38 weeks...

Only five days to go until we get to meet Frostie!!!  I finished up work on Friday, so this week has been catching up with things at home and trying to relax.  I'm so glad I was able to work up to when I planned, which means I'll be able to have more time at home once Frostie makes his/her arrival.  Now I have twelve months off at home! 

I've been starting to get more uncomfortable and my sleep is getting worse but that's supposed to be expected at 38 weeks.  I've been pretty lucky this whole pregnancy with sleep so I think it's just my body getting ready for the sleepless nights ahead. 

At this stage I'm not worried about c-section, but I am worried about how I'll recover and be able to look after a newborn.  Luckily my mum is coming to stay with us for a week after I get out of hospital and BJ has two weeks off after mum goes home.  So I'll have plenty of support once I get home. 

How far along: 38 weeks, two days
Total weight change: not sure
Maternity clothes: All the time, thankfully now I'm not working I can wear what I want at home

Stretch Marks: Not yet
Movement: More rolling and the odd kick or punch

Sleep: Has been better

Best Moment This Past Week: Only another five days until we get to meet our little bubba

Most Difficult Moment This Past Week: Reflux has still been bad and more sleep required

Belly Button In or Out: Still pretty flat but pokes out every now and then

Cravings/Aversions: Nothing much
Symptoms: Reflux and multiple toilet breaks

What I'm Looking Forward To: meeting our little Frostie and becoming parents!

35 weeks...

Thirty-five weeks down four more to go!  Sometimes I can't believe how fast the time has gone and sometimes I think the 31st October is going to take forever to get here.  We both can't wait to meet our little Frostie.  October is the perfect month for Frostie to be born.  BJ's birthday is the 12th, one year ago tomorrow was our first transfer day (of our first IVF cycle) and three years ago we starting down the TTC path.  To be able to realise our dream of parenthood this month seems too good to be true. 

On a whole I've been feeling really good.  Reflux has been bad the past week, even to the point of waking me up at night but if that's all I've got to worry about, I feel pretty lucky.  The only other gripe I have this fortnight is the 'fat' jokes my parents-in-law have been throwing me.  It's getting a bit tiring trying to be pleasant when someone (especially family) calls you large, not once but twice in a week.  And "maybe you should hold off on the sweets" when they're on their eighth beer and overweight themselves.  What do you say to that?  "Thanks"????  I couldn't hold my tongue yesterday afternoon and did end up saying, "at least my stomach will deflate in a few weeks".  If anyone has some polite comebacks please let me know :)

How far along: 35 weeks
Total weight change: +8kg (17 pounds)
Maternity clothes: The majority of the time, still fitting into my workout pants :)

Stretch Marks: Not yet
Movement: More rolling and Frostie has had regular hiccups

Sleep: Sleeping well, apart from the toilet breaks

Best Moment This Past Week: Being able to say, Frostie will be here THIS MONTH!!!

Most Difficult Moment This Past Week: Reflux and rude comments :(

Belly Button In or Out: Still pretty flat

Cravings/Aversions: Nothing to mention
Symptoms: Reflux

What I'm Looking Forward To: Only fourteen days to go until I finish up at work!!!

33 weeks...

Thirty-three weeks gone already, I can't believe how the time has flown so far.  I just hope the next month and a half go as fast.  At our last appointment with Dr J, he confirmed the placenta was partially covering my cervix so I've been booked in for a c-section.  It's not really the path I wanted to go down but a healthy Frostie is our main priority.  I was really hoping to have a natural birth for a few reasons.  But now that the choice has been taken out of my control it does suit my personality to schedule the birth as I always like to plan, plan and plan some more.  Frostie's birthday has been scheduled for Monday 31st October, which is six weeks today.  I can't believe in six weeks Frostie will be here. 

How far along: 33 weeks
Total weight change: +6kg
Maternity clothes: The majority of the time

Stretch Marks: Not yet
Movement: More rolling rather than kicks these days

Sleep: I've had a couple of bad nights but the majority of the time I've been sleeping well

Best Moment This Past Week: Finding out Frostie's birthday is only six weeks away

Most Difficult Moment This Past Week: Getting use to the idea of having a scheduled c-section

Belly Button In or Out: Is pretty flat
Cravings/Aversions: Nothing to mention
Symptoms: A rolling belly
What I'm Looking Forward To: Counting down the days until the finish of work and to meeting our little Frostie!

31 weeks...

Happy Birthday to me!  I had a terrific birthday.  BJ surprised me with a Kitchenaid and even though I didn't love the colour he was happy to exchange it for the grey.  But I love, love, love the grey and can't wait to get a bit more time to start whipping up all the desserts I love.  Otherwise my birthday weekend trip away was wonderful.  It was great to catch up with some friends who are also expecting their first bubba.  I got to have a pedicure which was lovely and spent some time up in the Yarra Valley exploring the beautiful wine region (without any wine tasting for me, of course).  A couple of days after we got back I came down with a throat infection which I'm still battling.

