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liz4paws
member
************ Signature/Ticker Warning ************
Book recommendations?
liz4paws
member
Does anyone have any pregnancy books they recommend for when you've had success after IF, especially using TPR? I get that once you're pregnant, you're pregnant. However, the for-men ones that I've flipped through usually start with chapters like "Congrats, your boys can swim!" (my husband has severe MFI, ouch) or "You had a night of passion and got knocked up" beginnings to them. This kind of stuff still rubs me the wrong way and I wish there was a good book that didn't have that kind of tone, or even spoke specifically to those who had a struggle. I would especially like one that had to do with donor conception, but that may be pushing my luck. 
Sure, I can flip past those obnoxious pages but I'd love to hear your recommendations if you have any?
Thanks!
************ Signature/Ticker Warning ************
Me (32) DH (36) - Finding our way to baby #1
Me: POF/DOR - AMH <0.16, heterozygous c677t MTHFR, insulin resistant and gluten intolerant
DH: Severe MFI
12/2/11 - IUI #1- BFN
8/1/12 - IVF #1 - Zero response from max stims (600iu intramuscularly)
My ovaries are just for decoration
12/6/12 - Adopted five embryos that had been frozen for over ten years!
2/11/13 - DEmbryo FET #1 Thawed four, sadly two didn't survive. Transferred two beautiful blasts.
2/16/13 - First BFP of my life @ 6dp5dt! EDD 10/30/13
3/27/13 - After beta and u/s hell, no heartbeat ever detected. D&C at 9w1d.
6/5/13 - Adopted four new embryos that had been frozen for seven years!
9/12/13 - DEmbryo FET #2. Thawed and transferred two beautiful blasts
9/17/13 - BFP @ 5dp6dt! EDD 05/31/14
9/29/13 - m/c @ 5w1d. 
11/19/13 - DEmbryo FET #3. Thawed and transferred one blast from each batch. Wow!
11/23/13 - BFP @ 4dp6dt! EDD 8/7/13
Beta #1 @ 13dp6dt - 522 Beta #2 @ 16dp6dt - 1373
6w5d ultrasound showed one perfect baby with a beautiful heartbeat of 134bpm!
Snowflake baby is a girl!
Our beautiful Snowflake girl arrived on July 22, 2014!
My embryo adoption blog: Wishing on a Snowflake
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Book recommendations?
Liz, My RE's counselor recommended this book during our "you're using a donor" forced counseling session - and I loved it. It just talks about the impact you have on your baby in the womb - both the opportunity and risks of outside factors from the ones you know already (food, pollution) to emotional impact (trauma during pregnancy, anxiety, worry). etc. It made me feel that, even though this baby is not genetically mine, I really have the opportunity to give our son a great start in life by having the healthiest pregnancy I can, from a bigger picture place than "don't eat raw fish"
I would say that I have adjusted some of my behavior as a result of this book, and also just found it very interesting (the studies, historical info, etc.). Also, she writes well and though it is nonfiction, it was an easy and fun read really.
https://www.amazon.com/Origins-Months-Before-Birth-Shape/dp/B004Z4M1A4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362169845&sr=8-1&keywords=origins+birth
It's called "Origins: How the Nine Months Before Birth Shape the Rest of Our Lives". It's available in hardback and also on Kindle.
Me (43) and J (45) - same sex couple. And we don't feel 40+!
June'12 - First RE Visit
Sept. '12 - Tubes removed
Dec. '12 - Donor Egg/Donor Sperm IVF Cycle - 4 good embies!
Dec. '12 - Fresh transfer, BFP! EDD 8/29/13
Mar. '13 - Missed m/c at 16w1d, baby boy stopped growing at 15w4d
Loss due to umbilical cord clot...baby was perfect.
Jul '13 - FET#1 - c/p
Sept. '13 - FET#2 - BFN
Dec.' 2, 2013 - FET#3 with our last chance embie - BFP!!!
Dec' 26, 2013 - hb!!
EDD 8/20/14 with a baby girl!
Little S was born on 8/21/14 - 8lb, 14 oz and 20 inches long.
