iamhealthiernow

It feels like such a long time to get this IVF cycle started... and here I am -- ALMOST there! Since the last time I wrote:  I stopped birth control on 9/17/18, as directed from my RE.  AF arrived on 9/20/18. I called my RE's office and my next directions were to start birth control again on 9/22.  TODAY I received my IVF calendar.  Some random things I forgot:  I tend to spot while I'm on birth control. So, it was kind of hard to determine if I was having the start of my period or just spotting from the birth control.  The WAITING for everything feels so very long... like insanely long. I thought I'd get my IVF calendar right away. Nope, just got it.  I have to give up caffeine during stims.... oh no... what ever will I do without my one cup of coffee in the morning... I feel total sadness over this, which is silly. LOL. But man, I love my morning coffee!  My mood swings on birth control are so bad. I swear, I hate being on it. I know it's going ...

I had my saline ultrasound (SHG) this week. I�ve had this test two times (?) prior. The first time was with my initial fertility tests when I first started back in Dec 2014/January 2015. At that SHG they found some uterine defects, which they thought were fibroids:  https://creatingfamilyc.blogspot.com/2015/01/sonohysterogram-fibroids.html This finding delayed TTC since I had a hysteroscopy and turned out that I had a polyp:  https://creatingfamilyc.blogspot.com/2015/02/surgery-i-survived.html That was my first ever surgery (besides wisdom teeth removal).  Going into this SHG, I didn�t really think much of it. I wasn�t really nervous or worried too much about the results. Mostly because worrying doesn�t change the results. I actually expected them to find polyps.  The actual SHG wasn�t too bad. Some cramping and discomfort, but nothing crazy. Well, turns out I have a lot of uterine defects this go around. Like a bunch! They are most likely polyps.  The suggestio...

My cycle is officially underway... kinda.  Waiting for AF AF finally came 11 days after my last provera pill. I always wonder if provera stalls my period from coming naturally and delays it.  When AF finally came, I made the call to my RE to schedule my baseline ultrasound and blood work. It�s so strange... but it was really exciting to schedule my appointment and to begin prepping for my cycle.  Baseline Ultrasound  My ultrasound was with a different RE. She�s the newest RE at my fertility clinic and was there for one of my IVF procedures when she first started. She�s nice and all, but I really do prefer my RE. Interestingly enough, I had 9 follicles - 6 on the right and 3 on the left... which is the same number of follicles I started with when I had my one and only retrieval.  Blood Work  Had massive blood work taken....! Interested to see what the results show with my AMH & FSH. I really do hate having my blood drawn.  IVF Calendar  No...

It�s funny... I almost forgot how crazy doing fertility treatments can make you and how nothing ever goes as planned!  My Period is Late  After my consult, I was started on Provera to try and induce my period. I had just weaned and I guess my hormones are all out of whack because my period decided not to make an appearance. I started to worry, but there�s really nothing that can be done. It needed to come by 8/26 in order to make the September retrieval dates.  The Plan: October Retrieval  Since my period didn�t happen, my cycle will be pushed back to October. The reason October sucks: retrieval week is the week of Halloween.  I�m hoping I�ll be able to get a retrieval date AFTER Halloween... Halloween is a big deal for my son & I don�t want to miss any of the fun stuff we do as a family.  If I waited for the next retrieval, it would be the week of my son�s birthday. So way worse than Halloween week! Both weeks are not ideal, at all. Which... is so typi...

A few months ago I posted that I was thinking of Baby # 3 (post link:  Thinking of Baby 3 ). Well... Ive decided to move forward!!!! Initial RE Consults December 2017 - Consult with different RE When I started thinking about trying for baby #3, I started to consider another RE. I have a few friends that used another RE and they absolutely loved him and say only great things about him. I thought, hey - let me give it a try. The RE had a LONG wait list. I got on the wait list almost right after I gave birth, just to get an appointment. I scheduled the appointment in July of 2017 to get a December 2017 consult. Things that were really cool about this RE: All paperwork was electronic. They gave me an iPad to fill out my new patient paperwork.  The office is 15 minutes from my house!!! My old RE's offices are 30-40-and 60 minutes away.  His prices can't be beat. He's a couple grand cheaper than my RE.  The RE is really engaged and nice. I really liked him, very personable...

Man oh man... pumping at work was extremely hard to adjust to!!! It took me a few weeks to really get down a rhythm. Here's what ended up working for me: Work Days:  Nurse baby when he woke up.  Early days: Pump before I left home (I had an oversupply and would leak on the way to work). Eventually I would cut out the morning pump, when my supply regulated and my baby started waking up/nursing closer to the time we left home. Pump at work 3x's a day, every 3 hours (scheduled on my work calendar).  Nurse baby at daycare pickup or right when we get home.  Nurse on demand throughout the night. Night feedings stopped when my baby was about 6 months old. When he stopped nursing at night, I would sometimes pump at midnight (or 3 hours after his last nursing session) because I was engorged and leaking.  Weekends : nurse on demand and pump (1-2x's, if engorged)  My baby started daycare a little after he turned 3 months old. He started with only 3 oz of breast milk, ...

I wish I would've been able to keep up with the blog to track our breastfeeding journey. Through early struggles, a tongue tie, pumping at work - I did manage to breastfeed until my son was 14 months old. I'll try to write a summary! Jaundice The first month was tough with Baby C having jaundice. We began supplementing with formula right away and I started pumping right away. Not what I had planned. The first month was difficult, where I would try and nurse, then supplement with formula, then pump - to keep my supply up. Very little sleep during that time. Nipple Shield When he hit one month, my pediatrician finally gave the green light to stop supplementing and exclusively breast feed (EBF). Then the next issue came, trying to get off the nipple shield. The nipple shield worked great for the beginning, as my baby had a horrible latch. It took about one week of purposefully trying to get him off of the nipple shield before he would latch on his own. Thrush I thought we were get...