On the Frostie front we finally got our specialist appointment to check out Frostie's heart and I'm happy to report the calcification we saw on the 20 week scan has disappeared.  Until the day of the appointment I had no idea how much BJ was concerned about Frostie's health.  He was practically pacing in the waiting room.  After reading up and speaking with some other couples I wasn't concerned and just knew everything would work out.  

Unfortunately while they were performing the ultrasound the technician noticed my placenta was lower than normal.  The report from my 20 week scan also said it was low but didn't state any problems.  The technician and the specialist were concerned so I had an internal ultrasound which showed the placenta was covering my cervix.  The specialist said they prefer the placenta to be at least 3cm away from the cervix and if it was going to move it would do so in the next couple of weeks, otherwise I would be booked in a c-section.  When we see Dr J on Monday I'll have another scan which should determine if the placenta has moved or not and then we should have a better idea of what will happen.  I'm not happy about having a c-section but know getting Frostie out healthy is our number one priority. 

How far along: 31 weeks and one day
Total weight change: +6kg
Maternity clothes: The majority of the time

Stretch Marks: Not yet
Movement: Frostie is getting stronger everyday and the movements are becoming more freqeant
Sleep: With my throat infection I’ve been sleeping ten hours a night and then having a couple of naps during the day, which all finish tomorrow when I head back to work
Best Moment This Past Week: Finding out Frostie’s heart is looking great
Most Difficult Moment This Past Week: Finding out about the placenta previa and getting my head around the possibility of having a scheduled c-section

Belly Button In or Out: Still in
Cravings/Aversions: Nothing to mention
Symptoms: Belly movements
What I'm Looking Forward To: Finishing up the antenatal classes this week and starting fortnightly visits with Dr J next week!

29 weeks...

Where has the time gone???  I'm already 29 weeks and only have a few more days until I turn the big 3-0!  I'm super excited about my birthday!  For one, I love getting presents, nearly as much as I love giving them to people and BJ has something special planned!  And two, we are heading off for a long weekend down to Melbourne to visit good friends who have just announced they are also expecting their first bubba!  All very exciting. 

As for Frostie, everything is going along great.  His/her movements have started to get stronger and more frequent during the evening.  We start our fortnightly Dr appointments next week and we also have our specialist appointment to check Frostie's heart next Wednesday (Finally!).  After initially being a bit concerned about the scan, I must admit after doing some research and speaking with some people I didn't realise how common it was, so I'm really just looking forward to seeing Frostie again.

We started our antenatal classes last week.  Everyone is a first time parent so we all had a good nervous laugh about some of the birthing positions and some people had some great questions that I hadn't even thought of.  We also had a tour of the birth suits and maternity ward rooms which was also good.  We even had a look at the nursery but all the babies were out with their mammas.  We have another three weeks to go, this week is the birth video and pain relief which really go hand in hand!

How far along: 29 weeks and one day
Total weight change: +5kg
Maternity clothes: The majority of the time, since it's still getting pretty cool I'm able to get away with jumpers and work out pants
Stretch Marks: Not yet
Movement: Stronger movements especially at night time
Sleep: Still loving the sleep and after going to antenatal class I'm realising how lucky I am to be sleeping so well this far into the pregnancy.  A lot of the ladies in the class were having trouble getting and staying asleep so I'm very happy Frostie is allowing me to getting heaps of sleep.  Hopefully he or she will be this kind in a few months!
Best Moment This Past Week: Starting antenatal classes and realising we have less than three months to go!
Most Difficult Moment This Past Week: Nothing to report
Belly Button In or Out: Still in, but shallower
Cravings/Aversions: Anything sweet, doesn't help that I already have a massive sweet tooth!
Symptoms: Stronger movements
What I'm Looking Forward To: My birthday and a weekend away!

23 weeks...

It's been a little while since I've blogged but there has been heaps going on.  I've been away for work for a while which I hate, as I really miss home, BJ and Ralph.  We had our latest visit with Dr J with some results coming back from our twenty week scan and I've finally put our admission papers into the hospital and booked our pre-natal classes. 

After our twenty week scan we were really excited and thought everything was going great, until we had our appointment with Dr J to discuss the results.  Even though Frostie is on target with all his/her measurements, the doctor reviewing our ultrasound found an echogenic intra cardiac focus in Frostie's left ventricle.  Which means there is a bit of calcification on Frostie's heart which some studies found has an increased association with Down Syndrome.  It does happen in 3% of normal pregnancies and even though Dr J is not worried about it, he has referred us to an ultrasound specialist to be reviewed.  If this specialist still thinks there may be a problem he will order an amniocentesis for further testing.  We have taken comfort in Dr J's feeling towards the results, and haven't stressed out about the further tests.  Taking heart that all our other tests have come back normal and the whole point of these tests to find out early if something is wrong.  But we haven't discussed the results with anyone just so others aren't worried, which (we think) causes more harm than good.

