July 2011
2 posts
Cleft Palate
Sorry for the cliffhanger. Things have been crazy around here!
Baby E has a cleft palate that wasn’t caught at the hospital, so we’ve had to run around to see a bunch of specialists. He was having a lot of trouble eating by breast and bottle, but we met with a swallow therapist (yeah, that’s a thing) and learned how to feed him using a bottle called the Haberman Special Needs...
He's Here!
I am ecstatic to announce that Emmett (otherwise known as Poppy) joined us on June 22 at 11:33pm after only a 3 hour and 5 minute labor.
Here’s the story:
At 40w4d, the Wednesday following my due date, I had been on bed rest due to pregnancy-induced hypertension for a little over two weeks and had had my membranes stripped 3 times, most recently at 40w3d. I was having isolated practice...
June 2011
5 posts
Still Here, Still Pregnant
Here we are, my third week of bed rest and 41st week of pregnancy.
The good news is (a) after going on strict bed rest last week, I am back on the much more pleasant modified bed rest, (b) I have made some progress and as of Thursday was 2cm dilated and 70% effaced, and (c) my blood pressure has improved with bed rest, which means I probably won’t have to be induced.
The bad news is that I...
How Has Infertility/Subfertility Changed You?
I recently came across this story. While, unlike the author, I would never say that infertility has improved my life, I’d be hard-pressed to argue that it has not changed my perspective in important ways.
First, infertility has made me more grateful for what I have: a great husband and, of course, Poppy. Even in my darkest moments, when a baby was far from a sure thing, IF made me...
A Little Late...
…But here I am at 38w1d (I am now 38w5d).
Bummed and Tired But In The Home Stretch
I have been a crazy new level of tired/lethargic lately. Over the weekend, my “to do” list literally had two things on it, and one of them was “walk across the street and get a manicure.” Neither got accomplished, as I spent the whole weekend laying around and napping. I don’t think I have ever been too tired to get a manicure.
Yesterday I had an appointment with...
As of 2 days ago...
…I am 1cm dilated and 60% effaced. I’ve had a few crazy bouts of (non-progressing) nightime contractions, too, so I am thinking we may be getting close to meeting Poppy!
May 2011
9 posts
37 Weeks
I am 37 weeks today. Do you know what that means?
If this were a 16 and Pregnant episode, we’d be about 25 minutes into the show and I would be saying something like, “I really hope [boyfriend’s name]/mom/dad sticks around for good this time” while the show fades to a commercial and the audience knows without a doubt that boyfriend/dad/mom will not be sticking...
If there is a weirder feeling than being kicked on...
…I don’t think I want to know what it is.
Poppy Has "Dropped"
lower into my pelvis…which apparently means I could go into labor before my due date (still more than 4 weeks away). The midwives say they don’t think I will be overdue. As a result, I am going into overdrive handing things off at work, readying the apartment, etc. (Unfortunately, we didn’t get to finish the nursery corner this past weekend because the shelving I wanted was...
Maybe One?
I have always thought I wanted three kids, or at least two, but lately, I have been feeling like Poppy might be my one and only….and, surprisingly, I’m ok with that.
If I am honest with myself, I have always harbored a (admittedly unfair and unkind) bias against people with secondary infertility who were willing to go to any length to have a second (or, even worse, a third or fourth)...
I Didn't Realize We Could Just Deny Facts Because...
…until I read this.
OK, cool. I refuse to believe George W. Bush went to Yale. Also, that ice cream is not healthy. Who’s with me?
Today (Poppy and) I Weigh As Much As My Husband
Pretty amazing stuff.
Wow, That Is So, um...Sweet?
My mother came by yesterday to give me my first Mother’s Day present (she’ll be out of town for the actual day). She gave me….are you ready for this? The movie Bambi. Interesting choice, mom…
Did You Know?
A gathering or group of owls is called a parliament. Pretty cool, no?
We are putting the finishing touches on Poppy’s nursery corner of our room this weekend, and we have a wall decal of a tree with owls sitting in it. I will post pictures when we’re through!
Childbirth Class, Part I
The husband and I attended our first of three 5-hour birthing classes on Sunday. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I guess not…therapy? A good hour plus was spent on introductions, descriptions of our “ideal birth”, and responses to the question “how has the pregnancy been going?” (for the women AND the men). I got to talk about my pubic bone coming...
April 2011
7 posts
A Poem That's Always Reminded Me of Newborns (or,...
somewhere i have never travelled, by ee cummings
somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond any experience,your eyes have their silence: in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me, or which i cannot touch because they are too near your slightest look easily will unclose me though i have closed myself as fingers, you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens (touching...
I Don't Want My Pediatrician Taking Orders From...
