In fall of 1995 (or was it spring of ‘96) I was a sophomore at Northeastern University and was headed to my first co-op experience.  Since the school didn’t have any co-ops that were relevant to my major (American Sign Language Interpreting), I chose one related to my other love – babies!  That was how I ended up on the doorstep of the Hill Holliday daycare center preparing for my first day in the infant room.  The teachers were then, as they had been for years, two very loving teachers – Jeannie and Nancy.  Unlike so many daycare centers, they managed to create a loving, family-like environment in a daycare center setting.  I learned so, so much from both of them and am still glad to trade holiday cards with them and see them every few years.  The trouble is that working with them created really high expectations for what to expect from daycare providers.  Well, it’s only a “trouble” inasmuch as that was what I had in my head as we dove into the process of finding a daycare for our little-guy-to-be. 

The search started on the internet because, in absence of recommendations from other families in the area, that seemed like a good idea.  Heck, it worked out really well for our wedding, maybe we can duplicate the success with daycares!  I started calling around to both daycare centers (like where I worked for several years) and in-home daycares (like where I went when I was a kid) and found pretty quickly that I preferred the in-home daycares.  In the centers the caregiver to child ratios in PA are higher than in MA, the prices are higher, and – probably most importantly – the definition of a long-term employee seemed to be someone who had been there for 2 years.  Now, I know that staff turnover is a chronic issue in daycares but, for me, it matters that the infant caregivers in particular have been there a while. 

Last Saturday Pete and I went to visit a woman who provides care in her home for up to 5 children at a time.  We met her husband and daughters and had a chance to tour her house.  It was a little strange for me.  When I think about daycare I’m used to being on the provider end of the equation, not the consumer!  I’m starting to understand a little more the leap of faith that the families at Hill Holiday took leaving their kids in our hands every day.  She was very open about what she does with the kids and her home was very open and child-friendly.  We spent about half an hour talking with her and by the end, I decided that Jeannie and Nancy would definitely approve.  Needless to say, we called her early this week to save a spot for our little guy.

The other caregiver that we’ve been working on picking is a pediatrician.  This was a little more foreign to me, never having gone to one (I don’t think) and never having needed one before.  When we started thinking about pediatricians, I realized that I had no idea how to select one.  I started by printing out a list of pediatricians that accept our health insurance and that are close to our home.  Pete recommended that we ask whether the pediatrician is open to an alternate vaccination schedule – one that spreads the shots out rather than doing them in big clumps.  I found that was a pretty good gauge on the flexibility and openness of the practice.  Some said were totally cool with it and some were, let’s just say, more resistant.  I called around to a bunch of practices until I found Dolores.  Dolores is a very kind woman who answers the phone at Dr. Abir’s office.  She had a grandma vibe even over the phone.  Dr. Abir is in solo practice not too far from us.  He has good hours, including Saturdays, and if you have a totally off hours emergency he’ll have you come to the office in his home.  Yep, he’s kind of an old-time doctor.  Cool huh?  We haven’t met him yet but so, who knows, we may not end up sticking with him but, for now, I’m like the idea of working with him rather than a larger practice with 6 – 10 pediatricians on staff.

OK, so I took 2 tests this morning…one of the internet ones and one from Equate (I have  heard that they’re fairly accurate.)   Both negative, which I expected…but I was hoping for a Thanksgiving Miracle.   No such luck.   CD 30, negative tests = not pregnant.

My doc said to wait until CD 35, take another test, and if still not pregnant start the Provera.  I just want to start it today.   I don’t think there a chance for this cycle anymore and they used to give Provera as a pregnancy test so if by some miracle I happen to be pregnant nothing would happen to the baby.  

However, I don’t think the pharmacy is open today, seeing that it is Thanksgiving, so tomorrow is the earliest I could get started.   I just want to start trying sooner, and starting a cycle on the 1st of the month makes the charting so much easier!

