TTCAL Week of 1/8

tosh24

1. Introduce yourself (if new) 
2. Status? 
3. Rants/Raves: 
4. GTKY: New Years Resolutions - Love 'em? Hate em'? Never stick to them? If you don't do resolutions, do you have any goals for yourself this year or new "rules" you're going to try to incorporate into your life instead?

tosh24

1. Introduce yourself (if new) TTC 5.5 years, two miscarriages (9+1 and ~ 6w)
2. Status? WFAF after my first IVF cycle. Have an appointment with my RE on Thursday to discuss FET
                  protocol.
3. Rave: I just got my freeze report from the lab - I have 10 SNOWBABIES!!!!!! TEN!!!!!! When I started this process I was hoping for a total of 3-5 embryos to have for a fresh and subsequent frozen transfers. Ten is beyond my wildest dreams. I am ECSTATIC!!!! All of the embies are 3 and 4 AB grade, which I was told my RE will go through in detail with me at my appointment on Thursday, but that the quality of all the embryos is really good and the lab is very pleased with them. Man, I really hope there is at least one take home baby for me in that 10 - and if the universe wanted to give me more than one take home baby, I'd be OK with that too!
4. GTKY: I don't do typical NY resolutions per se. Every year on NY day I sit down with DH and we do a 1 year, 5 year, and 10+ year goal-setting exercise. I've kept them all over the years and it's fun to look back at them and see just how much we've accomplished. I find if I am focused and have a plan to work toward something, I'm much better at making decisions that will support that goal. I also do my own personal goal setting exercise that's not family/DH related. I haven't really sat down with my own thoughts yet to flesh everything out, but I know I have a lot to work on.  

Edited because apparently I don't proof-read

mamaabc

@tosh24 Congratulations on your freeze report! So amazing! I also love how you and your DH keep record of your old resolutions. I might have to see if mine will try that!

1. Hi all, I’m new here. TTC since Sept., NMC on 11/17 and starting TTC again this month.

2. Finally got my post loss AF on Friday, so CD 4 for me.

3. DH was away in AZ at a conference for the week, but he comes back today! I’m so excited to see him. 

4. My resolution for the year to start meal planning again. I’d really like to start using my instant pot for more than just rice.

Mack2342

1. Introduce yourself (if new)  not new been here since 8/2016 with 3 MCs 

2. Status? Well I’m still waiting for AF however I believe I Od last Thursday and we were NTNP 

3. Rants/Raves: I just hate Monday’s!  We got the laundry back up and running yesterday so hopefully the trap doesn’t freeze again. 

4. GTKY: New Years Resolutions - Love 'em? Hate em'? Never stick to them? If you don't do resolutions, do you have any goals for yourself this year or new "rules" you're going to try to incorporate into your life instead? I don’t really make them. I always set goals for myself but not really resolutions.  I am still working on losing 20 lbs that I’m caring from my DS.  I was also doing pretty good at paying off some debt until we started fertility treatments.  We haven’t really increased but it put paying off some things on hold.   I know our TTC journey will not be too much longer so I plan to get back to that as soon as possible 

Mack2342

@tosh24 10 is great!!! Im with you I would be happy with multiples out of this journey but one would be wonderful.   Will you transfer more than one at a time? 

acciocoffee

@tosh24 That's so amazing!!!! I'm so excited for you!!!

2. Status? CD 9
3. Rants/Raves: I complained over on TTGP, so I will do something more positive here. I spent the entire day yesterday watching Harry Potter movies and cleaning and it was really great. Our last house was old and small and crappy so I usually really enjoy cleaning our new(ish) house. I love the way it looks when it is clean so I just always end up cleaning it when I have spare time. Annnd now I can imagine everyone reading this starting to hate me as a person. Lol
4. GTKY: New Years Resolutions - Love 'em? Hate em'? Never stick to them? If you don't do resolutions, do you have any goals for yourself this year or new "rules" you're going to try to incorporate into your life instead? I never stick to them. I usually try to choose more of a "direction" I want my year to go. Maybe even a word that I want to kind of describe my year. 

vlagrl29

WTO - CD10

R/R - RE appt tomorrow morning and I was starting to get cold feet yesterday but after talking to DH last night I don't feel stressed about the financial aspect.  We literally only have $1500 to spend.  I don't want to go into debt or deplete our E fund so this is it.  It may get us 2-3 medicated cycles with Femara.  We'll see.  Here's to our last natural TTC cycle for a few months!  BD will be this week.

