Clomid/FE Conceived Buddies :)

[Nita2806]

I am glad your DH is there Sarah. I think those questions will help with making decisions, however, I know myself, I will most likely also think about what Ive done after ai said do it lol.

Lucy, it can be blood sugar or blood pressure, have both checked out! During the first trimester your Blood pressure goes much lower than usual. Your blood sugar isnt suppose to go low due to pregnancy..

We had a public holiday today, so it was awesome having DH home for 3 days, tomorow will be my first official day on maternity (5hour working days from home) leave thought Id be bored, but I sleep a lot, the BP meds make me so sleepy, all the time!!

 

[sarah2211]

Lucy, it's definitely normal to feel like that in the first trimester. It's hard work on your body. Just make sure you're eating, drinking water and resting. Let your doctor know too.

Nita, definitely and it's completely normal to second guess and question what you decided. But I think as long as you take the medical advice on board but also make your own decision you'll only be able to do the best thing at the time. I know we did and I don't think we would have made any ofher decisions if we did it again.

AFM, no more antibiotics at this stage thankfully. There's still some tissue remaining and my uterus hasn't contracted back down as quickly as it should have. Basically it's just wait and see at this stage. If I feel worse then I have to go back in. Even the doctor said I'd been through a lot! I'm pretty over it.

 

[ttc126]

Sarah! I can’t believe you’re having more issues! You don’t deserve it!!!! Hope it all resolves soon!

Nita, thinking of you!

Quick update, I was diagnosed with cholestasis today. Baby is coming in about 2 weeks if I stay stable sooner if not.

 

[sarah2211]

Thanks TTC. I went to the hospital today and basically the advise is "wait and see if it gets worse". There's still some retained tissue and my uterus isn't as contracted as it should be but all within the 'normal' bell curve at this stage. So I just put up with being sore and hopefully I don't get worse.

Oh no TTC, are you having a RCS then? I'm sorry that's so rough

 

[Fluffycookie]

@sarah
One issue after another, you poor thing! I really, really hope your body will be okay soon so that you can really enjoy having your little one finally with you!

@Nita
How is your maternity leave going? If you're still working from home, that wouldn't be classed as maternity leave here, haha!

@ttc
I'm sorry but I don't know what cholestasis is - it sounds like it's pretty dangerous if they would induce you at 36 weeks because of it? :S

@Lucy
I've been having issues with low blood pressure pretty much since week 5, so I've gotten very used to only getting up slowly, drinking plenty of water and eating high in salt (my doctor recommended all of these and they help a lot!). Also, I make sure I get up regularly and walk around to keep my blood pressure up - I get low-blood-pressure-headaches if I don't ^^"

AFM:
10 weeks tomorrow Only 1.5 weeks until my appointment, hurry up already! Morning sickness has gotten a little better, so that's a relief. Can't wait to be out of the first trimester and tell everyone, go baby shopping and most importantly, stop worrying as much!

 

[Nita2806]

TTC - lots of hugs! Hoping there's no other complications and baby can stay in you until 36 weeks - which is just around the corner.

Haha Sarah - I can imagine your frustration! Hopefully the end of the complications are in sight for you!

Fluffy, be careful about the salt intake, I was advised against it, as salt is an addiction and you wouldn't want to sit with high blood pressure like me in your 3rd Tri due to the extra salt intake. Lots of water, a balanced diet should do the trick. I ate 7 meals a day in my first trimester and it worked like a charm (believe it or not, I had low BP as well then, with readings going below 90/60) Keeping your legs elevated above the rest of your body, will also help I have basicly cut out salt completely from the beginning of the year, best decision for my health that I have ever made.

My maternity leave started great, got up at 7am, started working 8am and then a client phoned that the bank need urgent info which I need to prepare, so much for a relaxed day. My BP have been between 120-140/75-90 today ugh... Its pretty standard here to work from home during Maternity leave here... No work, no pay LOL

Hehe Fluffy you are exactly 25 weeks behind me I will be 35 weeks tomorow, and I have 1 week 1 day till my appointment

 

[sarah2211]

Thanks fluffy. I hope so too. I'm getting really sick of all these complications. I thought we might have an easy time after all the trouble getting pregnant and then the troubles during my pregnancy. But I really should have known it wasn't going to go to plan. Wow, to me it feels like your pregnancy is going really quickly! I'm not sue if it feels that way to you haha. I'm glad you're not feeling as nauseaous.

