So I am taken fully off guard by the arrival of yet another newborn. A friend of mine that was in my class in University just had a baby girl - and I didn't even know she was preggo!
I HATE that. It makes the whole thing seem sooo easy. Just poof! And here is a baby.
And the baby really is pretty.
At least it has a stupid name.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Ovulation Staycation!
So this month my likely ovulation days fall on a weekend (ahem, this weekend). Originally we were thinking of doing a little weekend getaway, but that has morphed into wanting to just do a staycation - we love our house and our bed, and we're still slightly traumatized from Christmas.
So here we are! We've been eating oysters for the last few nights, and this weekend is mostly about relaxing and having fun - and with a few errands that had to get thrown in. We couldn't go off the grid 100%. But we're mostly good.
I have seen some CM egg whites - but my pH is not good. I will continue to check, of course, since checking pH is like my favourite thing, I highly recommend it. And I swear my cervical position/texture is wrong, but I suppose I need a few cycles to know what to compare to.
Oh, and hilariously - since I've been off caffeine for over a year, I have no tolerance for it anymore. This morning some caffeinated beans were mixed in with my decaf (like maybe 25% max) - and ALL day I was jazzy. I was actually shaky all morning at work, then until about 5:00pm I was hyper. I mean, sure, lunch was meg fun with the boys, but I was a little over the top. (CL brought in goat cheese - wheeeeeee). I'm still a bit too energetic - I wonder how I'll sleep tonight! This probably isn't the best thing to have done on what is possibly the day before ovulation...oops....
I did get a chance to use my new fav word ("drag") at work today. I have the goal of continuing to use this word every day next week at work. Instead of joining everyone freaking out when it turned out something we thought was 125 was really 85, I was all like, "Yeah, what a drag. We'll have to re-plan." Yay! NOT freaking out every day (many times a day on some days!) at work will be good for me, I'm sure.
So here we are! We've been eating oysters for the last few nights, and this weekend is mostly about relaxing and having fun - and with a few errands that had to get thrown in. We couldn't go off the grid 100%. But we're mostly good.
I have seen some CM egg whites - but my pH is not good. I will continue to check, of course, since checking pH is like my favourite thing, I highly recommend it. And I swear my cervical position/texture is wrong, but I suppose I need a few cycles to know what to compare to.
Oh, and hilariously - since I've been off caffeine for over a year, I have no tolerance for it anymore. This morning some caffeinated beans were mixed in with my decaf (like maybe 25% max) - and ALL day I was jazzy. I was actually shaky all morning at work, then until about 5:00pm I was hyper. I mean, sure, lunch was meg fun with the boys, but I was a little over the top. (CL brought in goat cheese - wheeeeeee). I'm still a bit too energetic - I wonder how I'll sleep tonight! This probably isn't the best thing to have done on what is possibly the day before ovulation...oops....
I did get a chance to use my new fav word ("drag") at work today. I have the goal of continuing to use this word every day next week at work. Instead of joining everyone freaking out when it turned out something we thought was 125 was really 85, I was all like, "Yeah, what a drag. We'll have to re-plan." Yay! NOT freaking out every day (many times a day on some days!) at work will be good for me, I'm sure.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
FINALLY my Fertility Yoga DVD Arrives!
Seriously, I ordered this schmazoo in like mid-November!
Dr T recommended this particular fertility Yoga DVD, so I'm going to try it out. What I find neat, is that there is a different set of poses for each of the four monthly phases. Frankly, I felt a bit silly this morning doing some of the poses - it is not like any Yoga I've done before.
So it does have me a bit bummed out today - there are two options:
a. "Like, doing all that silly yoga every morning was totally worth it to catch preggo!"
b. "Wow, what a waste of time an energy, and here we are adopting anyway..."
Obviously I'd like to hope for the first, but I think I'm getting some of those January blues, so this morning I was more thinking of the latter. I was kind of bummed. But they sent some free LH test strips along with it, so I checked for fun today - it is funny the things I look forward to these days! That sort of cheered me up (it was not positive, but I think that is because it is too early in the cycle, that's ok).
Speaking of which, I am still not really detecting much CM, and what I find has a pH that would kill spermies right away...but it is still not ovulation yet, so I'm trying to be patient.
