IVF or FET November/December 2015 - chat thread

[Wish2BMom]

hi girls! I had a very busy week too with work and then we were off on PTO Thurs/Fri and headed up to Maine.

klik - how'd the scan go?

disney - how's little Sarah and Mama faring? I hope you're both well! baby pics if you want to share!!

boopin - i'll check your journal but how are you doing?

aster - how goes the adoption research?

scoob - I'll check your journal too! I hope you're doing splendidly!

we told more family this weekend while up in Maine - Jon's aunts and uncles. It was so fun! They were already planning a trip down our way this fall so hopefully it can be timed with a shower. We also saw Rancid/Dropkicks on Thurs night and that was so fun! poured rain on us for a good hour or so but I stayed awake the whole time!

 

[Disneyfan88]

Hi ladies. Just popping in to quickly say hello. Sarah is doing great, though we've run into a wall with breastfeeding. Little missy tore me up pretty good due to improper latch (due to tongue tie) and a crazy strong suck reflex, so I've had to temporarily switch to pumping for the past week while I allow myself to heal. Unfortunately, I'm for some reason unable to effectively extract my milk (even with a hospital grade pump), so my milk supply appears to have taken a big hit. I suspect some of my milk ducts have been closed off by new tissue regrowth. I'm working with a lactation consultant to get things moving in the right direction, but even after getting her tongue tie fixed and with using a nipple shield, she's drawing blood during most attempts at latching her on. We've been supplementing with formula for now, so at least her weight gain is fine. Her jaundice is fading, too.

She looks EXACTLY like her big sister did when she was born (only way smaller ). I've attached a hospital pic of little Sarah.

 

[boopin4baby]

Disney your baby girl looks adorable swaddled tightly in her blanket. Sorry to hear about the bf issues. Thank modern science for baby formula!! As long as she's getting nourishment, that's what ultimately matters. I'm happy that Sarah's jaundice is improving. DD1 must be a cutie, too!! You & dh make pretty babies. Thanks for sharing!!

How's c-sec recovery going for you?? And how's DD1 adjusting to being a "big sister"?? Congrats again!!

 

[Wish2BMom]

everything boop said!!
Sarah is gorgeous, you must be so happy! Sounds like you're going through a little bit of hell right now, though. But again, I second what Boop says and thank goodness for an awesome backup in formula. I've already told myself that I will give myself a big break if breastfeeding doesn't happen. Especially with 2.

and yes, how's the healing coming from the c-sec?

 

[klik]

Disneyfan, Sarah is soooooooo utterly adorable! I'm really sorry about the latching problems--it must have been very uncomfortable for you... Also a bummer that expressing hasn't allowed you to maintain enough of a flow. But I'm totally with everyone else: these days, formula is wonderfully effective, and Sarah's really lucky, she is also getting some mother's milk. And just look at her, she looks healthy and perfect! Did the tongue tie operation go well? Was it very difficult for her? How are you recovering from the C-section? I hope you're getting a lot of help in these early days!

AFM: so sorry for my absence, it was just really full on while mom was here. I need to get back to work in a sec, but wanted to send my good vibes to Brielle and Sarah and their lovely mommies, to Scooby and Wish and their growing little ones, and to my buddy Boopin' who will hopefully find success soon! I was given the go-ahead to start, after all... They saw me on CD6 (last time it was only CD9) because last time I responded so quickly. I seem to have two 8's and a 7 in my right ovary, plus one <6 in each ovary. Way too early to tell anything about them yet. There are a couple of worrying signs, but I think they shouldn't interfere with this cycle--they're more a long-term problem, rather... One is, I have two enormous cysts outside my left ovary, one of which seems to be in my Fallopian tube and probably blocking it... I hope it gets flushed out but it's pretty unsettling, even if I'm all about IVF at the moment. The other is, my BBT rose 3 days ago and is staying high, which would normally mean I'm producing progesterone (or maybe I'm fighting a cold, who knows?)--I shouldn't be producing progesterone this early in the cycle, but most RE's that I respect don't think that has any bearing on follicles--just on lining and, since we're freezing again, it's a problem for another time. Summing up: as far as cycle goes, so far so good; the future, however, is uncertain...

 

[Wish2BMom]

my fingers are so very crossed for you to have another successful retrieval this cycle, klik! when is your next scan?
No apologies needed for your absence. You were missed but I'm glad you got to concentrate on your Mom!

