Sweet, Sweet DS

Even though we had no intention of evicting DS from his room (his bedroom is the only other one aside from ours on the main floor of our house), today, DS voluntarily offered to share his room with the baby.  I said that the crying might disrupt his sleep, but that we'd certainly appreciate using a corner of his room for baby stuff so we didn't have to always schlep to the basement (where the baby room will be, finished basement, lest you think we are relegating B2 to a dungeon.  And we do plan to do have some sort of video monitoring system).

At dinner tonight, too, DS melted me when he was talking about how he'd help out:

"If you and daddy are both working on the computer and there is a spider and the baby is crying, I could get a tissue and kill the spider."

Nevermind that he has actually never done that on his own and always screams "spider!!!" whenever he sees one, but the sentiment still touched me.  : )

Leave IVF Alone!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/gingrich-vows-to-ban-embryonic-stem-cell-research-questions-in-vitro-practices/2012/01/29/gIQAIO9saQ_story.html?tid=pm_politics_pop

Ugh... Newt and government needs to stay out of IVF, including dealing with leftover embryos.

13 Weeks!

Today marks 13 weeks.  I'm so confused as to when second trimester begins.  There are like three different dates according to http://www.ivf.ca/fet5dayduedate.php.  Development, gestation and conception.

Starting to tell more and more people and it's still super weird.  Still haven't told my dad (I'm not very close to him)!  I just still feel weird about it -- it's still kind of surreal.  Of course, I am happy and excited too...

A couple days ago, I went to my first trimester screening.  It was nice to have another ultrasound and see the baby markedly bigger than before.  The tech didn't say anything about the sex of the baby so I didn't ask.  The doctor mentioned a new screening (blood test) that just came out in Oct 2011:

http://www.sequenomcmm.com/home/health-care-professionals/trisomy-21/about-the-test/

Apparently, it's way more detailed than the old blood test and it actually looks at the fetal DNA which is floating around in the mother's blood.  If my risk factor is currently 1 in 300 for Down Syndrome, then a negative test changes the risk to 1 in 14,000 (if I remember the figures right).  The test is supposed to be 99.1 or 99.9% accurate.  So I went ahead and did it.

Supposed to have results for the nuchal translucency scan and the blood test in a week.

Until then, I am anxious for the nausea to die down.  I still felt a bit blecky tonight, maybe tomorrow will be the turning point.

Not ready for Monday!!!  Will tell coworkers on Thursday though...

New private post

To be added to the list of readers, email me at biagobaby@gmail.com.

Link here:  http://biagobaby2.blogspot.com/

I miss you Advil.

12w1d.  Told DS over the weekend.  It was horribly anticlimactic and taught me a lesson.  Less is more.  I tried to make it special.  I put a baggie of baby things (mostly DS's old stuff, which I've saved) and a newborn diaper (forgotten how SMALL -- practically a maxi pad!) together and we set-up the video camera and told him we wanted to tell him something and we thought it'd be fun if it were a puzzle.  He took all the stuff out and was totally blank.  We said, "You're a kindergartner, you're a gymnast, you're a son, etc. etc. now you're going to be something else too!"  Blankness.  Finally, we just said it outright.  And he said, "Again?"  "Um, no, it's not like this happens all the time and dude, you weren't aware when it was you... so..."  Later, he said he had a clue (but not before that moment) but that he just didn't want to say it.  Moments later, he was chanting, "I'm going to be a big brother!  I'm going to be a big brother!"  So he just needed some time for the news to percolate.  He's also excited to find out whether it's going to be a boy or girl (he is rooting for boy).  Told MiL too, she said, "I've known since Christmas!"  She just knew, she said.  I asked if it was because I was a super porker/super flatulent.

About the Advil -- I've had a couple headaches since my BFP status that have been awful.  Usually, they are tension headaches and I can feel the source clustering on one of my shoulders.  Anyway, nothing helps -- Tylenol does diddly squat.  In the past, Advil would help.  A massage probably would though... but that's a pricey solution and requires a lot of finagling of the schedule.  So it's currently been 24 hours of headache with no relief.  Boo (yes, complaining, but not ungrateful).

Also still experiencing nightly wooziness... hopefully, it'll go away in about a week.  I'm counting 13 weeks as making the benchmark, not 12...

Hope everyone has a great week!  I'm ready to be retired or just really wealthy.  : )

My DH, the Poet

Very revealing of what DH is putting up with...

A night of wind blowing
Cozy we are
as if it were snowing
a meal of chicken (as good as steak)
under the covers
It's your wind that will break.

The Latest -- 11w2d

Had my bonus ob/gyn appointment today -- as usual, I had to wait about an hour.  If I had a flexible schedule, I would go earlier in the day or earlier in the afternoon, when she isn't so behind, but I don't have that option as a teacher, unless I blow my annual leave time (which I need to save for maternity leave) for a substitute teacher.  Anyway, it's okay, as I do appreciate that I am never rushed and you get all the time that you want.  Also, today, she was back to her sane, kind, normal self.  Phew.