The depression is starting to sink in now, but hopefully trying in December will make that easier and not worse.   I had the worst thought yesterday when I passed a nativity scene on someone’s front lawn.   The thought was “If Mary could get knocked up without even trying, why can’t I?”    I knew I had sunk to a new low.   I keep asking myself….why did we wait so long to start trying?   Why didn’t I go to my doctor sooner for help?   What if it’s just too late for me now?   Then I cry and have to change the mental subject so that I really don’t go insane.

Even if we get started on 12/1…I still won’t know anything before Christmas.  I was really hoping to deliver some fun news at Christmas, but it’s just not meant to be.  And even if an early test did come out positive at Christmas, I would be too scared to share the news…want to wait until at least week 6, if not 8.   I’m not sure that’s possible, but worth a try.

If you’re just joining us, be sure and check out the Fancy Plans Guide to Childbirth: Volume 1, in which we covered Pre-Delivery Preparations, Driving Arrangements and Checking In.

The modern delivery room: inviting as all hell.

The Delivery Room
This is where the miracle of childbirth happens.*

* If any attending medical personnel refer to the “miracle” of childbirth, have them replaced immediately with competent personnel. Otherwise, these starry-eyed attendants will be voting down the epidural and suggesting your wife deliver the baby in the nearest swimming pool. The only people who should be referring to this as a “miracle” are you and your wife.**

** Your wife will not be referring to this as a “miracle” as the word “miracle” tends to indicate something effortless and painless. In fact, it will most likely be referred to as a “curse” or “cruel joke” that is inflicted on all women by uncaring, useless men. Namely, by you on her.

Your doctor will now ask your partner to do any number of impossible things, like “breath easily,” “get comfortable” and “stop swearing.” You, as the man, have exactly two directions to follow: shut up and get out of the way.

Your partner may be saying something like, “The baby’s coming now!” Base your reactions on the actions of the medical team. Depending on the woman, “right now” can mean anywhere from ten minutes to thirty-six hours. Until they spring into action, find somewhere uncomfortable and take a seat.

While you browse 30-year-old copies of Highlights and AARP pamphlets, nurses will shuttle in and out checking vital signs like blood pressure and dilation. (Based on your previous answer, you will be greatly surprised at where the nurses believe your partner’s pupils are located.)

While the breech position earns more points for complexity, it almost always loses points for presentation.

The Delivery
As the contractions kick in and your partner’s physical exertion increases, the heady cocktail of pain, emotion and hormones will often result in you being held accountable for everything that has every gone wrong in the history of ever, due to your constant jackassery and inconsiderate actions. Try not to take this personally, you thoughtless prick.

As the swearing and unpleasantness continue, do your best to support your partner by saying as little as possible. Long-forgotten arguments and other points of contention will rise to the surface, starting from “You bastard!” and continuing on to touchy subjects such as these:

• Why you insist on continuing your questionable bloodline
• Why your parents insisted on continuing theirs
• The size of your genitalia in relation to past, better-endowed lovers
• The size of your shoes in comparison to the starting five of the L.A. Lakers
• Your million-and-one annoying habits
• Your childlike insecurity about having your genital size discussed in a room full of complete strangers, most of them women
• Your “thing” for golf
• Your “fucking” of her sister
• Your selfishness in allowing her to suffer the agony of childbirth alone

Try not to respond to any of these statements. Rebuttals such as “Well, you were the one who vetoed my contraceptive plan of anal sex and blowjobs,” or “In all fairness, she’s only your half-sister,” will only make the situation worse.

However, if your nurse is an attractive and "handsy" lesbian, by all means document the shit out of the delivery.

Documenting the “Miracle”
Despite the unpleasantness of everything involved, certain new father types will insist on aiming the camera at ground zero during the delivery and immediately uploading the video to the nearest public website.

If you feel you are one of these men, please consult a physician about an emergency vasectomy. You are too obtuse to be allowed to raise further, well-documented children. If you are uninsured, feel free to punch yourself in the crotch until the urge to start filming vanishes.

Some new fathers will feel this way out of ignorance. Let Fancy Plans break it down for you.

