This is a weekly check in for the mamas who have made it to the 3rd trimester!
If you're just joining us please post a:
Mini synopsis in your first post with your EDD
How many babies you are pregnant with
If you know the gender(s)
How you have been feeling going into 3rd trimester.
Please let us know if you need to be added to the list
Big congrats to @ndz2018 and @blackhottamales on their new arrivals
Mamas to be
@babydust2507 7/12 BOY!
@flanners1 7/27 BOY!
@wilde1410 7/31 GIRL!
@wabash15 8/15 Team Green
Re: 3rd tri check in Month of July
dx: PCOS, low progesterone; 2 MMC
Sept FET 2018 Spreadsheet
Jan 2 2018 - 1st IVF cycle - 9 retrieved, 7 mature/fertilized, 1 5d transfer + 5 untested snowbabies
Jan 19 2018 - Fresh Transfer #1 one 5dt; BFP 1/25/2018; EDD 10/7/2018; MMC at 8w3d; D&C 3/6/2018
May 16 2018 - FET #1 one 5dt; BFP with 4 betas (6.5, 24.3, 165.5, 2250) - EDD 2/1/2019; MMC at 6w; D&C 6/20/18
Sept 17 2018 - FET #2 one 5dt; BFP 38.9 7dpt, 167 9dpt - EDD 6/5/2019
(3 untested embryos remain)
dx: PCOS, low progesterone; 2 MMC
Sept FET 2018 Spreadsheet
Jan 2 2018 - 1st IVF cycle - 9 retrieved, 7 mature/fertilized, 1 5d transfer + 5 untested snowbabies
Jan 19 2018 - Fresh Transfer #1 one 5dt; BFP 1/25/2018; EDD 10/7/2018; MMC at 8w3d; D&C 3/6/2018
May 16 2018 - FET #1 one 5dt; BFP with 4 betas (6.5, 24.3, 165.5, 2250) - EDD 2/1/2019; MMC at 6w; D&C 6/20/18
Sept 17 2018 - FET #2 one 5dt; BFP 38.9 7dpt, 167 9dpt - EDD 6/5/2019
(3 untested embryos remain)
Diagnosed : unexplained infertility
6 rounds of IUI and a MC 2/2014, rainbow twins 4/2015
TTC #3 5/2016
Restarted Fertility tx
IUI 2 rounds, baby girl 12/17
I'm delighted that you've made it this far! The docs are right -- SCH is the best case scenario for a pprom. My little girl Anne was a late term preemie at 35 weeks and never needed any nursery time but you'll likely have a bit earlier than that! We have many preemies ranging from ex-preemie (<24-28 weeks) to late term (35-37 week) in our practice and they generally all do very well. The earlier ones require a bit more help in the beginning but these days, they generally even out by the time they're older! Generally once you make it to 30+ weeks, there are usually no long term effects and earlier than that you might see some early delays but they tend to even out. Boys tend to have a few more issues with breathing and such when they come early but that can all be managed by your NICU team. You're in the best place possible and I'm keeping you and your little one in my thoughts!
I can't imagine being in the hospital for 32 days!! I was in for a week with Anne (4 days monitoring, 3 days after delivery) and I was totally stir crazy by the end, I was begging my docs to discharge me.
What you might want to do when you feel comfortable is to talk to one of the pediatricians on staff if you haven't selected yours yet and have them give you some info on what to expect. They can probably give you a bit more detailed info and reassurance and it might be comforting to get to know the docs who will be handling your little one's care.
Summer 2015 - no BFP yet, labs normal, referred to RE
Fall 2015 - Summer 2016 - Further testing all normal. 3 IUI's -- BFN. Recommended move to IVF. Planned cycle for fall 2016.
September 2016 - Surprise natural BFP. MMC @ 8 weeks. RE expressed confidence that we just needed the 'right' embryo.
Fall 2016 - Spring 2017 -- Break from TTC
June 2017 - Started IVF; egg retrieval for freeze all cycle. 9 mature eggs retrieved, 5 fertilized. 2 4BB embies on ice.
August 2017 - FET transfer both embies. BFP. Twin pregnancy confirmed by ultrasound. EDD 4/28/18
September 2017 - Twin B stopped developing; Twin A doing perfectly! Graduated from RE @ 10 weeks
March 2018 - Baby Girl born via C/S due to pre-eclampsia -- strong and healthy!
TTC #2
January/Feb 2021 - Freeze-all IVF cycle
March 2021 - FET of 1 PGS normal female embryo. BFP! Beta #1 156, #2 472, #3 1241, #4 5268 EDD 12/5/21 - Christmas baby!
"When all is lost then all is found."
@mtpbadger I love hearing NICU success stories thank you! And I will probably reach out as we near closer to having a premie, I’ve been trying hard not to get ahead of myself and take things as they come but of course that’s almost impossible with nothing to do but think and wonder!