So it’s about time to start interviewing pediatricians. I got two recommendations for practices near my house: one which seems a little old-school, and one that I was told (warned?) was a little more “modern.” This week I did some research on both. The first had a perfectly normal website, and agreed to see me for a prenatal appointment/interview in three weeks. The second,...
itsalovethingalways asked: Hello darling.
How are you? Wow we haven't talked in 4ever! I miss you on here! Post MORE!
haha. I am doing pretty good. Going a little stir crazy in the head a little bit waiting for the results of our IVF. I am so positive but at the same time a little voice in my head is laughing telling me it's not going to work. BUT I can't be like that. Yesterday all day I had...
How are you? Wow we haven't talked in 4ever! I miss you on here! Post MORE!
haha. I am doing pretty good. Going a little stir crazy in the head a little bit waiting for the results of our IVF. I am so positive but at the same time a little voice in my head is laughing telling me it's not going to work. BUT I can't be like that. Yesterday all day I had...
I Am All About Ice Cold Milk & Cocoa Krispies...
Just wanted to share!
You Might Have An Undiagnosed Mental Illness If...
I am concerned about Tori Spelling. It appears to have taken her only thirtysomething years to achieve the level of crazy it took Liz Taylor about seventy years (including several decades of friendship with Michael Jackson) to get to.* Here is a picture of her with a chicken in a dress. At least People magazine doesn’t seem disturbed. They had this to say:
“Though some pet...
Rethinking My Postpartum Fitness Plans
Now that I’ve been instructed to stop most exercise, I have taken to fantasizing about postpartum exercise the way many pregnant women dream of sex or chocolate cake. Of course, I try to be realistic even in my fantasies, and I don’t expect to take up much for 8 weeks or so post-delivery. That being said, I’d love to be able to start running again, and to run the NYC Half...
March 2011
2 posts
Fun Pregnancy Bonus: Becoming Aqua(wo)man
A few weeks ago I signed up for a Wednesday night swim class at the YMCA (actually, THE YMCA—the one the Village People sang about….ironically, you can no longer stay there because the Y hostel has been replaced by condos). The rest of the students in my class are non-pregnant people; I got permission to join because I was already active during my pregnancy. I can swim a bit, but...
Pubic WHAT?!
So I know it’s been a really long time, and I’m sorry. I also have a doozy of an excuse…it seems I have developed symphysis pubis dysfunction. That’s where the cartilaginous joint in the front of your pelvis starts to pull apart (for you visual types, I have included a diagram below). And yeah, it’s as much fun as it sounds. It’s also exascerbated and made...
February 2011
5 posts
You Might Have Too Much Money...
…if you walk your pet goat on a leash. If you showed this picture to any number of people across the globe whose families own goats, they would be perplexed: “I don’t get it. Is she taking that goat to the market?! That goat is too small for the market….no way you’d get a good price for it.”
What Are You Eating?!
I am so tired of this question. I am up 17 pounds as of 21 weeks, and as such I am “ahead of the curve,” weight-gain wise (on pace for 36-37 lbs, apparently). I don’t get the question from ordinary people such as coworkers and family and such, just medical providers like my midwives.
The husband was there for the last “WHAT are you eating?”, and was baffled. ...
You Might Have Too Much Money....
…if you buy this. A $23,400 playhouse that can be furnished, wired for electricity, running water, central air, and wireless.
On the plus side, if your house is foreclosed upon, you can live in it.
Nesting, Phase I
I haven’t been doing much of anything lately (including tumblr) except FREAKING THE HELL OUT. Sometime last week I realized that there was a little person coming, and he was going to need a place to sleep/diapers/clothes/a way to get around/bottles/something to bathe in…you get the idea. Now of course I understand in the logical part of my brain that Poppy won’t need all of...
20 Weeks (Halfway!) Bump Pic
I promised no bitchface, I didn’t say you’d be able to see my face. ;-)
January 2011
7 posts
We Are Having A...
BOY!!!! But I’m hoping mine isn’t born holding a baseball…that’d make the whole natural birth thing a whole lot more challenging.
Fun Pregnancy Bonus: Bikini Waxers Are Nicer to...
On Friday morning, in preparation for my trip to Aruba, I started my day with a pre-work bikini wax. I went to Bliss Spa, which uses this special Poetic Wax stuff that doesn’t stick to your skin and therefore hurts less when they rip it off. I love it.
What I don’t love is the particular brand of revulsion that my Mediterranean hairiness brings out in aestheticians. You would...
Exercise Is Crazy Hard These Days
After a couple of straight weeks of little-to-no exercise in December, I am back. The goal is to work out 4-5 times/week through my second trimester at least, and hopefully for as long as I can stand it.
Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem. While I was a pretty sedentary kid and teen (I had pretty bad, uncontrolled asthma), over the past 7 years or so, I have worked out pretty...
Winter Movies
Has anyone seen The Fighter? Am curious about it, but also annoyed that Hollywood only seems to make movies about white boxers (and Muhammad Ali). WTF? Then again, Hollywood seems to love making movies about white martial artists, too, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.