Remember the chestburster scene from Alien? Well, that’s what going to happen here. But instead of John Hurt’s chest it will occur in a body part that your are most likely particularly fond of. And instead of it being a slim, efficient killing machine, it will be an incredibly large and grumpy miniature human being that will drive you both to an early grave over the next 18-30 years.

If you still feel this is a beautiful moment that must e shared with others, then you are probably related to David Cronenberg or H.R. Giger.

If this is a C-Section, the rule still applies. Just replace “vaginaburst” with “disembowel.”

Coming up in the final installment: Post-Delivery Plans, Circumcision, Naming Your Child and Planning for the Future.

-CLT

Today’s round-up of news about migraine, visual snow, persistent aura and related illnesses:

Don’t close eyes to warning signs of sight loss. www.guardian.co.uk BMJ Group. Wednesday 25 November 2009 00.00 GMT. People who get flashes of light in one eye, or dark patches floating across their vision, should seek immediate medical help, authors of a new study say.

[Please note that visual snow symptoms that are benign seem to be much more common. But if you have these symptoms, you should always see your family doctor for a diagnosis. Please read the PMA & Visual Snow FAQs page for more information.]

New Information on the Triptans in Pregnancy. headaches.about.com. Wednesday November 25, 2009. It is rare to do actual drug research on pregnant patients so it is always a boon when good research comes out that relates to pregnancy. Glaxo-SmithKline has a drug registry that has tracked pregnant women taking sumatriptan ornaratriptan since 1996.

Dr. Marcela Romero-Reyes to study migraine treatment to manage orofacial pain. www.wdjournal.com 25 November 2009. New York University College of Dentistry professor Dr. Marcela Romero-Reyes has been selected by the Migraine Research Foundation and the American Headache Society as the first recipient of the Heftler Migraine Research Award.

Wikipedia ‘loses’ 49,000 editors. news.bbc.co.uk Online encyclopaedia Wikipedia “lost” 49,000 of its volunteer editors in the first three months of 2009, University research suggests.

Homeopathy on the NHS is unethical, doctors tell MPs. www.guardian.co.uk Ian Sample, science correspondent. Wednesday 25 November 2009 20.03 GMT. Giving homeopathic remedies to patients on the NHS is unethical and a dubious use of public money, scientists and doctors told MPs today.

Pulmonary Drug Delivery Technologies – A Global Market Perspective. www.pr-inside.com 2009-11-25 12:39:42. Pulmonary Drug Delivery Technologies – A Global Market Perspective – a new market research report on companiesandmarkets.com

Trends in the U.S. intranasal drug delivery market. www.news-medical.net 25. November 2009 08:09. Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue: Intranasal Drug Delivery – US Market Trends & Analysis http://www.reportlinker.com/p0164267/Intranasal-Drug-Delivery—US-Market-Trends–Analysis.html

New data from National University illuminate research in headache and migraine. www.newsrx.com November 23rd, 2009. “To delineate if the change in cortical excitability persists across migraine attacks, visual evoked magnetic fields (VEF) were measured in patients with migraine without aura during the interictal (n = 26) or peri-ictal (n = 21) periods, and were compared with 30 healthy controls. The visual stimuli were checkerboard reversals with four different check sizes (15′, 30′, 60′ and 120′),” scientists in Taipei, Taiwan report.

It’s Thanksgiving, and I have a lot to be thankful for.

First and foremost, I am thankful for my husband and my family. They’ve been nothing but supportive throughout my pregnancy, and they love me unconditionally.

I’m grateful for this yet to be born but already loved baby boy, Kaden. He is going to bring a lot of joy to my life.

I’m thankful for good friends. They keep my spirit lifted and they make me laugh.

I thank my lucky stars I live in the United States of America, where I’m not only privileged with rights and freedoms, but as a woman I can work, earn respect and be an active member of society.

On a lighter note, there is a list of other things that make my life fantastic. I am thankful for:

• Maternity pants. They may not look so cool, but damn they’re comfortable.
• Starbuck’s non-fat peppermint mocha (no whip cream) and non-fat chai tea latte. Yummy-licious at 6:30 in the morning.
• MAC make-up. Its eyeshadows color my world happy. 
• Nordstrom, for always having something I want in my size.
• Maya. She snuggles close and is super soft.
• Bubble baths. Especially on a cold night.
• Books and the internet. I can read and learn about everything I want to know.
• My iPod Touch. It keeps my life organized.

