TGal, how is your IVF friend?

[TravelingGal]

Date: 7/18/2009 2:22:42 PM
Author: fisherofmengirly
Wow, triplets! I''ll definitely be praying for her health, the babies health, and their sanity when the babies arrive.

What a good friend, doing research for her. I''m sure she''s overwhelmed with everything right now (who wouldn''t be??) and having someone do a little bit of the leg work is awesome!

Thanks Fisher!

She is just scary sick. I dropped by some pretzels day before yesterday and I have never seen her look like that. They say MS can be more severe with multiples and she has been knocked on her a** with this one. She was so pale, she almost looked green and had red circles around her eyes.

Research on multiples is very interesting, so thanks again to all who have posted with links and tips. I''d appreciate any more! I''m going to buy that book NF posted, as well as Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Twins. Since her sister is also expecting multiples, I figure someone can use it. I''m not going to give her those books for a few more weeks yet (and in fact, may not order them unti labor) because it''s still very early in the game. I read this stat (not sure how accurate it is) yesterday and thought it was interesting...

"When triplets are discovered early in a pregnancy, it''s possible that one or more of them will not develop into a baby. Most of these losses happen within the first nine weeks. One study of women who started out with triplets showed that about half of the mothers delivered three babies, one third delivered twins, and 18 percent delivered a single baby. Three percent of the women miscarried."

 

[TravelingGal]

Well the sickness has caught up with her. She just called me and asked me if I could take her to the hospital for an IV, so hopefully that will help.

 

[nycbkgirl]

Date: 7/20/2009 12:35:06 PM
Author: TravelingGal
Well the sickness has caught up with her. She just called me and asked me if I could take her to the hospital for an IV, so hopefully that will help.

hope she feels better!

re stroller: it may weigh 45lbs but trust me it doesnt feel like it bc it maneuvers so well bc of the steering wheel...its not a stroller to use for car purposes tho (even tho they show u how to take it apart, amazon reviews have a video of it)...i would suggest getting a lightweight stroller for road trips and that one for non car use (i duno if they make a snap n go for triple?)...i think any triple stroller would be a project for car purposes tho

 

[TravelingGal]

Thanks nyc. I just saw the price of the triple and nearly fainted. OMG. I guess you have to pay a premium for the vendors who will design something like that and keep it in inventory. But WOW.

 

[nycbkgirl]

Date: 7/20/2009 1:15:57 PM
Author: TravelingGal
Thanks nyc. I just saw the price of the triple and nearly fainted. OMG. I guess you have to pay a premium for the vendors who will design something like that and keep it in inventory. But WOW.

lol.yeh warned ya its a pretty penny

...but i went thru sooo many strollers and this one is sleek and durable and the steering wheel..lemme tell u ppl stare at me wherever i go and are like WOW its like a car! lol...im like why dont all strollers have steering wheels

...but yeh its very pricey but it lasts for yrs to come....they dont carry them in any stores and u have to order them but they only take a few days to come ...i took a risk bc i hated not seeing and trying it in person but it was worth it

(side by side didnt cut it for me bc i live in nyc...where u guys from?....but for triplets side by side shouldnt even be an option lol)

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 7/20/2009 1:29:52 PM
Author: nycbkgirl

Date: 7/20/2009 1:15:57 PM
Author: TravelingGal
Thanks nyc. I just saw the price of the triple and nearly fainted. OMG. I guess you have to pay a premium for the vendors who will design something like that and keep it in inventory. But WOW.

lol.yeh warned ya its a pretty penny

...but i went thru sooo many strollers and this one is sleek and durable and the steering wheel..lemme tell u ppl stare at me wherever i go and are like WOW its like a car! lol...im like why dont all strollers have steering wheels

...but yeh its very pricey but it lasts for yrs to come....they dont carry them in any stores and u have to order them but they only take a few days to come ...i took a risk bc i hated not seeing and trying it in person but it was worth it

(side by side didnt cut it for me bc i live in nyc...where u guys from?....but for triplets side by side shouldnt even be an option lol)

I agree on the side by side. The quad stroller seemed better because it seats in pairs, so it''s like a double stroller, but deeper...

