*Assisted conception ladies due Jan/Feb/March 2017*

[Fern81]

Pinkie for a ticker- if you like someone's ticker just click on it and it will take you to that specific ticker making website. The site will guide you step by step through designing the ticker. Then at the end of the ticker-making process, you will see a lot of codes displayed. Choose the one that says "bb code" by highlighting the whole code and right click to copy. Then back on bnb you just paste that whole code into your signature. It will update automatically. (Just a heads-up: the lilypie ticker I'm using is annoying me a bit because it has the baby crl size wrong. At 13 weeks the average lenght is 7,4cm, not 9cm.)

 

[rebecca822]

Pinkie, my doctor assured me that it is ok if we can't eat very nutritious meals during pregnancy. The most important thing is to stay hydrated. With my daughter I was really sick and lost a lot of weight and barely ate anything. She was born healthy and perfect at 41+4 weighing 7lb 3 oz.

 

[Myshelsong]

Wow Fern, I really hope things get better for you Hun. It is stressful being pregnant and on top of that your blood pressure issue. I am so sorry.
Have you guys always had issues with money and his insensitivity or has this just come up now that you got pregnant? Big hugs Hun.

I know it is hard not to worry about your food intake, but you need to give yourself a break. You are doing the best that you can. Take your vitamins if you can, right now folic is the most important if you can't stomach the rest yet. If you can't eat healthy try to drink healthy. Fruit juices, tomato juice, even those meal replacement protein drinks are great to try. Try nuts and granola and dried fruit for nibbling. Good luck!!

I also wanted to eat healthy this pregnancy and although yes I am eating nutritional foods I am also eating about 20% crap crap lately. Hubs is getting mcdonalds this morning for breakfast then I am turning this around and going to try to get better.
Only gained about five pounds so far so I know I am not doing too bad .... I hope not anyways.

 

[Rq120]

Awe, thanks for all the lovely comments ladies. We did have fun taking the pics. My sis in law took them for us. We are only doing a FB announcement because if we don't do one, someone will announce for us.

Ellie - When I discussed the blood test vs the NT scan the doc said I could skip the NT scan if I did the blood test. I would have to have the NT scan at a specialist's office and honestly I think it would end up costing MORE than the blood test. Because I am technically AMA (I'll be 35 before my due date), my insurance covered the blood test. So I opted for that instead.

Fern - Yes we will find out the gender with the test but with twins it will only tell me if it is both girls or at least one boy.
I'm wishing you the best with your OH. I can't imagine what you are going through being pregnant and dealing with all of that. I'll say a prayer for you for strength and peace.

I hope everyone has a good week and feels well.

 

[beemeck]

back from my trip and so glad to hear all the babies are still doing well!!

fern - I am so, so sorry to hear about your struggles with DH. I can't imagine. but you are strong and if you have to, you can do this on your own. hopefully it wont' come to that, but living unhappy and stressed isn't the way to live either. I hope he budges soon.

so exciting about all of the announcements too! we are having a garden party for our friends and will announce there. I haven't decided about social media yet. I will ask you girls your opinion. I'm very hesitant to announce on facebook, because during my struggle with infertility, it was so hard to see day after day more and more announcements. granted, we don't know what journies it took for everyone to get there, but it just felt like salt in the wound. I don't want to then not learn from that and do the same thing back. I posted a lot about my loss and struggles to conceive, so people will already know, but I thought if I do decide to announce, I'll make sure to include all of the women I've left behind and that their day will come, even though it doesn't feel like it. what was everyone's experience with those announcements while struggling??

My scan is tomorrow and I'm anxious to hear what the cyst is up to! of course I'm pumped to sneak a peek at baby now, who will actually look like a baby!

 

[elliecain]

I agonised over that too Beemeck, but I have decided I will allow myself one big announcement at 12 weeks and one when the baby arrives. Aside from that, I will back off and keep baby stuff away from social media. I won't be putting any scan pictures at all on Facebook though. They used to kill me, they were the worst possible thing.
Everyone I know knows that it's been a long time coming so I think most people will be over the moon. I have 2 friends who may struggle with the news, so I intend to tell them face to face before I announce.

