I'm just painting the house!

My friend's say I am nesting, that I am not telling them something but really, I'm just painting the house. Ok, and replacing some tired furniture and considering an extension. But I AM NOT nesting.

At least I don't think I am.

Sure the goal right now is to get pregnant, or at the very least try. And we are trying. We have been for three years now. Which hasn't been without its trials & tribulations; First my body got in the way. Then it was my hormones. Then it was my emotions. Then it wasn't time. Then it was time. We attend the fertility clinic. I take the meds. He puts his back out. Then I paint. [Well then I hire someone to paint.]

So really, I am just painting the house.

3 months of Meds!

So my prescription for Metformin is in the pharmacy, I got the call this evening, Ill collect tomorrow.

Am nervous.

I'm to start week 1 with 1 tablet, increase to 2 and then hopefully be able to stand 3 by the third week. Am staying positive and hoping that this staggered approach will work.

I was a little concerned

When the nurse asked me to contact them towards the end of the second month so that they could arrange the IVF procedure. She seemed confused when I explained I wasn't having IVF, at least not yet. I explained to her that the [good] Doctor thinks insulin is the problem, hence the metformin.

I could be pregnant,

Inside the next 3 months, pregnant, both a scary and exhilarating thought.

Wish me luck!

Metformin for me!

The good Doctor and I stopped playing phone tag this afternoon and actually got to talk to each other! Albeit it was difficult to hear him as I was driving and the car kit is just not great, but we had a conversation none the less.

Insulin is my problem.

So he says. I only got the jest, but he is putting me on metformin. I've been here before, 3 years ago in fact, a different Doctor, but the same meds. However, apparently this time it will work, he says, dosage and diet is the key, according to him. Am sceptical but willing to try.

A 3 month supply - enough for a baby?

Well I suppose we'll find out... its all I'm getting, initially anyways. Optimistically I could say that I will be giving everyone an extra special Christmas present, news of a baby, but perhaps that is getting my hopes up too much.

Time will tell...

Wish us luck!

Imagine from taiwanease.com

Being featured in a parenting magazine

We're honoured!

A fellow tweeter tweeted that she was looking to interview couples who had travelled or where travelling the long road to successful fertility. I know the tweeter well [in the twitteverse] and had already been interviewed by her for a Wedding Magazine [for those of you who don't know, I am a Wedding Consultant by day], I dropped her a line to see what she was looking for and low and be hold got a reply with 6 detailed questions to be filled in.

Sending back my [fertility] life story I waited with baited breath for a glimpse at her article. J and I were honoured with the first paragragh and we're happy to share our story with other couples, in the hope that it might offer them some comfort or help.

Once it out I'll post a copy up so you can all take a gander!

Getting pregnant, a money pit?!

I had another mini ' are we doing the right thing/ ready for this' attack again. It ended with my booking the blood tests, so you can deduce what I decided.

Shock of my life.

The doctor had said that I would require 1 blood test, I checked the cost when I booked and told the nurse when she started taking the body that it was only the fasting bloods I was having done, that everything else was up-to-date, the shock came when we went to pay. Instead of €40 she was charging me €160! I nearly died.

Apparently [annoyed]

It's routine [so I was told] for PAI -1 to be done at the same time, the expense little bugger. The receptionist wasn't much help when I asked what it was all about. And sure I thought to myself it will be worth it [it better be]. If this kid doesn't come out right I will want my money back!

Our First appointment with the IVF Clinic

I was a bag of nerves, good nerves, excited nerves; but a bag of nerves none the less.

We got there early,

About 30 minutes early but headed in regardless. It's nice there, clinical but nice. Plenty to do in the waiting room; tv, teas and coffee, computers, games etc. Don't ask me why but I was surprised to see the waiting room full of other couples. All stone faced, I smiled at some but they weren't very welcoming - is it that IVF apts are not PC... even when you're all there for the same reasons?

Our Doctor is lovely.

Such a nice man. He even phoned me this morning. He was not supposed to be the Doctor we were to meet and called to make sure we were happy to meet him - so we would have no surprises. [How Sweet].

A very long chat

Ensued in his office were we talked all about my medical history, my PCOS, PCOS in general and possible treatments and options that we would have and face. He was very thorough, spoke alot of since and for the first time in years I feel like someone is actually listening and interested in helping us. All in all a very positive consultation.

I rather painful procedure

When I told him that I haven't had a period since Oct 07 he grew a little concerned and thought it odd that no-one had ever thought to question or investigate this before. Which made sense when he said it. As a result I had an Endometrial [sp?] Biopsy. Not a pleasant experience at all.

I forgot to mention the Tumour

The one I've had for years in my right ovary. When he did the ultrasound he got quite a shock. And for the second time he asked why no-one had questioned/ investigated or removed it. Simply; before, no-one ever seemed concerned or interested in it.