Diagnosed : unexplained infertility
6 rounds of IUI and a MC 2/2014, rainbow twins 4/2015
TTC #3 5/2016
Restarted Fertility tx
IUI 2 rounds, baby girl 12/17
Second, I've have 2 preemies, both were late term, but both were vastly different and faced their own set of challenges. My first was born at 35 weeks and didn't need NICU time, however, he had a very hard time nursing at the beginning, and is dealing with some developmental delay with his motor skills and sensory issues.
My second baby was born at 36 weeks and was transferred to a level 3 NICU where he spent 21 days. Like @mtpbadger said, NICU life is tough, but the nurses are your lifeline. They are amazing and you need to lean on them. Boys have a harder time in the NICU for whatever reason, and it is frustrating to deal with the setbacks. Please feel free to reach out if you have questions or need to vent. NICU moms have a higher instance of PPD, so please make sure you take stock of yourself. My PPD wasn't dx'd until he was 3 months.
I know I just poured a whole lot at you, but I want you to realize that while this road is long, you will come out battered and bruised , but so much stronger than you thought.
@leilee101 So great you made it to the third tri! I’m about 9 weeks behind you and I’ve had several SCH related bleeds. Also growing a boy lol I’m rooting for you and your little guy to make it to your induction!
@wabash15 getting close! I hope your LO turns soon!
dx: PCOS, low progesterone; 2 MMC
Sept FET 2018 Spreadsheet
Jan 2 2018 - 1st IVF cycle - 9 retrieved, 7 mature/fertilized, 1 5d transfer + 5 untested snowbabies
Jan 19 2018 - Fresh Transfer #1 one 5dt; BFP 1/25/2018; EDD 10/7/2018; MMC at 8w3d; D&C 3/6/2018
May 16 2018 - FET #1 one 5dt; BFP with 4 betas (6.5, 24.3, 165.5, 2250) - EDD 2/1/2019; MMC at 6w; D&C 6/20/18
Sept 17 2018 - FET #2 one 5dt; BFP 38.9 7dpt, 167 9dpt - EDD 6/5/2019
(3 untested embryos remain)
So many of you here had super cute babies
@leilee101 I'm so glad that things are moving along for you. You and your boy are strong and surely everything will end great and you'll hold your happy and healthy baby in your hands!
Diagnosed : unexplained infertility
6 rounds of IUI and a MC 2/2014, rainbow twins 4/2015
TTC #3 5/2016
Restarted Fertility tx
IUI 2 rounds, baby girl 12/17
Ok then, I'll give a little intro. I and my husband TTC on our own for several years, then with RE for about 3 years. I'm in the military, so it really delayed the process with all my unexpected trips in various locations. Slowly but surely we came to the point where it was time for FET...the first one failed, the second one was more successful with twins; however, one of the twins stopped developing between 7-9 weeks. The first trimester was rough, a lot of nausea and vomiting and bleeding, then after 16wks it all stopped. So far it is a smooth ride and I'm trying to enjoy it. Well, I also had a case of kidney stones a couple of weeks ago, but it is not baby related. Overall happy to be where I'm at right now with my baby boy and can't wait to hold him.
I would call the pediatrician's office anytime at this point -- you're in the third trimester and only a few months away from delivery. They will often have you come in for a "meet the doc" visit if you like where you can meet the doc (obv!) and ask any questions you might have. They will also take a history from you at this visit so they're fully in-the-know when they come to visit baby in the hospital. I advise picking a pediatrician who is on staff at the hospital you plan on delivering at so that they can be the doctor handling baby's hospital exams and discharge. Then once you're delivering, you tell the nurses the doctor you picked, they call the doctor after baby is born and the doctor will come and examine baby - and then follow up for the next few days until discharge. If it's a group practice, there's a chance that your pick of physician might not be the one on-call when baby is born -- and if that's the case, the on-call doctor will usually do the exams and discharge while briefing your selected physician on what's going on. I actually decided that I would pick our pediatrician by Russian Roulette haha -- I mean, I would pick whoever was on-call when baby arrived. Since my baby goes to the practice my family runs, I didn't want to make it seem like I was playing favorites or something! It turned out to be my first choice anyway
Summer 2015 - no BFP yet, labs normal, referred to RE
Fall 2015 - Summer 2016 - Further testing all normal. 3 IUI's -- BFN. Recommended move to IVF. Planned cycle for fall 2016.
September 2016 - Surprise natural BFP. MMC @ 8 weeks. RE expressed confidence that we just needed the 'right' embryo.
Fall 2016 - Spring 2017 -- Break from TTC
June 2017 - Started IVF; egg retrieval for freeze all cycle. 9 mature eggs retrieved, 5 fertilized. 2 4BB embies on ice.