I Promise Not to Have Bitch-face in My Second Set...
…and you all are so nice for not mentioning the Bitchface in my first set. Cheers!
Second Trimester Prep Work
Now that we’re firmly in the second trimester, I’ve been getting my stuff in order, which mostly means doing all the things I’ve wanted to for months but was too scared.
Number one on the agenda was getting maternity clothes. This would have been a nothing-special experience, except that I had to walk four avenues to the maternity superstore in my winter coat. In the...
Happy New Year!!! (And bump pics)
Happy New Year, everyone!!!
New Year’s Resolutions, 2011:
1. Sleep less.
2. Exercise 4-5x/week.
3. Post more.
I am 16 weeks today, and, without further ado, here is the bump…
Some outfits make me look “bumpier” than others. Here’s your bonus pic (taken within hours of the picture above):
Crazy, no?
December 2010
3 posts
And the update this week is...
…back pain!!! Not sure if I pulled something recently or if it’s just that I’ve gained 10 pounds distributed entirely in the front half of my body (hello, 32Es!!), but my back has been killing me. I have a massage scheduled for the day after Christmas—fingers crossed that they can fix me and maybe even tell me what went wrong so I can avoid getting into this state again@
...
Second Trimester!
I am 12 weeks today. I recently learned that there are three possible starts to the second trimester, but this is the earliest, so I am going with it.
I started telling people at work this week. I am coming off of a very busy streak, so it seemed like a good time to tell. A lot of people said, “Yeah, I guessed that.” I’m not showing, but I guess I’ve been a...
itsalovethingalways asked: Hey stranger, how's the pregnancy going?? :)
November 2010
2 posts
Hungry and Tired
Halfway through my eighth week, while I seem to have largely dodged the morning sickness bullet, the two words above have characterized my pregnancy.
Since losing Sesame, the hunger and fatigue got a little less intense, presumably because my hCG levels have gone down somewhat. Since twins’ in-utero weight gain slows earlier than singletons’, it makes sense that if you are...
Saying Bye to Sesame
I want to thank everyone again for your good wishes and prayers and your patience with me—I know I haven’t been the best blogger ever lately!
We found out a few days ago that Sesame (Baby A, closest to the cervix) is gone. We suspected as much, as I had some spotting throughout last week. I even worked from my couch one day because I thought maybe if I didn’t move, I...
October 2010
4 posts
And The Verdict Is...
…maybe twins! I know, I know, that doesn’t sound like much of a revelation, especially since I was thinking “maybe twins” early last week. Technically, the news from Friday’s sonogram is that there ARE twins in there now, but one is smaller and looks like he/she might not make it. :-( That was the bittersweet news, and I hope you all understand why it took me...
Thank You, and News!
First, I wanted to thank everyone for your congratulations and support over the last week. I apologize for being boring since then—I have been feeling a little overwhelmed, and was really making an effort not to obsess between betas. Not posting helped with that. I hope you can forgive me.
Second, and without further ado, my second beta number was….OVER 5000! Last week’s was...
Ladies and gents, it would appear that I am...
Wow. This is from this morning, 14dpo/iui. Still in shock…I can’t believe it really worked!!! Just when I was starting to think I’d never see a positive pregnancy test…
I have my beta blood test Monday morning…fingers crossed for big numbers!
itsalovethingalways asked: Hey darling. Was just wondering how everything went and how you've been since the IUI? Have you found the waiting to be the longest 16 days ever!?! 6 More days for me!!
September 2010
8 posts
I Wish My Body Metabolized Chocolate As Quickly As...
Here we are, 5 days post IUI and 6 days post trigger. As many of you know, home pregnancy tests test for the presence of HcG. Triggers are also HcG, or a synthetic form thereof. Since the trigger shot stays in your system for awhile (most estimates say 1 day per 1,000 units, and an average trigger contains 10,000 units, so 10 days), it could lead to a false positive if you test early and often...
itsalovethingalways asked: Wishing you much luck today!
We're Going to Need a Bigger Boat
First, thank you so much for your well wishes and sweet messages. Since no good deed goes unpunished, I am going to describe my IUI. :-)
On Saturday, the husband reported to the andrology lab in our RE’s clinic at 9:00am. I followed at 10:30am, met him at the lab, and tried to pick up his washed sperm. Turns out there is some major security surrounding that stuff. They asked for photo...
I Never Thought I Would Be So Excited About a Shot...
I saw the RE today, and she said I had one good, mature follicle (actually, she said “one, maybe one and a half”—I am concerned about her math skills) and it was time to trigger and schedule the IUI! The Ovidrel injection didn’t hurt, even though I was totally expecting it to because it was in the lower stomach area.
I must have looked too happy, because my RE, ray of...