First Presents

When I told my mom on her birthday that I was pregnant she was ecstatic. While we were at the mall she wanted to drop by the kids section to look around. She decided to purchase a couple items for the
grand baby-to-be.

Geared Up

When our Hutchkin arrives it will be well outfitted with clothing from our alma mater. 

April Appointment

Appointment with Dr. Y on April 18th

We are sad that the doctor wont be playing picture pages (ultrasound) anymore but I suppose it means we have moved on to the next stage of a 'normal' pregnancy. I was weighed, measured and had my blood pressure taken. Dr. Y used the doppler to check out the babies heartbeat and it was strong at about 145bpm. Everything is looking good at 19w4d. 

Flying

As I will be taking a short trip late in my pregnancy I started looking up what possible restrictions were....

Going through security - metal detectors which produces an electromagnetic field are considered safe for everyone including pregnant women. The new body scan machines emit the same type of radiation that an x-ray machine such as at the dentists office would and these are much more controversial. No long term studies have been done on them since they are so new. To play it safe if you are chosen to go through the body scanner I would opt to have a pat down or the use of one of the hand held metal detectors instead.

For domestic travel - while each airline has different rules on when you can and cannot travel I have surprisingly found that most of them will let you travel up until your 38th week! Some companies will not allow you on if you are within 30 days of your due date though so be sure to check before booking any tickets. Make sure to visit your doctor  a few days before your flight so that you can get a note from him/her stating that it is safe for you to fly and what your estimated due date is and that you are not likely to go into labor within the next 72 hours.

If you have a condition or complication such as diabetes, high blood pressure, placental abnormalities, any bleeding or you are under observation for preterm labor, or you are carrying multiples it would be in your best interest to postpone any travel plans!

Make sure to make your flight as comfortable as possible by drinking lots of fluids (WATER!), choose a seat with optimal leg room, wear comfortable/loose clothing, try to not cross your legs and wear your safety belt below your abdomen.

Smug Mug

I don't remember if I ever posted this video before but Paul and I came across it when we were struggling through negative IUI after negative IUI after negative IUI. It made me laugh then and it makes me laugh now.

There is some slight language so I caution you where you watch this.


 

The Big One

On April 12th we had our BIG ultrasound appointment at the hospital. This is the one where they have a lengthy list of things to check for and make sure everything internally is there and working properly. The technician did not have much to say as she moved through getting shots of the images she needed for the doctor to look over. There were times when she asked me to get up and stretch or move around some and even told me to pee at one point because our Hutchkin was being stubborn and not allowing her to get the images she needed. Paul even had to wait outside during this portion. After she got all the critical images she needed Paul was allowed to come back and join me. While she could not officially tell us everything checked off alright she did say there weren't any flags that popped up for her and that this would be my only ultrasound at the hospital so long as the doctor agreed with what he saw on the images.

18 weeks 5 days

Head and Back

Fingers

Face

Legs

Costly

Everyone has different insurance coverage and costs but I thought I would share what our out of pocket expenses were for the drugs I used during our IVF treatment. Had I chosen to wait another month before beginning IVF we would have researched having meds shipped in from overseas where they cost a lot less but since I didn't want to wait until after the holidays to begin I researched local pharmacies trying to find the lowest prices. I checked out Costco, Freedom, CVS, Walgreens, towndrugstore.com and MDR pharmacies. Even though towndrugstore.com had better prices on some items I did not go through them because of how long their shipping was going to take. When all was said and done I went with MDR.

Follistim AQ - 600iu injection - quantity 3 - $1,370.94
Menopur - 75iu injection - quantity 10 - $759.80
Ganirelix - 250mcg injection - quantity 4 - $331.72
Vivelle 'dot' - 0.1mg patch - quantity 4 boxes - $46.97
Estradiol - 2mg tab - quantity 60 - $34.79
Endometrin - 100mg tab - quantity 36 - $165.84
Progestrone - 200mg lozenge - quantity 60 - $179.40
Leuprolide - 4mg injection - quantity 2 - $89.73
Codeine - 30mg tab - quantity 10 - $9.73
Doxycycline - 100mg capsule - quantity 2 - $4.47
Reclipsen (birth control) - 1 month supply - $15.09

The above would have cost even more if I had not asked my nurse at the clinic if they had any patients who donated their leftovers to the clinic because I got lucky! I was given 600iu of Follistim, a box of Endometrin, and 1 injection of Ganirelix which helped to cut down my costs by about $500!