Nita, I hope so too. I'm just so sick of it. In NZ you working from home wouldn't be considered maternity leave either haha. I've heard mixed things about salt and BP. I was advised not to cut it out. Your BP sounds normal. Mines gone back to normal now that my infection has gone. Except they took it yesterday in the hospital. I couldn't see the display except in the reflection of the window. It beeped and I looked and I read 151/70 and had a little panic. But then realised the 5 was in reverse from the reflection so it was actually 121/70 haha.

 

[Nita2806]

35 weeks today, heehaa!! More or less 3 weeks to go, and 1 week till I see my OB again. I found my 16 week bump pic, I cant believe how small I was and how big I thought I was lol, comparing that to now, I am a whale lol with sausages for toes and fingers, well everything is just so swollen.

Sarah, atleast theres some hope that my BP will be normal again. Mine now feels high for me, considering I take meds twice a day to make it lower...i would have expected it to be even lower.

No working for me today, yay, I am going to colour and cut my hair and buy some frozen foods for the next 2 months and we are going out with DHs parents tonight.

When I just found out I was pregnant I was still seeing a dietician, and she said to me whatever I do, dont increase my salt intake. Its very bad for your health overall, and even if you think you are just taking it temporarily to keep your BP up, you will get used to it and your body will crave that salt. She suggested more and smaller meals, and including some crackers or unsalted popcorn will keep your BP up. It worked for me.

 

[Fluffycookie]

@Nita
I'll be careful not eating too much salt, but my doctor said to have a little more as it's only dangerous to people who are overweight and/or have high blood pressure or a family history of high blood pressure (likely to develop it). I have chronically low blood pressure and am pretty skinny, so she said for me, she recommends having "a little more"
I can't believe you only have three more weeks to go!! Stocking up on freezer meals seems like a really good idea. I will definitely do that too when the time comes!

@sarah
151 would be pretty high, haha XD It's the second number that matters more though, the first number spikes easily when you're nervous. Still glad it wasn't 151 though, that would have been near panick attack for a pulse
Actually, this last week felt like it went by more quickly because we've been pretty busy. The new semester starts in a few weeks and I've been preparing my teaching. We've also had lots of social things happening at the weekends. Today I'm 10 weeks and I was thinking I might start showing now, but my stomach is as flat as ever X) Only in the mornings though, in the evenings I sport a bloat-belly

When did you start showing? My mum is also very skinny but was much more sporty than me when she was in her late 20s, and she said with her abs, she didn't show one bit until 17 weeks! I hope it won't take that long for me, I can't wait!

 

[Nita2806]

Stock up both freezers with pre cooked meals - check
Hair cut and colour - check
The list of things to do before baby comes is getting really short. Our new cupboard is in and packed, I feel that we are ready for her!

Fluffy, every women is different, I started showing around 16 weeks, and I could still hide it until about 25 weeks (if I remember correctly) from 30 weeks onwards it was just all whale and sausage for me. I am very short and I have a very weird posture, my back is hollow(if this is the correct term) so my tummy looks bigger than it is. Oh I should post a 35 week bump pic

 

[Nita2806]

16 weeks VS 35 weeks

 

[sarah2211]

Nita, cute bump. She doesn't look like she's going to be a little baby haha.

I had low BP pre pregnancy and I was told to eat more salt. I spent quite a bit of time researching it because I was iffy about taking that advice but there have been a number of studies to show that the link between salt and BP is vague at best. So I decided I wasn't going to put any restrictions on it. There's enough you can't eat when you're pregnant.

I got my hospital notes and when my epidural went in my BP dropped to 84/51! I felt terrible.

