Things got busy after my eye appointment, 4 days ago, and my computer was Crashy McCrashpants, so I'm just now catching up on 4 days worth of chat - eep!
STG, the pregnancy exposure therapy should have cured me if it was going to work for me. I'm surrounded by pregnancy and babies. There are 4 pregnant girls at work and countless amounts on FB.. not to mention the one that I am good friends with that had her baby 12 weeks after me..I feel better today. Maybe putting his stuff away was a step in the right direction .. it's not got the lid on the box nor is it in the closet yet, but it is progress.
Well, it's not really a cure so much as a way to manage it, and the key to exposure therapy is to
purposefully expose oneself to the thing that is stressing you (taking a measure of control), rather than just have it always thrust onto you,
and then to do re-framing self-talk about it (maybe say somethings like "I can handle these images" and "I'm not going to let IF ruin pregnancy related things for me" and "Even if IF still puts a ding in my enjoyment, I can handle it" etc., whatever works for you to make you feel more empowered and better). For me, I purposefully, regularly visit the Babymamas group, rather than avoiding it, and I watch pregnancy and kid related storylines on my favorite tv sitcoms, and watch sitcoms with families who have kids in them, and I do a little self talk at the beginning of my exposure and/or anytime I feel myself stressing. You can also decide to do the self-talk when you know you are going to be exposed to something PG related and decide to take the opportunity to do the self talk. For me, it was the combo of choosing to expose myself to PG related things when I wouldn't otherwise have to be exposed to them and then combining that with some improved self talk phrases, that put me over the top to a more peaceful place. (I think seeing a light at the end of the tunnel with IVF helped me feel like I could take on that challenge, but exposure therapy is still something I think I needed to do, and just heading towards IVF alone isn't what put me over the top.)
If you try it, keep in mind that it takes a lot of practice to feel relief, and even though I've been doing self-talk stuff (what they call cognitive behavioral therapy) for decades, it still took me a year to find the right protocol for relief in this instance (I don't have work outside the house, but there are PG people and people with kids everywhere I go in town, and on tv, and on the internet, so I took the path of least resistance and would skip over PG or child related storylines on my dvds, and I would have skipped visiting Babymamas, but I decided to challenge myself by taking on more exposure than I had to, so I could try the exposure therapy method which I'd been avoiding because it is a challenge to expose oneself to extra PG related things, when PG related things can really stress you out.)
Hopefully that all made sense.
Anyway, I'm glad you are feeling better after putting stuff away and that seems to be a step in the right direction.
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Re: Ikea, so many Ikea fans!
I guess I'm the only lady here who is the household furniture assembler! (I come from a line of builders - my dad was once a carpenter and my grandparents and relatives, both male and female, built my house). I do all the furniture assemblies, unless it's a two person job (like if there are long heavy sheets of glass involved), and then I get DH to help. He does all the car maintenance, though, so we each have our niches.
I just love to build and repair things, though.
I feel such satisfaction from it.
Hi Girls,
Amelia doesn't know how to tell you all so has asked me to post, she's started bleeding, she's been for a scan, there is a heartbeat but the sac is small, the doctor is worried, she's to do no exercise and to have no sex. She goes back for another scan Monday afternoon. She's laying low at the moment. At work and doesn't want to cry.
Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that, BB!
I'm sending Amelia loads of prayers right now!
There's a heartbeat, though, so that's good!
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Amelia I'm keeping everything crossed that it works out all right in the end! Peeked in at your journal and I'm glad to hear things are looking up and you are hopeful!
Happy B-day and scan day,
Nikki!
Thanks for the well wishes,
Nichole!
I got some pink spotting yesterday and today, so it's not looking hopeful for a Christmas miracle, but ya' never know until the witch sings.
Yay, for crosshairs,
BB!
Sorry your FF app took a poop, though!
Katrina, glad the relaxed cycle is going great for you!
FX'd!
I say plan to go on your snow tubing holiday and don't worry,
Sandy! Like you said, you can't plan your life around "what if's". And if you get a bfp you can cross that bridge when you come to it and getting the bfp will likely make up for if you feel like you can't go snow tubing.
Sorry you had a really bad day,
Brittney!
My DH is really good about certain kinds of household chores, but some things can be like pulling teeth. He's getting better at those things though, since I've been working with him, so perhaps you can help your DH to be better about it (if he's willing to work with you on it). Definitely ask him for what you want and tell him what you need, and talk it through if he doesn't understand. I'd definitely tell him how you are feeling about not just the snow shoveling and leaves incident, but about having to do all the list making and reminding, and then be very clear/specific about what you want him to do about it.
Sorry about the accident,
Brittney!
Glad it wasn't major, though. But still, darn, ice!
Congrats on the great scan,
Mirolee!
Gah,
Amelia, so sorry to hear you've got more bleeding and cramping!
FX'd and more prayers for you!
BB, I'm sorry you are feeling out!
But you've got great BD coverage, IMO (ever two days is perfectly good according to my doc)! Hang in there!
Glad you are making progress,
Brittney!
Hope you feel better soon,
Kayla!
And yeah, call a doc.
Sorry to hear you've got a nasty stomach bug and had to go to the ER for fluids and meds,
Nikki!
FX'd you get better soon!
Sorry your DH has got the stomach bug too,
Morgan!
And, oh, no! - a stomach bug going around nationally!
Poop, I hope DH and I don't get it. Every time I get one it's a trip to the ER because of my funky colon issues. Last time I went to the ER ASAP and they still had to give me multiple bags of fluids.
FX'd for you,
Sandy!
FX'd for you,
Nichole!
Glad you've got a game plan figured out, but hopefully you won't need it!
AFM: My eye appt. went great, and my new eye doc was great.
My favorite frames/lens tech was there and helped me pick out some cute new frames (an image of them is attached to this post). They should be in by the 31st of this month.
I had a little pink spotting, yesterday, and then a little more pink spotting, today (only upon wiping , nothing on liner, but still), so I'm expecting the witch to arrive on time, this weekend. DH was bummed, but this is what I expected to happen and I've made my peace with moving on to IVF, so I'm feeling fine about it, other than feeling bad that DH feels so bummed.
I'm tempted to be a little hopeful for a bfp, since the spotting has only been pink, and only a little after a bm, and that's it, but I've had changes in my spotting pattern before and it's always ended in AF so, I'm predicting AF. Although I won't know for sure till it hits. I might test tomorrow, idk.
blech.
