Welcome to 'Trying To Conceive Over 35'

[Philomena]

Phil, I'm so excited, it may be early labour, but you know she will be here soon. I hope you're not in too much discomfort.

There is a programme on telly over here called "One Born Every Minute" Don't know if you guys over the pond will get it, but its amazing. When Ian 'hears' that I'm watching it, he can't understand why I want to put myself through it, all he can hear is Women in pain. I told him it would be worth everything just to be able to bring up something we have made. He smiles, but still can't watch it. He has already told me that he doesn't think he could be there when I give birth as he couldn't bare to see me in pain. I think he'd be sitting outside the room. I have a feeling it'd be his Mum with me. Knowing her, she'll come and stay with us when its nearly time. Good job we get on really well eh?

I haven't heard of that show, but will see if I can find it on the Internet. That's what I do to watch the most current episodes of Coronation Street. I'm such a Corrie addict! Been watching it since I was pregnant with DD #1 !
If DH and I were on good terms he still wouldn't come in with me. He'd be a total wreck! As it is, he's asked me to just let him know when it's all over and Babes and I are through it fine! *smile*. Poor man, worries about everything!

I'm on and off just really uncomfortable right now. My midwife says the long slow lead up to active labour will make that part easier on me so, for now, I can put up with it. I DID want the full experience this time 'round! Last time I had to be induced and that meant no early labour, just straight to the difficult stuff!
It is really important to me that, as much as I can, I have as natural a labour and delivery as possible. I was able to have my first without any further interventions and it makes such a difference to how alert the baby is at birth, and how the mama feels.... It's painful, but with purpose and usually, if things are normal, not more than we can handle. I have friends who are going straight for pain relief as soon as the first contraction hits. It's their choice, but I remember the feeling of utter joy, ecstatic knowing my place in this world, feeling connected to everything, that happened when I gave birth to my daughter- it was like a religious experience, and, for me, I don't think I could have had such a profound feeling if I had pain meds in my system.

I think it's fabulous that you get on with your mother in law! Mine passed away a year and a half ago, and I only visited with her 3 or 4 times beforehand, but I know if she were around we would have seriously been butting heads! I do get on with my father in law, which is good, because I've written off the rest of dh's family!

Well, here I am on my due date, STILL pregnant! Still in early labour- I'm trying to rest as much as I can because my quality of sleep is terrible right now! It slows down the labour somewhat, but if I'm rather more rested I will be more ready for active labour!
I go for an ultrasound today, a midwife appointment tomorrow, my 3rd obstetrician appt on Monday if I'm still pregnant.... Egads! I better not still be pregnant Monday!! *grin*

 

[jm1355]

My new years resolutions:

1) Lose 10 pounds and get a six-pack (abs)so I can fit my bikini this summer

2) Get a tan!

3) Get a job -aaargh!- once Aeryn is not so boob-needy

4) MOVE

5) Teach Kat to read

6) Learn kata from dh
Lol, none of these are in order of importance of course and just roughly off the top of my head......we'll see what I can get done...

Ok Coy! You ready to start training for that six-pack??!!??

 

[never_give_up]

Hello Jess Happy New year. Hope 2013 is a great one for you!

 

[jm1355]

Hello Jess Happy New year. Hope 2013 is a great one for you!

Thank you!! Happy ALL Year to you!! I figure I want to be happy ALL year...not just at the beginning.
So, here's a toast to lots of in 2013!!

 

[alicatt]

I'm at the FS office waiting to see him for my WTF appointment. Got my list in hand, hoping he has some answers!

I'm actually wondering if we shouldn't do a pregnancy test, I've been super nauseous. Plus my period was really short and my FS said it would be heavy and long! So strange!

 

[alicatt]

Hello Jess Happy New year. Hope 2013 is a great one for you!

Thank you!! Happy ALL Year to you!! I figure I want to be happy ALL year...not just at the beginning.
So, here's a toast to lots of in 2013!!

I love that idea! Happy All Year!

 

[never_give_up]

Jess well New year does not only mean the beginning. It means to this new year 2013! It is the year of the snake. not supposed to be good for me but my Dad's sign is a snake so should be an excellent year for him. Dh opened a new bank account with Well's Fargo and the lady gave me a plushie horse because that is their mascot. I saw it as a sign. If I get a bfp this year then baby would be born in the year of the horse. I am so superstitious

Hello Ali I thought the same thing both my ivf's I had lighter and only lasted 3 days. Are they giving you another beta? Fingers crossed for you.
for all you ladies throughout 2013

 

[never_give_up]

Coy-great ALL Years resolutions Ambitious too! I only have one for 2013. A bfp and one that sticks!