 

[Jas12]

Tgal--wow, Congrats to your friend! Exciting and crazy time!
I just stared reading this thread b/c i just found out yesterday my cousin is implanting 2 embryos this month (after 4 years of other failed fertility treatments). They really stressed over the 2 or 3 option. My cousin is a nurse and very well researched and apparently the risk of one of the trips having cerebral palsy is something like 35%. I didn''t know that. They went with 2 b/c her reasoning was that she could not deal with multiples if one was special needs. It *was* not an easy decision for them.
This is my second cousin that will have undgone IVF. The other one tried for nearly 9 years and spent 40k on treatments. She too was pregnant with triplets but only carried one, her perfectly healthy daughter, to full term. The other 2 fetuses were lost before the 3rd month. She admitted to me one day that she was a little relieved she didn''t have 3, but thinks about how different her life would be if she had. At age 42 she is accepting that fact that one will be it and it happened for a reason...

I think you are a wonderful friend for helping out and researching--and she''ll surely appreciate your input in sleep training when the time comes

 

[hlmr]

I hope the IV helped her TG! Is she feeling any better?

 

[hlmr]

Good luck to your cousin Jas12!!

 

[nycbkgirl]

Date: 7/20/2009 8:38:22 PM
Author: Jas12
Tgal--wow, Congrats to your friend! Exciting and crazy time!
I just stared reading this thread b/c i just found out yesterday my cousin is implanting 2 embryos this month (after 4 years of other failed fertility treatments). They really stressed over the 2 or 3 option. My cousin is a nurse and very well researched and apparently the risk of one of the trips having cerebral palsy is something like 35%. I didn''t know that. They went with 2 b/c her reasoning was that she could not deal with multiples if one was special needs. It *was* not an easy decision for them.
This is my second cousin that will have undgone IVF. The other one tried for nearly 9 years and spent 40k on treatments. She too was pregnant with triplets but only carried one, her perfectly healthy daughter, to full term. The other 2 fetuses were lost before the 3rd month. She admitted to me one day that she was a little relieved she didn''t have 3, but thinks about how different her life would be if she had. At age 42 she is accepting that fact that one will be it and it happened for a reason...

I think you are a wonderful friend for helping out and researching--and she''ll surely appreciate your input in sleep training when the time comes

i totally agree with that sentiment! ive always believed that.

please let us know how ur cousin is doing ..lots of dust!

 

[TravelingGal]

Hi ladies!

Kind of funny that I''m going on and on updating you on my friend, but I understand as I sometimes get very engrossed in stories of people that PSers know.

hlmr, I just spoke with her. She feels better tonight. They gave her vitamin B in the IV so I think that helped. She was waiting for her younger sister (who is early 20s, single and lives with her) to get her some clear chicken soup and had been waiting for over an hour! I was like, "WHAT? Time is of the essence...call her and if she isn''t anywhere close, I will run the soup over to you." She said she''d be fine. She looked absolutely horrible earlier today. Pale (almost green) with red circles around her eyes. Eek.

jas, thanks for the information and sharing about your cousin. You''ll have to keep us posted on her! Maybe this should be the thread where we all cheer for people we know who are trying to conceive?

Re: cerebral palsy - I will have to look more into that. I''m finding all sorts of scary stats on the web as I research triplets but I am keeping ALL of it to myself for now. My friend doesn''t need any more stress.

 

[nycbkgirl]

TGAL- thats good news...keep us posted

 

[hlmr]

I hope she is continuing to feel better and stronger, and that her MS calms down a bit.

 

[snlee]

I''m a little late but wanted to say congrats to your friend on triplets! That''s crazy! I am sure all of the support and advice you can give her will be so helpful. She is lucky to have you TGal!