 

[scoobybeans]

wish- Eeek, I love the Dropkick Murphys! We used to go see them at tiny clubs back when I was in high school. Best fans ever. Sorry you got rained on but it sounds like a good time. And so glad you got to have a nice long weekend Awesome that you got to tell more family. Happy second trimester!!!

Disney- Oh honey, that sounds just awful But Sarah is beautiful & looks super healthy! I definitely echo what the other ladies said: formula is a great option & we're so lucky to live in a time period where we have it available to us when circumstances prevent breastfeeding. I've already promised myself that if I'm having major issues I'll switch to formula. The most important thing is a well-fed baby! I hope you're recovering well from your surgery and otherwise feeling good.

boopin- Are things moving forward for you? How are you feeling?

klik- I hope you had a wonderful visit with your mom, and that you & DP are enjoying being home! Ugh that's a bummer about the cysts. Are they painful at all? I hope the rise in BBT is just your body fighting some kind of low-grade infection and not a sign of more ominous things going on. (It could also be restless sleep or even a rise in outside temperature.) Focusing on the present, 3 follicles in great and I hope your stimming & retrieval goes smoothly!

AFM, we had our "gender reveal" party this weekend and it went very well. The rain held off and it turned into a really gorgeous day. I think everyone had a nice time. It was so good having my sister and my two besties together at the same time. Sometimes you forget how lucky you really are, you know? I have some truly wonderful people in my corner Anyway, time has been dragging since my last scan and I'm just hoping everything is still okay. Second trimester started on Saturday, woohoo!

 

[Wish2BMom]

Happy 2nd Tri, love!!
I'm having a little bit of the same anxieties but trying to 'act' like a 'normal pregnant lady' and just assume everything is fine. it's so hard! my next scan is next Wed. I needs to see ma bebes.

 

[klik]

Wish: thanks! How are you feeling?! I hope your scan today goes beautifully--say hi to the little ones!!!

Scooby: thanks! We're definitely enjoying being home and slowly slotting back into our lives... DP is looking for a job, which is stressful in this Brexit environment (financial services industry is not really hiring all that much...) Apart from that, so far so good. I love to see that your gender reveal party went well! I'll head over to your journal in a minute, but how wonderful it is that you've made it to the second trimester!

AFM: clearing the cobwebs of our lives--it's shocking how much has been neglected, and it's hard work to get back to where we were. But it feels good to do it. This cycle also looks like it's going pretty well--at least judging from oestrogen levels... Not sure whether I have a lead that will dominate everything or whether the smaller ones will catch up. I'm very hopeful we'll get at least one, though!

 

[Wish2BMom]

klik - didn't you start out with a lead last month too, but they were able to slow it down while others caught up? I'm sure they'll use the same tactics this time since it worked so well last time. Keep us posted on sizes and #s!!!

I finally made it to the gym today (so to answer your question, I'm feeling really good! thanks for asking!) - back to a kickboxing class. It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. I even did sit-ups! I was talking to the owner/instructor afterwards - she's been trying to get preg again naturally (she's 47 but super in shape and young looking) since they had their first 2 yrs ago but it's not going well. She was mentioning how she is just about ready to move on and get back to normal. So I can imagine exactly how you're feeling, klik - even just being ground in one spot helps SO much, I'm sure!! I'm positive your puppy is enjoying you staying put too!!

 

[klik]

Wish: yes, second trimester, you get to go to the gym!!! All right!!! Was it very different? I'll bet you missed it like crazy... Yes, our doggy loves that we're not always leaving him, and so do we! Did you have your scan in the end? How did it go?!


I seem to have about a million follicles (or so it seems to me) and I'm really not used to that so I don't know what to feel. I feel like something must be wrong, frankly. Then again, I guess I'm not used to the <10s being actually counted and measured, so it may be that now that they are I'm feeling overwhelmed... Here's what I've got: LO: 8 7 7 +; RO 15 12 11 10 10 9 7 7 +. I asked the sonographer about the cyst inside the tube and she said if it's a hydrosalpinx I may have to have my tubes clipped, which freaked me out. So yeah, just feeling unsettled. Hopefully tomorrow's scan will somehow set my mind more at ease...