Samsfan- Sorry to hear you have a stomach flu and have been feeling ill. Wishing you much better real soon!

Terrilou- I totally agree with you about the fostering. I feel the same way. After being their guardian and getting so attached how could I let them go? My biological Mom died when I was 4 years old and I went to a foster home. They wanted to adopt me but first choice went to my uncle and aunt who legally adopted me at age 5. My Mom had been trying for years but her tubes were blocked. The family who fostered me had a son already and were very sympathetic to my Mom since she so wanted a child.

Peacenik- welcome to Bnb

Ali- I am happy you will be getting answers today. You have a great FS. Mine left alot of my questions unanswered as to why my embies wouldn't implant. He didnt even want to do testing. He just said it was my eggs that were bad and that I needed to do donor egg. I feel like he gave up on me.

Phil- Praying that you get the natural birth you want but most importantly that you and baby girl are healthy and happy

 

[alicatt]

Still at the FS, waiting to check out. They are going to do the Immunogy panel and clotting panel. I even got a repeat beta, just in case! I still feel nauseous! So strange. Dr doesn't know why it didn't work. He said my embryo was beautiful. He even said it was worthy of the front page of embryo digest!

So what the issue is he doesn't know! We'll try a FET in about 6-8 weeks.

 

[Grey Eyes]

My new years resolutions:

1) Lose 10 pounds and get a six-pack (abs)so I can fit my bikini this summer

2) Get a tan!

3) Get a job -aaargh!- once Aeryn is not so boob-needy

4) MOVE

5) Teach Kat to read

6) Learn kata from dh
Lol, none of these are in order of importance of course and just roughly off the top of my head......we'll see what I can get done...

Ok Coy! You ready to start training for that six-pack??!!??

Hey Jess! I am SOOOOO ready!

 

[Grey Eyes]

Phil- it's been 10 hours babes here yet? Hope you are coping w/the pains well (I know you will! ) and staying strong!

 

[Grey Eyes]

Ali--what's the word lady??!

 

[Grey Eyes]

Btw....I know Jess hasn't been charting but just guessing from her past charts I'd say she could be in the 2WW right now Fx'd for Jess and her BF!!!

 

[Grey Eyes]

Where IS everybody? ........

 

[Grey Eyes]

So...on diet.

I am tackling my tummy fat Here's a look at my average day:

Breakfast: black coffee (gots to have it )
Lunch: Protein shake = 20 gm protein, 6 carbs, 0 sugar
w/1/2 cup skim milk adds about 3 gm sugar and 0 fat
Snack: Fiber One Bar 90 calories, 15 fat
Dinner: Either another shake OR 1/2 a steamed skinless chicken breast. I may eat brussel sprouts or salad w/no dressing.

Think this'll help? Plus I am doing weights, squats, lunges, crunches, etc....

Aaargh! wish it was summer so I could run too....

Anyone have any exersize ideas for deep cold (and sucky, lol) winter??

 

[Grey Eyes]

OK, and I cheat once in a while w/ice cream lol!

 

[Philomena]

Phil- it's been 10 hours babes here yet? Hope you are coping w/the pains well (I know you will! ) and staying strong!

Hi Coy! Ladies!!

SO here's my update.... STILL preggers! it's ok though, I'm feeling zen about it today. I went with my mom and DD#1 for the ultrasound appointment and Babes is estimated to be 7 lbs 5oz right now... so a good healthy size, NORMAL for gestational age.... fluid levels are good, she did practice breathing for them, and moved and wiggled.... basically passed all their criteria with flying colours....
THEN I had to sit and chat with the doctor at the ultrasound clinic.... she sat across from me and says " So everything is looking good, but we are still recommending an induction for you".... So I say, in a calm voice.... "Why?" and she tells me that because I take insulin for my GD and because I'm 41 they are recommending induction because now I am at 40 weeks and my risk of stillbirth increases. I say "Yay, from 2% to 4%, which still leaves a 96% chance of a perfectly healthy baby".....

She didn't like being challenged, I think.... she started going on about that even though things look good, we 'just don't know what could happen'.... I'm like, nobody "ever" knows what might happen.... it's not like she can guarantee 100% that without being on insulin or being 41 that my baby would definitely be fine....

