Clomid/FE Conceived Buddies :)

[Nita2806]

I have to agree with you Sarah, I am not scared at all to care for baby after she has been born, but more so for the actual labour part, and that freaks me out, especially reading our local forums where women say they experience bleeding for 6 weeks after? Like Woah! This morning DH asked me if I am excited, I said yes and no, yes because I cant wait to meet her and no because of the birth part, i need more time to get ready for it, thankfully I do have time, phew.

I will start with my hospital bag at week 32 so its ready sooner rather than later. Ill be packing a bag for myself and baby(which the hospital will give me) and a bag for DH with 2 pairs of clean clothes and a lot of healthy snacks to keep him full. Ive started with the planning so far

I also dont like the whole winter idea, I discovered leggings but my jackets are all too small. Then I will just add, we are having the hottest winter in many years, its only really cold at night, we walk around in short sleeves during the day (Day temperature is around 23 degrees Celsius). I cant wait for summer though.. However our summers are very very hot with temperatures going into the 40 degrees Celsius..

When do you think you will find out the gender Bonnie? I found out on 16 weeks already, but I know, not everyone everywhere get to have a 16 week scan but rather 12 and 20 weeks..

 

[sarah2211]

I think because we both had quite a bit of time to emotionally prepare for what it'll be like with a baby while TTC. But the actual labour is quite a big unknown. Plus everyone's different and every labour is different. I've heard some people sail through it and others it's quite traumatic. It's become more scary since having antenatal class and hearing about the different stages and pain relief etc and also going through our birth plan with the midwife. I'm not sure if I shared her stance on pain relief. But my DH would like for me to have a pain relief free birth (lovely of him...) and my midwife said that she prefers that too but can and will administer pain relief if I ask and look like I 'need' it.. The options available are gas, epidural and fentanyl and I've said that they're my order of preference. I just have this gut feeling I'm going to get an epidural.

Packing my hospital bag is on my to do list. Well I'm going to try and start this week. Our hospital provides a lot of things for the baby while we are there, plus I'm quite happy to send my DH home to get things. Unfortunately, Dads can't stay overnight at our hospital so he'll have to go home each night. I really only plan on staying 1 night, but if things turn bad I might have to stay longer and they might let him stay the night if that happens.

My brain has turned to mush in the past week. I can't remember if I've told people things and when I've got appointments and things I need to do... So I'm writing as much down on the calendar/to do list.

Our winters aren't too bad, like around 10 to 15C degrees in the day and between 5 to -2C at night. Our summers vary, like last year the average was 16 to 25C but the year before we were having 30C+ days. And it varies heaps depending on where you are in the country. I've been wearing DH's jacket because mine stopped doing up a few weeks ago.

 

[Bonnie11]

Nita yes I bled for nearly 6 weeks! It really varies person to person though, some people only a couple, others on and off up to 8. All I will say is buy at least twice as many maternity pads as you think you will need! I ended up getting through loads.

My only advice with your first birth plan is not to be too stuck on an idea. It's good to have a vague plan but as soon as you start imagining how things will happen it's bound to be the opposite! Babies have their own way of doing things unfortunately. Personally I found my first birth a bit traumatic, not in the birth itself as we were both fine at all times, just in the way that it happened in the opposite to what I wanted. I was aiming for minimal intervention, light pain relief if needed but hopefully none, delayed cord clamping etc. And I ended up with the complete opposite! Pessaries, drips, spinal block and epidural! It took me a long time to get over they way she was born when in fact the thing I was sad about was that it wasn't the lovely way I had imagined. At the end of the day all that matters is that you and the baby are safe and healthy, however they come out. So just don't have too many plans is my advice! You might be screaming for an epidural after a couple of hours or you might sail through a 30 hour labour on gas an air, it's impossible to tell before you get there. This time around I'm aiming for a VBaC which I hope will go well, there's no reason it shouldn't, but at the same time ready to accept for things to be different.

So exciting for you guys, makes it seem ages away for me! Got 30 weeks still 😫

 

[sarah2211]

Thanks Bonnie, I've started getting everything ready for the hospital bag. I bought a pack of the old lady incontient undies at the supermarket and one pack of maternity pads but I'll grab more in the next few weeks. Packing my hospital bag makes me appreciate why women would have home births haha everything is right there.

I agree, and I think the most daunting thing is that you can't prepare for it because anything could happen. I'm definitely not firm on anything happening or not happening during labour. I'm open to anything that will get him out. There are things that we'd like to have like delayed cord clamping, immediate skin on skin etc. The only thing I'm desperate about is making sure I can BF and if not that I've expressed enough colostrum so his first few feeds aren't formula.

I really hope this time goes smooth for you and you can have your VBAC. Is there anything that they need to consider when doing a VBAC? Like to make sure there are no complications?

