Future posts

All future posts can be found at geekking.com.

Opinions needed

This weekend, we moved all of kingbaby’s posts over to our shared blog, geekking.com.  So now we have the question of what to do with kingbaby.  The desire was to consolidate back over to one blog, so I will start posting over there.  If there is a strong desire for me to continue posting here, I could cross-post over here anything infertility/pregnancy after infertility related.  So now I’m trying to figure out if that is a strong desire.  Please leave comments any opinions you might have.  

12 weeks

So I guess my due date is really October 17. Just based on my LMP. I’m not gonna get all upset over one day, so I’m cool with that. I ovulated a day earlier than “average.” Which is why I’ve been saying the 16th. But really, it’s not like babies come exactly on their due dates, so a day’s difference isn’t worth much to me.

So I had my appt. today at the OB. Things went well. At first the nurse had a hard time getting the heartbeat with the doppler. When she did get it, she only got it for a second and I didn’t hear. But it was in the normal rate. The nurse tried to find it for me again, but the baby was moving around too much! We had to wait a bit for the Dr. to come in because she was at a C-section. So the nurse snuck me down to the ultrasound room and we got a quick look so that I could see that everything was looking good and normal. I could see the heartbeat. Amazing how much the little one has grown in the past month! It had limbs that were moving! Simply amazing. Apparently the baby was moving quite a bit, which is why it was hard to find the heartbeat with the doppler.

The Dr. did come in, and I didn’t have to wait too long. Everything is progressing normally. Which is wonderful, of course! I go back again on May 1, at 16 weeks. I won’t get another ultrasound until 20 weeks. Today didn’t count, because it wasn’t official. So sorry no pics! But at 20 weeks I get to bring in a video tape! I’ll also find out if I am a good candidate for the 3d ultrasound. That depends on where the placenta is and if it will be in the way during a 3D one. So anyway, one more month for next appt, two months for the next ultrasound. Exciting times in the King household!

Things people say

Heard this weekend, “Well you’re not fat!” in response to being told that I was pregnant.  Well, no, I wasn’t even 11 weeks yet so this is not a surprise, really. 

I’m sure I’ll hear many more interesting things in the next 6 months as well.

Unbelievable

So last week I was given some sea bands to try to for the morning sickness at night.  They did seem to help.  Maybe not cure it, but I think it did help.  Then Friday rolls around and I lost them!  I went to get them from my purse late in the afternoon, and they were gone!  I was sure that when I pulled my badge out of my purse on my way into the building at work that I probably pulled the bands out as well, and lost them in the parking lot.  So I mourned the loss this weekend, and was considering finding more. 

Amazingly, yesterday morning on my way into work, I took basically the same route from the parking lot to the building, and what do I see in the parking lot?  The two sea bands!  And, and, they’re still in good shape!  It was absolutely amazing that they stayed there over the weekend, and didn’t get pulverized by moving cars. 

10w6d

I’m quickly approaching 11 weeks.  Seems quite amazing sometimes.  I weighed myself this morning.  Total weight gain since the end of January:  -4.8 lbs.  Yep.  So far I’ve lost weight.  This is not unusual in the first trimester, so I’m not worried.  It’s amazing because I feel like I eat like a pig!  While I’ve been nauseas nearly every evening, I’ve only thrown up a few times (count is up to 3, 3 times in 11 weeks is not too bad).  I do snack all day though.  I eat often throughout the day.  And my pants are tighter, so something is growing.   Though, I still can button my pants all the way up and not be uncomfortable.  I’m actually not complaining.  I’m trying to enjoy wearing my normal clothes while I can.  I figure that soon I’ll need the maternity clothes and will get sick of wearing the same thing over and over!

For the nausea, what works:  The sea bands seemed to help, but not totally cure it.  What really, really helps is half a dose of unisom.  This was recommended by my RE, but not my OB.  The obvious side effect to that though is drowsiness.   Since I get sick in the evening, this side effect is not too bad.  As long as I don’t try to watch tv in bed after taking it, I can stay awake.

Another Quick Update

I’m now at 10 weeks.  Can’t believe it!  I’ve only thrown up twice, the second time being last night, unfortunately.  It’s weird that my sickness happens at night time, but at least I can usually make it through the day ok!  Hopefully soon all the sickness will be gone!

Otherwise, I’m still holding on.  Everything is still good.  I go to the OB for the first time on April 3, at which point, I’ll be 12 weeks.  Can’t believe it is so close to the end of the first trimester!

bleh

I learned last night that spaghetti is not good the second time around.  I decided to take my vitamins right before bed.  I’ve been taking 50 mg B6, a prenatal, and 1000 mg of fish oil omega-3 supplement.  I take the pills in that order.  I gagged a bit on the B6, which really has not flavor and is not that big.  I lost it on the prenatal.  Didn’t even consider the fish oil at that point.  So this morning was my first call to the nurses line at my OB to ask what can I do.  The answer right now is to try another prenatal.  It has everything I was already taking, except the fish oil, which she said most women can’t handle that in their first trimesters anyway.  I took it with dinner, and so far my dinner has stayed with me.  Here’s keeping my fingers crossed!  Last night was the first time I’ve actually gotten sick.  I’ve been nauseas a lot, but not productive until last night.

In better news, tonight I bought my first maternity shirts (short sleeves of course)!  I don’t need them yet, but I kind of figured if I buy things a little bit at a time, maybe it won’t be so bad when I do have to have them!  Plus I like to shop and I can’t justify buying normal clothes right now.  But I had a 15% off coupon for my entire purchase at Kohl’s, and they had their maternity wear buy one get one free.  So I bought two shirts and used my coupon.  I didn’t mention that I like to shop, and find bargains!  I looked at baby stuff, but didn’t actually buy anything.  Soon, I’m sure.  But I’m also sure that family is starting to go crazy buying baby stuff, so I may not have to worry too much about that.

Speaking of which, my phone was ringing off the hook last night and this morning as word got around to family members.  They’re all excited, and it looks like I’ll have plenty of hand-me-downs and bought stuff from all of them!  I’m ok with that, really.

Ok, that’s all I’ve got for now!

8 weeks

Today I’m 8 weeks even. I had my second appt. with the RE. Today’s ultrasound showed the baby measuring at 8w4d, which is excellent! And it had a heartrate of 165, which is also excellent! And, we’ve been released from the RE. I won’t see my regular OB for another 4 weeks! Like, a normal appt. time period! I don’t know how to handle this normal appointment time period stuff. I got used to every two weeks! Not only that, I got used to getting an ultrasound every two weeks! And that counts pregnant or not, actually. I kid, it is a good thing that everything is now looking pretty good and I get to go to the normal OB at normal intervals. Just an adjustment. And now.. after the cut.. There are 4 new ultrasound photos of our larger smudge!

The Children of Men – Barren Bitches Brigade Book Tour #2

Today is post day for the Barren Bitches Brigade Book Tour #2. In this tour, we read The Children of Men by PD James. This book has recently been popularized by the movie of the same name. I have not seen the movie, but have heard that the book is tons better! Overall, I enjoyed this book. I thought it started slow, but was soon sucked in and couldn’t put it down. Plus, it was not too long, and certainly not too hard to read.

Anyway, part of the book tour is that all of us participating sent in one or more questions. On posting day, we’re each supposed to pick 5 questions from the list and post our answers. So, on with the questions!

6. Would you be able to go through all that Julian went through in order to have her baby in peace and safety?
I’m not sure I would have been able to go through all of that which she did. I admire that she could stand by her convictions, and certainly don’t fault her for it. But I sort of saw Theo’s point Re: how many people who had to die on her quest to have the baby in privacy. I also think that I would like to have everything medically possible available to me. Even if that meant the baby wasn’t born in secret. So, no, I don’t think I’d be able to go through all that she did. I think that would have been really difficult. Not a bad thing, just difficult.

8. What do you think is the significance of the fact that the two people who are finally able to conceive are both considered “flawed?” (Luke had epilepsy and Julian had a deformed hand)
I totally glossed over the fact that Julian had a deformed hand. So I sort of feel bad for missing that detail! But I think that it does show how we often overlook certain people in many aspects of life because they have or don’t have certain traits. Often we are wrong to overlook them. This seems another example of that happening.

11. In describing the world’s “universal bereavement” over it’s lack of children, the narrator tells us, “Only on tape and records to we now hear the voices of children, only on film or on television programmes do we see the bright, moving images of the young. Some find them unbearable to watch but most feed on them as they might a drug.” How is this like your life dealing with infertility? How do you cope when you are confronted with images or reminders that are painful to you?
I think that often those of us struggling with infertility have a difficult time being around other children or pregnant women. Myself included. I particularly seem to have this problem when it is people I don’t know that well. I’m willing to be supportive for those that I do know well, enough so that it doesn’t hurt, as much anyway. But I think I would fall into one of the ones who would not be able to watch those TV shows. People on tv shows would fall into the same boat as those people I don’t know well. But maybe it would be different if that were the only medium in which to see other children. I’m not sure.

16. One of the reason’s I suggested this book to Mel was because of a very thoughtful article in the NY Times by A.O. Scott comparing the film and the novel versions of Children of Men. Scott closes the article with a quotation by James speaking to the differences between what she normally writes — detective novels — and the world she created for Children…. She says, “The detective novel affirms our belief in a rational universe because, at the end, the mystery is solved. In Children of Men there is no such comforting resolution.” The conclusion she leads us to, of course, is that the universe is not nearly so rational, which I thought very aptly describes the world of IF. At the end of the novel, we really don’t know what will happen next — will they find a cure for the world-wide infertility crisis? Will totalitarian rule come to an end in England? Will Theo wield power more wisely than Xan did or will he fall victim to the same peril he saw in Rolf? The haze of uncertainty resonates as it does with parenting-after-infertility because it’s not all happily-ever-after when the wished-for child is born. Does anyone else identify with that? What does it take to deliver ourselves out from our own dystopias?
This is not my question, but I wish it could be! I wanted to ask something about the ending, but couldn’t think of a way to word it. Actually, I was a little uneasy with the uncertainty of the end. I wanted to know if there were going to be other children? What happened next? etc. I also think I’m still struggling with the idea that the emotions of infertility don’t just go away when a child is born. Or even in my case, now being pregnant. Shouldn’t I now be able to see another pregnant woman without feeling hurt? Apparently not. Even though I’ve now achieved that milestone (have a while to get to a birth yet), I can’t just mentally flip a switch and everything be rosy again.

22. The Omegas are portrayed as cruel, self-obsesssed and cold. Do you suppose that’s a function of the way they were raised (as the last generation of children) or something inherent in them? Do you think that infertility has an effect on parenting?
I think that in the case of being the youngest and last generation ever, that society sort of spoiled them, so to speak. So I took it as a function of how they were raised, as reflected by societal views. I don’t feel that I can really say that infertility has an effect on parenting. Perhaps it does for some parents, but maybe not for others. But in the book, I definitely think the Omegas behavior had to do with society in the context of them being the last ones who will live ever. I think in that context, it isn’t surprising that particular generation turned out cruel, self-obsessed and cold.

Intrigued by this book tour and want to read more about Children of Men? Hop along to more stops on the Barren Bitches Book Tour by visiting the master list at Stirrup Queens
( http://stirrup-queens.blogspot.com/). Want to come along for the next tour? Sign up begins today for tour #3 ( The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger) and all are welcome to join along. All you need is a book and blog.