GTKY - I don't do resolutions but rather goals I guess.  I'd like to find more clean eating recipes to cook for dinners.  Save more money for our hardwood floor fund.  We are already going to Disney in August.  Make some more money and really enjoy life!

@acciocoffee - I like your word idea.  I've done that in the past - the last time I did it I used the word "growth".  This year if I had to think of a word for this year it would be "peace"

@tosh2342 - 10 embabies!  whoohoo!  I'm so happy for you!

@mack2342 - I feel our journey isn't much longer either.  I told Dh last night I feel the light at the end of the tunnel and he said this isn't the end and I said well it's the last tunnel lol!

cassafrass15

1. Introduce yourself (if new): Not new; 4 early losses, 3 last year (2017 sucked)
2. Status? WTO, CD 10 today. I’m still spotting brown (sorry, TMI) from AF so I’m not super confident I’ll be ovulating by the CD 14 mark.
3. Rants/Raves: I have a 4-day weekend coming up and I’m stoked to do some deep cleaning in the house and go hiking with my furry children (I’m in AZ so weather is lovely right now.) I guess my only rant would be that my RE finally suggested that IVF might be our “only option” and now I can’t stop OBSESSING about our chances. I’m googling like a maniac and I.Need.To.Stop.
4. GTKY: New Years Resolutions - Love 'em? Hate em'? Never stick to them? If you don't do resolutions, do you have any goals for yourself this year or new "rules" you're going to try to incorporate into your life instead?  I try not to set unrealistic goals for myself so I’m not really into resolutions. I like to make “plans” and those tend to stress me out less if and when things don’t go according to plan.

@tosh24 That fert report is AMAZING! Congrats!

@acciocoffee I also like to clean my house and make it look shiny when I have spare time. There’s something cathartic about it. 

@mamaabc I need to look into this instant pot thing - everyone on my FB feed is raving about theirs and I’m completely clueless as to what it is! 

@Mack2342 Any new information from your RPL testing? I’m also carrying around some extra weight, but mine is the result of cheeseburgers and eating my feelings. Also, were you the federal LEO? I went shooting for the first time with my LEO clients last week and it was a BLAST.

Kath525

1. Ttc since 1/17. CP 3/17 NMC 9/17.
2. WTO CD 2 booooo
3. Rave:In Florida having a wonderful vacation despite the fact that AF is trying to bring me down.
4. I don't do resolutions. But in general i just want to be more aware of all that i have to be thankful for this year.

@tosh24 woah! 10! That's amazing!!!!
@mamaabc welcome! Sorry for your loss.
@vlagrl29 Good luck with your appointment! I understand the cold feet. I keep pushing back my own testing. One more month I've said 3 times now!

Mack2342

@cassafrass15 I google way too much too.   I used to live in Yuma.  I miss winters there!   Glad you enjoyed your shooting and yes I’m the LEO.  I enjoy going to range myself.  It’s fun.  So my testing came back chromosomal but not because of me!  We actually had two sperm fertilize the egg so there were 46 from DH and 23 from me.  My blood tests came back as well and all good except for prolactin was a little high. He said cut off was in 20s I can’t recall exact number and mine was 32.  Not sure it would cause MC but what I’ve read said it could interfere with ovulation and cycle but that hasn’t been the case.  RE thinks it will return to normal in couple weeks.  I’m wondering if it has been high...i had mammogram back in Sept/Oct and leaked milk from one side causing me to have an ultrasound.  Turns out it was nothing but now I’m curious if it’s been running high.  I called RE today to get a consult booked but I’m waiting for them to call me back 

vlagrl29

well I feel better calling the RE clinic and asking about cash discount. So our consult will only be $200 instead of $300 and the U/S will also be $200. We may actually squeeze 3 femara medicated cycles out of the money we have saved now. No saline sono for me because it would cost $700 and they said it's only necessary if you're doing IVF.

pumpkinpancake

1. Introduce yourself (if new) not new. First MC end of July 2016, 2nd MC end of November 2016. 

2. Status? Currently benched until RE gives me the green light after we finish testing. WTO CD 8 at the moment. Seeing my RE on Wednesday for a saline ultrasound, so will hopefully have more info then. 