In other news I finally went in and submitted my admission paperwork for the hospital where we will be meeting Frostie!  It was lovely to meet with some of the midwives and they seemed great.  I even got to peak at a couple of newborns as they were coming past, so cute!  I also got to book my pre-natal classes and pre-admission interview.  November is apparently a busy time at the Woman's and Children's hospital and there are a lot of couples expecting their first baby.  I asked the midwives if there was any reason for this and they said one reason was because of the IVF cycle in February (that's us) and the other one was because we had a cyclone in February, it was surprising how no electricity for a couple of days equals lots of babies nine months later!  I thought this was hilarious! 

When I was leaving and the midwife said she'll be seeing me soon, the reality of us coming here to have our baby, came crashing down on me and I almost cried when I was walking out the doors.  It just seems so surreal sometimes.  I had a similar moment a few weeks ago when we were putting together Frostie's cot and change table.  We were moving them around to see how they would fit in the room and I burst into tears, poor BJ was so worried something was wrong but I was so happy to be putting together the nursery I couldn't contain myself. 

How far along: 23 weeks
Total weight change: +3kg
Maternity clothes: The majority of the time, I’m getting some use out of my regular shorts and jeans thanks to the belly belt
Stretch Marks: Not yet but keeping an eye out
Movement: Yep especially at night time
Sleep: Can’t get enough sleep!   On Saturday I slept into 10am!
Best Moment This Past Week: Spending so much needed “couple time” with Jas after being away and putting my admission papers into the hospital
Most Difficult Moment This Past Week: Getting the results back from our 20 week scan
Belly Button In or Out: Still in, but shallower
Cravings/Aversions: Nothing
Symptoms: Movement and belly gradually getting bigger
What I'm Looking Forward To: My sister is planning my baby shower at the beginning of August and I turn the big 3-0 in less than two months!

20 weeks...

Made it half way, twenty weeks!  Frostie has been doing great, I've been feeling some more movements and he/she seems to be very active at night time.  I know there will become a time when I'll want Frostie to calm down and stop moving so much but at this stage I love the punches and kicks I'm feeling.  We have begun to buy furniture and bigger accessories for the nursery, so far a cot, change table and a pram.  I don't have a theme picked out but there will be lots of colour!  I've found some cool wall stickers that are removable, which I love so I've talked BJ into getting them too.  

How far along: 20 weeks, two day
Total weight change: +2.5kg
Maternity clothes: Not all the time but the majority of the time
Stretch Marks: No, I'm keeping up the moisturiser
Movement: Yep especially at night time
Sleep: Loving the sleep, can't get enough
Best Moment This Past Week: Feeling more movement and starting to get together the nursery
Most Difficult Moment This Past Week: Nothing to report
Belly Button In or Out: Still in, but looking a bit wider
Cravings/Aversions: Nothing, which is great
Symptoms: Movement and shiny hair
What I'm Looking Forward To: Our 20week scan on Friday and sleeping in over the weekend!

18 weeks...

The past couple of weeks I've finally started to feel pregnant.  It's weird once you get the positive result and the initial excitement fades and day-to-day life takes over, I was finding myself forgetting about Frostie.  Not in a way that I'd eat a whole chunk of soft cheese and suddenly remember, but would just forget.  Now my belly is starting to grow and I've had to start wearing maternity clothes it's starting the feel real. 

Another thing I've noticed while going to the shops in a maternity shirt is, I feel like people are looking at me, like I used to look at pregnant woman.  With envy.  It's all in my head (hopefully) but I want to turn around and tell complete strangers, "I deserve this. I've had to wait a long time to get this far."  Again it's strange being on the 'otherside'.

How far along: 18 weeks, one day
Total weight change: +1kg
Maternity clothes: I still need to get some maternity work clothes but I'm still managing to find into my pants and shirts. I have started wearing maternity clothes on weekends, mostly for comfort.
Stretch Marks: No
Movement: Again I've been feeling pokes and weird sensations.  During the past weekend I felt a couple of 'bubbles'.  I've also been experiencing some bad ligament pain.
Sleep: Sleeping okay but still trying to get use to sleeping on my sides
Best Moment This Past Week: We had our latest check-up with Dr J, and got to see Frostie moving around having a grand time.  I'm so glad to can get a scan with every check-up, it's very reassuring.
Most Difficult Moment This Past Week: Sleeping is becoming difficult, hopefully it's just while I readjust
Belly Button In or Out: Still in
Cravings/Aversions: Nothing but I have only been able to have small meals. I'm starving and then after about half of my usual portion, I'm full.  So I've been having four or five small meals a day
Symptoms: A bit of ligament pain
What I'm Looking Forward To: This weekend is a three day weekend and we're going down to spend time with my family, so I'm counting down the days until Friday!!!

Awards...

I was surprised to find that I'd been given not one but two awards by New Year Mum!  I never thought anyone would read my blog let alone but awarded for it!!!

