Appointment Update

So we were supposed to meet with the new RE but due to Mr. Explorer Bud being sick we had to cancel and are looking to reschedule in September after he is back in school. That way I should be back to weight I want to be, Mr. Explorer Bud will have been off caffeine/soda for about 3 months and we will be less crammed with our schedules. I was at first bummed but after some rationalization I was okay and set to meet some of my fitness goals before diving back onto the emotional roller coaster that comes with a new RE and treatments.

35 Week Update

Today marks the next milestone on my pregnancy checklist: 35/35! Meaning I'm 35 weeks today, with 35 days to go until my due date. Wow! The only two milestones I can think of to hit going forward are full-term and my due date...kind of scary, but very exciting at the same time! So I'll give a quick update in this post, and then update separately about a few things that I want to give more attention to.

How far along: 35 weeks!

Total weight change: Um...too much. About +37 as of last week's appointment. I guess this is what happens when I go from avid marathon runner to occasional pool walker.

Maternity clothes: Definitely! I still have a few pairs of really comfy pre-pregnancy pj pants that fit, but otherwise I'm in maternity clothes exclusively. I have a couple pairs of pants and a button down shirt that don't exactly fit so well. Thankfully, it's still in the 90's here so I can wear my arsenal of summer dresses every day to work unless I have a meeting that requires something with a jacket.

Stretch Marks: Not really! I'm an avid cocoa butter user, and put it on my hips, low back, stomach and chest every day. Just in case!

Movement: Baby Magnolia Bud's kicks and punches have turned into rolls and shifts. It's gotten a little more uncomfortable, but that's to be expected now that he/she is running out of room...

Sleep: Not great, but I'm at least sleeping a few hours at a time. I get up about twice a night to pee, and am constantly turning over, shifting positions, etc. This week I'm traveling for work 2 nights, so I'm excited to see if a bed filled with pillows is any help.

Best Moment This Past Week: There were several! Our 34-week appointment last week was great, we had our last baby shower, we finished buying from our BuyBuyBaby registry, we washed and put away all the baby clothes, we prepped our first load of cloth diapers (Bum Genius 4.0 pockets and newborn AIO's), and the nursery is almost done!

Most Difficult Moment This Past Week: I've been having a lot of upper back pain that starts around noon every day and lasts until I'm lying down at night again. I'm also starting to just be uncomfortable a lot of the time.

Belly Button In or Out: More flat than innie or outie. Mr. Magnolia Bud thinks it's hilarious.

Cravings/Aversions: Not much, if anything. I have started needing my drinks to be ice-cold, and still am turned off by most meats.

Symptoms: From the head down--leaky boobs (every now and then), braxton hicks a couple times an hour when I'm awake, crazy back pain in my upper back (and a really tight lower back/butt), and knowing that if I look at my feet, my feet and ankles look like there's a baseball where my ankle bones used to be. I'm hoping a pedicure next weekend and a massage and facial the week after will help :)

What I'm Looking Forward To: We're finishing buying things from our amazon and BRU registries this week, and will finish prepping our cloth diapers, pack the birth center bag, and order the nursery art this week/weekend too.

Sitting in the Waiting Room.

Not literally...

I have to be honest... lately, my posts have really SUCKED :-/ I have had NOTHING interesting to say, except that AF is super late. You want stats??? Today is CD79, and I am 20 days late, based on my last funked up cycle. Thanks, Period Tracker. I can always count on you to keep things in perspective... o.O

So yea, I am sitting around waiting for AF to finally show up... and also waiting to see if I'll have a job next year. I am a Teacher in South Florida, and the job situation is a bit sketchy... Hopefully, I will get some good news this week. I NEED my Health Insurance coverage to continue so that I can visit a local IVF clinic nearby for a consultation... A former Bud, and friend, recommended them to me. Because of a very successful round of IUI, she now has a beautiful little boy to call her own :) So, hopefully they can help me see the "big picture" of my fertility, soon. :)

Since it's still Summer Break, I have been staying up VERY late... sometimes later than I even should. And of course, I get some time to watch TV, and watch whatever I like, I may add ;) I caught an Episode of Guiliana & Bill, based on Bill and Guiliana Rancic. As some of you may or may not know, they have struggled with their own infertility issues, and were planning to take a year off of TTC (because of all the stress and heartbreak it brought upon them). She mentioned this book called "Making Babies" which seems really interesting. So, I thought I'd share it with my fellow Buds and readers. The authors are Sami David and Jill Blakeway.

photo credit

I was trying to find a Kindle edition, but it is not available... however, the iBooks app on the iPhone and iPad does have it available. I haven't read it yet, but I have previewed it. It seems very promising and interesting. Have you heard about this book? Any positive (or negative) thoughts about it?

Anyway, I guess that's all for now... I kind of have to wait until I find out about my Job Situation before I can move on with my TTC and Fertility issues... which is extremely unfortunate. Hopefully, I will know what is going on (with both work and my health) soon.

75% Done!

Since I never did the survey thing in my other post this week, here goes.