Dr. R followed up on some things she noticed in my chart from CCRM and confirmed my due date from them, which is 8/6/12.  The ultrasound was also on my belly, NOT transvag -- woohoo!  I asked about the spotting and she said she wasn't worried about it.  The gummy bear now looks like Mr. Peanut -- I have not posted, because the u/s pics aren't great -- and definitely has increased in size.  She also pressed on my belly (which just feels like belly to me) and said that my uterus is growing nicely.  HR is consistent at 161.  So this visit, which was definitely a courtesy/extra one, was very reassuring.  Without the movement yet, who knows what the heck is going on there???  It's reassuring, too, to know that my growing belly isn't all just hamburgers.  Though my ever-widening butt certainly feels like it.

I mentioned that given how well things are going, perhaps I should go ahead and tell people and Dr. R concurred.  She couldn't believe that we hadn't told MiL yet, but she guessed that I had already told my mom.  She chuckled at that.  So now DH and my plan is to tell DS on Friday and then we will see MiL on Saturday and have him tell her that he's going to be a big brother.  : )  Otherwise, I was going to be uber-conservative and wait til 13 weeks.

Next week I have the first trimester screen, so more u/s!  But then no more til 20 weeks, poo.  And not another appointment for another month.  C'mon, who wants to go in on an u/s machine with me??

My Savior: Fruit & Juice Bars

Still feeling regularly nauseous, especially in the evening.  I bought some Kroger (house brand) fruit popsicles the other day (I think about 80 calories) and they totally do the trick to temper the nausea.  It's cold, sweet and somehow tricks my brain and body.  Unfortunately, the bar is not quite big enough to deal with an entire evening's worth of nausea and I don't think it wise or that I would want to eat more than one in a sitting.  Next time I'm at Costco, I'm going to try to find a monster pack of them, because 6 per box won't cut it.

Thanks to all of you who emailed to read my private post.  I feel bad, in retrospect, about my uber-salty language and hope it did not offend you, or even worse, cause you to stop following my potty-ness.  I did make some minor edits, so anyone else who reads, hopefully won't be sickened.  : )

Okay, time to stop procrastinating and make the most of DS's playdate and get some work done.

PS.  I notice that Blogger now allows replies to comments.  I have since disabled Disqus and now all my old comments are from me.  : (

11 weeks!

I've made it another week.  This week, though, did include some light spotting.  Always light brown in color and not accompanied by any other symptoms.  Also, sporadic.  I can't help but be paranoid about my hormone levels (see last post) though the CCRM nurse said all was fine.  I didn't call the dr's office or anything -- based on what I've read in books and from Dr. Google, it's quite normal for first trimester.  Tell me, ladies, that this is so!  Tomorrow, I have a courtesy u/s at my ob/gyn.  I'm a little scared of her now and scared to ask questions, for fear of her snapping at me.  This fear is not unfounded, as my friend who also sees the same ob/gyn was recently bitched out by said doc and treated (in my opinion) in a very over-the-top and unprofessional manner.  So I have my concerns and have started researching other ob/gyns.  Unfortunately, where I want to deliver (specific hospital) does not have a ton of ob/gyn options... so I may have to change hospitals (so, am planning to attend a hospital tour even though I'm barely showing -- I hope the other "tourees" don't think I'm a freak, just trying to find a doctor everyone!).

The rest of my post is private and if you email me at biagobaby@gmail.com (please do email me), I'll add you to the list of readers (especially if you are already a follower and/or a fellow IFer).

Here's the link:

http://biagobaby2.blogspot.com/

10w1d - Latest Blood Test Results

Had my final blood test at CCRM this morning, upon my request.  Results are as follows:

Estradiol - 1638
Progesterone - 18.9

I don't really know how to interpret the numbers, other than the particular nurse who called me (who I've never spoken to before) said they just want the progesterone to be over 5 and that the numbers look good.  5 -- that's it???  I don't get it... at 8-9 weeks, it was supposed to be over a certain number like 20.  Is it because of where I am in the pregnancy and that I'm off drugs? 

Dr. Google didn't really provide very clear-cut info either.

I did have some light spotting too this weekend, which I hear is normal and rather than open Pandora's Box and consult Dr. Google, I'm just going to trust that it is normal since it didn't accompany any other symptoms and eventually stopped.

Anyhow, that's the latest.  Still nervous, but if the experts say it's okay, then I guess it's okay!

9w6d

10 weeks tomorrow, which according to what I've read is a bit of a milestone in itself, before numbers end up being solidly in our favor after 12-13 weeks.  I've been thinking about my experience with my ob/gyn and DH thinks maybe I walked in with craploads of knowledge (from having gone through IF, CCRM, IVF, etc) and the ob/gyn maybe was getting defensive.  She didn't know much about the drugs I was taking, IVF, etc. and maybe I just came on too strong?  At any rate, you all have been great with your advice and I will give it another go before I potentially switch docs.