 

As part of this award thing... you need to :

1. Link back to the person who gave you the award (above)

2. Tell 7 things about yourself....

a) I live in Townsville, North Queensland, Australia with husband, BJ and one fur baby

b) I'm currently seventeen weeks pregnant, after TTC for two and a half years, our little Frostie is due 7th November

c) I always knew deep down having a baby wasn't going to be easy for us 

d) The one and only exercise I've been able to stick to is walking, nothing is better for stress and clearing your head then to get out into the fresh air for a walk

e) We've found finding a girl’s name we both like is a lot more difficult than first thought

f) We have started our own business in the past two weeks, one that BJ has been working very hard to get up and running, and we're hoping it will be able to substitute my income in a couple of years so I can stay at home

g) I'm already looking forward to Christmas, as my parents and sister's family will be coming up to share Frostie's first Christmas!

3. Award other bloggers... this is the fun part :)  For the Versatile Blogger Award it's to 15 'recently discovered bloggers' and for the Stylish Blogger Award it's 10 - 15 blogs that 'you feel deserve this award'.  I'm stealing New Years Mum's idea of multiplying my list to try covering all the great blogs that I've found, have found me, have left gorgeous comments, need a hug or have had great news recently... there are so many blogs out there that, so here goes :

H.C. Bishop at That Cincinnati Girl’s Sweet Life 

Clewis at Baby on my Mind

Murgdan at Conceive This!

Rebekah at Journey through the Infertility Jungle

Hillary at Our Hopeful Life

Jay at The 2 week wait

Foxy at Someday

Bobbi at The Johnson’s Journey

Melissa at Wholeheartedly

Clare at The Pitter-Patter

A Field of Dreams at A Field of Dreams

Haidee at Mummy in Waiting

Cortney at Inconceivable

Missy at Scarlet Baby

Just the three of us at Me and You, Just Us & a Miracle Baby Too

Rebecca at The Road Less Traveled

Sarah at Baby Talk

CLR at Life’s a Dance you Learn As You Go

Aly at The Infertility Overachievers

Lisa at Three Cats and a Baby

Christa at Fearlessly Infertile

Mrs. S at Him + Me= Three? Maybe

First & Only IVF? at First & Only IVF?

Emmy at Yes, We’re One of THOSE Couples

Michelle at No, I’m Not Fat, Just Pregnant

4. Contact the recently awarded bloggers to let them know that they've won : hopefully I'll get to all of you over the next few days.  Then you guys all keep spreading the love to other blogs you love... just cover the 4 points above :)

16 weeks...

Sorry for not updating for a while, I've had to go away for work so when I get home there is a whole heap of lovely housework to catch up on :)  I'm still enjoying the second trimester but now in limbo land because the symptoms have slowed down but I can't feel Frostie yet.  So I'm worrying a bit more and can't wait to start feeling movement. 

How far along: 16 weeks, five days
Total weight change: No change but my motor (as BJ so eloquently put its) or belly has begun to grow
Maternity clothes: Finally got my butt into gear and found some maternity clothes that weren't tents and didn't make me throw-up!  And to top it off they were all reasonably priced so I could get a few shirts and even a couple of pairs of jeans.  I still need to get more, especially for work.
Stretch Marks: No but started moisturising a few weeks ago so I'll see how I go
Movement: Not sure but I have been feeling pokes and weird sensations but I'm not sure if they are just my uterus getting bigger or Frostie letting me know he/she is okay
Sleep: Still sleeping great
Best Moment This Past Week: BJ and I went to a dinner and a movie last night which was lovely
Most Difficult Moment This Past Week: Not feeling any symptoms and still not feeling movement = worried mumma
Belly Button In or Out: Still in
Cravings/Aversions: Nothing which has been lovely
Symptoms: Again no symptoms this week other than a growing belly/motor :)
What I'm Looking Forward To: My next appointment with Dr J is on Monday 6th June, so looking forward to that and starting to use some of the maternity clothes I've brought

Anniversary...

This past week, BJ and I celebrated our four year wedding anniversary.  We don't usually do much to celebrate maybe go out for dinner or just enjoy each other’s company for the night.  Our first anniversary we both forgot and remembered the following day, how slack!!  This year it fell on a Thursday so we just went out for dinner and got some ice-cream on the way home.  It was lovely just not having to cook tea for the night and get a little bit dressed up.  Next year, it will be our fifth anniversary and will fall on a Saturday so we decided to make a bit more of an effort and do something really nice for the day, hopefully with our bubba.

Otherwise the second trimester has been treating me pretty well.  The cold weather doesn't help because all I want to do is snuggle up in bed and do nothing.  But I've been trying to get more exercise and have start pregnancy yoga to help with strength and flexibility. 

14 weeks...

After seeing Frostie a week ago, we got the results of our NT scan and blood tests, we are low risk!  The best you can get!  We were thrilled especially since the closer we got to finding out the results the more nervous we got.  After Dr J telling us the great news, he checked my stats again and said so far it's a pretty low key pregnancy.  I think after getting our arses kicked for the past two and half years, we finally might be getting a break. 