Rq, I get the NT test on the NHS so it will be free. Considering I've paid for the whole IVF process privately, I'm definitely maxing out my NHS entitlement now! I've kind of made up my mind now that I will do the NT test at 11+3 then pay for Harmony if there is any doubt. The chances are it will be a risk within the normal limits for my age and then I can just relax.

 

[Pinkie3]

Fern, I am so sorry things are bad at home, it doesn't make sense why he is being so unsupportive and quite frankly very immature. You are carrying his child, he should be wanting to wrap you in cotton wool. I truly hope things turn around and you can put this behind you. Good luck with handing your notice in tomorrow.

Beemeck, this is one of the main reason I am not announcing on Facebook. Over the years I have seen so many announcements it was like a stab in the heart each time, If I make one person feel what I did then I will be very sad. Also, I think it depends on how much you use social media, I am not a big user of FB anyway so it would be unlike me to make such a big announcement. Don't get me wrong I have nothing against them at all, for anyone, especially the likes of us ladies who want to shout it from the roof tops, make beautiful announcements so they can share with their children in the future then I think it's wonderful. We are all different, it would be a boring world if we wasn't, but we are quite private people and it's just not my style.

Beemeek, good luck at your scan tomorrow.

Thanks for everyone's advice on the food intake, you have put my mind at ease and I feel less worried about it now. X

 

[Fern81]

Thanks again everyone for your understanding and support! Well he is leaving me alone & seems to have moved in downstairs so at least we're not actively fighting right now; even though things are not sorted out, I have some breathing space. He even told me it is selfish of me to try and sort things out because he doesn't feel like it so I shouldn't force him. I can only laugh at that in astonishment. Unfortunately these issues have always been there and gets better, then worse, then better etc. Idk. He has his good points but we did break up a few times before getting married (and was separated for a while in 2014 just a few months after getting married). I think I married him for the wrong reasons but am in it now so I have to cope as best I can. I'm not sorry I'm pregnant though.

Fb announcements- I really get why people like Fb, my mom and sister love it, I'm just a really private person too (I can be anonymous on here that's why I talk so much lol!). So I don't like Facebook but just in the same way some people don't like certain foods. Also Twitter etc. I have no social media except bnb. The few times I've been on fb I've never been saddened by other people's announcements. I mostly feel happy for them, not because I'm a saint lol but because a while back I realised that I would be OK to never have kids if it had proved to be impossible. We weren't going to keep trying past my birthday in November, regardless. So other people's pregnancies mostly put a smile on my face, even on here (and especially in the ltttc forums, but each to his own). Come to think of it, I actually only got frustrated with one ttc lady ever (that was on here), but she was banned from bnb recently for being a cyberbully. Rq if you were my fb friend I would have loved your pics and that you look so radiantly happy.

Beemeck- yay please post a piccie! Hope your cyst is behaving.

My bump has gone down (!?) but I can still feel my uterus. So I hope that means my bloat is gone and ovary is shrinking.

 

[Fern81]

Oohh rq I still vote one of each!

 

[2have4kids]

Beemack good luck with your next scan. Our big one is Thursday, looking forward to it!!

We didn't announce our 1st with overseas family & fridnds until 31 weeks and did so via fb. Everyone has known our struggle, 6 years of ttc, leaving for Europe to do DE ivf, in 2013, twice I went to Athens in 2 months. It'd been crazy. Then preparing for adoption and the crazy process that entails. You go to another city fir the welcome seminar, then the police & social service background checks, then the personal interviews & home interviews. Then you get pregnant! They tell you to stop trying while going through the process. Ha right! It's too difficult to hide everything so when we finally did get pregnant we didn't announce till we had bump photos done @ 31 weeks and we used fb as it would have been too difficult otherwise. This time it was either announce or my boss would since I had to let work know I'm coming back early.
We have DD's photos up on a secret page, it allows DH to share with his British family. I don't mind, there's more privacy on secret pages than the usual wall posts.