 

[TravelingGal]

Thanks snlee!!!

It''s been a tough, tough road for her so far. She''s dreamed of being pregnant for so long and admitted she had all these dreams of what it would be like. It has been nothing like it.

She''s now on Zofran, which she takes reluctantly. She''s told me she feels like a failure as a mother already because she is taking drugs. I told her there''s no blood flow to the babies yet so not to worry and she has to do what she can to feel better and keep food down. She''s lost 5 pounds already. She''s also fighting depression, but we''re trying to keep her upbeat despite the hormonal issues. Fortunately my style of humor hasn''t gotten me thrown out of the house yet.

She''s been refered to a perinatologist up in Santa Monica, so her prenatal care will be a bit of a trek. I''ll be taking her to her early appointments as she is too sick to drive and is scared of her mother''s driving. Ha!!

On top of all that, her husband wants to name any boys Ignacio (um, they''re Korean) so he can call him "Nacho" for short.

 

[Mara]

Date: 8/3/2009 4:17:50 PM
Author: TravelingGal

On top of all that, her husband wants to name any boys Ignacio (um, they're Korean) so he can call him 'Nacho' for short.

Ummm OMG out of everything you have said in this thread, this one freaks me out the most. NACHO??? OMG. As a Latin, that is simply horrific. HAHAHAA. Why not PANCHO?

The blood flow to the baby from Mom doesn't even complete until week 12 I think, so she is totally fine right now, kid is living off the yolk sac. Plus there are approved drugs for pregnancy, and lots of people still have to take some meds during, so she is definitely not a failure because she doesn't want to let herself die before her kid gets here. Oy the hormones!

I do hear you re: the depressive state...I am very upbeat normally but those few weeks I felt really badly I was such a negative black cloud. And I'm only carrying one. Are there any support groups for multiples out there, for preggos she can potentially join, either online or in real life? That might help, talking to other moms who are going through what she is... the extra anxiety and all that as well. You are a good pal TG.

Oh and funny re: what she thought re: preggo. I had another friend tell me the same thing, like it's nothing what you thought or what you hear, aka it's going to be so great. Funny how a lot of people seem to feel that way but it's almost like no one wants to admit it?!?!

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 8/3/2009 4:21:51 PM
Author: Mara

Date: 8/3/2009 4:17:50 PM
Author: TravelingGal

On top of all that, her husband wants to name any boys Ignacio (um, they''re Korean) so he can call him ''Nacho'' for short.

Ummm OMG out of everything you have said in this thread, this one freaks me out the most. NACHO??? OMG. As a Latin, that is simply horrific. HAHAHAA. Why not PANCHO?

The blood flow to the baby from Mom doesn''t even complete until week 12 I think, so she is totally fine right now, kid is living off the yolk sac. Plus there are approved drugs for pregnancy, and lots of people still have to take some meds during, so she is definitely not a failure because she doesn''t want to let herself die before her kid gets here. Oy the hormones!

I do hear you re: the depressive state...I am very upbeat normally but those few weeks I felt really badly I was such a negative black cloud. And I''m only carrying one. Are there any support groups for multiples out there, for preggos she can potentially join, either online or in real life? That might help, talking to other moms who are going through what she is... the extra anxiety and all that as well. You are a good pal TG.

Oh and funny re: what she thought re: preggo. I had another friend tell me the same thing, like it''s nothing what you thought or what you hear, aka it''s going to be so great. Funny how a lot of people seem to feel that way but it''s almost like no one wants to admit it?!?!

Mara, I tell you, after being pregnant and going through the post partum stage, I am terrified of hormones and fear what menopause is going to be like. I always sort of pooh-poohed women who said they were feeling hormonal, but they are not something to mess with! I felt kind of blah during the first trimester but felt downright BLUE after I gave birth. And you know I am an upbeat person like yourself.