How far along: 30 weeks and 6 days

Total weight change: Going by the doctors scale, +23. I'm totally dreading my next check up. I wasn't a tiny woman when I got pregnant and its all but a sure thing that the next appointment will put me over the 200 mark. For the most part I'm alright with the increasing weight of pregnancy...but that milestone will be a hard one to swallow.

Maternity clothes: I started Round Three of maternity clothes this past week. Some of my shirts were getting too short and pants were getting too snug in the waistband. I'm still on the lookout for yoga pants and maxi dresses. I've also realized that wearing more supportive shoes made a HUGE difference in my foot and back pain.

Stretch Marks: No new ones.

Movement: I feel nudges and wiggles each day, enough for him to pass his kick count, but not a ton.

Sleep: Normal for me in 3rd Tri, I guess. I'm up 3 to 4 times for the bathroom. I'm finding myself really loving squeezing in an afternoon nap as well. Not sure if its because I'm not sleeping soundly at night or if its because the extra weight is taking a toll on my physically.

Best Moment This Past Week: Hearing everything looked good at the appt.

Most Difficult Moment This Past Week: Just knowing that I have another 10 or so weeks to go. I also had a hard time with the realization that cloth diapering just isn't realistic for us. We can't wash them in house due to the landlord getting a low end washer and using a diaper service was more expensive than disposables.

Belly Button In or Out: Still an inny.

Cravings/Aversions: Nothing

Symptoms: Tingly fingers, particularly on my right hand. Bloat, including the infamous cankles. I had my very first big time Braxton Hicks contraction in the week hours of Wednesday morning. BIG difference from the one I had at 15 weeks. It was like my whole belly had a giant muscle spasm at once. Pretty intense.

What I'm Looking Forward To: Our glider and ottoman coming in (due within the next week) and our changing table getting assembled.

Progress

Our social worker called on Tuesday after speaking to our donor couple. I knew she was talking to them at 2pm. I had such an unproductive day. I was so anxious to hear what they had to say. I waited until 3:30  to hear from our social worker, and then couldn't wait anymore and gave her a call. She had just gotten off of the phone with them so it was good timing.

Our hope has been to be able to get a photo and a letter for the child from the donor couple in the case that we do have a baby. They had agreed to the letter, but were very protective of their identity and do not want the world, or their children(for the moment) to know that they did IVF or embryo adoption. Their concern with giving a photo was that if we located them, or posted something on Facebook, somehow people would find out, and they would like things to happen on their own timeline.

In the end they did agree to move forward, and even to give us a picture and a letter to a child when they are 1 year old. In the contract we will give hard copy updates twice a year. We will not post any photos of the donor couple online, and they would like to meet us at some point. They have approved this copy of the open agreement and are just waiting for their lawyer to look over it. They have agreed to return the signed and notarized copy soon so that I will be able to start my medications in the next week or two.

It has been one month since we first accepted this couple as a donor. This matching process and coming to terms on the open agreement has been much more difficult then I expected. We are extremely open, so before we started this process, I imagined that one day the couple would say what they hoped for , and the next day we would say yes, and we would both signed it and it would be done in a matter of days.

Our social worker said that our donors were really back and forth between doing an open and a closed donation. I think that in the end they decided that they wanted to know how any potential kids were doing, but it hadn't really occurred to them that a couple seeking an open donation would have hopes too. We are really on the other side of the spectrum when it comes to openness. They had A LOT of fears, but things have progressed slowly and I am happy with where we are at now. This process has been emotional and stressful, but I feel happy to see that things are probably going to work out with our current donor and that things are moving along.

27 Week Update

I've been somewhat Missing In Action here because my family is going through a terrible time right now. Unfortunately, my Father-In-Law was diagnosed with Leukemia. We have been through a whirlwind these past few days and it has been hard to focus on anything, much less blogging. Right now, we don't have much information other than the diagnosis which is definitely scary. Any thoughts and prayers the Bloomin' Babies readers can spare would be much appreciated.

As far as the pregnancy, things are still moving along well. I haven't taken a picture the past two weeks so I think I am getting bigger but don't have pictures to prove it. The baby has bruised my ribs and I am in SO much pain all the time now. It really sucks, sometimes I am so frustrated by the pain I just cry. My back has started hurting as well, the one Tylenol a day just isn't helping anymore. I don't think there is anything else I can do to ease my pain though.

I feel hungry all the time but I am paranoid of gaining too much weight. I try to eat healthy but I am not sure I am doing the best job at that. I do eat a lot of cereal, lately Raisin Bran, and therefore a lot of milk. I am trying to get all the nutrients I need for the baby but it is definitely a challenge.

Our Bradley classes start next week and I am really excited. I have been reading the course book, Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way and am excited for Mr. BB to learn the techniques. The teacher seems really great through the phone calls and emails so I think we are going to learn a lot. I have to admit I am a little paranoid, they say that 97% of Bradley moms go med-free. I really don't want to be in the 3% who don't make it. I know Mr. BB will be great I am just worried I will give up. The Bradley Method is all about relaxing and I am stressing about not being able to relax through the contractions. I am sure stressing about that doesn't help, haha!