 

[scoobybeans]

klik- I'm so glad your life is getting back to normal & you guys can finally breathe a little bit. That sounds like a great scan to me! If you ignore the under 10's, you've got 5 potential follicles. That's freaking awesome! Bummer about the cyst though, I really hope it's not necessary to have your tubes clipped. One day at a time, one step at a time...

wish- Just reading about your trip to the gym is exhausting me. No, it's great that you're able to get back into your usual routine so easily! I'm going to attempt a hike with the doggies this weekend, weather permitting. I hope your scan went well!

AFM, not sleeping well this week. I've been restless and having weird dreams (fighting zombies with my ex-boyfriend- um, wtf?) and woke up with a leg cramp the other night. Ouch! I'm also craving particularly unhealthy foods this week but trying not to indulge too much.

 

[klik]

Thanks, scooby! One day at a time indeed... my doc didn't call today but at least he reviewed my chart and spared me from triggering today (whoever wrote my "plan" drew the follicle size and oestrogen cutoff too low--today would have been too early and I would have been shouting swear words at the universe if told to trigger...) But I will speak to him at some point and hopefully my tubes can be preserved. Still, it's not really the kind of uncertainty one wants...

I'm sorry you're not sleeping well... I find your dream hilarious, but I can imagine it was disturbing... I'll have a little peek at your journal now!

 

[Wish2BMom]

oh klik - I hope you get to save your tubes! What will clipping them mean? I remember someone had to have them clipped - was that on this thread? my memory does not serve me very well.

no scan last week - it's this coming Wed.

Also - I got a job offer!! I get to give my notice on Monday!!! AHHHHH I'M OUTTA HERE!! I cannot WAIT.

scooby - I'm sorry you're having bad dreams!! And I say go with the cravings but not too much and also round out with lots of good stuff. My sweet tooth is waning, thank GOODNESS. B/c my butt got the benefits of that! Though I woke up and thought about Doritos today and I don't think I'll be able to get those out of my head until I have them. Sigh - trip to the store.

 

[Wish2BMom]

boopin asked for a bump pic - here's one I took last week at 14 w (I don't look much different today so I didn't take another)

 

[klik]

Hey, Wish! I love the bump!!! I wonder how big it's going to get, with two little ones in there! Ah, good luck on your scan this Wednesday, then... I imagine you can't wait to see them again!

Yeah, Asterimou had to clip her tubes before her last IVF attempt... Hydrosalpinges are most often caused by an infection, and they cause the tubes to be full of fluid that interferes with the uterine environment and make implantation and ongoing pregnancy less likely... Clipping tubes means whatever tiny chance you had of a natural pregnancy is entirely gone, so it's really a big ask...

We don't really know what this cyst is, though--my doc said it doesn't really look like a hydrosalpinx because it's not got the characteristic shape... it doesn't look like fluid just hanging out in my abdomen because it's well-defined... it doesn't really look like it's inside the ovary (if it were, that could explain why I'm making more progesterone than I should be). So we're all at a loss... The best guess right now is that it's some accumulation of blood, in which case it's best not to rupture it as you might cause an infection. So, we'll see... My egg retrieval is tomorrow, so on Wed I'll ask my doc to give me a call to talk about next steps--can we do a back-to-back cycle again or do we have to wait? How often do we need to monitor this cyst? It's a strange problem... I wonder if the last retrieval went wrong somehow, but at the moment we just don't know.

Also somewhat worried about this cycle--I've been producing more progesterone than I should be, and as my follicles have grown my LH has gone down rather than up. It's weird... Like my body thinks I've already ovulated or something. Follicles have been growing beautifully, but oestrogen came down one day, which is really scary--normally that means a bad cycle and a possible cancellation. But I was only stimming on alternate days, and my oestrogen 12 hours after stimming plateaued or decreased, but the numbers 36 hours after stimming went up really strongly. Hard to know. I don't know whether to expect this cycle to be a complete dud, or a great success, or some sort of really weird in-between thing.

Ugh, sorry, that was a novel about boring obsessional details... One step at a time. Let's see how retrieval goes tomorrow...

But yaaaaaaay for your new job!!! When do you start?! So they saw your bump and said, "excellent, welcome, take 6 months off and then come on board?" Please tell me it's something like that! Is it the place you used to work for? LOL on the Doritos. They're supremely well-engineered: sweet and salty and a little sour and smelly and incredibly crunchy. Heck, I crave those sometimes even without a pregnancy!