DH has been really awesome and excited lately (esp for "coming out of the closet" which coincides with my 37th birthday.  Ahhhh, advanced maternal age... ).  I've got another u/s appointment with the ob/gyn in about a week and a half and also my first trimester screen has been scheduled for later this month too.  So I've been lucky to have regular ultrasounds spaced out thus far.  OH!  And I self-advocated and pushed for another E2/progesterone blood check at CCRM and they said yes, so I'm doing that on Monday morning.  Yay.  I just wanted peace of mind.  (Yesterday was my last endometrin insert...)

DH also left a sweet poem on my nightstand the other evening:

A preternaturally sensitive nose,
objecting to even the sweetest rose,
and eating a burger
with gustatory fervor,
makes me happy for reasons nobody else knows.

FYI: My sense of smell is definitely heightened.  I woke up one morning at the crack of dawn when DH was up and I felt like something was burning.  It was just coffee.  His deodorant, which I usually don't mind, I cannot stand and have asked him to stop using.  I almost puked the other day taking out the compost as it smelled like feces to me.  I stopped using my hair conditioner because the smell was way too strong...

First Ob/Gyn Appointment - 9w3d

Overall, I would say my assessment of the appointment is mixed.  My ob/gyn was not as cool and magical as I'd remembered her to be.  Maybe because I haven't seen her in over a year and she didn't really know who I was.  Maybe too it was late in the day and I annoyed her by mentioned "the Internet" one time too many (but when she asked me how I knew about NT scans, that's the honest answer).  A couple times when I asked her questions, "She said, I don't have that figure memorized.  If I had known you were going to ask that, I would have looked it up before I came in."  (about miscarriage rates -- which having had one, I'm nervous about -- jeez).  "I'm not in that field.  If I had studied that, I would be practicing that now."  (basically saying that I should direct that ? to my RE, who I don't see anymore... SORRY!).  So it was weird.  BUT, she let me take as long as I needed and it was a long visit.  She also does the u/s herself and really let me watch the baby for a long time.  Heartrate was 161, lower, but I'm assuming fluctuations are normal.  She also pounded on my stomach (practically) to wake it up and so we got to see the gummy bear dance a bit.  Even though the aforementioned put me off a bit, she did offer to assuage my nerves by letting me have another u/s in two weeks.  So I appreciate that.  It's so weird when at CCRM you are there all the time and they monitor every little thing to now be so isolated and on your own for so much of this.  Just a waiting game now.

In other news, I am wearing a belly band for the first time.  Mostly because my pants (having gained 10 lbs this year) were already on the verge of not fitting before the BFP.  So between my prenatal hamburgers and those 10 lbs, I can barely wear anything except for elastic waistbands comfortably.  I don't feel right digging out my old maternity clothes yet and who knows how dated and sketchy those look (being from 6 years ago).  The jeans are probably light colored.  : )  Anyway, I am feeling good, down to my one endometrin per day (with Friday being the last day) and am wearing just a single Vivelle patch, which is the last one.  Really nervous about the wean with no monitoring.  I asked my ob/gyn about that and she said they don't monitor progesterone and estradiol and that I should just trust Dr. G or ask for a consult.  I was hoping that they could squeeze that in among all the other bloodwork I have to get done.  Poo.  I'm tempted to bug/beg CCRM for one last blood test.

I'm also ready to start telling people, but I'm definitely going to stick to 13 weeks to tell coworkers, FB friends, etc.  I'm just really excited to tell DS and other family members, but mostly DS. 

Okay, gotta get back to work.  Hope 2012 is off to a great start for everyone!

Pre-natal Hamburger

As some of my readers from way back may remember, I've recently discovered Five Guys.  Having grown-up on the West Coast, I've always been an In-n-Out Hamburger fan, but alas, there are none out here in Colorado.  Well, I think Five Guys fills that void!  While some may consider it blasphemous, I think Five Guys does give In-n-Out a run for their money.  Especially their fries -- which are amazing and plentiful. I've always thought In-n-Out fries were meh...

Anyway, the other night, DH and I had date night (since my mom was in town and could watch DS).  Did we go to our favorite French bistro?  No!  We went to Five Guys and our entire meal lasted maybe 40 minutes tops, including conversation.  We were home before DS' bedtime.  : )  Anyway, because I am always famished and my eyes are bigger than my stomach (natch), we ordered 3 burgers between the two of us.  I'm a little concerned about being SO hungry all the time ALREADY, because for DS, I gained 40+ lbs (on a 110 lb frame).  I'm probably +10 lbs from back then too.

Just writing about this is making me crave a burger.  Anyway, in my last pregnancy, DH said I could have one random craving request per trimester (like he would make a special trip in the middle of the night to get food).  I only redeemed two.  So I have one banked!  Not two days after our Five Guys date night, I requested another Five Guys burger.  By the time he handed me the burger, went to say good night to DS, the burger was gone.  And this was after I already ate dinner.

So, instead of a prenatal vitamin, I propose a prenatal hamburger!  If not for it being insanely unhealthy, I would be all over it!  Mmmm...