We live in Seattle and used SRM for our donor egg IVF cycle
THIS LOOKS FANTASTIC. Thanks for the recommendation. I just bought it for my Kindle and can't wait to get started!
If anyone else has any other recommendations, I want to soak up as many as I can.
************ Signature/Ticker Warning ************
Me (32) DH (36) - Finding our way to baby #1
Me: POF/DOR - AMH <0.16, heterozygous c677t MTHFR, insulin resistant and gluten intolerant
DH: Severe MFI
12/2/11 - IUI #1- BFN
8/1/12 - IVF #1 - Zero response from max stims (600iu intramuscularly)
My ovaries are just for decoration
12/6/12 - Adopted five embryos that had been frozen for over ten years!
2/11/13 - DEmbryo FET #1 Thawed four, sadly two didn't survive. Transferred two beautiful blasts.
2/16/13 - First BFP of my life @ 6dp5dt! EDD 10/30/13
3/27/13 - After beta and u/s hell, no heartbeat ever detected. D&C at 9w1d.
6/5/13 - Adopted four new embryos that had been frozen for seven years!
9/12/13 - DEmbryo FET #2. Thawed and transferred two beautiful blasts
9/17/13 - BFP @ 5dp6dt! EDD 05/31/14
9/29/13 - m/c @ 5w1d.
11/19/13 - DEmbryo FET #3. Thawed and transferred one blast from each batch. Wow!
11/23/13 - BFP @ 4dp6dt! EDD 8/7/13
Beta #1 @ 13dp6dt - 522 Beta #2 @ 16dp6dt - 1373
6w5d ultrasound showed one perfect baby with a beautiful heartbeat of 134bpm!
Snowflake baby is a girl!
Our beautiful Snowflake girl arrived on July 22, 2014!
My embryo adoption blog: Wishing on a Snowflake
***signature & ticker warning***
Me: 30 ~ Stage IV Endo ~ AMH .38 ~ AFC 8
AMH .97 as of 4/2012! ~ AMH 1.63 as of 4/2013!?!
Him: 29 ~ perfect swimmers
Laparotomy w/partial oophorectomy 8/2009 to remove cysts/endo.
Stopped BCP 4/2010.
Multiple clomid rounds from 11/2010 to 6/2011. ~ All BFN
IUI w/clomid 7/2011. IUI w/clomid & injectables 11/2011 & 1/2012. ~ All BFN
IVF:EPP 5/2012 ~ (4R, 3M, 2F w/ICSI). Both embryos txfrd. ~ BFN
BCP to manage endo from 10/2012 to 12/2012.
FET w/donor embryos #1: 10/2013 Cancelled
FET w/donor embryos #1.2: 11/2013 ~ ET of 2 beautiful blasts on 11/27.
Beta 1: 503(12dp5dt) Beta 2: 1035(14dpt) Beta 3: 3001(16dpt) Beta 4: 8503(19dpt)
Twins with an EDD of 8/15/14! Team Purple
G&B born 6/30/14 at 33w3d via emergency c/s.
If you're wondering about my avatar...it's a fried pickle chip shaped like a fetus!
DH bought me 2 lbs of See's Chocolates for valentines day. I'm embarrassed to admit that the box has been sitting on the table and I've been eating at least a piece every day! Now I can say it was all for baby!
Now I really can't wait to dig into this book!
************ Signature/Ticker Warning ************
Me (32) DH (36) - Finding our way to baby #1
Me: POF/DOR - AMH <0.16, heterozygous c677t MTHFR, insulin resistant and gluten intolerant
DH: Severe MFI
12/2/11 - IUI #1- BFN
8/1/12 - IVF #1 - Zero response from max stims (600iu intramuscularly)
My ovaries are just for decoration
12/6/12 - Adopted five embryos that had been frozen for over ten years!
2/11/13 - DEmbryo FET #1 Thawed four, sadly two didn't survive. Transferred two beautiful blasts.
2/16/13 - First BFP of my life @ 6dp5dt! EDD 10/30/13
3/27/13 - After beta and u/s hell, no heartbeat ever detected. D&C at 9w1d.
6/5/13 - Adopted four new embryos that had been frozen for seven years!