The freezer meals have been awesome. But I really recommend finding foods that you can easily eat wth one hand and foods that you can easily have for lunch or snacks. We've got lots of apples, carrots, bliss balls, crackers, muesli bars. The quicker you can grab them and eat them with one hand, the better. My husband has to cut up my dinner because I'm usually feeding William and can only use a fork haha. He feeds me and I feed William.

Fluffy, haha I had a little panic but it was 121 not 151! I just saw the 2 backwards in the window haha. Looking through my notes my BP ranged from 120-170 / 70-120 during pregnancy and labour. I also had protein in my urine on three occasions, swollen hands and jerky reflexes which are indicators of preeclampsia. I think they caught it pretty early though

I didn't start showing until around 22 weeks. I could hide my bump virtually my whole pregnancy though. If I was wearing one of my DH's jerseys you wouldn't have known. The postie said to me "you're home a lot these days" and I said "yes I'm on maternity leave now". She said, "really? Where's your bump? Let me guess, due in December or January?" My husband's boss thought I had another 2 or 3 months to go and asked if we got the dates wrong haha. I'll upload some of my bump photos. My bump has completely disappeared and tummy is pretty much back to pre-pregnancy, about the same as my 16 week photo

William was 7lb 2oz when he was born which put him at the 35th percentile. He's now sitting at the 18th percentile. While is crazy because ALL I do is feed him. He does like to spill it all back up again, usually between my boobs haha.

 

[sarah2211]

 

[Nita2806]

Lol Sarah, my tummy looks bigger than it is, but hiding it is definately not possible. People still tell me that I am so small, and just to give it a week or 2, Im going to double in size..we will see Oh and I have stocked our cupboards with easy snacks as well i got assorted crackers and mini cheeses, etc. Things thats easy to grab. But I always have things like that in the house.

Wow your BP went really high. Thankfully you made it out OK

Today is ticker day, still sucks to celebrate on my own lol.

 

[rickyandlucy]

Sarah, I got a little chuckle out of you feeding William and your DH feeding you, lol. Sounds absolutely adorable!

Nita, I am just waiting to hear good news from you one day soon!

So I am 10 weeks today. Cannot wait to get to 12, and the next appt! I personally can already tell that my waistline has expanded; I can no longer suck it in and even when I do I have a bit of a poke out where my tummy is usually flat. But that's something only I would know. I have not gained weight yet though. I am guessing I will be slow to show, and will be able to hide it for quite a while longer. Already wearing a Bella Band though; purely for comfort!

I know I have been spotty here. Our plate is a bit full these days. DH and I both work full time, plus I coach youth soccer at a local school, plus we are packing to move in just 10 short days! I've meant to pack a little every evening when I get home, but I have just been so exhausted. Hopefully I can get a lot done this weekend.

It's rather funny how the timing worked out on all this. We are currently in the process of building a house. Foundation is in. Framing is going to start any day now. But the house won't be done until Jan/Feb. We went ahead and listed our current house for sale, thinking it would take a while to sell. We live in a pretty rural area and things tend to sit awhile, and we didn't want to miss the summer buying season. Well, we listed, and 6 days later we were under contract at full price. 8 days after that we found out we were pregnant. Oops!

So we will be moving in with my aunt for about 4 months. I know I am going to hate living out of a suitcase (we won't really be able to unpack much of anything), but I suppose we can't really complain. In the end I know things are going to work out better than we could have ever hoped for.

 

[sarah2211]

Nita, your bump looks like a decent size to me. But my friend had a bigger bump than me and her baby was 6lb 9oz. William was just good at hiding. He found lots of room in my back. As you can see my bump grew a lot quicker towards the end but I could still hide it.

Even though she will be out and you can pass her to DH for a cuddle, you'll spend a lot more time feeding than you think. I think for us, because my DH had to do so much of the caring in the first week, William is really comfortable with him. But I have friends whose babies would only settle with them, not the dad. So easy snacks are perfect.

Yeah it was quite scary re reading my notes. I'm glad my BP is better now, it'll probably go back to being low again now. And sorry I can't join you for ticker day. Our new week starts on Saturdays. He's 4 weeks this Saturday. The Ovia parenting app isn't as good as the pregnancy one.