So now we got the great news, we are finally comfortable to start telling work colleagues and family members.  I didn't realise how nervous I would get telling my work mates.  Of course everyone was thrilled, as I've known some of these people for around eight years they're more like an extend family.  BJ's mum also put it on Facebook, which I wasn't too happy with but I felt like a bitch if told her not to.  I'm not going to "come out" on Facebook, just my personal choice.

How far along: 14 weeks, one day
Total weight change: No change, lost a kilo last week and gained it back this week
Maternity clothes: Still too early, might go shopping and put a few things for work on lay-by.  I did get a couple of maternity bras since I've grown out of my old ones
Stretch Marks: No
Movement: Too early
Sleep: I've been sleeping great apart from the frequent trips to the loo
Best Moment This Past Week: Getting our great news after the NT scan, being able to tell everyone about the pregnancy and nausea subsiding
Most Difficult Moment This Past Week: Nothing, it's been a great week!
Belly Button In or Out: Still in
Cravings/Aversions: Nothing
Symptoms: No symptoms this week, just enjoying the second trimester
What I'm Looking Forward To: The cool weather setting in and beautiful clear winter days!

NT Scan...

Well it's official Frostie has a head, two arms, two legs and a healthy heart beat!!!  We had our NT scan on Friday and were able to see and hear our little person!  I took the instructions very seriously before our scan and ended up with a giant belly full of water and poor Frostie was pretty swished.  So after a trip to the toilet we could get a good look at our bubba! 

The only weird thing about the scan was my uterus had a "contraction" (which is how the Ultrasound technician put it).  They said it wasn't like a labour contraction and it wasn't anything to worry about, but I'll be discussing it with Dr J tomorrow when we get the scan and blood test results.  Instead of my uterus being an oval shape it was a kidney shape which made some of the pictures difficult to get.  Is anything easy???

Otherwise we are beyond happy and can finally start believing we will be holding our daughter or son by the end of the year!!!

Twelve weeks...

Happy Easter everyone!  We had a big weekend, drove down to Brisbane (about 14 hours from Townsville) to go to a good friends 30th.  We had a great time but the driving really takes it out of you.  Did a little bit of baby shopping since Brisbane have cheaper places to get cots, linen etc.  We didn't get much, just a couple of sheet sets.  I'm still a bit gun shy when it comes to bigger items, considering we've only just reached the 12 week mark.  Otherwise it was great to catch up with friends and family. 

How far along: 12 weeks, one day
Total weight change: No change
Maternity clothes: Still too early
Stretch Marks: No
Movement: Too early
Sleep: Have been sleeping great for the past couple of weeks, but have had to train myself to lie on my side, and my boobs hurt too much when sleeping on my stomach
Best Moment This Past Week: Finally getting to the 12 week mark, enjoying some time off work and finally being able to tell some of our friends about our little secret
Most Difficult Moment This Past Week: Still having bouts of nausea, which happened over the weekend at the worse times
Belly Button In or Out: Still in
Cravings/Aversions: Nothing this week thank goodness
Symptoms: Nausea is still hanging around
What I'm Looking Forward To: We have our NT scan on Friday so we get to see Frostie again and then another long weekend!

Ten weeks...

How far along: 10 weeks, one day
Total weight change: No change
Maternity clothes: Too early, very happy at this stage to be able to still fit into my work clothes
Stretch Marks: No
Movement: Too early
Sleep: I want more!!!
Best Moment This Past Week: Getting to the 10 week mark and finally cleaning out our cupboards (how exciting is my life!)
Most Difficult Moment This Past Week: Continuing to be nauseous, usually at night time and finding out my friends two week wait ended up in a BFN :(
Belly Button In or Out: Still in
Cravings/Aversions: I seem to have an aversion to cooking meat, I'm okay once the meat is cooked but smell while it's being cooked makes me sick
Symptoms: Sore boobs are back, and nausea is still hanging around
What I'm Looking Forward To: Hanging out for Easter, and going to a good friend's 30th!

Off the drugs...

At our appointment with Dr J last week, apart from the good news about Frostie hanging around, he also told me I could stop taking the progynova and progesterone from nine weeks, which is today!  Having to shove progesterone up your woo woo twice a day for seven weeks is such a pain, with a purpose I know, but still a pain.  And it puts a real damper on your sex life, that's for sure (TMI??).  So I'm glad to report that from today I'm just taking the normal pregnancy supplements, which I'm happy about.

Otherwise I've been feeling tired, nauseas and interestedly more emotional than usually.  I'm not tearing up at every pet food commercial or anything but a Sixty Minutes story about an IVF mix up got the waterworks going.  And an old episode of ER which a young boy dies and his organs are used to help others, also had me going, where two months ago it wouldn't have bothered me.  Crazy hormones!

Eight weeks...