August 2017 - FET transfer both embies. BFP. Twin pregnancy confirmed by ultrasound. EDD 4/28/18
September 2017 - Twin B stopped developing; Twin A doing perfectly! Graduated from RE @ 10 weeks
March 2018 - Baby Girl born via C/S due to pre-eclampsia -- strong and healthy!
TTC #2
January/Feb 2021 - Freeze-all IVF cycle
March 2021 - FET of 1 PGS normal female embryo. BFP! Beta #1 156, #2 472, #3 1241, #4 5268 EDD 12/5/21 - Christmas baby!
"When all is lost then all is found."
Feel free to PM me with any questions -- I work in pediatrics :-) The standard vaccine schedule is usually 4 shots at 2 months and 4 months, 3 shots at 6 months and then nothing until 1 year where you get a couple more. Depending on when baby arrives, you'll likely also want the flu shot at 6 months (with a second booster at 7 months). I can explain what those are in more depth if you need :-) It seems like alot but they tolerate it really well!
You'll just need to look for a ped who takes Tricare (I'm assuming that's what you guys are on) -- not sure if they are able to check on the baby in the on-base hospital, but there might be a process by which they can get approved for that. We don't have any military hospitals near us or else I would know
Summer 2015 - no BFP yet, labs normal, referred to RE
Fall 2015 - Summer 2016 - Further testing all normal. 3 IUI's -- BFN. Recommended move to IVF. Planned cycle for fall 2016.
September 2016 - Surprise natural BFP. MMC @ 8 weeks. RE expressed confidence that we just needed the 'right' embryo.
Fall 2016 - Spring 2017 -- Break from TTC
June 2017 - Started IVF; egg retrieval for freeze all cycle. 9 mature eggs retrieved, 5 fertilized. 2 4BB embies on ice.
August 2017 - FET transfer both embies. BFP. Twin pregnancy confirmed by ultrasound. EDD 4/28/18
September 2017 - Twin B stopped developing; Twin A doing perfectly! Graduated from RE @ 10 weeks
March 2018 - Baby Girl born via C/S due to pre-eclampsia -- strong and healthy!
TTC #2
January/Feb 2021 - Freeze-all IVF cycle
March 2021 - FET of 1 PGS normal female embryo. BFP! Beta #1 156, #2 472, #3 1241, #4 5268 EDD 12/5/21 - Christmas baby!
"When all is lost then all is found."
Diagnosed : unexplained infertility
6 rounds of IUI and a MC 2/2014, rainbow twins 4/2015
TTC #3 5/2016
Restarted Fertility tx
IUI 2 rounds, baby girl 12/17
I have another question, I will delete if not appropriate. I know I can read up on this topic online, but i would rather hear personal opinions. So it’s about circumcision. Our hospital offers 2 types of procedures: Plastibell and the other one where they actually cutting off the skin. I talked to one of my colleagues who has two sons: one got the ring that later came of and the skin came back somewhat and they had issues. With the other son they opted out with the ring since it was ineffective and did the old style cutting...more brutal but worked like a champ. So....it probably would break my heart seeing somebody cutting my son, my DH probably will lose conciseness or something (probably shouldn’t even be there). What experiences did you have?
Diagnosed : unexplained infertility
6 rounds of IUI and a MC 2/2014, rainbow twins 4/2015
TTC #3 5/2016
Restarted Fertility tx
IUI 2 rounds, baby girl 12/17
congrats to @ndz2018 and @blackhottamales on your new arrivals!
@leilee101 welcome to third trimester! You’re a true warrior mama for making it this far. I had severe incompetent cervix my first pregnancy and almost delivered at 20 weeks and then had bedrest for a few months (albeit modified) so I feel you! We didn’t have to do NICU in the end and went to 40weeks! I’d still recommend to prepare for NICU stay, get all the info you can and try to prepare mentally - preparation helps lower anxiety! Hang in there x
How far along are you: 38 weeks and 4 days! Omg how did that happen!
how are you feeling: tons of ‘lightening crotch’ pain with baby pushing on my cervix, feels like I’m dilating and have some contractions every now and then plus had my bloody show this week (eek!!)
Next appointment is tomorrow. Will probably have another vaginal exam (which last time sent me into 2 hours of contractions). I could refuse to have a vag exam, but I want to know if I’m dilated. Last time I was 50% effaced. I’m trying for VBAC so all very exciting.
GTKY: it’s always summer where we live (Thailand) so I’m a pool and beach bum.
@wabash15 hope your little one turns soon!
TTC since March 2015 with known PCOS and MIF
IVF in 2015. FET nr 3 in 2016 - BFP. Healthy baby girl born in April 2017.