Fern, I had a massive blow out with DH and moved out for 2 months with my 1st pregnancy. We'd arranged to go to a mountain group chalet party for the weekend and paid for the room and DH went and booked tickets to visit his brother that sane weekend. So instead of changing his flights, he ditched me. It was booked nearly a year in advance as it was a super nice place and there were ~ 20-30 of us with kids too. I was furious that he lied to me, the bad thing is that he'd done that once before too. That first time he gave me sn hours notice before he took off, he justified it the second time by guving me 24 hours notice. I just think once a liar, always a liar. You can't fix that, it has to do with integrity. We were supposed to announce to friends that weekend since I wouldn't be drinking and they'd be wondering why. It still angers me. But I have my babies and that's all that matters. And he knows as much. He can stay and be a loving father and contributing husband or he can go and send us a cheque in the mail, his choice. So far he's chosen to stay.

 

[Rq120]

Ellie - that makes total sense. I would go with the same plan also if my NT scan was free.

Honestly, I'm not a huge Facebook-er either. I just use it to keep tabs on family members. My hubby and I even have a joint account because I don't get on it enough to justify my own account. That being said, because our family and friends are so into FB if we don't post an announcement it will be posted inadvertently. Also, I figure with a twin bump people will figure it out eventually.

I also wasn't hugely affected when I saw announcements on FB previously. I sometimes had a moment of sadness when I was struggling and saw an announcement, but I always recognized my journey was mine and they had a different one. I've been blessed in my life in so many different ways, not everything can come easy I guess.

 

[Rq120]

2have, a secret page makes so much sense. I was wondering the best way to share baby pics with out of state family. Thanks for the idea.

 

[Pinkie3]

FB never bothered me at first but after a couple of years it started to take its toll. I was always happy for everyone, I would never wish infertility on anyone, but I couldn't help the way it made me feel. I think the emotions of this battle will stay with me forever.

A secret page is a good idea, I didn't know you could do that.

I am sorry if this has been done already but does anyone recommend a good pregnancy app?

X

 

[rebecca822]

FB never bothered me at first but after a couple of years it started to take its toll. I was always happy for everyone, I would never wish infertility on anyone, but I couldn't help the way it made me feel. I think the emotions of this battle will stay with me forever.

A secret page is a good idea, I didn't know you could do that.

I am sorry if this has been done already but does anyone recommend a good pregnancy app?

X

I like the what to expect when you're expecting app because it has a video for each week. My "reward" every Friday when I hit a new week is to watch that weeks video.

 

[Myshelsong]

I have a secret family page that I created a year ago. We add stuff like pictures, party announcements, Christmas lists and other fun things. It is super easy to do and completely secret so only those you add to it can see your stuff and they can post as well.

We will probably not be doing a public announcement. Although I never felt mad someone on FB announced it really did bring up negative feelings and resentments over the years. I know it is a completely personal decision, but as we now have FB friends that were in our adoption training program, I would feel horrible posting those things like a rub in the face. When we are further along or close to delivery there may be no other choice but to aknowledge the growing bump. But we won't have a big reveal. We will on the family page though!

 

[Rq120]

Pinkie - I like the baby center app also.

 

[2have4kids]

Ohhhh these headaches! I hope getting off the estrogen, prednisone, and progesterone next week helps!

 

[rebecca822]

Ohhhh these headaches! I hope getting off the estrogen, prednisone, and progesterone next week helps!

2have I'm off all the meds now and I've had the biggest headache today.
Vomitted twice today and feel like crap. I hope tomorrow's a better day.

Froggy, how have you been doing with your headaches?

 

[2have4kids]

Rebecca don't tell me that!

 

[elliecain]

I'm on prednisolone for 12 weeks too! Do you have NK cells too? I've read that the pred can be used to treat morning sickness, so I'm wondering if that's why I've had it fairly easy. I just hope I don't get a massive shock when I stop it and end up with second tri vomiting just when I go back to school!