My due date is next month! Even though it's the 31st and I only just scrape in August! It's scary to think that!!

 

[Nita2806]

Sarah - I feel like we are having a typical summers day in NZ, today is 8 degrees minimum, and maximum 25 - and this is in the middle of winter :O

Thats great advice Bonnie - Things never work out as planned anyway, but I am so hoping to go natural with the epidural. But in the end if myself and baby is healthy and OK it doesnt really matter how it happened. I have heard only great things about my doctor too when it comes to delivering babies - so I think it will be OK and SO WORTH IT in the end. And, it can't be that bad if women want to do it more than once

Something funny: I always hear how the people in other countries think the lions walk free in the streets of South Africa - and today I have to admit that its the truth. a few lions escaped from the Kruger National Park and they are walking the streets... lol

 

[sarah2211]

Lucky you! We are expecting a cold snap tonight, but we won't be hit the worst. Plus I've got nowhere to be so I'll just stay at home where it's warm.

And Nita, make the most of the second trimester, I'm starting to feel slow, big, tired, nauseous, forgetful, overwhelmed and just blah now.

 

[Nita2806]

I am starting to feel aches and slow already Sarah, and I only have just over 2 weeks left of my second trimester. I cant believe how the time have gone by so quickly. My 4D scan is exactly 1 month away - I cant wait.

 

[Nita2806]

Ladies, I need your opinions please. See below my bump shots, taken 3 werks apart. I feel like I havent grown that much really, what do you ladies see judging by the photo? Sorry its bad quality, but its the only way I could get it to upload from my phone.

 

[sarah2211]

It was somewhere between the start of the third trimester and about a week later I started feeling blah. I miss the second trimester haha. But I've been told (even by ransoms in town) that I look good and not swollen like pregnant women usually get. Two of my aunties who are pretty honest told me that they thought I would be massive, puffy, swollen and huge (thanks heaps haha) but that I definitely wasn't.

I can see your bump has grown Nita. It looks like your back is arching more in the 23 week photo though. But I wouldn't worry. Mine stayed the same for weeks and it seems to grow overnight and then nothing for ages.

This is my pathetic bump. This was at 31 weeks. I'll see if I can do an updated one today. It's grown a little since then.
https://i66.tinypic.com/8wy00j.jpg

 

[ttc126]

Aww I like both your bumps! Sorry I follow you guys but don't keep up great! Pregnancy with 2 toddler boys is so exhausting!

 

[sarah2211]

That's no worries TTC. I bet it's full on! I didn't realise my photo was going to be so big too! Sorry

For those of you who aren't finished your families (or when you weren't finished) what form of birth control are you going to use once your baby is here? If any.. I'm thinking of none. I'm wanting to see what my cycle does after he's born. We might just use the pull out method. I'm feeling like that would be a pretty safe option considering for most of your cycle you're not fertile and I didn't seem to be fertile for any of my cycle anyway! Maybe when I'm able to get enough sleep to temp I might go back to that.

 

[Nita2806]

Sarah - I told my DH I dont want to go on birth control ever again, and he totally understands why and what it has done to me, so after Liezl has been born we wont be preventing in any way whatsoever, more like NTNP. If it happens that I fall pregnant again - great, but when we are ready for no. 2 and we arent pregnant yet we will see my Gynae again and jump straight to IUI with a sperm wash to increase our chances for a boy. My body couldnt get back to normal after I was on BCP for only 9 months, I dont see regular cycles for me after birth. Once our family is complete either myself or DH will have to snip done, but no BCP or any other form of BC for me.

I have this other dilemma - We have 2 sets of stairs at work to our office, about 22 steps in total, and this morning I almost fell, luckily I could pull myself up before falling, I am just thinking as we go on, my balance would become less, and after this morning I am really scared to fall on the stairs - I dont really know how to address this..

 

[sarah2211]

I agree. I don't think it's a good idea for either of us to go back on birth control. However I did find my cycles were most regular straight after coming off the pill. But I'm not going to go back on the pill unless a fertility specialist told me to. I think we will give it 18 months before going to a fertility specialist though. What do the statistics/research say about sperm washing and IUI for boys?

I made a whole heap of lactation cookies today. I've already eaten quite a few haha so I hope I don't start leaking.

I'm definitely more clumsy but I don't find my balance is too bad. I can still crouch down and be ok. Is there a hand rail?

 

[Nita2806]

We havent done any research on sperm wash yet, since my DH and I are still considering it (I still hope I get pregnant naturally though) but when my gynae told us she does it, she said it isn't 100% certain but your chances are higher than the current 50/50 chance. I think we will also give it about 2 years and if nothing we will go back and find out how the sperm wash work and what the chances are. I am not worried about it now - I just know that no BCP for me - and we have both agreed which I am happy about.

