Weekly check-in -- Dec 9

dolphin012

This check in is for anyone on this board to participate in and will occur every Wednesday. If you are new here and haven't made a separate intro on the main board please do so before checking in so we can "meet" you! It's easy to do just click the new discussion button in the top right and post away. 

 1. Your Name or Screen Name (not full names) and State you are from. 

 2. How long have you been TTC? Are you TTC #1,#2,#3, etc.? 

 3. What are you doing this cycle? Are you seeking help with a fertility specialist (RE)? If so, what stage are you in? Charting/temping? Testing? Medicated cycles? IUI? IVF? DE? 

 4. Where are you in your cycle? (Waiting to O, 2WW etc) If in the 2ww when will you test? 

5. How do you feel about this cycle? (Are you hopeful, anxious... etc) 

QOTW: Are you an animal person? Do you have (or wish you had) furry, scaly, or feathery family members? (repeat, but lots of new members since!) 

KLake42

Mandy in GA

TTC #1, since early 2015

Just started birth control pills for my first IVF

CD 2 of suppression

Hopeful but also scared.  I just got approval for an enormous loan (enough to cover IVF and a few FETs, if I have enough to freeze, or IVF plus a good start on a second IVF cycle (which will be partner IVF, if the first one doesn't work).  I'm very debt-averse, so this is incredibly scary to me!!  But I'm self-pay, so if we're going to make babies, we have to be ready to take big risks.

If I weren't allergic to cats, I would totally be a cat person!  But I am, so instead, I love my sweet little mostly-hypoallergenic poodle mix, a hot mess of a mini-mutt I found at the pound a couple years ago.

SLGILL1978

Slgill1978

Consistently - since August 2015; Inconsistently - since August 2014; We are going for #2

Just using a period/fertility tracker and ovulation kits

CD day 4

Hopeful - we missed trying last time I was ovulating in November. This time around it'll be around Christmas and we have taken some time off work for the holidays. 

Lol.. kind of - I love dogs and hope to get one hopefully. I also love horses. I grew up horseback riding. 

agriffin92013

 1. Amanda from South Carolina

 2. TTC #1 3 years

 3. Femara 7.5mg day 3-7 Gonal F day 7 and 9 with TI 

 4. CD7

5. I hope this really works

QOTW: Have 2 mini dachshunds and a salt water aquariam that only has clown fish in it right now

Sporty1216

Sporty1216 from Nebraska

TTC #2 for almost a year.

Same old same old. OPKs and Preseed. I take prenatals (most days), but am wondering if I should start some other supplements or something.

CD 3. Still singing the "I can't believe AF showed up again" blues. I need to snap out of it.

Feeling hopeful despite myself again. My fertile window should hit right during my birthday, so I'm trying to think of that as fun. I go back and forth between feeling chill and like that right kid at the right time thing is absolutely true (and that's the mindset I want to maintain) and freaking out (not the mental and emotional space I want to inhabit). A BFP two weeks after my birthday would seriously be the best birthday, Christmas, and New Years gift ever! I don't need anything else.

Animals. Yes! Before getting married, I had 2 cats, a dog, and 3 chickens. My DH has less of a tolerance for pets--he's a farm kid and to him animals are utilitarian--so we got rid of the chickens just after LO was born. One cat died and was not replaced. And we finally gave up the dog when it became evident that we could not trust him around LO and keeping everyone separated at all times was making everyone miserable. So now we're down to just the one cat who is named Walter. LO is in LOVE with him, so he'll be sticking around for sure.

PattersRN

1. PattersRN, OR

2. TTC #1 4th cycle

3. OPKs, preseed, charting/temping, Pregnitude (been trying to cut out alcohol and caffeine but that's not working too well).

4. CD 17, 3 dpo, trying not to test until 12 dpo or so

5. Still hopeful. We only got sex in on O, O-1, O2....close enough though.

6. LOVE animals!!! DH and I have two cats. I had two when I met him and I totally made him a cat person. They're my fluffy little nuggets. I also like dogs but DH and I don't have a lifestyle where a dog would be appropriate. Cats are so much more self sufficient.

rspalding001

1. Rita from Santa Cruz CA
2. TTC #2 for over a year, 2 MC's and 1 CP
3. Will do progesterone and baby aspirin after confirmed ovulation
4. CD 13, Just got my positive OPK today so should O tomorrow!
5. Feeling hopeful, good timing this month

I'm a dog person but our backyard won't contain a dog. We will do work on that next summer, then maybe we can get a dog

PoeMasque

1. Jen from Oregon

2. TTC #1 for two months (only one cycle so far)

3. Just cycle tracking at this point

4. CD 2.

5. Same boat as a lot of you, bummed that AF showed up yesterday, but realized that our timing wasn't as good as I thought it was. This cycle my work schedule is better (I'm off during my whole fertile window this time!), so I'm hopeful. Just not looking forward to another TWW, I'm SO impatient!

6. I love cats!! And foxes, but cats are better pets....don't know what I'd do without fluffy kitty snuggles on my days off!

Tomerine

I'm having issues on mobile, so forgive me if my re-entry is off to a slow start...

Katherine from MA

TTC #2 for about a year

CD 14, I think.  My cycles have been a bit wonky the last 2 months, but my RE said our timing for the day 3 ultrasound was good, so I assume I'm correct... ish.  We're gearing up to do this month on our own again, as I just had all of the testing done.  No smiley on my OPKs yet, but I tend to O later.  Other than that, prenatals, iron supplements, and crossing all of my fingers and toes.

