinking out loud here. CJ or Code if you have any advice please let me know!

But otherwise all is well and we are just enjoying our perfect little guy!

Hope everyone else is well. I just had time to skim but it sounds like all is going pretty well.

Hugs and love to everyone! Ethan sends kisses!

 

[Mommy's Angel]

Angela, sounds like breastfeeding is a struggle. I've heard that it can be hard at first. I think your story is encouraging me to make sure we get a lactating consultant post natal with our dulas service. I have this feeling I'll need the help and the experience to figure out what the heck to do.

Glad the little guy is gaining weight and looking forward to hearing you've gotten the hang of it all and your all getting your needed rest.




AFM: We spent most of the day on the phone about P17 injections. It looks like it may be covered, but we're having a hard time finding a compound lab that actually makes the drug and praying that it is within our insurance carrier.

There's alot to talk to the perinatologist about. I'm not up for paying 1500.00 a dose for the drug, somehow this has to work. By the grace of God it will work itself out.

GI issues are doing EXCELLENT today. Still have issues with meat and Doug took us out to dinner. I had bottomless soup and salad and barely touched the soup and had lots of salad. The good thing about this is I've seemed to become a vegetarian. I eat ALOT of vegetarian dishes and salads and lots of fruit. Trying news is that I'm not sure I'm getting enough protein so I'm starting to make mega protein shakes with peanut butter, protein powder, skim milk and bananas with flax seeds.

I pray your all doing well.


Angela, I'm so tired I feel very similar to that beautiful pic of your baby. I could just crawl in the bed all day long. I'm SO tired! It'll be nice when we reach second trimester.

 

[MissMuffet08]

Afternoon/Evening ladies,

Angela it is great to hear from you and I am glad that Ethan is has gained back his weight. It is also good to hear about your breastfeeding experience as this is something that i am concerned and want to learn more about. I am signing up for a breastfeeding class at kaiser. Also, Babies R Us offers a Breast feeding class that is free I believe - thought I would mention it to those in the states who don't want to pay for a breastfeeding class.

Rebekah - glad that the GI issues are going away and please keep us posted on the new P17 injection. I will pray that you insurance covers this, but as you say God will work it out and everything will be ok.

Chris – glad your 12 week scan went well! Yes many a “clean-up” day was spent sitting on the floor looking at old photos only to be put back in the box LOL. Good ole’ Darien Lake. I still remember the jingle!

Austin – how wonderful that your Genetic screening is good. YAY. I am sure the NT screens will be fine. Also, glad to hear that your DH is coming around. As you get further along he will get more and more excited.

AFM - DH and I had another great Lamaze class last night. We learned a slow paced breathing technique. We also did a relaxation exercise where we laid on our mats and listened to a cd of man talking about a nice beach and sand and water, etc. He first started off talking about imaging being on an elevator - well I am claustraphobic and the last place I want to be is on an elevator, so I was definitely not Relaxed. Then he started talking about the beach, etc, I couldn't listen because I wanted to laugh. I had to think about something else or I knew I would get the giggles and not be able to stop. I didn't want to get in trouble...

Anyway, my feet are starting to swell a bit now, they look like flippers - not happy. But at least they now match my sausage like fingers...Le Sigh. I am now officially in my 3rd trimester! YAY - but also EEK!!! It is really starting to become real now and I have so much to do to get my baby's room ready. My Dad will be here next week so I may try to con him in helping with the room. The other cool thing is that he will be able to come to my next Perinatologist appointment and see his granddaughter on the screen. So I am very excited for that.

Well now that I have rambled on, I am taking my tired self home. I hope everyone has a FANTASTIC evening.

Best,
Steph

 

[svetayasofiya]

Evening girls! This thread is so hard to keep up to date with! lol

Rebekah- glad to hear your GI issues are getting better. I really hope your insurance carrier will cover a good part of that drug for you. Last thing you need to do is worry about money. I am very impressed with your determination to use cloth diapers. It is something that definitely interests me, but I can't even begin think about that yet. I am originally from BC (only lived in Mtl for nearly 8 years yiiiiikes!) so I am a bit of a tree hugger at heart. The thought of all those disposable diapers sitting in landfills really does my head in.