I hope you all give pause this Thanksgiving and think about the things you’re grateful for, whether big or small. Sometimes it’s the small things that make our lives so grand.

Dyl daddy and me are going to see baby later! it’s time for our detailed scan..

wow time really flies. just a while ago, i was thrilled at being 6 week pregnant , then into second trimester and now, we are halfway there!

this is the period i love being pregnant, no throwing up into plastic bags, just a bit of burping now and then, tummy visible but not too heavy yet. mobile, able to stock up on baby items…

just trying to be careful and making sure my back’s healthy. i have slipped disc and they had acted up quite badly the last time i stood for long hours. will prob visit a chiropractor if it gets worse.

I am now 26 weeks pregnant, which means I’m nearing the third trimester, and everything is going just fine. I had another prenatal with my midwives today and it is official: I am carrying only one baby! The thought of having twins was rather exciting, but honestly I’m glad to be having only one. With two young kids already, I’m not sure what I would do with four under the age of four!

I’m healthy and feeling much better energy-wise. I started eating more red meat, nuts and seeds and I’ve noticed, over the course of a few weeks, a steady increase in both my energy level and my ability to handle normal fatigue. The funny thing is, I’ve never been one for steak, and I prefer a vegan diet, but there is something particularly appealing about eating meat that has had me salivating each weekend when Glen cooks a couple up. Nevertheless, we do plan to slowely go back to a more vegetarian diet after the baby is born when I no longer have high nutritional demands on my body.

This month I also discovered the cause of my hip getting painful at night. I thought my left hip bone was just getting really stiff at night, but after it became painful enough to affect my ability to get up to nurse my 15 month old during the night, and was starting to become an issue even during the day, I started doing some research. Thanks to a wise midwife friend who quickly picked up on my symptoms, I realized I was pulling a muscle in my left thigh that was creating a painful imbalance in my pelvic bones. Although it is still uncomfortable, I was quickly on the mend. The most difficult part is trying to break bad posture habits. So much for my recent post on how posture affects fetal positions!

It suddenly dawned on me a few days ago that all these things I’ve been telling myself I would do sometime before the baby is born are things I ought to be thinking about getting done soon! It won’t be long before we are anticipating labor any day, and if I don’t set short term goals I certainly won’t have much accomplished before baby #3 arrives! So I’ve been working on my goals for my book, Inspired Birth, and in finishing up the last two books I wanted to study before the birth. It will take a lot of work, but I’d like to have them done by the end of the year so I can focus on other things in the last few weeks… like training my new childbirth educator, getting food stocked up in the freezer, and taking the Hypnobabies home study course which I’ve borrowed from a friend.

Nemo is getting very excited about the baby and keeps making references to “when the baby comes”. He likes to show my belly (the baby) his toys, read stories and sing songs to him/her, and practice saying Atlas and Piper (the potential names we’ve picked out). He’s such a good big brother to Daphney and I know he’ll be such a big help with this sibling too. Daphney on the other hand… is too young to understand what is about to happen, and I haven’t really bothered to try and explain it. It’s just one of those things she’ll have to learn when it happens.

I’m really starting to feel pregnant now, as if I wasn’t feeling that way before! I will very soon be taking off my rings as my fluid and blood volume is obviously increasing, my belly is starting to get in the way of things, and even some of my maternity shirts aren’t fitting over my belly anymore. Oh yeah, and I’m getting the distinct feeling that heartburn is right around the corner (probably due to the meat-eating I’ve been doing). But all in all I’m feeling very well and dreaming about a newborn curled up on my shoulder. Gotta love mommyhood!

25 Weeks

Could Awesome be a Thanksgiving Baby?

37 Weeks, 1 Day Pregnant
20 Days to EDD (Expected Due Date)

FULL TERM. Adjective. Retained in the uterus for the normal period of gestation before birth.

At 37 weeks, Awesome has reached a major milestone in his/her pre-oxygen life. The baby is officially full term, which means that if I were to go into labor at any time from here on out, Awesome wouldn’t be a preemie, but rather a healthy, ready-for-existence baby. His or her lungs are fully mature and ready for the first breath of air. Estimates have Awesome at nearly 6.5 pounds and more than 19 inches long — really pretty big considering he/she is curled up in a ball in my belly!

I am still feeling a lot of movement, which I’ve been surprised at because babies at this age are supposed to a little quieter in the womb due to the lack of space to move about. I think Awesome is making all the room it needs by stretching from my right boob to my pelvic bone — calisthenics! I have a feeling our little one is going to be an active little thing once he/she arrives. We really can’t wait to meet this thing inside me!

On a nonbaby note, tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and we will be spending it with most of our family. A trip to Brett’s mom’s, a trip to my parents’ and if there’s time, a stop at Brett’s dad’s. Love holidays — so relaxing! We are really lucky to have so much family so close, especially since we’re not supposed to go far in case labor starts. This Thanksgiving will be our last before we jump from couple to family status, and I have to say, it kind of saddens me that we’ve spent the past few weeks and months being so focused on getting ready for Awesome, that we haven’t really acknowledged that this is the end of us as we know it. I don’t fear that our happiness as a couple will cease, but rather that it will be changing, and how can you know what to expect?

Awesome is bound to bring us joys that we can’t even imagine, and I know our relationship is going to grow in ways that we can’t grasp now. I just hope that as we welcome a new love into our life, we remain as thankful for one another as we always have. I like knowing how lucky I am to be married to Brett, to be having a child that is his. Something to truly celebrate at this year’s Thanksgiving.

semalam pegi check up..alhamdulillah baby sihat seadanya.aktif macam biasa bila orang nak tengok muka dia asik nyorok2 je hehe.belum menunjukkan tanda2 nak keluar lagi.doktor kata mo chotto mattekudasaine(= tunggu sikit lagi yer)

katil dia sudah order.hari Selasa ni insyaAllah sampai.bukan.bukan kami beli.kami sewa je.katil + futon set termasuk tilam bantal semua = 12000 yen untuk 6 bulan.dengan harapan kami dah nak balik for good next year,kalau beli pn susah2 jer nak bawak balik kan..

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kitorang memang beli barang2 yang basic je cuma.beli pun online.sabun,bedak segala pun beli online.maklumlah kami ni takder kereta.so gunalah kemudahan yang ada hehe.nanti bila dah keluar baru lah tambah2 lagi barang mengikut keperluan.so takderlah membazir kan.

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setakat ni takder rasa nervous ke apa lagik..rasanyer sejak pregnant ni memang perasaan nervous/tension tu berkurang..rasa selamba2 je..tak pegi skolah pon selamba.takda data pun selamba.taktau boleh grad ke tak pon selamba.haha..hormon ni agaknya..salahkan hormon :p.

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baiklah.saya nak pegi cuba2 matomeru(=merumus) data yang ciput tu.sekian dari bilik berita =)

Ok, there have been a lot of parts that could be called “the hardest part”, depending on what time you are looking at… but this is the one I’ve been hung up on so much lately, and the one that has affected me most overall.

It’s been a month and a half now since the miscarriage and I’m still stuck on this, though I’m also being careful to let myself feel it, rather than bottling it up or telling myself to “get over it”… I know myself well enough to know if I do that I’ll end up having to deal with it later, and having it be a lot worse.

I don’t know how I know, especially since I wasn’t far enough along for this to have been decided yet (as far as hormones and all that, I know according to christians this had all ready been decided according to Psalms) but I just know that if the pregnancy had continued we would have found out I was pregnant with a boy… well… I would have given birth to a boy if the pregnancy had gone to term… we don’t want to know gender until birth, so we wouldn’t have found out until the baby was born, but yes… I was pregnant with a baby boy… and it just hurts. The first miscarriage still gets me from time to time, but this one has affected me so much more profoundly because of so many things, and the knowing the gender thing, that’s a huge one!

I had actually held this in for awhile already. I mean that I didn’t share it with anyone, not even E, for about the first month after the miscarriage. Finally, since I was still grieving daily, and just really hurting about all of it, I told him. I had kept it from him because I knew it wouldn’t affect him like it did me (and I was right… but I knew it wouldn’t because these miscarriages haven’t affected him as much either, I’ve asked him a few times…. probably bugged him quite a bit, because I wanted to make sure he wasn’t bottling) and he wouldn’t get it. I kept it from everyone else because I didn’t feel right sharing that with other people if E didn’t even know. Finally a couple weeks ago I just had to share it with E because I knew that it was really holding me back on my grieving to not share. And since I’ve shared with two close friends. Now I’m sharing it with everyone who knows about the miscarriages, because as I open up more I feel myself slowly moving on. I still am grieving, and this is still really affecting me, but I no longer think of the miscarriage daily. Sometimes I even go two or three days without thinking about what happened. I don’t go longer than that, and it’s usually just a day or maybe two between thoughts, but it’s progress.

I think what really needs to happen is for E and I to pick a name for him. I don’t know why, I just think that would help as well… probably because this knowing the gender thing is making it harder on me and it feels like there is a little boy’s soul out there somewhere with no name. /shrug I don’t know. It’s just how I feel. I also want to do some type of memorial thing for both miscarriages… probably a scrapbook page or something. I like Sonja’s idea of a display box with her memorial stuff in it (shown with the altar thing she did for her hyst anniversary), but it’s not quite something I would do, and I think a scrapbook page, and displaying the memorial/care package we received from Yaya elsewhere is more fitting for me/us. I think all of that would really help me heal. I don’t know what name we’ll choose for this baby (we didn’t choose one for the first miscarriage, but the pregnancy wasn’t as far along, and I haven’t had as many attached feelings there as I have with this one) but I think it’s a good idea. I want to keep the name we’ve picked in the case we have a son for if we actually have a live son later on. I have some potential names picked out, but want to talk to E about them first.

I am healing, and I’ll continue to heal, but I think all of this would really help with the grieving and healing processes, as I’ve said. We shall see what happens.

it’s such a strange tradition.  while i eat turkey with my family every year it doesn’t feel quite right since thanksgiving represents the beginning of an attempted genocide.  i know, debbie downer, right? but i just had to put it out there before i talk about being thankful.

last year on this day i had a laparoscopy which revealed stage III endometriosis.  the next few months after surgery were some of the hardest of my life.  i was supressed with lupron for three months and af didn’t return for an additional two months after that.  i was completely hopeless but i think it was the not knowing that really drove me crazy, no one could say yes, you will get pregnant it’s just going to take x amount of months, or no, you will never have kids.

this year, exactly one year later i am in a completely different place.  today i am seven months pregnant.  i am quite sure i have never been more thankful of anything in my entire life.

ok, on that note, i had an ob appt today.  my doctor is on maternity leave and i have to meet everyone in the practice anyways, so today i met the midwife.  she was very nice and said things are looking good.  she said we must have a cooperative baby as her head is all ready down, which is great, but she better not be planning on coming anytime soon! she’s still got twelve more weeks of growing to do! it’s funny that she said that though because in the last couple of weeks i have definitely noticed that i am being kicked in a different way, it feels like i’m getting more jabs in the cervix area.  i am officially in the third trimester and i will be having regular appts every two weeks now instead of every four weeks.  i can’t believe we’ve made it this far, where does the time go and why isn’t it february yet???

i also have to tell everyone about these FABULOUS baby blankets that i found, they are  made here in michigan, a baby boutique where i live has them, you MUST check out the website because they are GORGEOUS you even get to pick the fabric.  today i found out the size i want is only $75, i would have gladly forked over $150 for one of these blankets.

Hello! It’s Brittany again and, as promised, I am taking over Nicole’s blog since she is IN LABOR!!! (For real this time.)  I got a text from Nicole around 1am saying that her water broke and she was having contractions.  FINALLY!!! I think she went into the hospital around 2am and we are still waiting for the beautiful boy.  As of right now, she is 7 centimeters dilated, at 0 station (not sure what that means) had her epidural hours ago, and is hooked up to all sorts of other drugs. She’s doing amazing so far and pretty much kicks ass!!  As of right now, they are not sure if she will need a c-section or be pushing that monster out, but we will find out soon!

By Dr. Brent Lipke DC

If you are pregnant one of the best healthiest things you can do is see a doctor of Chiropractic. 

Another great reason for Chiropractic care during pregnancy is that it is drugless and has no side effects, unlike drugs which can cross the placenta and harm the growing baby. 

Research has shown Chiropractic to help maintain pregnancy, control vomiting, reduce back pain and back labour, reduce premature contractions, shorten labor time by 60% , and reduce drug use by 50%.

To learn more about how a safe, gentle and scientific, Chiropractic adjustment could TRANSFORM your health contact your chiropractor.  If you are interested in a complimentary consultation, CALL  The Family Chiropractic Centre, 519-837-1234. 

I’m Dr. Brent Lipke, educating you to help you educate others !

Long weekends are a great opportunity for reflection and Thanksgiving weekend is the perfect time for such reflection. Personally, I have much to be grateful for. I’ve got a wonderful wife who is also my life partner in everything. Together we underwent a journey of fertility treatment that after 2 years resulted in the birth or our daughter. We’ve worked together for over a decade now to help other couples achieve their dream as well but now we do so with the insight of what it actually feels like to experience the emotional roller coaster of fertility treatment. Toward that end, I am even more thankful now to have the knowledge, the technology and ability to perform the work that we do. So let’s consider how this can sort of reflection can benefit you.

Studies have shown that journaling—the act of reflecting upon and then documenting your thoughts—can markedly improve your health while relieving the effects of stress. Research has shown that it can reduce the number of asthma attacks, lower blood pressure and improve your ability to heal. Although there haven’t been as many studies in patients with infertility, journaling has been shown to reduce the complications that women experience during pregnancy. That’s what prompted my wife and I to create a journal to assist women in applying this during their pregnancy.

There are many different journaling techniques but writing is more powerful than talking because it requires more deep introspection and careful thought to express one’s emotions. During this long weekend, consider starting a “gratitude journal.” You may find that it not only improves your ability to sleep and stay healthy but it may even improve your chances of conceiving. At the same time, it creates a nice record that you can later share with your child.

I am 32 weeks, can you freaking believe it!? My baby boy is moving, growing, and making me pee constantly. Heartburn is killer and my feet are swollen like crazy…but I am loving this. Of course I am not currently in labor so all of this joy may be reduced once that kicks in. I recently heard that IVF patients deliver 2-4 weeks early, any truth to that? I will just have to wait and see.

12 Weeks today!!  We go to the doctor on Tuesday, 5pm – as far as I know he will do blood tests and measure the folds … that will tell us if we’re low risk or high risk.  If we’re high risk we then have the option for an amnio … we probably won’t go for it as it can cause miscarriage and there is no way I will be able to decide to abort if there is something wrong.  So please pray that all is well.

So far everything has been okay.  I still can’t get over how exhausted I am … I always imagined I’d be bouncing around full of energy!  Wednesday I had my first case of morning sickness where I actually got sick – fortunately it has been the only incident!!  I managed to go to gym this morning … it was great, although I have lost a lot of fitness from being sick.

Daddy (aka Ian) has been great … doesn’t seem to stress that I’m sleeping so much (7:30pm I’m lights out) and is working hard on fixing up the flat to rent it out  .. and I sit and try to stay out the way (especially when there are paint fumes) … oh yeah, nearly forgot … we got a loan from Nedbank – 90% bond so we have a bit of saving to do (may get extension on flat bond to help us .. would be fantastic since we have lots of shopping to do!).  I have finished the front of the baby quilt I’m making – this weekend I need to sew the batting and backing on … that’s the more difficult part!  The quilt is looking lovely, I am so chuffed with it!

Had the normal 2 weekly meeting with my boss this morning (he is great!) … he mentioned getting me a laptop at some stage (which I’m not overly keen on) – but said it will be to my advantage, because at some stage I will be dragging my feet to get to work and then on those days I can work from home instead J Great boss hey!  Such a caring person.  Really am enjoying reporting to him.  He also mentioned that he is very happy with my work etc J

Will let you know about the doc appointment on Tuesday evening (so stay right next to your phones!!!) … and MAYBE we will go public after that … but WAIT (Da & Jane) until we tell you for sure!!

Love

us

Your pregnancy: 12 weeks

How your baby’s growing:

The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby’s fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won’t be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.

Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby’s brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over 2 inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

How your life’s changing:

Your uterus has grown to the point where your healthcare provider can now feel the top of it (the fundus) low in your abdomen, just above your pubic bone. You may already be into maternity clothes, especially if this isn’t your first pregnancy. If you’re still fairly small and not yet ready for maternity clothes, you’ve no doubt noticed that your waist is thickening and that you’re more comfortable in loose, less restrictive clothing.

You may begin to feel heartburn (also called acid indigestion), a burning sensation that often extends from the bottom of your breastbone to your lower throat. Many women get heartburn for the first time during pregnancy, and those who’ve previously had bouts of heartburn may find that it gets worse. During pregnancy, the placenta produces a lot of the hormone progesterone, which relaxes the valve that separates the esophagus from the stomach. Particularly when you’re lying down, gastric acid can seep back up the pipe, which causes the uncomfortable burning sensation. For many women the problem doesn’t begin (or get worse) until later in pregnancy, when your growing uterus starts to push up on your stomach. The discomfort may range from mildly annoying to intense and distracting.

Decision Guide: Should you get an amnio?

Amniocentesis is a prenatal test performed between 16 and 20 weeks. It’s more than 99 percent accurate in identifying chromosomal disorders in your developing baby such as Down syndrome. It can also pick up several hundred other genetic disorders, such as cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, and Tay-Sachs disease, as well as neural tube defects (such as spina bifida and anencephaly). Because amniocentesis is invasive and carries a small risk of miscarriage, women who choose to have it tend to be those at increased risk for genetic and chromosomal problems.

How do I decide whether to have this test?
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists now recommends that women of all ages be offered first- and second-trimester screening and diagnostic testing options. Your practitioner or genetic counselor should discuss the pros and cons of the available approaches with you. But ultimately, whether or not to test is a personal decision.

Many women choose screening and then make a decision about diagnostic testing based on the initial results. Other women choose diagnostic testing right away. (They may know that they’re at high risk for a chromosomal problem or a condition that can’t be detected by screening — or they may just feel that they want to know as much as possible about their baby’s condition and are willing to live with the small risk of miscarriage to find out.) Some women decide to have no screening or testing.

If you choose screening first, you can then decide — with the help of your practitioner or genetic counselor — whether your results indicate a high enough risk that you want to have amnio or another diagnostic test, chorionic villus sampling (CVS), to determine whether a problem exists. You’ll need to weigh your desire to know about your baby’s condition against the small chance that diagnostic testing will cause a miscarriage.

What’s the procedure like?
If you do decide you want an amnio, you can expect the procedure to take about 30 minutes (withdrawing the fluid itself usually takes less than 30 seconds). A doctor or technician uses ultrasound to pinpoint a pocket of amniotic fluid a safe distance from both the baby and the placenta. Then, under continuous ultrasound guidance, the doctor inserts a long, thin, hollow needle through your abdominal and uterine walls to extract a small amount of amniotic fluid. You may feel some cramping, pinching, or pressure during the procedure. The amount of discomfort varies from woman to woman, and even from pregnancy to pregnancy.

This Week’s Activity:

Make a baby budget. Sit down with your partner to discuss how you’ll handle new-baby expenses — clothes, food, diapers, toys, and gear can add up fast. Brainstorm where you can trim your budget to make room for your baby’s needs. Consider making some budget adjustments now, and start banking your savings for your baby.