3. Rants/Raves: I’m getting nervous about the ultrasound on Wednesday and just want to get it done with already. I’m ready to start trying again and I just want to be able to already. 

Unrelated to TTC, I was convinced somewhat impulsively to apply for two jobs this weekend at my current company in a different department. They would both come with more time off/flexibility and potentially more pay (tbd), so my husband convinced me to go for it. I’m happy in my current job, so we’ll see what happens. 

4. GTKY: New Years Resolutions - Love 'em? Hate em'? Never stick to them? If you don't do resolutions, do you have any goals for yourself this year or new "rules" you're going to try to incorporate into your life instead? I’ve never really been one for resolutions, since I feel like they’re always broken. I won’t call it a resolution, but I’m going to try to bring my lunch more often at work so that I don’t buy lunch (both for financial and health reasons). 

@tosh24 woohoo! That’s wonderful about your freeze report!! Im really rooting for you!! 

@mamaabc sorry you find yourself here, but welcome! 

@Mack2342 ugh I hate Mondays too. 

@acciocoffee I wish I had that kind of motivation. I love how the house is when it’s clean, but I still can’t bring myself to clean often. 

@vlagrl29 glad they can give you a cash discount and that you’re feeling better about it all! Good luck tomorrow!

@cassafrass15 yes 2017 definitely sucked. Here’s to hoping 2018 is better. 

@Kath525  sorry for AF but at least you’re in Florida!! 

lin0442

@tosh24 Congrats!! 

@mamaabc Welcome to the board. 

@mack2342 I hope you find some (treatable) answers with your testing. I wholly understand the frustration of coming back ‘normal’ for a lot of things. 

@vlagrl29 It never hurts to ask for a discount, especially in a practice that sees a lot of self-funded patients. Fx for you. 

1. TTC since 2/16. NMC 5/16. Not new. 
2. WTO CD9. Have an appointment with a fertility center 2/15.
3. Rants: it’s been cold and crazy weather here, so we’ve had to put off a bunch of home maintenance stuff because all the contractors in the area are busy. Nothing in life goes by the schedule I’d like it to lol. 
Raves: Tonight is DH’s birthday. He’s such a great guy
4. I’m not a huge resolution person, but I like to take time and evaluate my habits around the new year. I’m trying to spend time in the evening more productively- less time on the phone/computer, more time on creative stuff, gym, or reading. I also finally cut out caffeine and alcohol, though that’s more for TTC purposes haha. 

coco2787

1. Introduce yourself (if new) 
1 month ago yesterday we found out our baby wasn't coming home with us.  MMC dx @ 9 weeks. 

2. Status? 
Waiting for all the things.  BFN.  WTO.  WFAF.  

3. Rants/Raves: 
I know I've complained about this a lot, and I know it's normal, but I'm so frustrated that my HCG is still not at zero.  I just want to be done with this process.

4. GTKY: New Years Resolutions - Love 'em? Hate em'? Never stick to them? If you don't do resolutions, do you have any goals for yourself this year or new "rules" you're going to try to incorporate into your life instead?
I never really do resolutions.  I'm not good at sticking to goals   

@tosh24 yay for lots of snowbabies!!
@mamaabc let me know how the Instant Pot meals go, I've had mine sitting in the box for a year 
@Mack2342 I so hope the end of your TTC journey results in a take home baby 
@Kath525 I hope you're having a nice vacation!
@pumpkinpancake good luck with the jobs! 
@acciocoffee I'm jealous of your clean house.  I like things to be clean it just never seems to work out that way...
@lin0442 I need to cut caffeine and alcohol too.  Alcohol will definitely be the easier one, I don't think I'll be able to give up caffeine completely. 

acciocoffee

@lin0442 I cut out caffeine back in October and it was so rough! I'm on decaf now, but I can easily skip a day or two. I doubt it was actually related, but the month I quit caffeine was the month I got a BFP and I was so convinced it was because I gave up coffee! lol. I almost started drinking full caffeine again after the MC, but I didn't want to have to go through cutting it out again. Was it easy for you or were you pretty addicted to caffeine?

lin0442

@pumpkinpancake Internal job transfers are really nice, good luck!