Finally the day arrived and we got to see our little frostie!  Good heart beat and perfect size, exactly eight weeks!  We are very excited, especially BJ who was hanging out to see the heart beat.  I think it finally hit home for BJ that we might be finally having our own little person.  We also got some great news, good friends of ours are also expecting their second child only a couple of weeks after us.  I'm also on tender hooks to find out about another friend who is in the middle of her 2WW.  As with other couples going through IVF to conceive, I'm hoping and crossing my arms and legs, they get their BFP.

How far along: 8 weeks
Total weight change: No change
Maternity clothes: Too early
Stretch Marks: No
Movement: Too early
Sleep: Has got better, now just tired all the time
Best Moment This Past Week: Seeing Frostie's heart beat
Most Difficult Moment This Past Week: Starting to feel nauseous and sick every time I eat anything
Belly Button In or Out: Still in
Cravings/Aversions: Had a massive craving for garlic bread last week but no aversions to anything in particular just all food
Symptoms: Sore boobs are getting better, but now have been taken over by nausea
What I'm Looking Forward To: Easter, having some time off work and reaching the twelve week mark

Rainbows...

We have been getting a lot of rain in the past eight months here in North Queensland.  Since August we have been experiencing over 300mm (or 118.1in) every month and sometimes as much as 70cm (or 27.6in) in half an hour.  Other than making it hard to do laundry it also means there have been lots of rainbows.  And I love rainbows.  On Boxing Day last year, I saw the best rainbow.  You could see the entire rainbow, from beginning to end.  I must have stood on the patio for half an hour just looking at it.  Because it was so close and big, I couldn't take a photo of the whole thing.  It was beautiful. 

Which brings me to a quote I saw this week by Dolly Parton that you could relate to any aspect of life but I thought it was really appropriate for infertility -

"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain"

To get my little rainbow (BFP) I've had to put up with two and a half years of rain.  That's a lot of laundry and a lot of tears.  Quiet tears in the shower by myself and loud, full body sobs while being held by BJ. 

Now some people only have a little bit of rain to put up with and some people have to put up with years of pouring rain.  I hope if it is still raining where you are, it's not long before the clouds open up and you get your rainbow.

6 week update...

How far along: 6 weeks, one day
Total weight change: no change
Maternity clothes: Too early
Stretch Marks: No
Movement: Too early
Sleep: Getting to sleep has been an issue for the past week and a bit
Best Moment This Past Week: Getting to the 6 week mark, my own personal milestone and buying my first baby book
Most Difficult Moment This Past Week: Being really stressed out at work, and worrying it will affect the baby.  Worry is now just part of life
Belly Button In or Out: Still in
Cravings/Aversions: Walked past a kebab shop and had a major aversion to the cooking meat
Symptoms: Bloated and sore boobs are my major symptom at the moment, hoping the luck continues
What I'm Looking Forward To: Finally having a weekend at home and less than two weeks to my first ob appointment and scan!

Update...

Second blood test went well, my levels are rising and currently at 2500!  Things are looking good, hopefully I can start to relax and start to enjoy the sore boobs, nausea and tiredness!

Five weeks...

Five weeks down, thirty-five (hopefully) to go!  I've got another blood test on Wednesday which will hopefully go well.  My six and a half week scan has been extended out to eight weeks due to BJ's work schedule.  I wish it was earlier but it's important to have BJ with me and I think he was worried I'd go without him, poor guy!  So my first scan is on Monday 28th March, which at the moment seems like a lifetime away but I'm sure it will go by in a flash. 

On the weekend we went and visited my family for my cousin’s engagement party.  My family live four hours south and I haven't seen them since New Year’s so it was lovely to catch up with them.  It was going to be either an alcohol hazed weekend pity party or yay I'm pregnant and now the designated driver for the next twelve months party.  Thankfully it was the latter! 

Thrilled but terrified...

I am happy to announce that I am officially pregnant for the first time in my life!  I got my BFP!  We are thrilled but terrified now, as an even nervous wait begins - the first twelve weeks. 

Last night I was pretty down in the dumps, we both didn’t sleep very well and I woke up with a sick feeling in my stomach.  I was not looking forward to getting THE phone call.  When it finally came though I was in a meeting and had to call them back.  There is absolutely no privacy in my office, so I took a walk outside and gave them a call back.  I started crying when she gave me the good news I just couldn’t believe it had finally happened for us.  I know its early days yet, but just getting to this point is a huge step and I’m so grateful to be able to POAS and it come up positive!  My levels needed to be above 40 and I am a solid 240!

One of my first thoughts was all of you still unable to get your positive result and my heart goes out to you.  I know we’re very lucky to get our good news today and my thoughts and prayers are with you still trying.

Now we wait until next week, another blood test on Wednesday and then my first scan in around three weeks.  BJ is away at the “official” six week mark, so I’m going to talk with the doctor about having my scan either later in the week or the following week so he can come with me!  Thanks to everyone for their messages of support, they really mean a lot!  Good luck on your own journey!

Bundle of nervous...