I have my Glucose test next week as well. I really hope I pass, I was fine with my daughter so I am using that to remind myself that I will probably be ok.

I will have more updates next week after my appointment. After that appointment I go every two weeks already! Sometimes I feel like I still have a long way to go but getting to appointments every two weeks makes it seem close.

All the best,

30 Week Appt

I'm officially on biweekly appointments now that I'm in the 3rd Trimester. Had my 30 week one bright and early on Monday and the 32 week one is on the books for later this month.


I don't think I've done a summary of what a typical prenatal appointment is like, so for those that are curious, here goes:


Typically I arrive at the office and check in. The receptionist gives me a bunch of lab labels that I'm to hand to the nurse when I'm called back. I sit and wait, usually guzzling my water because I know what's coming next. Eventually I get called back by the nurse. They do my weight (boo!), temp, BP and ask if there is any pain or big changes since the last appointment. Then they hand me one of the labels mentioned earlier and direct me to the nearest bathroom where I'm expected to pee in a cup. Let me tell you, that's getting more challenging as the belly gets bigger. Kind of like flying blind, lol.


The sample gets left for the nurse and I go back to the room they've told me to wait in. Typically the nurse then enters the new vitals info into the system while we wait on the doctor (there are computers in the exam rooms). She'll often ask me several questions, usually stuff that is trimester appropriate...but questions of bleeding/spotting/pain are always included.




Then the doctor comes back. She goes over my vitals and asks about any issues I might be having. This is where I chime in about the tingly fingers of the past month, or earlier in the pregnancy about the spotting. I'd recommend highly writing down your questions on a list as you come up with them. When my appointments were monthly, that was a lifesaver. I hated forgetting to ask something when I had some face time with the doctor and then having to call.


Lately, as in since 24 weeks, the doctors are starting to ask questions to get me thinking about the future at these appointments as well. Things like what we intend to do for birth control after the baby, if we've thought about our preferences for delivery (basically a nudge to come up with a birth plan) and a heads up about upcoming testing such as Group B Strep.


Next up is the best part. I lay down on the exam table and they break out the doppler. I love getting to hear the little guys heartbeat! Its usually not for very long, but its long enough for me to know its for sure there still which is comforting.


After that we wipe off the gel and I get helped up off the exam table (can't get up very well on my own these days). The doctor typically goes over a few things as the nurse sticks her head in and says I passed the pee test (nowadays they are looking for proteins and sugars in particular). I then make an appointment for the appropriate number of weeks in the future on my way out.


This past appointment I found out that a referral for wrist splints, intended to help with my carpal tunnel and ulnar nerve issues was approved by insurance, so I got information about where to get fitted for those.


I actually went to get the wrist braces today. One for each wrist. They are (thankfully) Velcro closure and are reinforced by a metal plate on the underside of the wrist. I'm supposed to wear them at a minimum when I'm sleeping to keep me from flexing my wrist in my sleep and aggravating the issue. I feel like a boxer with them on, take a look for yourselves. Sexy, aren't they? Just kidding of course. There pretty much is nothing sexy about pregnancy at this point.

The Wait Continues

We are still working on the final draft of our Open Agreement with our donors for our embryo adoption. The question that was holding us up was whether or not we would get a picture of the donor family at some point after a child is born. Two Fridays ago the donor family said yes, but by Monday weren't really sure, so they set up a call with the social worker for Wednesday. They forgot about it and rescheduled for Thursday. They forgot they were busy Thursday and rescheduled for Friday.

Friday our social worker spoke to the husband and he said that they were okay with a picture at one year after a child is born. The donor husband still had to confirm with his wife, but it seemed that by their conversation today with our social worker that things would be settled. I got an email today that the wife donor has more questions or requests, so the couple will have a conversation with the social worker again tomorrow, and I will hopefully know more shortly after!

2 years ago...

I was spending the day with my bridesmaids and parents.I was beyond excited to be marrying the man of my dreams later that evening. We had a fantastic day with our friends and family. As of right now, I have to say that is the best day of my life.

I won't lie and say that the past two years have been easy. DH was hit hard by the economy and has been laid off quite a few times since we got married (first time being the day we returned from our honeymoon). In addition to this, we have yet to get our baby we both so crave. Last year we celebrated in Disney World and bought all sorts of stuff for our baby who we knew would come soon (even though we heading towards a year of trying). Here we are a year later and not any closer. As much as I want to scream and shout how happy I am for our anniversary, I can't. It is definitely a bittersweet day. I just hope that next year our family is a little more complete and we can celebrate together.

Happy Anniversary Mr. PlannerBud! I love you more than anything else.

Brynn is here!

On Sunday night, at 38w4d, my water broke! Just a short 13 or so hours later we welcomed Ms. Brynn Atarah to the world. I will post my birth story in the next week or so.

Here's a picture of the love of my life: