First a B-dog update: There isn't one yet. I dropped her off at the vet this morning and am still waiting to hear from them. With the exception of the swollen nodes, she appears to be feeling and acting completely normal. Except for one thing- she's been more neurotic than usual, but I'm 99% sure that's because I'm definitely freaking out inside about her being sick again, and as we all know, dogs can sense that stuff.
I'm feeling MUCH less bloated than I was this weekend. Yesterday was the first day I felt semi normal, and today I feel pretty much back to myself. I'm even wearing slacks with a button. LOL However, other side effects of the progesterone seem to be kicking in. III looked at me last night in the kitchen and exclaimed "Your boobs are popping out of your clothes!!!" He rarely notices if I look fatter or my boobs look bigger or even if I got my haircut, so it must be pretty obvious. They are definitely feeling swollen.
I think the progesterone is causing some periodic nausea. Has anyone else had this? It happened after dinner on Friday night, but I thought maybe it was related to the after effects of the retrieval. But then it happened again last night after dinner. Not horrible, but definitely noticeable. I started the progesterone on Thursday, so I guess it would be possible for side effects to start kicking in by Friday night. Yes?
And then there's the ickiness down there. My doctor said we could have sex the day after the transfer, but seriously? I don't even want to be down there. Are there others who feel differently?
Moving on.
As I mentioned on Sunday, the nurse gave me a sheet before my transfer about how to stay sane while waiting for your beta. I wish I could post the whole thing on here but a) I'd have to type it all out and b) I'm pretty sure my clinic has copyrighted it. But I have to share a few things and I hope they would forgive me.*
The very first part talks about how, from this point forward, the results are completely out of your control. That it doesn't matter if you're happy or sad, angry or calm, jealous, whatever. That it is important to validate that that's how you feel and to feel it. There are no wrong feelings.
It talks about trying not to analyze your pregnancy symptoms and advises that you take it one day at a time. "Don't wake up tomorrow and think 'how am I going to get through the next eight or ten days?' Wake up tomorrow morning and say to yourself "what can I do today to distract myself, pamper myself, and make the time go faster?"*
It suggests that if you have a lot of people who know you just did IVF, to assign a friend or relative as a point person. If people have questions about news, they should contact that person and leave you alone. It encourages you to contact the clinic with any feelings, concerns, or frustration.
It suggests making a date night for the night of the beta. "If it's positive, you can drink lots of nonalcoholic champagne. If it is negative, it gives you the time to be together, mourn away from family and friends, and plan together the next step."*
But my favorite part came right in the middle of the sheet.
"Be picky with the people you spend your time with! Feel free to avoid the unsympathetic friends, the overly fertile friends, an dthe 'takers' instead of the 'givers'. Plan to see those who entertain you, nurture you, and distract you. If you need an official excuse, you can consider yourself under doctor's orders to avoid baby showers."* ha ha ha ha
Best advice ever. Advice that we all probably know in our hearts, but that, in our efforts to be good people and good friends, many of us often will ignore, even to the detriment of our own health.
*I openly cite "my" infertility clinic on all of these quotes- I just don't like to give the specific clinic on this blog because of my attempt at anonymity, which includes more exact info on my location...
I'm feeling MUCH less bloated than I was this weekend. Yesterday was the first day I felt semi normal, and today I feel pretty much back to myself. I'm even wearing slacks with a button. LOL However, other side effects of the progesterone seem to be kicking in. III looked at me last night in the kitchen and exclaimed "Your boobs are popping out of your clothes!!!" He rarely notices if I look fatter or my boobs look bigger or even if I got my haircut, so it must be pretty obvious. They are definitely feeling swollen.
I think the progesterone is causing some periodic nausea. Has anyone else had this? It happened after dinner on Friday night, but I thought maybe it was related to the after effects of the retrieval. But then it happened again last night after dinner. Not horrible, but definitely noticeable. I started the progesterone on Thursday, so I guess it would be possible for side effects to start kicking in by Friday night. Yes?
And then there's the ickiness down there. My doctor said we could have sex the day after the transfer, but seriously? I don't even want to be down there. Are there others who feel differently?
Moving on.
As I mentioned on Sunday, the nurse gave me a sheet before my transfer about how to stay sane while waiting for your beta. I wish I could post the whole thing on here but a) I'd have to type it all out and b) I'm pretty sure my clinic has copyrighted it. But I have to share a few things and I hope they would forgive me.*
The very first part talks about how, from this point forward, the results are completely out of your control. That it doesn't matter if you're happy or sad, angry or calm, jealous, whatever. That it is important to validate that that's how you feel and to feel it. There are no wrong feelings.
It talks about trying not to analyze your pregnancy symptoms and advises that you take it one day at a time. "Don't wake up tomorrow and think 'how am I going to get through the next eight or ten days?' Wake up tomorrow morning and say to yourself "what can I do today to distract myself, pamper myself, and make the time go faster?"*
It suggests that if you have a lot of people who know you just did IVF, to assign a friend or relative as a point person. If people have questions about news, they should contact that person and leave you alone. It encourages you to contact the clinic with any feelings, concerns, or frustration.
It suggests making a date night for the night of the beta. "If it's positive, you can drink lots of nonalcoholic champagne. If it is negative, it gives you the time to be together, mourn away from family and friends, and plan together the next step."*
But my favorite part came right in the middle of the sheet.
"Be picky with the people you spend your time with! Feel free to avoid the unsympathetic friends, the overly fertile friends, an dthe 'takers' instead of the 'givers'. Plan to see those who entertain you, nurture you, and distract you. If you need an official excuse, you can consider yourself under doctor's orders to avoid baby showers."* ha ha ha ha
Best advice ever. Advice that we all probably know in our hearts, but that, in our efforts to be good people and good friends, many of us often will ignore, even to the detriment of our own health.
*I openly cite "my" infertility clinic on all of these quotes- I just don't like to give the specific clinic on this blog because of my attempt at anonymity, which includes more exact info on my location...
6 comments:
i like the avoiding baby showers due to doctor's orders part! my clinic also gave me a fabulous handout. it validated exactly how i was feeling, so i know it was great for mr. to read so he could attempt to "get it".
my clinic told me i can't have sex or an orgasm until my pregnancy test. you could also pretend to your hub they told you that if you are not feelin it ;)
Ahh progesterone. Yes I can honestly say that stuff gave me EVERY symptom in the book - even nausea. I dont know when it went from the progesterone to the pregnancy, but it was def there in the beginning before any symptoms of pregnacy could have started.
As for sex...my RE told me to refrain having sex until I found out the results of the beta. Once I found out I was prego - they then told me to wait till we heard the heartbeat. It was a long stretch but DH handled it pretty well! I guess all doc's have their different opinions!
That advice is pretty interesting!! I wish I had that to go by for my 2ww...when do you go for your beta?
Love the advice! :)
I'm really sorry about B-dog! I forgot to mention that in my earlier comment. Before being a dog lover, I would have never understood but now being a fur mommy, my heart breaks for you! I hope they have something positive to say when you pick B-dog up. My little baby is sick right now (she has the runs) and she is so sleepy and it breaks my heart.
Your previous post made me cry like a baby. It is crazy how much we love our dogs and how their little personalities become a part of our lives. My puppy snores when she sleeps and grunts when she is excited AND she does the cute butt wiggle!
hoping Bdog is doing ok....and love the advice. i read someone else that said, no you can not poop, pee or sneeze the embryos out.....that made me laugh too :)
looking for an update on b dog - I hope you are hanging in there.
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