I am curious what people have given as thank you gifts for fertility drs, midwives, obs, nurses...whoever really lol. I am working on coming up with ideas for those on our birth team. So far I have started decorating a tote bag to say Keep calm and call the midwife, for our midwife. And I plan to pick up essential oils for my doula and I got a camera lens mug for our birth photographer. Any input or ideas would be awesome! I have a midwife, her apprentice, my doula and my photographer on my birth team.
Re: Thank you gifts
For the midwife -- well, she's also a friend, so I imagine we will do friend-things for them, maybe a dinner at home, or - if we have a chance, maybe make her some homemade food and freeze it or something.
I used to work for midwives and while the cookies, candy and stuff delivered to the clinic was awesome for the staff -- they would rarely get a chance to enjoy it. They would also get lots of gift cards and coffee mugs, or trinkets about birth or mothers (nice ideas, but after awhile one only needs so many woman goddess pendants). I think your tote bag idea is a great one though! I imagine perhaps a nice water bottle or something would be a good idea, or a gift card for itunes, a bookstore, or something like that -- or even funky socks or something. In our clinic one of the best gifts we ever got was a bird made out of hundreds of pieces of folded paper by a Peruvian client, it was amazing and so beautiful, we loved it and thought of her often when people would ask about it.
queer couple - 32 (me) & 33 (my love) years old - donor sperm,
Our IF/TTC journey since Nov 2012.
Me: dx of DOR in Nov. 2012. Low AMH, AFC - 6, Normal FSH, SS-A (RO) Antibodies (Autoimmune issues), tubes clear, Sono (November 2013) NORMAL! <p>
7 IUI's - December 2012-September 2013. Medicated, Injected, Triggered.... all BFN.
My Love: (the amazing @Healz413)
Normal AMH & FSH, AFC ~27, blocked tube dx'd via HSG in 2012. Hydrosalpinx & ovarian cyst dx'd in May 2013.
dx of Stage IV Endo & bilateral salpinectomy in June 2013.
Partner IVF#1a- December 2013 - H's eggs, my Ute - CANCELLED due to low response
Partner IVF #1b - February 2014 - H's eggs, my Ute - ER February 4 (10 retrieved, 3 fertilized), Transfer Feb 7 of one Grade 1 and one Grade 2 day 3 embryos. 1 - Day 3, Grade 1 frosty saved. BFP - 6dp3dt via FRER, Beta #1 - 110, Beta #2 175, Beta #3 - 348, Beta #4 - 2222!, Beta #5 - 4255. Ultrasound (6w1d) - 2 heartbearts!
We lost our beautiful Twin baby girls on June 18, 2014. Tavin Sara and Casey Elizabeth were born at 21 weeks gestation and were absolutely beautiful, precious, amazing babies. We miss our daughters every day and love them with all our hearts.
And I totally agree about not wanting to give too many little trinket type gifts. I was thinking perhaps soaps or candles. Something that they would use up eventually.
Baby Oliver born 11/27/13
TTC stats with donor sperm...
IUI #1 with trigger, 1/4/13 - BFN
IUI #2 with trigger, 2/1/13 BFN
IUI #3 with tigger, 2/28/12 BFP EDD 11/21/13
I was dying to do something for all of the clinic and hospital staff, so I baked muffins and delivered them with a personal visit and a card. I mentioned, by name, the people who played a critical role for us and then also thanked the rest of the team.
For our Doula, I framed a photo of the two of us just after the birth.
For our Midwife, who became a friend, we did something a lot more special. We got him a gift certificate to the local theatre venue (since I know he and his wife enjoy going), and another gift certificate to the restaurant in that theatre. They ended up inviting us to join them for brunch. It was awesome. The reason behind this particular gift is that our midwife had his group call him when I went into the hospital. He came in, though he wasn't on the schedule, and sent the other midwives home. He stayed the entire time and essentially lost a weekend that he should have had at home with his wife. I wanted to give them a gift to enjoy together to "Reclaim" that lost weekend.
For the record I think that what we did in all cases (except perhaps our Doula) was completely over the top.
Married to my amazing wife 6/12/10
TTC since 6/11
Unmedicated IUI #1 - 6/28/11 - BFN
Unmedicated IUI #2 - 7/25/11 - BFN
Robotic Myomectomy (Fibroid Surgery) - 11/15/11
Unmedicated IUI #3 - 4/24/12 - BFN
Progesterone Supported Leuteal Phase IUI #4 - 6/21/12 - BFP!!
Baby Boy G Born 3/24/13
On to #2, are we crazy?
IUI #1 - 11/28/14 - BFP! Beta #1 (11DPO) 34, Beta #2 (13DPO) 101, Beta #3 (20DPO) 3043
Ultrasound at 6w4d shows a single, fluttering heartbeat. Say hello to Sticky Ricki!
I think the little items you have picked out along with a nice note is perfect!
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
We did end up getting my OB, who we both became very close with and who was there for me personally during the pregnancy/separation/coming out stage, a bottle her favorite wine. She had mentioned that this certain wine was her favorite and one day in the store we saw it so we picked it up.
9 IUIs = 9 BFNs
IVF October 2012: 22 eggs retrieved, 17 fertilized, 5 frozen
ET #1: 1 blast = BFP; Blighted ovum discovered at 7w5d; D&E
FET #1: 1 blast = BFP; Missed m/c discovered at 9w5d; D&E
Karyotyping: normal ~ RPL Testing: normal ~ Hysteroscopy: normal
FET #2: 1 blast transferred 10/25; BFP 10/31!
EDD 7/13/14 ~ Induced at 37w4d due to pre-eclampsia ~ Born on 6/28/14
*Everyone welcome*
Yeah, it's funny, back when I was a Doula I attended a birth with him. I was so impressed with him, that I switched to him for my annual care in the hopes that some day I would have a baby myself and he would be my midwife. Fast forward 7 years and that's exactly what happened. And the kicker was that the woman whose birth I attended all those years back, was my Doula for my birth!
He was a nurse in the military (Navy, I believe), and apparently the other nurses there encouraged him to get his masters in midwifery because he had a really great rapport with the women in the postpartem units.
He is definitely a one of a kind guy. I really enjoy him and was so grateful that he made sure to be at our birth even though he wasn't the one on call.
ETA - added more details ...
Married to my amazing wife 6/12/10
TTC since 6/11
Unmedicated IUI #1 - 6/28/11 - BFN
Unmedicated IUI #2 - 7/25/11 - BFN
Robotic Myomectomy (Fibroid Surgery) - 11/15/11
Unmedicated IUI #3 - 4/24/12 - BFN
Progesterone Supported Leuteal Phase IUI #4 - 6/21/12 - BFP!!
Baby Boy G Born 3/24/13
On to #2, are we crazy?
IUI #1 - 11/28/14 - BFP! Beta #1 (11DPO) 34, Beta #2 (13DPO) 101, Beta #3 (20DPO) 3043
Ultrasound at 6w4d shows a single, fluttering heartbeat. Say hello to Sticky Ricki!
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
9 IUIs = 9 BFNs
IVF October 2012: 22 eggs retrieved, 17 fertilized, 5 frozen
ET #1: 1 blast = BFP; Blighted ovum discovered at 7w5d; D&E
FET #1: 1 blast = BFP; Missed m/c discovered at 9w5d; D&E
Karyotyping: normal ~ RPL Testing: normal ~ Hysteroscopy: normal
FET #2: 1 blast transferred 10/25; BFP 10/31!
EDD 7/13/14 ~ Induced at 37w4d due to pre-eclampsia ~ Born on 6/28/14
*Everyone welcome*