One more sleep to go and I’m a bundle of nervous about the test tomorrow.  I’m working tomorrow so I’ll get the call at work, not the easiest situation for a negative result.  My big boss is the only one at work who knows what’s going and thankfully (might be the wrong word) he’s had to go through fertility treatments for his two beautiful children so he’s very understanding about me taking time off when I need it.  If we get the BFN I’m suspecting, and I’m feeling low I might be able to come home at least.  The nurses at the clinic called at 10am last time and I couldn’t leave for the rest of the day.  It was the hardest and longest day ever. 

Cramps showed their ugly head yesterday but today they’ve gone again.  No spotting, which was the early symptom last time but the progynova is probably keeping them at bay for the time being. 

I’ll let you know how I go tomorrow fingers crossed I’ll receive some good news!

Five more sleeps...

Not too much to report on from the 2WW front.  Just more waiting.  I started to feel nauseous yesterday but I think it was because I started back at work after having a few days off after the transfer.  The mild cramping I was feeling has all but stopped and I've started to feel bloated today but that usually comes with AF anyway.  In the end who knows???  Only another five sleeps and I'll know the answer!

ABC's of me...

To take my mind off the dreaded 2WW I have copied this from a couple of ladies blogs:

(A) Age: 29
(B) Bed Size: Queen, we thought of getting a King last year but it won't comfortably fit it in our room
(C) Chore You Hate: Vacuuming
(D) Dogs? One Kelpie X Staffy named Ralph (or hounddog)
(E) Essential Start Your Day Item: Cranberry juice
(F) Favorite Color: I go through phases but at the moment I love purple
(G) Gold or Silver? Silver but preferably white gold
(H) Height: 165cm
(I) Instruments You Play: I don't play anything, but have always wanted to play the piano
(J) Job Title: Office Manager
(K) Kids: Buddle in the oven, so hopefully in nine months :)
(L) Live: Townsville, North Queensland, Australia
(M) Mom's Name: Joanne
(N) Nicknames: I have a couple, BJ calls me Beautiful but my mum calls me B
(O) Overnight Hospital Stays? No
(P) Pet Peeve: Whinging and know-alls
(Q) Quote from a Movie: "Get busy living or get busy dying", from Shawshank Redemption
(R) Right or Left Handed? Right
(S) Siblings: One sister and one brother, I'm the eldest
(T) Time You Wake Up? 6:30am or 7:30am depending upon what shift I'm on
(U) Underwear: The bigger the better! 
(V) Vegetable You Dislike: Squash, my sister loves it and absolutely hate it!
(W) What Makes You Run Late: Everything, I'm usually always running late (except for work, thank goodness) BJ is always early and I'm the opposite!
(X) X-Rays You've Had Done: Back, teeth but that's about it
(Y) Yummy Food You Make: Anything sweet, cakes, ice-cream, slice, cheesecake yum!
(Z) Zoo, Favorite Animal: We saw the pandas last year and they were adorable, so were the hippos
Feel free to play along!

Otherwise I've been feeling good.  A bit of light cramping for the past couple of days, but nothing today.  My BT is due on Wednesday so I only have another week to wait.  I'm back to work tomorrow but I have training on Friday and then the weekend to keep relaxing!

100% Perfect...

Well our little bundle is in the oven and now the wait starts.  We had a great day yesterday.  All along my greatest concern was going to be defrosting one of the embryos but I shouldn't have worried.  When Patrick, our embryologist said that they only had to defrost one of embryos and it didn't have any cell loss, it was a awesome relief.  We still have one frostie left and we have, as Patrick put it, a 100% perfect embryo! 

Now the hard stuff starts, the 2WW.  Last time BJ had to go away for work in the last week of the 2WW and without him I did start to get a bit down when it came to the end of our wait.  Especially because I had started to bleed heavily two days before the test, and in my heart I knew our little guy didn't stick around.  But this time he has cleared his schedule and will be here.  I've taken off the next three days of work so I can just relax around home and watch DVDs or read, which is another change we've made.  Last time I went back to work straight away so I'm going to enjoy this time off!

It's transfer time...

Well I had my ultrasound on Friday and we are all ready to go.  My lining needed to be around 6-8mm and I'm officially 10.2mm so I'm very happy.  My transfer has been booked for Saturday and we are still only transferring one embryo.  The only concern I have at this stage is will one defrost okay, will they have to defrost both to get one, or will we end up with none.  They were all grade A at freezing so I'm hoping against hope at least one will be right to transfer.  Other than that I'm continuing to remain positive and am actually getting excited!  Bring on Saturday!!!

Australia Day and Progynova...

Happy Australia Day!!!  This is usually the day when Australian’s cook BBQs, play or watch cricket and share a beer with mates.  Well this year I’m actually home alone working on my assessment and baking up a storm!  BJ is out watching cricket and having some beers with a good friend so I’m taking the opportunity to finally finish this assessment that is due on Friday! 