DH's man business is actually a little too high in pH, potentially.... just in case he's been having extra vitamin C. Hahah - I'm really having a bit too much fun with pH testing, I think! The (fun factor)/(fertility dollars spent) on those test strips is super high! :)
Dr T recommended this particular fertility Yoga DVD, so I'm going to try it out. What I find neat, is that there is a different set of poses for each of the four monthly phases. Frankly, I felt a bit silly this morning doing some of the poses - it is not like any Yoga I've done before.
So it does have me a bit bummed out today - there are two options:
a. "Like, doing all that silly yoga every morning was totally worth it to catch preggo!"
b. "Wow, what a waste of time an energy, and here we are adopting anyway..."
Obviously I'd like to hope for the first, but I think I'm getting some of those January blues, so this morning I was more thinking of the latter. I was kind of bummed. But they sent some free LH test strips along with it, so I checked for fun today - it is funny the things I look forward to these days! That sort of cheered me up (it was not positive, but I think that is because it is too early in the cycle, that's ok).
Speaking of which, I am still not really detecting much CM, and what I find has a pH that would kill spermies right away...but it is still not ovulation yet, so I'm trying to be patient.
DH's man business is actually a little too high in pH, potentially.... just in case he's been having extra vitamin C. Hahah - I'm really having a bit too much fun with pH testing, I think! The (fun factor)/(fertility dollars spent) on those test strips is super high! :)
Saturday, January 8, 2011
The 2011 CS IF Plan
So I thought I'd share our current plan for 2011, in terms of IF.
Until we get a BFP:
Jan: test CM, pay attention to position, mucus and pH. No preseed this month, since we want to measure my native pH levels.
Feb: keep trying. Potentially pause acupuncture, depending on Jan results. Potentially take Mucinex, depending on Jan results.
Mar: keep trying. "
Apr: Vacation in Taiwan. Keep trying.
May: IUI (I want to wait until after such a big vacation, because of traveling stress and the huge time change - I'm not great at 12hr time changes, it will potentially really throw me off). Will do acupuncture during IUI.
Jun: Another IUI.
Jul: Another IUI?
Aug: Adoption time. Local or international, we're not sure yet. If we do International, we are thinking of Haiti. Much research needs to be done in this area, I know basically nothing still.
So, that's the plan! Hahahha. We'll see how things really go - I know plans are never really followed.
We've decided (at this point), IVF will not be for us. For us needing IVF is a sign that we should adopt. I mean, having our own biological baby would be great, but in the end, the goal is a baby, and I'm sure there is a local or Haitian baby out there that needs us. :) I wish the adoption process wouldn't take so long, part of me thinks we should kick it off now, but I still have hope we'll be able to conceive.
This probably isn't such a popular viewpoint, but we feel needing IVF maybe means that we were meant to adopt. I mean, there are lots of little Haitian babies out there that could use homes (I think? Excuse my total lack of adoption reality at this point.), how do you know if you should adopt them, unless your hand is sort of forced? In general, I don't really live by 'it was meant to be' type statements, but in this case, it is such a big deal.... my rules bend in that regard. This would be a way of seeing God's plan for us, I think.
Why is IUI different than IVF? Because it is easier and cheaper - I am aware of the irony, it is still certainly assisted reproduction. Because it will jump my potentially busted cervix, which I did to myself, there was no divine plan there.
Until we get a BFP:
Jan: test CM, pay attention to position, mucus and pH. No preseed this month, since we want to measure my native pH levels.
Feb: keep trying. Potentially pause acupuncture, depending on Jan results. Potentially take Mucinex, depending on Jan results.
Mar: keep trying. "
Apr: Vacation in Taiwan. Keep trying.
May: IUI (I want to wait until after such a big vacation, because of traveling stress and the huge time change - I'm not great at 12hr time changes, it will potentially really throw me off). Will do acupuncture during IUI.
Jun: Another IUI.
Jul: Another IUI?
Aug: Adoption time. Local or international, we're not sure yet. If we do International, we are thinking of Haiti. Much research needs to be done in this area, I know basically nothing still.
So, that's the plan! Hahahha. We'll see how things really go - I know plans are never really followed.
We've decided (at this point), IVF will not be for us. For us needing IVF is a sign that we should adopt. I mean, having our own biological baby would be great, but in the end, the goal is a baby, and I'm sure there is a local or Haitian baby out there that needs us. :) I wish the adoption process wouldn't take so long, part of me thinks we should kick it off now, but I still have hope we'll be able to conceive.