9/12/13 - DEmbryo FET #2. Thawed and transferred two beautiful blasts
9/17/13 - BFP @ 5dp6dt! EDD 05/31/14
9/29/13 - m/c @ 5w1d.
11/19/13 - DEmbryo FET #3. Thawed and transferred one blast from each batch. Wow!
11/23/13 - BFP @ 4dp6dt! EDD 8/7/13
Beta #1 @ 13dp6dt - 522 Beta #2 @ 16dp6dt - 1373
6w5d ultrasound showed one perfect baby with a beautiful heartbeat of 134bpm!
Snowflake baby is a girl!
Our beautiful Snowflake girl arrived on July 22, 2014!
My embryo adoption blog: Wishing on a Snowflake
DP...just curious, are you referring to the same book that 2Mamas referred to above??
Me: AMA, DOR, undetectable AMH, carrier of SMA, MTHFR homozygous C677T, high cytokines, low IGg B cells, Factor XIII V34l mutation, High Anti-Phosphatidylethanolmine, borderline hypothyroid and mildly insulin resistant.
MH: No known issues, aside from MTHFR.
Recommendations from RI: LIT, Humira, IVIG, Lovenox, Baby Aspirin, Folic Acid, Low-dose synthroid and Metformin.
Currently taking: Pre-Natal vitamins, Foltanx, Low-dose synthroid and Metformin.
When cycling also taking: Baby Aspirin, Lovenox, Humira and IVIG.
TTC since 7/11/09..with medical intervention starting in 2010, including 4 failed IVF's and 6 failed IUI's...only "success" was a chemical pregnancy in 11/2012 (credited to use of DE).
FET #1 (11th cycle) on 8/23/13 = BFN.
FET #2 (12th cycle) Transfer of last two (day 6) donor egg blasts on 1/22/14 = BFP, EDD = 10/10/14 (please stick little BOY!)
My favorite breed:
***PAIF/SAIF always welcome***
Yes, I just realized I had a quote fail.
***signature & ticker warning***
Me: 30 ~ Stage IV Endo ~ AMH .38 ~ AFC 8
AMH .97 as of 4/2012! ~ AMH 1.63 as of 4/2013!?!
Him: 29 ~ perfect swimmers
Laparotomy w/partial oophorectomy 8/2009 to remove cysts/endo.
Stopped BCP 4/2010.
Multiple clomid rounds from 11/2010 to 6/2011. ~ All BFN
IUI w/clomid 7/2011. IUI w/clomid & injectables 11/2011 & 1/2012. ~ All BFN
IVF:EPP 5/2012 ~ (4R, 3M, 2F w/ICSI). Both embryos txfrd. ~ BFN
BCP to manage endo from 10/2012 to 12/2012.
FET w/donor embryos #1: 10/2013 Cancelled
FET w/donor embryos #1.2: 11/2013 ~ ET of 2 beautiful blasts on 11/27.
Beta 1: 503(12dp5dt) Beta 2: 1035(14dpt) Beta 3: 3001(16dpt) Beta 4: 8503(19dpt)
Twins with an EDD of 8/15/14! Team Purple
G&B born 6/30/14 at 33w3d via emergency c/s.
If you're wondering about my avatar...it's a fried pickle chip shaped like a fetus!
LOL - no worries...just wanted to confirm whether or not you were recommending the same book! Because, heck yea, now I want to buy it!!
Me: AMA, DOR, undetectable AMH, carrier of SMA, MTHFR homozygous C677T, high cytokines, low IGg B cells, Factor XIII V34l mutation, High Anti-Phosphatidylethanolmine, borderline hypothyroid and mildly insulin resistant.
MH: No known issues, aside from MTHFR.
Recommendations from RI: LIT, Humira, IVIG, Lovenox, Baby Aspirin, Folic Acid, Low-dose synthroid and Metformin.
Currently taking: Pre-Natal vitamins, Foltanx, Low-dose synthroid and Metformin.
When cycling also taking: Baby Aspirin, Lovenox, Humira and IVIG.
TTC since 7/11/09..with medical intervention starting in 2010, including 4 failed IVF's and 6 failed IUI's...only "success" was a chemical pregnancy in 11/2012 (credited to use of DE).