Not only is it Australia Day but also the day I start Progynova three times a day.  I finished up on the pill on Sunday, and Tuesday I already felt less bloated!  I hate being on the pill and after taking it since before Christmas I was counting down the days until I could finish up.  Other than the Progynova I’m not taking anything else.  I’ve got my ultrasound booked for the 11^th February and then the clinic will advise when I can start using the Progesterone Pessaries.

At this stage I’m sick of waiting for the next step.   I really just want to get to the transfer day already, make sure our little embryo survives and start thinking positive thoughts!  The clinic is now telling me, the transfer day might be Wednesday 16^th February but I was hoping it would be the 14^th February.  It just seems very romantic to “conceive” on Valentine’s Day!  

I’ve been pretty good of late, only having one alcoholic beverage since New Years and taking all my multivitamins.  My acupuncturist is back from leave this weekend so I’ll see him next week and I’ve even begun taking Maybe Baby’s super smoothie once a day, which you can find here!!  If you have any other suggestions please let me know.

Trying to keep the faith...

I read my horoscope all the time but don’t usually take the predications to heart.  Usually they are too general or cryptic, but after reading my horoscope for February it really raised my spirits for my upcoming FET.  The horoscope read:

While others buckle under pressure, you know your efforts are worthwhile.  You work hard, but you could do with a breather.  So February feels like a welcome change, as you’ll benefit from passion and prosperity.  Until the 20^th, long-held dreams start to materialise.  The reason they didn’t before was a lack of confidence, or resources.  What comes next is truly exciting.

I know it sounds like a bit of nonsense, but after the positive lift I got from it, I’m going to put it on my fridge and read it every day during the next couple of weeks.  Especially during the 2WW when my faith is really tested. 

To any other Virgos that are going through IVF or FET cycles in February I hope this raises your spirits too!

Queensland Flooding

During the past two months, Queensland has experienced some of worse flooding in thirty years.  Cutting off communities, properties and leaving people stranded.  Yesterday an Inland Tsunami went through Toowoomba, west of Brisbane, destroying homes, business and leaving ten people dead and nearly eighty people unaccounted for, so far.  Some of the footage and photos are absolutely terrifying with cars, petrol pumps and buildings being swept away in the torrent.

It hasn’t affected any of my immediate family, but some of my co-workers who live in the area have had their houses flooded and parents of a good friend have been evacuated from their home. 

Please keep these people and their families in your thoughts and prayers.

Getting ahead of myself...

I always seem to get ahead of myself when it comes to fertility.  I did it before and during my first IVF cycle last year and I am finding myself doing it again this time.  It’s not always negative thoughts, like I wonder when I can go back for another cycle if this one is negative.  Sometimes it’s good thoughts, like I gladly won’t be able to drink for my 30^th if I get pregnant this cycle.  But I don’t think doing this is a good idea as I seem to worry about things I can’t control.  I need to focus on being positive about this cycle and not getting ahead of myself.

Otherwise I’m getting really exciting about my FET.  I’ve booked my ultrasound appointment for the 11 February and have got my leave approved.   I should have the transfer on either the 14-15 February so I’m taking the day of the transfer off as well as a couple of days afterwards to spend time relaxing at home.  I’m still feeling positive about the whole cycle and hoping without the ‘trauma’ of an egg pick up that you have with a fresh cycle, my body will be more embryo friendly.  I’m just hoping one of my little embryos defrosts in good condition.  In other words I’m just doing a lot of hoping!

Welcome to 2011...

Happy New Year!  We had a very quiet Christmas and an even quieter New Year and now I can’t believe the festive season is over for another year!  I live four hours away from my family and I can’t see them whenever I want so I really enjoy spending time with them during the holidays.  I especially love to spend time with my four year-old niece, who can be both a joy and a monster!  Santa brought me some wonderful gifts, including an ice-cream maker (heaven help my hips)! 

I don’t usually make New Year’s resolutions, but after reading one of my favourite writer’s New Years column, I’ve decided to steel her idea about making Remotely Achievable Goals for 2011! 

So here’s my Remotely Achievable Goals 2011:

1.       Stay Positive – within all aspects of my life, but particularly fertility.  After our first failed IVF cycle, I believe that staying positive is a huge part of having a positive result!  With our upcoming FET in February I want to stay positive, not worry about work, or other people and enjoy what I’m hoping is the first step to holding my baby!

2.       Exercise More – for mind, body and soul.  I used to be an avid walker but with IVF cycles, holidays and Christmas I haven’t exercised for ages and need to get my butt into gear!

3.       Whinge less – focus more on what I’m doing and can do rather than what others are doing or not doing!

4.       Turn 30 gracefully – it’s not going to be easy but I’m turning 30 in August this year and with that my biological clock is getting louder and louder!  I’ve turned down requests to have a party and will be spending the day with BJ and my family.  I’m thinking about going away for a weekend to visit a good friend but I’ll see what the first six months bring before making too many plans.

I hope you all had an awesome New Years and may 2011 be your year!