This probably isn't such a popular viewpoint, but we feel needing IVF maybe means that we were meant to adopt. I mean, there are lots of little Haitian babies out there that could use homes (I think? Excuse my total lack of adoption reality at this point.), how do you know if you should adopt them, unless your hand is sort of forced? In general, I don't really live by 'it was meant to be' type statements, but in this case, it is such a big deal.... my rules bend in that regard. This would be a way of seeing God's plan for us, I think.
Why is IUI different than IVF? Because it is easier and cheaper - I am aware of the irony, it is still certainly assisted reproduction. Because it will jump my potentially busted cervix, which I did to myself, there was no divine plan there.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
It's getting hot in here! (So hot!) So take off all your
luteal phase herbs!
(I am, getting so hot, I want to take all my luteal phase herbs off!)
hahhah.
So, Dr T was NOT pleased with my ultra-short cycle of last month, and also I have not mentioned, but AF was LIGHT! Not good. Too light, too short - way worse off than I was before the acupuncture/herbs!
She was perplexed, but by the time she came back in to take out the needles she had a theory - my luteal phase herbs are way too hot for me. She's going to adjust my formula. I think this makes sense. The sore boobs and ultra bad skin at/after ovulation are new, the herbs look to be to blame. And one cannot get preggo with such a thin uterine lining - I think my regular AF was just fine, thank you.
A teensy bit scary - how much these herbs really can screw with you, so they really are doing something!
So I'm sticking with it, hoping this month with adjusted luteal phase herbs will be back to normal at the least! And I still blame that fever for screwing things up last month, at least a bit.
Dr. T does think there may be something to my cervical mucus gland cryosurgery theory. So we'll see.
(I am, getting so hot, I want to take all my luteal phase herbs off!)
hahhah.
So, Dr T was NOT pleased with my ultra-short cycle of last month, and also I have not mentioned, but AF was LIGHT! Not good. Too light, too short - way worse off than I was before the acupuncture/herbs!
She was perplexed, but by the time she came back in to take out the needles she had a theory - my luteal phase herbs are way too hot for me. She's going to adjust my formula. I think this makes sense. The sore boobs and ultra bad skin at/after ovulation are new, the herbs look to be to blame. And one cannot get preggo with such a thin uterine lining - I think my regular AF was just fine, thank you.
A teensy bit scary - how much these herbs really can screw with you, so they really are doing something!
So I'm sticking with it, hoping this month with adjusted luteal phase herbs will be back to normal at the least! And I still blame that fever for screwing things up last month, at least a bit.
Dr. T does think there may be something to my cervical mucus gland cryosurgery theory. So we'll see.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
This month's feature focus: CM
So every month that we don't conceive, I try to focus on a new area that could be affecting our fertility. Thanks to the A.R.T of Babymaking, I am now not feeling like this last month was wasted, it was a step in a process.
This month I am zeroing in on: Cervical Mucus!
I have always felt my CM just wasn't quite right - I have never noticed egg whites or anything remotely like that. Due to my propensity for acidic foods, I am worried my CM is too acidic during pre-ovulation. So today I settled down to buy some pH tests strips. I'd been thinking about doing this for many moons, so I am finally thinking now might be a good time to get off the pot.
And when looking up what one's CM pH should be before/after/during ovulation, I come across this (excepted from here):
Abnormal cervical mucus can result from any process that interferes with the function of cervical glands (mucus is produced by these glands). This includes surgery to the cervix with destruction or removal of glands. These surgeries include cryosurgery (freezing), conization (removal of a cone shaped segment) or LEEP (cauterizing loop electrode removal of a segment) of the cervix for an abnormal pap smear.
Well, shiver me timbers! Why am I just finding this out now?! I HAD cryosurgery of my cervix a few years ago. As soon as I read that I was furious. And the surgery did not go as it was supposed to go. Instead of "mild cramping" I felt "a dozen steak knives up my hoo haa" (and some mild cramping).
The mean old lady doctor who performed it assured me there would be no effect on my fertility. When I mentioned it to my doctor here, he dismissed it right away.
