There were several things that we did differently on this 3rd round of IVF that was (finally) successful. I'm not positive that any of these things were the "make it or break it" part of the cycle, but if just one small thing helps someone else, it is worth it to share!
1. This 3rd round of IVF was our 1st FET. The FET was easier on my body. I wasn't having to heal from a retrieval procedure. I had no OHSS going on.
2. I used acupuncture this time. I saw someone who knew the protocol for assisting with reproduction here in my town who had had success in the past with getting people pregnant. While I'm still not sure acupuncture is the reason it worked this time, it was a stress reliever, for sure!
3. I had read that laughter was good for implantation, so I listened to and watched comedies the entire time I was down for bedrest the couple of days after transfer. We even listened to funny radio DJ's on our way home from the dr.
4. I took an extra day at home. The dr. said I had to be on bedrest for a couple of days. I went ahead and took one more day at home. I wasn't on strict bedrest, but I did take it easy for an extra day.
5. I took a baby aspirin each morning. I hadn't done that the other 2 rounds. The dr. told me to go ahead and try it this time. He said that the medical community used to always make this part of the drug protocol, but research was "iffy" nowadays as to whether it actually helped or not.
6. I ate the core of a pineapple for 5 days starting on transfer day. I had read that there is something in the core of a pineapple that actually helps with implantation. Hubby went and got a fresh pineapple, cut the core into 5 pieces, and served it to me each day, starting on transfer day.
7. Then, of course, there was the Baby Dance I did with my kids at the Center. See THIS POST if you don't know what I'm talking about. The kids' dances always work. It's some sort of magical thing that I cannot explain.
As you can see, this round was more of a "if it doesn't hurt and may help, we'll try it!" Who knows whether any of this really helped or not. But, I figured it was worth sharing if it can help someone else!
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Monday, May 21, 2012
Cravings
The night I took my first positive pregnancy test, I wanted seafood. Of course, I always want seafood, so I'm not sure if that was a pregnancy craving or just an excuse to go to our local seafood place. We'll blame it on pregnancy, OK? I also wanted chicken patties for lunch the 1st couple of weeks after I found out I was pregnant. I haven't seemed to want them since. I'm thinking that all of this is just craving of protein.
Somwhere between the 4-week and 8-week mark, I put salt on food for about a week. Normally, I use salt very sparingly, but during this week, I coated all my food with it. Luckily that craving has gone. (I read Progesterone can strip your body of salt. I'm now off shots, so maybe that's what was going on at that time.)
I live on Antacids. Even a cold glass of water seems to upset my stomach a bit. This has not "turned off like a switch" when I hit the 2nd trimester like many books and websites say it will. I am just fortunate that I'm not vomiting like some of my friends have when they were pregnant. I work with a girl who has to stop her car and puke on the way to work. So glad that hasn't happened!
I am also very thirsty! I get up several times a night to pee. Seems like every time I get up, I drink a big glass of water. Then I go back to bed and sleep for a couple hours. Then the cycle repeats! This usually goes on 3-5 times per night.
For a couple of weeks around the 12-week mark, I ate an entire can of peaches every night before going to bed. I blame this on the baby's father being a Georgia peach!
For the first time in my life, the words "This is too sweet" came out of my mouth. This has never happened.
We went to the Cheesecake Factory when I was about 14-weeks along - I ordered banana cream cheesecake rather than anything with chocolate. The people we were with looked at me like I was an alien. I went without chocolate. It is a strange event. One day right after the Cheesecake Factory incident, I even called mother-in-law to tell her I didn't think the baby was related to either of us. She's as much of a chocoholic as I am. She just laughed.
Now that I've hit the 17-week point, my appetite has hit overdrive. I've eaten nonstop since Friday. Baby must be hungry!
Somwhere between the 4-week and 8-week mark, I put salt on food for about a week. Normally, I use salt very sparingly, but during this week, I coated all my food with it. Luckily that craving has gone. (I read Progesterone can strip your body of salt. I'm now off shots, so maybe that's what was going on at that time.)
I live on Antacids. Even a cold glass of water seems to upset my stomach a bit. This has not "turned off like a switch" when I hit the 2nd trimester like many books and websites say it will. I am just fortunate that I'm not vomiting like some of my friends have when they were pregnant. I work with a girl who has to stop her car and puke on the way to work. So glad that hasn't happened!
I am also very thirsty! I get up several times a night to pee. Seems like every time I get up, I drink a big glass of water. Then I go back to bed and sleep for a couple hours. Then the cycle repeats! This usually goes on 3-5 times per night.
For a couple of weeks around the 12-week mark, I ate an entire can of peaches every night before going to bed. I blame this on the baby's father being a Georgia peach!
For the first time in my life, the words "This is too sweet" came out of my mouth. This has never happened.
We went to the Cheesecake Factory when I was about 14-weeks along - I ordered banana cream cheesecake rather than anything with chocolate. The people we were with looked at me like I was an alien. I went without chocolate. It is a strange event. One day right after the Cheesecake Factory incident, I even called mother-in-law to tell her I didn't think the baby was related to either of us. She's as much of a chocoholic as I am. She just laughed.
Now that I've hit the 17-week point, my appetite has hit overdrive. I've eaten nonstop since Friday. Baby must be hungry!
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Glowing?
I've heard the term "glowing" tossed around when people get pregnant and now I'm beginning to wonder what the word really means. I tend to think of someone looking happy and radiant when I hear the word glowing. However, it's been used on me several times lately and I'm beginning to think it's really a code word for something else. Here are some more reasonable definitions in my opinion:
Glowing - adjective - tired. I felt exhausted one day and so Hubby and I went out to eat. Someone who had seen my facebook announcement saw me in the restaurant, came over to me, and told me I looked glowing. Now mind you, my hair was pulled up into a messy ponytail, I was uncomfortable from wearing pants that hurt, and I was hungry. I'm pretty sure in this instance, I was a glowing, tired mess.