You know, overall I did have a great pregnancy, but the first trimester sucks, no doubt about it. I thoroughly enjoyed the second...they don''t call it the honeymoon trimester for no reason.

Re: Nacho, I think he''s kidding, but the guy has a twisted sense of humor.

Zofran has been approved for pregnancy, but she''s the type that only tries to put "good" things in her body. I think it''s a good learning experience, as hopefully she will not be as hard on herself when she wants to start stuffing her face with fries and burgers later on. Hee.

I''m going to look up some support groups. She''s not leaving the house much lately and most likely if all three continue growing, she is going to be placed on bedrest some time in the second trimester. Ugh.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 8/3/2009 4:29:09 PM
Author: TravelingGal

I''m going to look up some support groups. She''s not leaving the house much lately and most likely if all three continue growing, she is going to be placed on bedrest some time in the second trimester. Ugh.

That''s a great idea TGal. That was the worst part for me-being on bedrest-and I even got to leave the house a few times a week for meetings.

There is a great forum for those on bedrest on twinstuff.com. The caliber of the women aren''t as great as on PS in general...but it''s something for women who are all going through the same thing.

 

[Mara]

our neighbor found out at week eighteen (!!!) she was carrying twins and ended up on bed rest for the last 8-9 weeks. to compound it they were adding a 2nd story onto their house and trying to get it all done before the kids came (they had started before they found out and were trying like mad to finish it) ... so she was confined to a small bedroom near the front of the house, didn''t even have run of the house because there were workmen all over the place. she said she had her bed, a tv, lots of books and a bathroom. she said she was miserable, horribly depressed...and alone all the time because everyone was working and her hub was not home. so every time i felt really badly i just thought of that.... wow, i don''t know what kind of state i''d be in after that!!!

 

[Lilac]

TGal, I know I''m late to this thread, but I''m so happy for your friend that the IVF worked! I do see why she would be scared about triplets though. I hope her morning sickness lessens and she starts to feel better soon. You seem like such a great friend to be helping her through all this (with emotional support, helping in person, and doing research for her.)

 

[hlmr]

Just back from vacay, checking in to see how things are going, and I was thrilled to read Mara''s news! Congratulations Mara and Greg!!!!

How very exciting for you both!!!

Tgal, I hope that your friend doesn''t lose any more weight, and that she can feel confident she is making the right choices for her health. When does she go for her next u/s?

 

[Mara]

Thanks Heather! Scary and exciting at the same time..!

TG..btw your post-partum comment made me go OH GREAT.. as if I didn''t HATE being a floating black cloud for 4 weeks during nausea, I hope PP won''t be even worse. Greg might off me!

Hope your pal is doing better with the nausea and/or at least hopefully found something that helps her alleviate the worst sypmtoms.

 

[hlmr]

Date: 8/8/2009 3:39:30 PM
Author: Mara
Thanks Heather! Scary and exciting at the same time..!

TG..btw your post-partum comment made me go OH GREAT.. as if I didn''t HATE being a floating black cloud for 4 weeks during nausea, I hope PP won''t be even worse. Greg might off me!

Hope your pal is doing better with the nausea and/or at least hopefully found something that helps her alleviate the worst sypmtoms.

Yes, scary too!!

It is an amazing adventure!

I think PS is a wonderful place to be for pregnant and TTC women!! There is such a wealth of information, sharing of experiences and a great support network. I just noticed your new thread for a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy....what a great idea!

 

[TravelingGal]

Hi gals..

Well my friend is going into week 13 - on the brink of getting into the second tri. All three are still in there, and all three look good after the NT scan.

She is still very sick, and fights depression on most days. Her sister with twins is 22 weeks and my friend told me her sister is huge. Well, I saw her sister yesterday and she is TINY for having twins. Both of them are scared of getting bigger, and I didn''t want to freak them out by saying the sister''s little tummy is going to look adorable in comparison to where they''ll both end up.