But...um...it all does seem to fit together. So this month I am going to pay a lot more attention to my CM than I have been. I've been not really testing it since it is sort of a bother and a bit gross, but it is time for me to buck up. If it turns out I do get a nice pH and egg whites, I was wrong, that is fine, I'll move on. But if my pH doesn't turn and I get no egg whites... I'm looking at you cervical cryosurgery!
This would mean an IUI should do us. Which is good. I feel hopeful.
This month I am zeroing in on: Cervical Mucus!
I have always felt my CM just wasn't quite right - I have never noticed egg whites or anything remotely like that. Due to my propensity for acidic foods, I am worried my CM is too acidic during pre-ovulation. So today I settled down to buy some pH tests strips. I'd been thinking about doing this for many moons, so I am finally thinking now might be a good time to get off the pot.
And when looking up what one's CM pH should be before/after/during ovulation, I come across this (excepted from here):
Abnormal cervical mucus can result from any process that interferes with the function of cervical glands (mucus is produced by these glands). This includes surgery to the cervix with destruction or removal of glands. These surgeries include cryosurgery (freezing), conization (removal of a cone shaped segment) or LEEP (cauterizing loop electrode removal of a segment) of the cervix for an abnormal pap smear.
Well, shiver me timbers! Why am I just finding this out now?! I HAD cryosurgery of my cervix a few years ago. As soon as I read that I was furious. And the surgery did not go as it was supposed to go. Instead of "mild cramping" I felt "a dozen steak knives up my hoo haa" (and some mild cramping).
The mean old lady doctor who performed it assured me there would be no effect on my fertility. When I mentioned it to my doctor here, he dismissed it right away.
But...um...it all does seem to fit together. So this month I am going to pay a lot more attention to my CM than I have been. I've been not really testing it since it is sort of a bother and a bit gross, but it is time for me to buck up. If it turns out I do get a nice pH and egg whites, I was wrong, that is fine, I'll move on. But if my pH doesn't turn and I get no egg whites... I'm looking at you cervical cryosurgery!
This would mean an IUI should do us. Which is good. I feel hopeful.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Happy New Year!
And CRAZY Day 23!
I woke up at 4am and lost all of last night's dinner over the next couple of hours - those were some bad times. Then I had a low fever all day and was SUPER achy. By the evening my fever had steadily crept up to 39.16'C, so I took some ibuprofen and that put a stop to it. My fever broke just in time to ring in the New Year. I then had some serious night sweats that night.
My DH and I missed our NYE party with my friends (too bad, I was really looking forward to it!), we just stayed home and watched the ball drop with some (seriously nasty) non-alcoholic champagne. My DH was an amazing nurse - I am such a lucky gal! I was pretty pathetic all day, the few switches I made from the couch to the bed were a huge deal.
Well, at least I wasn't obsessed with fertility on Day 23 - I was more thinking about how much my legs hurt and how hot I was!
AF is here today. Super early since she usually arrives day 27 very consistently. I am surprisingly not that upset. Things were bad yesterday, it is VERY unusual for me to have a fever - I can't even remember the last time I had one. Two years ago when I had the flu, there was no fever. So a fever is a big deal for me.
Anyhoo, Happy New Year to all my IF friends! :) Let's hope 2011 will be the last of us!
I woke up at 4am and lost all of last night's dinner over the next couple of hours - those were some bad times. Then I had a low fever all day and was SUPER achy. By the evening my fever had steadily crept up to 39.16'C, so I took some ibuprofen and that put a stop to it. My fever broke just in time to ring in the New Year. I then had some serious night sweats that night.
My DH and I missed our NYE party with my friends (too bad, I was really looking forward to it!), we just stayed home and watched the ball drop with some (seriously nasty) non-alcoholic champagne. My DH was an amazing nurse - I am such a lucky gal! I was pretty pathetic all day, the few switches I made from the couch to the bed were a huge deal.
Well, at least I wasn't obsessed with fertility on Day 23 - I was more thinking about how much my legs hurt and how hot I was!
AF is here today. Super early since she usually arrives day 27 very consistently. I am surprisingly not that upset. Things were bad yesterday, it is VERY unusual for me to have a fever - I can't even remember the last time I had one. Two years ago when I had the flu, there was no fever. So a fever is a big deal for me.
Anyhoo, Happy New Year to all my IF friends! :) Let's hope 2011 will be the last of us!
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