@coco2787 and @acciocoffee Yeah, coffee is the harder one! I wasn’t too addicted to the caffeine, thankfully, but I love how coffee tastes and smells first thing in the morning. Sometimes I grab a decaf on the way in to work, but I’m trying to keep that to a minimum. I had also given up caffeine before I got my BFP, but I barely had to wait for that one, so I didn’t assume that was what did it. I just assumed it would be easier to give up caffeine then than when I got pg. Simpler times, I guess. 

vlagrl29

Well our appt with the RE went good and I feel better about all of this though still nervous cause I hate taking medicine even if it is only clomid.  This doctor had gotten all our previous fertility tests from a year ago plus I made her copies of all the lab work I had with my naturopath - I'm very organized   She said everything looked great.  she's just waiting for the HSG to come in to confirm in fact that my uterus has zero abnormalities.  Come to find out from DH's SA last year he is an overachiever.  She said normal sperm count is 15 million and he had 90 million.  All the motility and mobility were over normal as well.  He was happy and then started joking with donating his sperm so we could have extra income lol.  So we just talked about basic treatment clomid vs letrozole.  So if I take clomid I will take estrodial with it to support the uterine lining.  If I happened to be pg and not know it clomid would not hurt a baby but if I take letrozole it could cause birth defects.  So after I voiced my concerns to her she said maybe I should go with clomid even though I was leaning towards letrozole.  If I took letrozole she'd have me take a pg test beforehand to confirm I wasn't pg. She said we could time intercourse, trigger shot so we know for sure when I O, or IUI.  I've never done a trigger shot so I'm not really sure if I'd rather time sex or not.  So it was left that I call her when my flow starts in Feb on CD1.  They would also do 1 U/S to monitor how my body is responding to the drug.  If there were more than 3 or 4 follicles we'd probably cancel the cycle to avoid multiples.

So after all this I'm now convinced it's just taking longer to conceive because we are older this time.  We can probably afford 3/4 cycles this route and then stop and I'd be at peace and still confident it would still happen just not on my time schedule which is fine.  I'm really happy with life right now and don't feel stressed about this.  It's nice to feel peace.  It's been a long time coming.

tosh24

@vlagrl29 Glad you had a good appointment with your RE and you are feeling at peace with your plan. 

Mack2342

@vlagrl29 glad you had a good appt.  the trigger shot is no big deal.  I’ve taken ovidrel several times and have had no side effects. It’s pretty painless

vlagrl29

@mack2342 I think after a year and half of trying to time and not time intercourse it might be nice just to have it triggered and know when it's happening.  She said to BD 2 days in a row after trigger and that's it.  No guessing.

Mack2342

@vlagrl29 it is kind of nice because typically you ovulate on the 2nd day after shot so you really do take the guessing out of it.  I think it less stressful personally.  Does your insurance pay for the meds?   Mine does but the pharmacy also found coupons for me for the meds which made them even cheaper! 

vlagrl29

@mack2342 because clomid is a fertility drug I don't think mine will and was another reason I was leaning towards Femara because it's used for another purpose other than getting pregnant.  so is a trigger shot expensive?  That may come into play with our budget we've set aside.  Even though she thinks I should do clomid I still feel like I'm leaning femara.  Also estrodial - would that be covered?  I'd have to call my insurance to find out.  I would not have to take estrodial if I was on Femara.  DH doesn't really support my idea of every other month medicated cycle while abstaining on the off months.  This dr thought it was weird when I mentioned i have late implantation too.  At least I think I do - so I get nervous of possibly killing something off if I'm taking clomid or femara early in the cycle as an embryo may be floating around in there.  See what I've been envisioning is finishing out this month natural TTC, take off Feb and then medicate in March.  I'm well aware I sound OCD and crazy.  The RE thought it would be weird to do it every other month too.  It's the loss brain inside me.