Chris (#2) lol!- don't worry about your blood work making your results lower, it's going to make them higher for sure!!!! I don't know what my rating was after just the scan because the clinic wouldn't give results until they had the 1st and 2nd tri bloodwork in, but we ended up at 1 in 19,000 chance of DS. Very happy with those odds.

Austingirl- I think you have the right attitude about getting stuff ready now. I know alot of people like to wait but like you said, you may not have the opportunity later. Carrying three babies in your belly will certainly take a toll whether you get put on bed rest or not. So exciting! Three for one! LOL Did you ever in your wildest dreams think after all those months ttc you'd end up with three??? my husband also didn't want to think too far ahead until we got our NT results back either. I guess that's the rational and practical side of them.

Angela- Ethan is just precious and I love his name btw!! Good to hear he is putting on weight now. Don't put too much pressure on yourself re. the breastfeeding. You can only do your best. xo

Steph- that's awesome your dad is going to come to your appt. with you! I am so jealous! My parents live 1,000 of km away in BC and won't even be here for the birth. Who knows when they'll get to see their grandchild. Don't even get me started. Enjoy these precious moments!

AFM- I seem to be growing at a rapid pace now. It's freaking me out! I have instilled a desert ban on me starting today. I have put on 3 lbs since my Doctor's appt. last week. I know alot is belly at the moment but I have to start being more careful. It's really less about vanity and more about comfort and health. I just see the pain my friend who gained 80 lbs is going through and I just don't want to experience that. Plus it's a problem to take off. DH and I started looking at furniture and what not online tonight. I think we found a crib we like! We'll probably wait to buy anything until after our gender scan on April 12th. I have my heart set on white furniture for the nursery but he thinks its too feminine if we end up having a boy. I disagree....... what do you guys think???

Well, i can hear them weighing in now on the Biggest Loser in the other room so I think I'll go catch that. haha

Hope everyone is doing well!! We are missing some girls out there! has anyone seen Lucy lately? I think it's been at least a month or two.

 

[Vivienne]

Evening girls! This thread is so hard to keep up to date with! lol

Rebekah- glad to hear your GI issues are getting better. I really hope your insurance carrier will cover a good part of that drug for you. Last thing you need to do is worry about money. I am very impressed with your determination to use cloth diapers. It is something that definitely interests me, but I can't even begin think about that yet. I am originally from BC (only lived in Mtl for nearly 8 years yiiiiikes!) so I am a bit of a tree hugger at heart. The thought of all those disposable diapers sitting in landfills really does my head in.

Chris (#2) lol!- don't worry about your blood work making your results lower, it's going to make them higher for sure!!!! I don't know what my rating was after just the scan because the clinic wouldn't give results until they had the 1st and 2nd tri bloodwork in, but we ended up at 1 in 19,000 chance of DS. Very happy with those odds.

Austingirl- I think you have the right attitude about getting stuff ready now. I know alot of people like to wait but like you said, you may not have the opportunity later. Carrying three babies in your belly will certainly take a toll whether you get put on bed rest or not. So exciting! Three for one! LOL Did you ever in your wildest dreams think after all those months ttc you'd end up with three??? my husband also didn't want to think too far ahead until we got our NT results back either. I guess that's the rational and practical side of them.

Angela- Ethan is just precious and I love his name btw!! Good to hear he is putting on weight now. Don't put too much pressure on yourself re. the breastfeeding. You can only do your best. xo

Steph- that's awesome your dad is going to come to your appt. with you! I am so jealous! My parents live 1,000 of km away in BC and won't even be here for the birth. Who knows when they'll get to see their grandchild. Don't even get me started. Enjoy these precious moments!

AFM- I seem to be growing at a rapid pace now. It's freaking me out! I have instilled a desert ban on me starting today. I have put on 3 lbs since my Doctor's appt. last week. I know alot is belly at the moment but I have to start being more careful. It's really less about vanity and more about comfort and health. I just see the pain my friend who gained 80 lbs is going through and I just don't want to experience that. Plus it's a problem to take off. DH and I started looking at furniture and what not online tonight. I think we found a crib we like! We'll probably wait to buy anything until after our gender scan on April 12th. I have my heart set on white furniture for the nursery but he thinks its too feminine if we end up having a boy. I disagree....... what do you guys think???

Well, i can hear them weighing in now on the Biggest Loser in the other room so I think I'll go catch that. haha

Hope everyone is doing well!! We are missing some girls out there! has anyone seen Lucy lately? I think it's been at least a month or two.

Oh I am for white no matter the gender. I figure I can always stencil boy/girl designs on later in required!

 

[sunshine71]

Good morning everyone!

Angela - glad you're cleared to breast feed again! And I thank you for posting about it - these are all things that are good for us to be aware of. To be honest, up until reading about your experiences I've been completely clueless about how it all works. Guess it's a little more than insert part A into slot B, huh?

Rebekah - Thank God the GI issues are lessening! And good luck with the insurance coverage for the injections. Insurance companies can be SO frustrating to deal with - I'll keep my fingers crossed that it all works out for you.

Steph - Congrats on finally making it to the 3rd trimester! You're in the home stretch now, girl! So you find the Lamaze helpful? They offer breathing classes through the hospital I'll be delivering at, but I haven't spoken to anyone who's actually taken them. I know it sounds dumb, but because our mothers took it I wondered if it was one of those things that was pretty much outdated now. Good to know you're finding it useful. Please keep posting your thoughts about it as you go!

Chris #1 (love it!) - as far as the furniture goes, I don't see a problem using white in a little boy's room. Once you add the accessories (trucks or trains or dinosaurs or whatever it is that little boys like...) it'll totally be a "little man's" room!

So the blood test should make the odds better for me, huh? Now THAT makes me happy! When I asked the doctor if it could make a big difference in the 1 in 700 that we have now, or if it would just tweak it a little, she said it could make a huge difference. For the better OR for the worse. But I understand that doctors are leery of saying too much either way without the data to back it up. BUT - just for my own piece of mind until the results come back - I'm going to keep in mind what you just told me instead of what the doc told me. I like your answer better.

From what the doctor told me, the age & the nuchal measurements typically show more of the odds for tri 18 & 21, and the blood work is more strongly geared toward tri 13. Who knows - every time I try to google more info on it I get different answers. *Sigh* Guess I'll just have to wait it out the old fashioned way.

Titi - how did your scan go? Can't wait to hear about it!

Hi to everyone else - Anna, Austin, Junebug, Terri, Viv (sorry if I missed anyone!)

Have a great day, ladies!

 

[Mommy's Angel]

Hi everyone.

Chris, I love white furniture. We're using a darker color but it's because it goes with the furniture we have here. I have loved the look of white though and think it would be good for both sexes. What you "could" do is find white cribs with both male and female bedding in it to show your husband it can look good for a boy or a girl either way. Online they ALWAYS tend to have white bedding with both on there. Maybe that would pursuade him.

Steph, WTG with the 3rd trimester!! You made me laugh about the swollen feet issue. Don't worry though, I'll get mine when the time comes.

Viv, I just LOVE the kitten in your pic. It brings a smile to my face everytime!

AFM, I decided to finally make the appointment for a second opinion in Rochester. It's the end of this month and I'm already feeling a sense of relief. After talking ALOT with a couple of the women from the cerclage thread and my friend who's been through the exact experience as i've been a few weeks before Jackson and is now pregnant again a few weeks before me...I'm just feeling as though this perinatologist has a "wait and see" approach and is waiting too long to cerclage. By the time I'm 15 to 20 weeks, I may have already started opening and the risks of cerclaging later are actually MUCH higher at her scheduled dates than if she would cerclage at 13 or 14 wks which is less than 1% chance of risk.

I'm going to the appointment on Friday and tell her I"m not confident with the approach, however, their hesitancey about even cerclaging makes me nervous because they don't seem confident at all because of the risks and it has me wondering if they can perform it confidently.

I called Strong Perinatologist Associates and already the conversation I had was a welcoming one and not just another problem patient I feel this office treats us like. They said they would transfer the records from what happened with Jackson Jeffrey while also the feedback from this pregnancy and I'd meet with TWO Dr.'s at the end of the month.