The perinatologist that she saw was nice, she said. But he said if she was his wife, he would ask her to carefully consider selective reduction. She doesn''t think she can do that, and is thinking of bypassing the CVS altogether. An amnio for the purpose of selective reduction isn''t worth it because it will be too late in the game.

She''s been told to expect to be on bedrest beginning at about 20 weeks. That leaves her 7 weeks and she''s not even past morning sickness yet. Her insurance only covers 70%. The average twin birth costs about $40,000. The average triplet birth and NICU? $400,000.

I''m starting to lose sleep over this.

 

[drk]

Wow, that''s brutal that insurance doesn''t cover it all. Thank God for Canadian universal health care! Hope her morning sickness eases up soon.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 8/31/2009 9:13:40 PM
Author: drk
Wow, that''s brutal that insurance doesn''t cover it all. Thank God for Canadian universal health care! Hope her morning sickness eases up soon.

drk, it depends on the plan. Hers has 70% coverage. Hope you are doing well!

More news today...her bloodwork is in and it seems she may have hyperthyroidism, which is tricky to treat during pregnancy. For those of you who are reading, send along good vibes if you can. This may be part of the reason why her nausea is so bad.

 

[Lilac]

Date: 8/31/2009 10:43:25 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 8/31/2009 9:13:40 PM

Author: drk

Wow, that''s brutal that insurance doesn''t cover it all. Thank God for Canadian universal health care! Hope her morning sickness eases up soon.

drk, it depends on the plan. Hers has 70% coverage. Hope you are doing well!

More news today...her bloodwork is in and it seems she may have hyperthyroidism, which is tricky to treat during pregnancy. For those of you who are reading, send along good vibes if you can. This may be part of the reason why her nausea is so bad.

Sending positive thoughts her way... I hope they find a way to treat it and she starts feeling better soon.

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 8/31/2009 10:56:43 PM
Author: Lilac

Date: 8/31/2009 10:43:25 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 8/31/2009 9:13:40 PM

Author: drk

Wow, that''s brutal that insurance doesn''t cover it all. Thank God for Canadian universal health care! Hope her morning sickness eases up soon.

drk, it depends on the plan. Hers has 70% coverage. Hope you are doing well!

More news today...her bloodwork is in and it seems she may have hyperthyroidism, which is tricky to treat during pregnancy. For those of you who are reading, send along good vibes if you can. This may be part of the reason why her nausea is so bad.

Sending positive thoughts her way... I hope they find a way to treat it and she starts feeling better soon.

Me too, I send strong vibes her way. I hope they get the hyperthyroidism under control and thus get the nausea under control. That''s gotta be rough. You are a great friend!!!

 

[Jas12]

wow tgal--it sounds very stressful (i am stressed just reading it). I can''t believe the cost associated with having triplets.
insanity.
I am still waiting on word about my cousin. She''s not going in for the IVF until Nov. now (don''t know why). She is still thinking she''ll implant a max of 2.

I hope your friend starts to feel better so she can prepare and start getting excited. These babies are coming and maybe once she no longer feels sick, she can do some fun things with you to get used to idea of becoming a mom to an instant big family!

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 9/1/2009 12:35:56 PM
Author: Jas12
wow tgal--it sounds very stressful (i am stressed just reading it). I can''t believe the cost associated with having triplets.
insanity.
I am still waiting on word about my cousin. She''s not going in for the IVF until Nov. now (don''t know why). She is still thinking she''ll implant a max of 2.

I hope your friend starts to feel better so she can prepare and start getting excited. These babies are coming and maybe once she no longer feels sick, she can do some fun things with you to get used to idea of becoming a mom to an instant big family!

Jas, definitely tell your friend only 2!!

Thanks everyone for your kind words. Unfortunately it seems like the vomiting is due to the hyperthryoidism, and from what I am reading, women who have this vomit and are sick throughout their entire pregnancy. I am really hoping they can get this under control. Here''s hoping!