Glowing - adjective - put thought and effort into how one looks in public. I must admit that I've been washing my hair in the morning and letting it dry as the day goes on. I've been wearing more of what's comfortable and less of what's stylish these days as I'm growing and the weather is unpredictable. One day, I put some effort into my outfit and makeup. Now mind you, I said some effort. I put on a cute top and smeared a little makeup onto my face. People came up to me and said I was absolutely glowing. Is this a nice way of saying, "Way to go! You dressed yourself AND put some effort into your hair and makeup!"???
Glowing - adjective - chunky. My pants don't fit right. My already large chest doesn't help my appearance. On a day when I was feeling like "5 pounds of sausage in a 3-pound bag," I was told that I looked glowing. Was that a nice way of saying, "Woah! You're gaining weight!"???
At any rate, glow on, my friends! However you'd like to define it!
Glowing - adjective - tired. I felt exhausted one day and so Hubby and I went out to eat. Someone who had seen my facebook announcement saw me in the restaurant, came over to me, and told me I looked glowing. Now mind you, my hair was pulled up into a messy ponytail, I was uncomfortable from wearing pants that hurt, and I was hungry. I'm pretty sure in this instance, I was a glowing, tired mess.
Glowing - adjective - put thought and effort into how one looks in public. I must admit that I've been washing my hair in the morning and letting it dry as the day goes on. I've been wearing more of what's comfortable and less of what's stylish these days as I'm growing and the weather is unpredictable. One day, I put some effort into my outfit and makeup. Now mind you, I said some effort. I put on a cute top and smeared a little makeup onto my face. People came up to me and said I was absolutely glowing. Is this a nice way of saying, "Way to go! You dressed yourself AND put some effort into your hair and makeup!"???
Glowing - adjective - chunky. My pants don't fit right. My already large chest doesn't help my appearance. On a day when I was feeling like "5 pounds of sausage in a 3-pound bag," I was told that I looked glowing. Was that a nice way of saying, "Woah! You're gaining weight!"???
At any rate, glow on, my friends! However you'd like to define it!
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Crazy Ass Dreams
People had told me that you tend to have some strange dreams when you become pregnant. Strange I can handle. Crazy ass dreams every night is another matter altogether. Here is a sampling of what my crazy mind has conjured up over the last several weeks:
I went shopping for bigger underwear. I kept trying on bigger and bigger sizes in an effort to find some that were comfortable. I eventually quit looking at sizes and just kept trying on what was handed to me. Eventually, I did find a pair that fit. I looked at the size. Size 30! (I'm NO WHERE near a size 30.) On another occasion, I went underwear shopping (do I have a complex about my growing booty?) and found my favorite kind, but none in any size that I could wear.
Some dreams have been sad or sentimental. And old employee (who I was never close to) of our coffee shop called asking me for life advice. My brother lost his job and his wife and four children left him. And possibly my favorite: My Dad and my cat (who was a kitten again in the dream) were walking down a country road just talking and visiting with me.
Other dreams have just made no sense at all. In one dream, I was a game show host. The winner of my game show won the title of Executive Director at my work. My old Executive Director and one of the smaller children from my youth center were vying for the position. The kid won... In another wild dream, Hubby and I were having a "moment" in the front living room at my Mom's house. My Mom walked in on us. Later, she scolded me for having tan lines and said I should not be going tanning while pregnant. In one that I had just last night, Hubby's brother and his wife were renewing their vows in some small church. I helped my sister-in-law get dressed in an ugly pink, furry, sequined knee-length sweater that she was wearing for the ceremony (It was prom last weekend. I'm blaming that one on the prom dresses I saw.)
And finally, I'm already beginning to worry about parenting in my dreams. I had a dream that the baby just would not latch on to me in the hospital and it was losing weight because I could not feed it.
I hope these are not ever used against me in a court of law....
I went shopping for bigger underwear. I kept trying on bigger and bigger sizes in an effort to find some that were comfortable. I eventually quit looking at sizes and just kept trying on what was handed to me. Eventually, I did find a pair that fit. I looked at the size. Size 30! (I'm NO WHERE near a size 30.) On another occasion, I went underwear shopping (do I have a complex about my growing booty?) and found my favorite kind, but none in any size that I could wear.
Some dreams have been sad or sentimental. And old employee (who I was never close to) of our coffee shop called asking me for life advice. My brother lost his job and his wife and four children left him. And possibly my favorite: My Dad and my cat (who was a kitten again in the dream) were walking down a country road just talking and visiting with me.
Other dreams have just made no sense at all. In one dream, I was a game show host. The winner of my game show won the title of Executive Director at my work. My old Executive Director and one of the smaller children from my youth center were vying for the position. The kid won... In another wild dream, Hubby and I were having a "moment" in the front living room at my Mom's house. My Mom walked in on us. Later, she scolded me for having tan lines and said I should not be going tanning while pregnant. In one that I had just last night, Hubby's brother and his wife were renewing their vows in some small church. I helped my sister-in-law get dressed in an ugly pink, furry, sequined knee-length sweater that she was wearing for the ceremony (It was prom last weekend. I'm blaming that one on the prom dresses I saw.)
And finally, I'm already beginning to worry about parenting in my dreams. I had a dream that the baby just would not latch on to me in the hospital and it was losing weight because I could not feed it.
I hope these are not ever used against me in a court of law....
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