Mack2342

@vlagrl29 you would have to check with your insurance on whether it was covered but with coupons I pay $25 for ovidrel.  You have to ask the pharmacy to check for you.  I’m curious as to why you would take trigger with clomid and not femara?  I never took clomid but have taken a trigger shot with each round of femara.  

vlagrl29

@mack2342 - I would trigger with either one if I wanted to but clomid is oop for us where femara is not.

tosh24

@vlagrl29 I pay more than Mack2342 for my Ovidrel ($80) but I'm in Canada so there's probably a price difference because of that. Also, it's really NBD. It doesn't hurt at all and it's easy to do. It's just an injection pen. No side effects either other than a quick wave of nausea here and there (like early pregnancy but way less) but I didn't get it with every cycle. I agree with @Mack2342 - it is such a relief to know when you're going to O and BD 2-3 times in that window and not have to schedule everything. It's like a weight has been lifted off of you! Also, I implanted late with my last loss and had already had my period and my RE still caught the pregnancy while performing baseline blood work the day I was supposed to start meds, so I think you have less to stress about if you're being closely monitored. All the RE's I've seen automatically test for HCG during baseline bloodwork the day you're supposed to start meds (and my level with my loss was 11, so it still would have been a couple of days before it showed up on an HPT).     

splashmountain

1. Introduce yourself (if new) hi guys! I'm not really new, but I've been on a bump break for a few months, no reason, just got busy. Nmc 12/25/16 @ 9w2d 

2. Status? two

3. Rants/Raves: tw live child mentioned- my ds is 2.5 and he doesn't talk, at all. I've brought it up to his pediatrician a few times and again at his 2yo check up back in August and received a "he's just shy". Well, I wasn't happy with being brushed off, so I went around the ped and tried to get him help myself. Fast forward about 12,000 evaluations later (Ok, more like 5) we finally started some early intervention therapies. He's on the waiting list for speech, but right now we're working on some early developmental/behavioral therapy.

4. GTKY: New Years Resolutions - Love 'em? Hate em'? Never stick to them? If you don't do resolutions, do you have any goals for yourself this year or new "rules" you're going to try to incorporate into your life instead? I've never kept a resolution before so the last few years I just stopped making them , but this year I decided to set a goal. I want to be less lazy. Meaning take the time to cut some fruit for a snack instead of grabbing some packaged thing out of the cupboard or fold the laundry instead of digging an outfit out of the dryer. So far so good

vlagrl29

Welcome back
@pumpkin0913 - I forgot we had a loss about the same time. Mine was the last week of 2016. Yuck but yea for passing the year milestone. I feel better.

mamaabc

@cassafrass15 The Instant Pot is a pressure cooker. It’s good for making crock pot type meals, but faster. I’m also used to to boil eggs and make yogurt. Apparently you can make some baked goods in it too, but I haven’t tried that yet!

@coco2787 I’m sorry your levels aren’t down yet. The waiting is hard. We must have had the same due date month. 

@pumpkin0913 *TW live child mentioned* My son (age 3) started speech therapy a month ago. He goes once a week and I feel like it’s helping. I hope the interventions you’re doing help your child improve soon! *end TW*

splashmountain

@vlagrl29 passing the one year anniversary of the loss was such a relief. I'm still sad, but it's almost like I've gone through all the milestones and survived, I got this.

vlagrl29

Yeah I noticed I was back to my happy energetic self yesterday it was great! @pumpkin0913

splashmountain

@mamaabc I'm glad the speech is helping your lo. We just started last week so no changes just yet.

@vlagrl29 I completely understand. It's like a weight has been lifted.

Mack2342

@pumpkin0913 welcome back.  I feel the same as you...while it difficult it’s like once you pass the milestone and are still surviving you realize that you can move forward like you said I got this.  I’m glad you went above Ped and found some therapy for your son.  I hope it helps

splashmountain

Thank you @Mack2342

vlagrl29

@pumpkin0913 - DD hardly talked at all at that age too. She would say a handful of words but then use sign language for everything else. I was worried too. Between 2.5 -3 years it all started to really happen and tons of words started coming out of her mouth and then I couldn't get her to be quiet. I hope some therapy is all he needs to get it going.