I'm feeling hopeful now that we're meeting with an RE and that my testing is looking promising.  Some issues to iron out of DH's side, but it seems like those issues are resolving themselves, although I wish sperm were a little more resilient and bounced back a little faster.  Ah, biology.  So, yeah.  I'm hopeful but also impatient.

I love animals, and we have 2 cats.  I like dogs but like you, @PattersRN , our lifestyle is more suited towards cats.  

Good luck to everyone!

emsmama15

1. Heather from MN

2. TTC #2 for 19 months

3. IVF #1 (and likely only), should get an update on our embryos tomorrow and a time for our Saturday day 5 transfer.  

4. Not sure, but I'm 3 days post-retrieval.    

5. I'm very hopeful.  Our embryos were looking good yesterday and I'm feeling positive.  Hoping to get our Christmas miracle!!

I'm allergic to a lot of animals, but do love them!!  I have one little hypoallergenic Bichon named Bella (see avatar pic).  She was my first baby.  I've had her longer than I've had my hubby.    

lickastick

 1. Createillumination from california ( still me I just changed my profile pic!)

 2. TTC #1 6th cycle

 3. Saliva ferning, OPK's, CM, herbs from naturopath, herbs I px myself (I can't resist) Ubiqitol, PNV, Vit d, selenium, probiotics, vitex during the 2ww, castor oil packs daily until O, mayan abdominal massage, acupuncture. DH is on selenium, ubiquitol, and a multivit. 

 4. CD 7 getting ready to start monitoring for O

5. When AF came this month it really did my head in and I went into a deep funk for a couple of days (I feel your AF blues @sporty1216) Each cycle gets harder and harder and I get more and more depressed and heartbroken with each AF.  I am sure is the same for all of us. So.....sorry ladies that we are going through this. We will try again this month but at this point I've lost some hope and faith that it will happen, and that loss of faith has me rocked to my core. 

But I know I am on "the path" so whatever this journey is to be, is the way it is. I am going to try to work on my attachment to outcome this month and work on moving forward with grace and ease, wheather that means a BFP or not. I feel like I have been putting my life on hold and that has been one of the hardest parts about all of this. So... not in a good place but trying to get better. 

QOTW: **loss mentioned** The day after I miscarriage last january I ended up getting my cat. My DH is horribly allergic to cats, but my mom took me to the cat show and they had siberian kittens there for sale. I brought our kitten home on an impulse and a prayer that it would be ok for DH (siberians are ok for most people who are allergic to cats.) DH was fine and Kitten stayed and I don't think I could have made it through the last year with out her. 

BernieRae

@createillumination - Your comment about feeling like your life is on hold resonates with me. I've felt like this too. Not thinking too much about decorating a room because it would be redecorated for a baby anyway, not pushing myself to think past my current job because I know this job would have opportunities for part time work during the early years. I've even not bought new clothes, because who knows if they would fit after a pregnancy. These things sound so silly typing them.  And on a larger (and maybe not as silly) scale, just feeling like the only next big thing for me is being a parent. A lot of waiting and not a lot of doing...Luckily my husband pushes us forward in a good way. Since first TTC we've bought a house and have a dog now. Hope things feel better for you soon! Glad you have your kitty to cuddle

BernieRae

1. BernieRae Oregon

2. TTC #1 for 2+ years

3. OPKs, prenatal, preseed, softcup after BD a couple of times. I also gave up coffee a couple of days ago! But only because I have a cold, so it's likely temporary...

4. CD 17 probably 5dpo

5. Low pressure cycle. Feels good to have a plan for IUI #2 next. I think we timed BD ok, but it's tricky figuring out when to BD and when to abstain with DH's low count.

6. I am madly in love with my baby dog- a 16 mos, 60lb husky shepherd mix. Lately, I've been telling her I love her about 50 times a day which makes me feel a bit nutty, but oh well.   It's been nice seeing my DH care for her and for us to have something to care for together

BernieRae

My love

emsmama15

I think a lot of us can relate to having your life on hold.  It can get so consuming.  My hubby and I also feel like our life has been on hold.  Moving forward with IVF and knowing it's our one try (at least only one fresh cycle), has helped me feel like there's a light at the end of the tunnel.  We are either going to have success with IVF and move forward with pregnancy, or we'll move forward with one child.  Either way, we are going to make some forward progress in the next few months.  As hard as it will be if this doesn't work out, for my own psychological well-being, we need to move on.  @BernieRae, I can relate to most of the things you have held off on doing...  Not too silly to me!

KeitaiKT

KeitaiKT, TTC for 1.5 years off and on, but consistently for the last 6 months. Nothing too special about this particular cycle - doing the usual (charting, OPK but was so busy with work that I kinda failed the timing). Still in testing phase so far with the RE - so far so good, AMH is low but not unexpected for my age (1.17). Sperm analysis is pending and HSG planned early January if this cycle is a no-go. Currently in the 2ww, CD23 I think. Trying to hold off on testing as long as I can - it's always such a downer for me, so trying to wait until day after I expect AF. I'm feeling cautiously hopeful this cycle for some reason, in contrast to last cycle where I felt pretty sure it wasn't going to work. Cut way down on caffeine and alcohol this month, and doing better than usual with blood sugar control as well with the type I diabetes.

I am definitely a dog person, although weirdly would have totally labeled myself as a cat person when I was younger. I have a pretty chill greyhound/shepherd cross who I love to bits.

KLake42

@emsmama15, I'll be thinking of you!   All my fingers crossed!