There is a hand rail on the stairs, but the steps are very narrow and slippery most of the times, and I need to go up and down a few times a day.

 

[sarah2211]

I see. I think more boys are conceived than girls (naturally) anyway so your odds are in that favour anyway. I think we will probably have 3 babies and I'm happy if they're all healthy (obviously) but would prefer not all boys! But I know that wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

I guess you'll just have to take it slowly. It's probably more dangerous putting a mat or something on it. We have really strict health and safety laws here so if this was the case at my work I'd lodge a job and they'd deal to it asap! But I don't have a job anymore haha

Like I said earlier my brain has gone to complete mush. My friend text me last week wanting to catch up on Thursday which was fine. But for some reason I thought tomorrow was Wednesday and made a few other plans for tomorrow. But tomorrow (now today) is Thursday and I've now got a million things to do, plus a midwife appointment and catch up with my friend. I'm still not sure what day it is and how I could even lose a day haha. I only realised when Ovia told me that the baby is the size of a ferret that it was Thursday. Anyway, ticker day today Nita!

 

[sarah2211]

I had the midwife today. She said my blood pressure has dropped, which is good because it was borderline high. Also, she's pretty happy I don't have GD (which took quite a bit on convincing!) so I can stop finger pricking. She also looked at the measurements of my previous scan and said that they got the head measurement wrong (said it was bigger than it actually was) and she can tell because she's plotting all his measurements and said that heads don't just grow that much in 3 weeks. So based on all his other measurements he's still a little bubba, sitting around the 10-20 percentile. So I'm hoping that means I'll be pushing out a little bubba haha. And, his head is engaged!! Which is making me feel a little freaked out haha. He's in the LOL position (I don't think that stands for laugh out loud) which is perfect for birthing

 

[Nita2806]

I missed ticker day again lol - I like however that I am carrying a bag of oreas

I am glad your visit to the midwife went well Sarah.

Its been really hot here the last 2 days, so I strugled to sleep and just feel uncomfortable all over (but I prefer the hot weather) we have a cold front and snow on the mountains heading our way over the weekend - not looking forward to that though.

DH felt a proper kick for the first time this morning! YAY - She kicked me when I just woke up, I waited a few seconds and she started kicking hard, I woke DH up and told him to quickly put his hand on my tummy, and then he started smiling from ear to ear and said he can feel it, so kicked him twice before stopping again.

 

[sarah2211]

Haha I feel like I'm carrying a loaf of bread!

We've had cold weather here, and heaps of rain. Lots of road closures and flooding. I nearly didn't make it home from the midwife. I'm glad it's not hot here.

That's good Nita, I'm glad he was able to feel her. It's taken him a wee while! I find that even when my baby is sleeping and nice and still, if my DH talks to him he wakes up and starts kicking. He recognises my DH's voice. He's still away, so I get a bit of peace and quiet at the moment haha.

Ugh this heartburn sucks I've taken Gaviscon and Zantac, still it's horrible.

 

[Nita2806]

Hi ladies. Gosh its been a busy few days. On Saturday we went to a coffee and chocolate show, which was overcrowded. We couldnt even find a table to eat so we had to stand for about 5 hours straight, my back was killing me and yesterday we were out with friends and the other friends came for a braai. I couldnt sleep last night because my back was still so sore and I had horrible heartburn.

Sarah, it took him a while but he felt proper kicks, he believes she is a little kickboxer. We have our appointment in just under 2 days and I am hoping that she is still on track and not measuring too small. Just cant wait to see her though.

Have you tried taking a glass of milk after you have eaten Sarah for the heartburn? I have bee doing it for a week and seems to help.

 

[sarah2211]

Sounds like a busy weekend. Has work calmed down a little with your Mum back? Do people over there offer seats to pregnant women? I was at the pharmacy the other day and I had a seat (and there was a man a bit older than me and a teenage girl). An old lady came up looking for a seat and I stood up to give her a seat.. I forgot I was pregnant and probably deserved one haha. But it was pretty rude of those others not to offer.

Yeah I'm convinced our boy is a kickboxer, or a monkey. His movements have changed in the past few weeks though. I quite often (like right now!) have a foot that's poking out. His movements feel a lot 'bigger' rather than lots of little kicks. I reckon he knows his Dad is away though, he's not quite as responsive.

I was drinking a glass of milk before eating to 'line' my tummy, but the midwife said eating and drinking together often makes heartburn worse. I didn't find it made much difference, but milk on an empty stomach helps. I've also been eating fruit tingles/fizzy lollies. They taste yum and help with heartburn!

I've started washing his clothes, packing the hospital bags and cleaning the house! I really feel like my bump isn't that big. I was expecting it to be massive by now, so I'm making the most with cleaning and nesting now!