My prognosis

You may be forgiven for thinking that my prognosis would be rather grey after all that but you would be wrong. The [very] good Doctor is quietly positive that insulin my be my fiend and the root to all my problems! He is of the educated [guess] opinion at the moment that once regulated and controlled through a combination of diet, exercise and medication I may very well be all to conceive naturally.

A blood test

Will confirm all this, and fingers crossed making babies might not be as 'test tubey' as we thought!

Scheduled: Our first appointment with The Sims Clinic!

I love birthdays; magical things happen!

It was getting to the point were I thought that perhaps our application pack for the Sims Clinic had been lost in the post or they thought us a lost cause and weren't going to take us on. I had made up my mind to give them a call on Monday and see what the hold up was.

A quick dash home

To collect an old battered phone so I could get a better upgrade on a new phone forced me to miss a phone call yesterday, a very important IVF phone call!! My hands [and body] shuck with delight when I replayed the voicemail; the Sims Clinic were calling to make an appointment. In the moment I was annoyed I had missed the call...

BUT Fate had intervened!

In the time that lapsed between the Sims Clinic leaving me a voice mail and me calling them back someone had called to cancel their own appointment. I was kindly offered their appointment on the spot [it was my birthday after all]!!

Shocked, Delighted and SUPER Excited!!

We're having our first appointment with the IVF [Sims] Clinic in ONE WEEK, yes ONE WEEK on Friday the 2nd of July 2010!!

Best Birthday present ever!!

Still no Appointment for the IVF Clinic

Frustrated!

I still haven't heard from the IVF Clinic! I expect they have our forms well over a week now... should I call? Would that be too persistent?

Could I ruin my chances?

Would pestering them mean we wouldn't get a spot... I'm sure they are used to coupled being anxious... but do we want to one of those?

I'll see what happens

Tomorrow and decide then whether or not to call. Fingers Crossed they call soon, I can't take it any more!!

Labour Nightmares and Packie Bonner = I'll make an awful mother!

Sex and the City 2

Bet you didn't see this post starting here; an unlikely beginning but its where me and all the girlies got together last night. [Yes I know we're about 2 weeks behind the rest of you but its the only date that suited us all!]

So SATC2 brings us all together, we laugh, we cry, we bawk, we crave and we leave the cinema...

Drink anyone?

We head to our local, pull up on stools and order the obligatory cocktails [mocktail for me - still thinking of the diet!] and of all things start to discuss labour [no not the political party] cause its exactly what you do, drinks in hand when you've just come out of SAT2, isn't it??

Perhaps I should clarify

One of our girlie group has just given birth [5 weeks ago], another is 3 months pregnant and one of the girls announced at the end of the show that she was 8 weeks pregnant ... so the line of conversation isn't to hard to imagine.

Moving to the point

We shock ourselves with weird and cruelly horrible labour stories, drink up and head home. My head hits the pillow and the fun really starts! I start to dream... or perhaps I should say, it starts as a dream and quickly turns to a nightmare...

I'm in labour...

In the dream, now obviously having never been in labour I make it up - one twisted, screwed up labour... the whole time my 'conscious' was bracing itself for the pain, that thankfully never came!

It's a boy!

Unnamed, we take our bundle of joy home. Well not to our home, the 'home' we have in this nightmare. In our 17 bedroomed mansion [I wish!] there isn't room for a Nursery so the baby sleeps downstairs, in the office, in a proper bed, which has been put on top of the desk!

A good nights sleep

I sleep like a baby, pun intended, and totally forget about my brand new off spring downstairs all night, as does my comatose hubby. Morning comes and I hear the baby roars, spring from the bed, head downstairs, roaring baby soaked.

There is not a nappy in sight!

Hand child to husband and go in search of nappies. Husband puts child on garden table. Baby falls off, bounces [yes my baby bounces] queue appearance of my mother.

'You're an awful mother, I can't believe you put your baby on the garden table and haven't changed or fed him!' [Both husband and mother then disappear!]

The ambulance is here
[as occurs from thin air in dreams]

In the form of my friend's little red peugeot, filled with all my friends from the SATC2 outing! We head to the hospital deciding on the way to call into my [dead] granddad's house for a cup of tea and a wee.

We take a wrong turn

And end up in a part of town we do not know and get lost. Urgency for hospital, thirst for tea and need to wee all gone.

Queue Packie Bonner

Who gives us directions and asks us to play football. WHY NOT?? Materialise football field and teams. Fight over cheer leading pom poms

FYI the baby disappeared

Probably just as well considering the mothering skills I displayed! Ps am free for any babysitting jobs! Enquire within.