This was just the beginning I had to order additional supplies of the Vivelle, Estradiol, Endometrin and Progestrone as I had a positive result from my IVF. These drugs were all taken until the end of my 1st trimester since I was not released to an OB until I was 10 weeks along I paid the prices above over and over again for the refills. Once you are released to an OB some will agree you should stay on the drugs above and they will then be covered by insurance. If your OB doesn't think they are necessary you will continue to pay out of pocket for them.

Kaiser Check-up

Had another appointment with Dr. Y on March 26th. He said everything looked good. The Hutchkin was moving around quite a bit and flailing its arms about. Dr. Y had a hard time getting a pic of the little,  in the image he captured the kid has its hand right up next to its ear. 

16 weeks 2 days

Exercise while Pregnant!

I am bringing this up because I have gotten some odd-ball looks, strange comments and people expressing concern. So let me start by saying exercise during pregnancy is a good thing! Also, I am quite aware of my limitations and would never do an exercise I was not comfortable doing.

Advantages of exercise while pregnant - Exercising regularly while pregnant can help decrease some discomforts experienced while pregnant such as backaches and fatigue. According to WebMD there is evidence that engaging in physical activity may prevent gestational diabetes. It certainly relieves stress and can build stamina needed during labor.

Be cautious in the types of exercise your choose. Walking and swimming are always great exercises but additionally you can modify many other options even including lifting weights! There are of course certain types of exercise that should be avoided: contact sports, downhill skiing, gymnastics, horseback riding, running (if you weren't a runner before), snowboarding, scuba diving, surfing, water-skiing, and tennis (moderate paced game is ok, but be careful because your center of gravity has shifted and you may have trouble keeping your balance with the sudden starts and stops).

The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends getting at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week. Stop exercising immediately and seek medical help if you start bleeding, have shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting, chest pain, muscle weakness, decreased fetal movement, calf pain or swelling (indicators of blood clots), or symptoms of preterm labor.

There are certain conditions that may cause exercise to not be advisable during pregnancy such as: asthma, heart disease, diabetes, low lying placenta, threatened or recurrent miscarriage, history of early labor, previous premature births, bleeding or spotting and a weak cervix.

The biggest thing is to listen to your body. If an exercise doesn't feel right, stop. If you aren't comfortable doing a certain type of exercise, don't do it. If you find yourself with any of the above symptoms while exercising, stop. It is key to know your limitations and pay attention to the cues your body is giving you.

Obviously you should talk to your doctor before starting any type of exercise and  FOLLOW YOUR DOCTORS ADVICE regarding any physical activity! And always make sure you are hydrating yourself!

Treasured Moments

Since we had been put off so long at Kaiser with the appointment that wasn't an appointment and then lobbying to get into another facility to see a doctor sooner I was quite anxious to get another peek inside to make sure everything was going alright. So in March at 14 weeks 6 days we paid for an ultrasound at Treasured Moments in Glendale. It is a small facility, the technician was nice enough and we were given a bunch of pictures and a DVD of the scan within a few minutes of the scan being completed. 

The Hutchkins heart-rate was around 167. 

 For awhile it looked like it had the hiccups and seemed to be sucking its thumb. 

Profile Picture

Giving Blood

The next order of business after my appointment with Dr. Y was to come back a couple days later and get some blood/urine tests done.

They took EIGHT vials of blood from me! 

The following day my results came in:

Alanine Aminotransferase - measures the enzyme ALT in the blood, ALT is found mainly in the liver and a higher than normal result can mean the liver is damaged or diseased. My result was 18 anything less than 55 is considered normal.

Uric Acid - high levels of uric acid in the blood can cause solid crystals to form within joints, which can result in gout, kidney stones or kidney failure. My result was 3.8 normal range is 2.7-6.6, yay for normal. 

Hemoglobin A1C - test to check average blood sugar level. My result was 5.0 with the standard range being less than 7.0 and my estimated average glucose is 97 which is also normal.

Creatinine - test to also see how well the kidneys are working. My result 0.6 and normal is less than 1.2

CBC (complete blood count) without differential - All results were in the standard range for WBC, RBC, HGB, HCT, MCV, MCH, MCHC, RDW and platelets. 

Glucose 1 hr. gestational diabetes  - My result 101 with standard being less than 130. 

Urinalysis - All my results are normal for Glucose, ketones, UA HGB, PH, protein, nitrite, bilirubin, leukocyte esterase, and urobilinogen. 

These tests were done at 13 weeks 4 days.