40momma

Trying to catch up, I don't think I've checked in yet and I'm off to bed but I saw @pumpkin0913 s post and wanted to add my 2 cents. Of course I know nothing of your ds issues but I myself didn't talk until I was over 2. Lots of tests and they finally found that I had slight hearing loss and was therefore not quite hearing what I needed to in order to start speaking correctly. 5 surgeries later and now I don't shut up. Hehe. Here's hoping you are able to work through it. And welcome back to the board.

mmccorm2014

1. Introduce yourself (if new) : Joined this group last week after NMC in December.
2. Status? Waiting for AF to return to start TTC again.
3. Rants/Raves: I am attending a baby shower on Saturday. I don't know how that is really going to feel. Honestly, I am so hapy for the couple, just hoping the tears stay away. We are supposed to get a foot of snow Friday. I am excited about it. 
4. GTKY: New Years Resolutions - Love 'em? Hate em'? Never stick to them? If you don't do resolutions, do you have any goals for yourself this year or new "rules" you're going to try to incorporate into your life instead? I already broke one of my two goals of cutting out junk food. I have cut back though. I am sticking with going to the gym 3-4 times a week for now. We will see how long that lasts. I never end up keeping mine, but I feel like it is good to set goals.

mmccorm2014

@acciocoffee Last year due to scheduling I had my birthday off from work. I spent the entire day cleaning our house. It was the most calming, relaxing, rewarding birthday in such a long time! 

acciocoffee

@MicahDahn I'm glad I'm not the only one who cleans to relax! After our MC I cleaned for about 3 days straight and it was so healing. I can't imagine going to a baby shower right now. Personally, I would probably skip it unless it was really important for me to be there. I'm having a hard time being around pregnant friends right now and I feel horrible about it. It just makes me feel empty and I forget about all the good things in life and focus on what I'm missing. 

zamoraspin

@micahdahn Baby showers are rough. The only one I've been to since any of my losses was my sister's shower right after my first loss and I didn't handle it well. I had a panic attack the night before and I only made it through the shower because my sister had some Ativan on hand that I took. If this is not an incredibly close friend, or if you just don't feel up to it, consider declining. It won't be the the end of the world. 
Gonna have to come back for more tags. 
1. Introduce yourself (if new) Not new, 3 first tri mc's, no living children, 35. 
2. Status? WTO
3. Rants/Raves: Oh clomid. I am already feeling extra emotional and I took the first dose last night. Last month I felt find until at least several days into taking it, so this should be fun. Overall I am feeling positive about this cycle. I am really hopeful. My test date *should* be on or right around my 36th birthday, so, I'll be totes ku right? 
4. GTKY: New Years Resolutions - Love 'em? Hate em'? Never stick to them? If you don't do resolutions, do you have any goals for yourself this year or new "rules" you're going to try to incorporate into your life instead? I don't love resolutions but I like goals. DH and I set some goals for the year. I have some broad goals of appreciating the good things in my life more and getting healthier. I also have concrete simple goals like something fun with our dogs every day, give DH a hug, work out a certain number of days, etc. 

vlagrl29

@zamora_spin - Dh and I talked about clomid vs femara and decided to go with clomid which I will take next month if not KU and boy am I already feeling anxious about taking meds - I was so calm and peaceful.  Are you just emotional so far?  Once you stop taking it do the side effects go away?

@MicahDahn - I would totally skip the baby shower - you are totally fresh out of a loss.  I was a hot mess for several months after my loss and I didn't go to any baby showers.

zamoraspin

@vlagrl29 I was more prone to tears/quick to anger. For me it was mostly a couple days into taking it and for maybe 3 days or so after it. Then during the TWW I was extra emotional, but that could have been due to the progesterone I use. Overall, small price to pay if it helps. TW I know SO MANY women IRL who have used clomid. I even know someone who had a loss and then took clomid and had two successful pregnancies, and another women who tried for three years and finally conceived on clomid. end TW Some people don't have bad side effects at all so try to go into it with an optimistic attitude if you can. I haven't had the hunger or the hot flashes, for example, so it's a bit different for everyone. And I'm not SO weepy I can't go about my business. I hope it works for you.