Doug is very NERVOUS about the two or so hours travel back and forth. He's just concerned about getting us safely to the hospital when we need to get there.

I on the other hand would feel so at ease at this hospital because it is reputable and isn't the hospital that was negligent with Jackson. I just feel that if I have to go back to that hospital again to birth It would just be awful for me.

So I'll see what happens this friday's appointment and then see what the second consult has to say in Rochester. Hopefully one way or another we'll get the care we need and I can finally put my mind to rest and RELAX!

As for the insurance issue, We stopped because we couldn't find the right pharmacy that dispenses the drug. We're going to ask on Friday which pharmacy it is and I have to see if they are in line with our insurance. What I've heard from the insurance company is that they'll pay either 100% or 80%. It's much higher than what our current pharmacy specialist told us that they would only pay 40% out of loop. So I'm not going to worry about it and we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

 

[Tititimes2]

Hi, ladies. I hope you all are feeling good today.

sunshine and austin - thanks for asking after me.

Today, was a hard day for me. Had my second ultrasound this morning. My FS thinks I'm around 5 weeks, 3 or 4 days. Looks like the gestational sac did grow since last week but no sign of a yolk sac or fetal pole yet. FS said ideally they would like to see a yolk sac now although they were not concerned because it is early. They re-checked my blood tests. My beta/hcg is still high = 16,165 and so is my progesterone = greater than 40. My only issue is my TSH is back up again (I have a thyroid problem) so they increased by medicine again.

Had a really tough time getting through today. I keep hearing that it is still early and plenty of women go in at 6 or 7 weeks and see a yolk sac, fetal pole and even a heart beat.

I was hoping to see some progression today. Just not sure how to feel. Of course, I am really sad and disappointed. Everyone says stay positive. It's not always easy to do in this long, long process of TTC and beyond and after so many distressing and anxiety ridden days.

So, ladies if you have any extra positive energy, please send it my way...

 

[Mommy's Angel]

Hi, ladies. I hope you all are feeling good today.

sunshine and austin - thanks for asking after me.

Today, was a hard day for me. Had my second ultrasound this morning. My FS thinks I'm around 5 weeks, 3 or 4 days. Looks like the gestational sac did grow since last week but no sign of a yolk sac or fetal pole yet. FS said ideally they would like to see a yolk sac now although they were not concerned because it is early. They re-checked my blood tests. My beta/hcg is still high = 16,165 and so is my progesterone = greater than 40. My only issue is my TSH is back up again (I have a thyroid problem) so they increased by medicine again.

Had a really tough time getting through today. I keep hearing that it is still early and plenty of women go in at 6 or 7 weeks and see a yolk sac, fetal pole and even a heart beat.

I was hoping to see some progression today. Just not sure how to feel. Of course, I am really sad and disappointed. Everyone says stay positive. It's not always easy to do in this long, long process of TTC and beyond and after so many distressing and anxiety ridden days.

So, ladies if you have any extra positive energy, please send it my way...

Oh your REALLY early at just 5wks hun. Most "early" scans I know have been 6 or 7 weeks. I'm a diabetic and they start around late 6wks and that's earlier than MANY who only get their first between 8 to 10wks. You should start seeing the sac late 6wks early 7wks and the heartbeat depends. I've heard it in my last pregnancy at 6weeks and this time around 7wks.

I wouldn't let that bother you, you've actually had an EXTRA early scan. Usually they only tell you they'll see "limited" because it's so early. I'm surprised they jumped the gun so early. Try and put your mind at ease and hopefully you'll get another scan at 6 or 7 wks and it'll put your mind at ease.

 

[pablo797]

It's late and I'm, exhausted but wanted to get caught up. Spring Break is kicking my ass. A quick note tonight and I hope to get caught up with everyone in the next few days.

Just wanted to send hugs to Titti, don't worry too much hon. I did not hear the heartbeat until 12 weeks!!! It's still really early. I am thinking of you and sending all the extra energy I have your way.

Have a good night everyone, and hugs. Promise to catch up soon. Anna