For me, as long as Babes is wiggling around, and I'm eating healthy, etc and all the 'healthy baby' criteria is being met, then why mess with mother nature?? They are too anxious to put me into a neat little labelled box and it drives me nuts when they don't look at the whole picture!

So the irregular contractions have slowed down now, but I'm getting loads of pressure and still just feeling 'off'.... my mom doesn't want me to drive anymore, and I have to agree.... I think it's too dicey this close.
Tonight is our prenatal class and my friend is coming to drive us and will drive us home again after.... I'm so grateful to her.... she's already been to my house twice to do my hair in a crown braid, and she's planning on coming again tomorrow morning to do it another time! She's definitely going to get a very nice after baby gift.... All my ladies who were at the Blessingway and who've supported me in one way or another are going to get some sort of lovely gift.... but I'll decide that after Babes arrives and I've recovered a bit!

I'm anticipating that it's close, but she's keeping me guessing as to what day she wants as a birthday!!!

 

[Samsfan]

Coy. You must be starving!!!! No wonder im fat. Wow that is what it takes??? Hunger pains. I must say i did eat because of the flu from tues night intil today lunch and i wasnt hungry. I think the acupunture really helped.

First. Yeah for the surge

Ali. What is going on??? So what does it all mean?

Phil. Sounds like you are doing great. Hold your ground. Cant wait to see photos!!!!

Im feeling much better now.

 

[Samsfan]

Omg my post to you Coy didnt make any sense. Darn phone. I meant i didnt eat from tue dinner time until lunch today

 

[alicatt]

Phil - yay for standing your ground! I see both sides of the induction thing, but think that it should be your decision unless medically necessary. At this point I don't see any medical reason for you to induce! So good on you for standing your ground Although I hope she does come soon so you will feel better!


AFM - As I said I met with my FS today. He is still perplexed as to why it didn't work. My embryos were star quality, he even said he would submit the best one to be on the cover of some embryology journal for being so beautiful. Personally it just looked like a blob! We even looked at them again today and they all look like grey blobs. Although I can see that the really awesome one was slightly bigger and the part that would become the baby was really nicely formed. So why oh why didn't it implant? AHHHHHHH

We went through the next list of things:
Endometrium - he didn't think doing a biopsy was warranted, he said it was perfectly fine and that some women just have issues with fresh transfers and that for the FET (frozen embryo transfer) my endometrium would be highly controlled to be perfect!

Implantation Failure - could also be caused by immunology issues or by clotting issues. Normally these things manifest themselves with repeat miscarriages, but sometimes you don't even get an implantation at all. So They drew like 25 vials of blood (3 at the Dr's office and 22 at Quest labs), and I should have the results of these tests in 2 weeks. We also did a repeat BETA just to be on the safe side, and I asked them to repeat my AMH, LH and FSH. I'll hear back about the BETA tomorrow afternoon, but the rest will take 2 weeks. Then I'll go back in and we'll discuss the results.

IUI - we discussed doing an IUI while we wait out the results, because I had heard that I would still be quite fertile this month. He said that it wouldn't really make much sense to do that now, because we don't know what is causing the embryo(s) to not implant. I understand his viewpoint, but I'm not sure we can really say that the first 3 IUIs or the first IVF were really my fault, due to the bum He didn't recommend it, and wanted my ovaries to heal. I guess they are still swollen right now. Which leads me to the FET.

FET (frozen embryo transfer) - A FET is much like a regular IVF in the sense that they are transferring embryos, but we don't need to hyperstimulate my ovaries to make follicles. Everything else is basically the same, I will start with BCP (UGH) then Lupron (double UGH) and then they will make me wear a ton of estrogen patches to build my lining, and then once it is nice and thick, they will time the transfer. I am still not sure how all of that works, and whether I will ovulate? IDK. I am hoping I will learn more during my next visit.

I'm still feeling very off, I was almost 'drunk' this afternoon, and made my friend drive us around. I keep having nausea, dizziness and fatigue. This is why my FS did the repeat BETA, that and the fact that my period was super tiny, only 2 days and it was nowhere near what I would call a heavy period. Has anyone ever heard of a pregnancy that took over 18 days to show on a BETA? Is that even possible? I had my first BETA at 18dpo and it was 0. Not even a hint!