Trying for nr 2
Diagnosed : unexplained infertility
6 rounds of IUI and a MC 2/2014, rainbow twins 4/2015
TTC #3 5/2016
Restarted Fertility tx
IUI 2 rounds, baby girl 12/17
I failed mine as well but passed the 3 hr one. The nurse at my doctor's office says around 30 percent of people fail the 1 hr glucose challenge but then go on to pass the 3 hr one. Did you fail by a large or small margin? Even if you fail by only a few points you still have to do the 3 hr one.
Tips for the 3 hr one -- the drink is super gross (but I hate sweet drinks generally). It's very corn syrupy. Bring stuff to read and make sure your phone is charged/ipad charged since it feels like the 3 hrs take -forever-. I had to just sit in the waiting room at my doctor's office which was super uncomfortable :-(
Summer 2015 - no BFP yet, labs normal, referred to RE
Fall 2015 - Summer 2016 - Further testing all normal. 3 IUI's -- BFN. Recommended move to IVF. Planned cycle for fall 2016.
September 2016 - Surprise natural BFP. MMC @ 8 weeks. RE expressed confidence that we just needed the 'right' embryo.
Fall 2016 - Spring 2017 -- Break from TTC
June 2017 - Started IVF; egg retrieval for freeze all cycle. 9 mature eggs retrieved, 5 fertilized. 2 4BB embies on ice.
August 2017 - FET transfer both embies. BFP. Twin pregnancy confirmed by ultrasound. EDD 4/28/18
September 2017 - Twin B stopped developing; Twin A doing perfectly! Graduated from RE @ 10 weeks
March 2018 - Baby Girl born via C/S due to pre-eclampsia -- strong and healthy!
TTC #2
January/Feb 2021 - Freeze-all IVF cycle
March 2021 - FET of 1 PGS normal female embryo. BFP! Beta #1 156, #2 472, #3 1241, #4 5268 EDD 12/5/21 - Christmas baby!
"When all is lost then all is found."
Diagnosed : unexplained infertility
6 rounds of IUI and a MC 2/2014, rainbow twins 4/2015
TTC #3 5/2016
Restarted Fertility tx
IUI 2 rounds, baby girl 12/17
@flanners1 are you still on track for trying for a VBAC?
Diagnosed : unexplained infertility
6 rounds of IUI and a MC 2/2014, rainbow twins 4/2015
TTC #3 5/2016
Restarted Fertility tx
IUI 2 rounds, baby girl 12/17
Diagnosed : unexplained infertility
6 rounds of IUI and a MC 2/2014, rainbow twins 4/2015
TTC #3 5/2016
Restarted Fertility tx
IUI 2 rounds, baby girl 12/17
some mom-care things to think about are large pads (like always infinity) or depends for the post partum bleeding (which is just as bad with a c-section as a vaginal delivery), lanolin for the nipples if your going to be pumping, a nursing or pumping cover if you are going to be doing that in a public/semi-private area (depending on your level of modesty) a fun reusable cup to drink plenty of water from. Something that makes you feel pretty (just because if your staying in the NICU/hospital showering sometimes its nice to have a hair band or nail polish or shoes or what ever that makes you smile. Pants with stretchy waist because that tummy does not go away right away (or ever) for most of us. Oh and if you have a C, a belly binder can be super helpful to give your poor abs some extra support. (I had and liked the belly bandit)
Diagnosed : unexplained infertility
6 rounds of IUI and a MC 2/2014, rainbow twins 4/2015
TTC #3 5/2016
Restarted Fertility tx
IUI 2 rounds, baby girl 12/17
My graco carseat I think goes down to 4 pounds and my little one was still under 5 pounds when we got sent home after 18 days so I was thankful we didnt' need to get another carseat. If you are planning on pumping, the hospital should set you up with renting a hospital grade pump - see if you can swing an extra set of pump parts to keep in the NICU so you won't have to bring anything back and forth if/when you get discharged.
A hands-free pumping bra (or two) is necessary if you plan on pumping....I don't think I would have survived without one. Nipple cream as well. Comfy clothes that you can easily do skin to skin in - depending on the NICU you're in, you might not have a ton of privacy (we had curtains around each bassinet but in another hospital we toured there wasn't much space and sometimes privacy was hard to come by).
Congrats on making it to 30 weeks!!!
We got one of those flowers that fit in the sink and did sink baths, serious game changer. Sink bathing is way easier when they are tiny as my babies never really liked the in the bathtub things. As far as soap goes, I really like Aveeno or Burt's Bees. Definitely look into burp cloths and get muslin ones if you can. They tend to be bigger and are super absorbent. You may end up triple feeding, so you will probably need a few bottles. I like dr. Browns bottles and both my boys liked them.
We had a Cybex cloud Q carseat which went down to 4 lbs.