 

[boopin4baby]

Lovely bump Wish. You're too cute!! Thanks for sharing with us. Happy be-lated 2nd trimester!!

 

[Wish2BMom]

klik - oh my goodness, you have a lot going on and a lot to think about! what a crazy cycle you have going on. How many follicles are ready to go? I hope you get 3 good eggs again, at least. Heck, I just hope this cycle isn't a dud but it sounds like it'll be good if they scheduled retrieval. Ah, right - thank you for the reminder on Aster. Geez, that is extreme and a hard choice to make. But if there is a chance that something could burst or whatnot...Wonder if they can just lance it? Doesn't seem to ever be an option. Just suck the blood or whatever on out! Get it out of the way!

Thanks, boop!!

scoob - we need a bump pic from you too!

my new job (eeee I love saying that!) - I actually haven't told them I am pregnant yet. Everything online, and my HR friends, say NOT to say anything, even for a few weeks after I start. Legally, I don't have to say a word until I'm heading into the OR for birth! But you're not supposed to say anything b/c even though discriminating is illegal, it still happens. So I stayed mum, as much as it's killed me. I want to be up front, esp since I'll be out for some time, but all advice pointed to shutting up for now. I AM trying to start there as soon as possible - my new boss was fine with me staying until I go on vacation (week of 8/21) and THEN giving my notice, essentially starting on 9/11. But I can't go 6 weeks (or what was 6 weeks when she said this). AND I'll be huge. I'd like to still be of reasonable size where maybe it'll be a surprise when I do tell them.
I gave my notice yesterday and it was sad. My boss had no idea and she was very upset. I don't know if it's b/c she's losing me or b/c she has to cover my duties for the unforeseen future and they suck. HA! Probably a little of both. I think she's also sad b/c she doesn't get to see me get all fat and follow the pregnancy through to seeing the babies. She all but asked to be invited to the shower!
So I will start either 8/21 (I will be around the first 2 days of that week, so said I could give vacation days back) or if current job wants me a little longer, I said I'd work here until 8/22 but they have to pay for my PTO at the end of that week since new job was willing to. Working out those details today.

 

[klik]

boopin: how are things in your world, hun? Ooooh, new post in your blog--I'll head there next!

Wish: thing is, in August it's traditional for people in Europe to take some time off, and we're keeping a few friends in suspense on whether or not we can join them for different things... I don't know how close an eye my doc will want to keep on this cyst, or whether he'll allow me to do a back-to-back cycle after this one. If the cyst is not worrying and he's ok with back to back, then we'll take next week off and drive to the south of France with our pooch. Otherwise, all bets are off... I'll ask him tomorrow to give me a call--if the eggs have all fertilised maybe he'll be more amenable to doing another back-to-back (as they will then appear to suit me). But he tends to be very careful, generally, so let's see...

It's great to feel that excitement you're transmitting about the new job! I'm sad on your current boss's behalf--it does seem she'll miss you, and that she is/was quite invested in your pregnancy... But yaaaaay for you!!! Well done on looking after yourself! I sure hope the new job's work-life balance is indeed better--you'll need that! I totally get you not telling the new job about the pregnancy. Frankly it was wishful thinking when I asked you if you'd told them and they'd said yes and offered you extra maternity leave to boot. But it's much better to actually get your foot in the door before telling them--then they would be in real trouble if they did dismiss you, and as much as we want our interests to be aligned with our employer's, there are many instances when they are not... In the event, though, I hope you're walking in to a welcoming, sane place with awesome colleagues and boss!

AFM: they got 4 eggs, 1 of which was from a smaller follicle so probably immature. I mentioned my big cyst to the doctor at the beginning and he said as my right ovary seemed to be doing all the work, he would just stay away from the left ovary (which the cyst is supposed to abut) unless he saw a nice big follicle there. Both sides hurt a bit, so not sure if he went fishing on the left too or if the very mild pain is something else. It would be easiest if this cyst were actually a corpus luteum cyst, inside the ovary--that would explain my elevated progesterone and the fact that the cyst has been growing. But we'll have to see. Patience, grasshopper...

 

[Wish2BMom]

4 eggs!!! AMAZING!!!! can't wait for the fert report!!! well done, klik's follies!!

thank you for all of the job well wishes too! we did determine today that my last day here will be the 18th, so I'll start the new one on 8/21 and then go on vaca 8/23-8/25! HA! They were more than happy to accommodate that too. Good stuff.