What are the odds of getting pregnant?

Assuming

Everything is in order and you have no fertility issues or obstacles and you are both a man and a woman [that is, there is one of each of you.]

It's been calculated

That your chances of conceiving within the first 6 months are as follows;

Make Love 1 a week = 16.7%

Make Love 1-2 times a week = 32.1%

Make Love 2-3 times a week = 46.3%

Make Love 3-4 times a week = 51%

Make Love over 4 times a week = 83%

A Common Misconception

Is that abstinence will boost a man's fertility. This is not the case. Yes the number of sperm may increase but they become less mobile and less able to reach the egg.

Funnily enough the flip side

Isn't good either... several sessions a day is also counter-productive too! You need to find a happy medium!

Eating gives you an appetite

You want to have a baby and you realise that making love 4 times a week will seriously boost your chances but you work long hours and are very tired and often have little desire... first I would say; if you can't alter this [energy levels] to conceive a child how will this change once the child is born? [Food for thought, no?] And second as the saying goes: eating gives you an appetite, so making love will ....

Happy TTCing people!!

'Date' with a pregnant woman.

Tonight I have a 'date' with a pregnant woman.

Well, I'm heading out with my hubby and some of his work mates for a final farewell before they all finish up [their being made redundant and he possibly is - a totally other post!] and one of them is pregnant. Since my mini meltdown 2 weeks ago I've protected myself from any pregnant people [I know] by bowing out of social engagements.

Pregnancy in my face

I don't know how I will handle tonight. I'm in a much better place now than I was 2 weeks ago but sometimes I even surprise myself with how I react to these kind of situations. Worse still in this particular instance is, that she is as pregnant as I should have been.

Putting on a brave face

Is what I am doing and thinking about the future and how it will be my turn soon!

Wish me luck!

Thinking about baby's nursery

I am a great believer in visualisations to help make things happen and while many of you might think I am jumping the gun here I've been putting some thought into where baby might sleep and what it might look like.

Here a just the first view ideas that caught my attention

I've always loved murals in kids rooms and this one feature on Modren Urban Baby caught my eye and I thought wow - perfect for a little girls room! You can just imagine the Teddy Bear's Picnics that would take place here.

What a comfortable room? Forget baby nursery I could imagine sleeping here!! Found on Style at Home I love the use of the soft shades of blue and slight accents of green. I think this would work well for either a boy or a girl by just adding a few touches of some feminine colours.


This is just me, could I have decorated my own nursery this is probably what it would have looked like. I am a pink girl, pink, diamonds, fabric and chandeliars! Perhaps a little too grown up for a baby but I still think its fun and girlie! More ideas at Ami Austin Interior Design.


Is it possible to have a nursery as sophisticated as this? The good blogger [and many of their followers] at Simplified Bee think so AND I agree. Its just gorgeous, elegant and beautiful. Probably won't last or be suitable past the first few months of babies life but I think its a strong contender!


There is no denying that baby blue and white is a lovely, simple and elegant combination. It screams [in a good way] everything that is cutsey about babies! This is just one of the many ideas I fell in love with on Design Spark!

There are just so many options and ideas out there for Nurseries that I think I will have to make 'Nursey Interiors' a regular spot!! I'll have loads of fun searching through ideas and imagining what might be!!

Filling out the application form for the IVF Clinic

6 Pages of Personal Information

They want to know everything! Which I suppose shouldn't be surprising. Still its hammered home to us again how 'public' making a baby is going to be for us.

This is the part that's always caused me problems.

Making babies is supposed to be private, personal, intimate. At leasts thats what we're all led to believe. I suppose the 'publicness' of its all is where most of my anger came from and why for 3 years we pretty much did nothing and I spent most of it in therapy trying to come to terms with the fact that I wasn't going to concieve the way I always thought.

I feel better.

Now that I've made the call, received the pack, watched the DVD [yes they sent us a DVD] and filled out the form. I've come to terms with it now; at the end of the day the end result will be the same and we'll have a baby, thats what counts.

What is on the DVD?

This is a question I would be wondering! I was surprised to see it there in the folder when it arrived but it was great. You got to 'meet' and see most of the staff, hear them describe what they do and what to expect. If showed the Clinic itself, which is lovely and comfortable; which to me, was important. The showed practical things like location, what the building looked like and parking - all things I know I would have stressed about on the way there.

Where do we go from here?

Well today we post the application back and wait for them to call with an appointment. We should be there within 6-8 weeks for our first consultation!! We're getting a bit excited!!

Wish us luck!

A sneak peak at Self Fertility Massage

Am a great believer in [trying] to have a rounded approach to treatment. I came across this on YouTube, I think I'll give it a go; if nothing else it looks very relaxing. Anyone else tried it?