Lucy, haha yes it's pretty funny. In hospital my husband would spoon feed me while I was feeding William.

Has your husband noticed your tummy? It's probably bloating or your uterus just moving up at this stage. As you can see from my photos I didn't really start showing until 31 weeks. I didn't have any photos in the middle.

Will your house be done by the time you're due? I can't work out the dates haha my brain is too dead at the moment. We are in the process of building too but we are waiting for the plans. They're taking ages. It'll be nice to be in a new house with your family!


Well I'm not feeling any worse so I assume I'm not going septic haha.

 

[Nita2806]

Things have a way of working out perfectly Lucy! Hope your new house will be done in time, and it will be great to start the new house life with a new family member.

You know CD1 of my pregnancy was 28 January, on DHs birthday and also the day we moved into our new house. Amazing how things just work out perfectly, and it will for you as well.

Lol Sarah, just last night DH told me my tummy is getting even bigger, feels the same to me though lol. I only notice the difference in size when my legs needs a shave...which is today, ugh.

Lucy I started wearing maternity jeans early on because I was so bloated, but around 12 weeks that bloating dissapeared and I was back on normal jeans.

Sarah do you notice William having some of the sane characteristics in the outside world than he had in your womb? Reason I am asking, more curiousity than anything else, my baby kicks the whole day, and it would be interesting to know if she will be this energetic when she is born..

 

[Fluffycookie]

Thank you sarah and nita for sharing your bump picks Crazy how everyone develops so differently, right? Nita, my bloat is wearing off and I feel skinnier again, which has been very strange X)

Lucy, it sounds like you have a looot going on but all good things! Moving into your new place and getting everything ready for your baby there will be so special ^^ I remember when we moved here just a month before our wedding (that was a stressful time to move too, oh boy) and looking at the room we knew would become the nursery one day

I have a question about "First Trimester" for everyone. Here, my doctor always spoke of the end of week 12 (so 12+0). Online, I have often read that people consider 13+6 the end of their first trimester (seems to be a US thing?). What did you girls go by? If week 12, does that make your second trimester 2 weeks longer than the other ones? If week 14, did you wait until the end of week 14 to tell everyone? Week 12 is coming up quickly for me and we want to tell our extended family then, but I'm not sure when to tell friends and hubby is dying to tell his colleagues at work X)

 

[Nita2806]

Fluffy, I felt the same about the first trimester, I said I was in the 2nd trimester in week 13 - who knows when it really starts lol. Ovia only switched over to 2nd Tri on 14 weeks (13+7)

We told extended family right after our 12week appointment, when we got confirmation that the placenta have taken over and most risks of a MC / MMC were almost completely gone.

I hope this helps.

 

[rickyandlucy]

Sarah, glad that you are feeling better (or just not worse)? Lol. You need a break from all this. You have definitely been through more than your fair share. And yes, the early stages of building a house take forever. Hopefully you guys can get your plans straight soon. We have been trying to make this happen for years now already. And all of a sudden things seem to be happening fast, lol!

My husband thinks I have a belly already. It does seem to come and go though, so it could just be bloating. Seems more prominent at the end of the day. I actually tried some maternity jeans the other day; the underbelly kind, but I am still too small for them I think. But I have been so uncomfortable with traditional waistbands on my tummy that I bought a Bella Band; it is the freaking best. So comfy. And the weather is finally cooling off a bit here. Wearing a sweater for the first time this season, feeling cozy and content!

We are hoping to move into our new house in February, so theoretically we should be settled in before baby arrives. DH is stressed about it though, because he is either doing or managing quite a bit of the work himself (DH works in construction). He already had his hands full even without our house. I have been pretty much left to pack on my own because he has been working 6-7 days a week. I have been bringing him dinner at the jobsites, lol.

Fluffy, personally I feel like I would consider myself entering the 2nd tri once I hit 13 weeks. Can't wait for us to get there! Now that we've hit 10 weeks, it feels so close and so far at the same time!