FET #1 (11th cycle) on 8/23/13 = BFN.
FET #2 (12th cycle) Transfer of last two (day 6) donor egg blasts on 1/22/14 = BFP, EDD = 10/10/14 (please stick little BOY!)
My favorite breed:
***PAIF/SAIF always welcome***
TTC with RE since March 2012
3 missed O's, 6 IUIs = 1 BFP then 8 w M/C, 5 BFNs
(2 unmedicated IUIs, 2 clomid IUI, 2 femara IUI)
Shared maternity/partner IVF, transfer #1 BFP!
EDD 11/28/13
YAY! I'm glad you all are going to check it out - would love discussing here too as you go along. I was actually thinking of re-reading it
. Honestly at one point near the end, it kinda wraps up the whole book in a very overwhelming page or two - and it feels/is impossible to be perfect all the time short of living in a plastic bubble (but then, the plastic would be bad for you, no?) 
- but it definitely just made me feel like the pregnancy really, really matters! Not that we don't think that already - but the impact of some of our decisions during our pregnancies lasting and impacting our children's offspring for generations! I just found it rather fascinating 
Love other ideas if anyone has them too! I'm not a big reader, but it is nice when I read something other than the internet
Me (43) and J (45) - same sex couple. And we don't feel 40+!
June'12 - First RE Visit
Sept. '12 - Tubes removed
Dec. '12 - Donor Egg/Donor Sperm IVF Cycle - 4 good embies!
Dec. '12 - Fresh transfer, BFP! EDD 8/29/13
Mar. '13 - Missed m/c at 16w1d, baby boy stopped growing at 15w4d
Loss due to umbilical cord clot...baby was perfect.
Jul '13 - FET#1 - c/p
Sept. '13 - FET#2 - BFN
Dec.' 2, 2013 - FET#3 with our last chance embie - BFP!!!
Dec' 26, 2013 - hb!!
EDD 8/20/14 with a baby girl!
Little S was born on 8/21/14 - 8lb, 14 oz and 20 inches long.
We live in Seattle and used SRM for our donor egg IVF cycle
I'm glad you found it helpful! That site is just awesome for giving perspective and information where there seems not to be any...I'm keeping an eye on you guys on LGBT too - so excited for you! And a wee bit jealous - you two are really making a baby together! So cool!!!
Me (43) and J (45) - same sex couple. And we don't feel 40+!
June'12 - First RE Visit
Sept. '12 - Tubes removed
Dec. '12 - Donor Egg/Donor Sperm IVF Cycle - 4 good embies!
Dec. '12 - Fresh transfer, BFP! EDD 8/29/13
Mar. '13 - Missed m/c at 16w1d, baby boy stopped growing at 15w4d
Loss due to umbilical cord clot...baby was perfect.
Jul '13 - FET#1 - c/p
Sept. '13 - FET#2 - BFN
Dec.' 2, 2013 - FET#3 with our last chance embie - BFP!!!
Dec' 26, 2013 - hb!!
EDD 8/20/14 with a baby girl!
Little S was born on 8/21/14 - 8lb, 14 oz and 20 inches long.
We live in Seattle and used SRM for our donor egg IVF cycle
Thanks so much! It feels good to have such encouragement! It is probably the coolest thing I can imagine and I feel so incredibly blessed. Today they said her eggs look great for a 34 yo! She is my hero right now with the amount of injections she has to do.
TTC with RE since March 2012
3 missed O's, 6 IUIs = 1 BFP then 8 w M/C, 5 BFNs
(2 unmedicated IUIs, 2 clomid IUI, 2 femara IUI)
Shared maternity/partner IVF, transfer #1 BFP!
EDD 11/28/13
Helping the Stork. I think this is a good read for the moms and dads. I have not read the whole thing. I personally came to a point where I did not want to keep reading (nothing against the book, just me:) ). The first part you could skip because it's about choosing a donor. It's written by a couple who used ds.
https://www.amazon.com/Helping-Stork-Choices-Challenges-Insemination/dp/002861917X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362199903&sr=8-1&keywords=helping+the+stork