Pregnancy FAQs

I figured I'd put together a recap of the most frequently asked (to me) pregnancy questions. More than you ever wanted to know! ;)

So you mentioned you had an IUI to get pregnant. What is that?
Yes, after about a year of different medications and methods, what ended up being successful for us was injectable hormones (yes... needles. shots that Chad had to give me every night right in the stomach) followed by a "trigger shot" and then the IUI. Instead of trying to explain it to you - click here (http://www.fertilityplus.org/faq/iui.html) for all you wanted to know and more. PS: You'll see how in the article it says it doesn't hurt... that's a LIE! For me, during the actual procedure it was about 4 minutes of constant and horrible "worst period cramps you ever had" cramps. Then I proceeded to cramp on and off during the rest of the day. Not that I'm complaining - it was worth every bit of it!

Do you feel weird talking about your struggles to get pregnant, and being open about how the baby was conceived?
For me, not at all. I'm a pretty open and honest person. And if I withheld information, that would make it look 1) it's something to be embarrassed about and 2) prevent me from sharing my story with others who are struggling with infertility. For the first part, I think I've let you all know that there was never a "problem" they could pinpoint for us. Like nearly one-third of all couples, our infertility had no known cause. However, it's sad that the millions of women that experience infertility (from whatever cause) often feel like they are the only one who has gone through it. So many people hide their difficulties (which is absolutely their right), but since I am more comfortable with sharing, I felt it only fair to put my story out there in hopes that it helps someone else.

So we saw the Grey's Anatomy last week where Derek and Meredith are in the elevator and it looks like they're about to have sex (because they're trying to get pregnant), and he whips out a needle and gives her a shot. Is that what it's like?
Oh this part of the show made me laugh so hard because it DOES bring back memories. Yes, Chad had to give me lots of shots over the months as we were trying to get pregnant... mine were in my stomach, not my butt, but still. The thing you don't think about with these hormone shots are that you are very much tied to a schedule. You have to time your shots to the minute... you can't just get 'em whenever you feel like it.

The story I'll probably remember most is Chad and I were at one of his best friend's wedding rehearsals (on a night I was supposed to get my shot at 7 p.m. sharp.) We had to pack up my syringe and vial in a small cooler (since it needs to stay refrigerated), along with rubbing alcohol and cotton swabs (to clean the injection site.) The rehearsal was supposed to be done by 6:30ish, and then the rehearsal dinner didn't start until 7:30 or so... so we figured it would give us time to go to the car in-between so Chad could give me the shot. Of course, the rehearsal was running VERY late and Chad, a groomsman, couldn't exactly run out of the chapel in the middle of rehearsing. So I was PANICKING in the pew trying to figure out what to do. Two of the other groomsmens' wives were sitting behind me talking about how long it was taking... and I leaned back and said, "YES! And I realllllyyyy need to get out of here because Chad is supposed to give me a shot right now." Thank goodness one of the girls was a registered nurse, and without hesitating she was like "bring it in here, I'll give it to you!" So we went into the coat closet of the chapel (while the other girl stood guard), I hiked up my dress, and she gave me the quick shot.

That, in a nutshell, is fertility treatments for you. Inconvenient, a little bit painful, a smidge embarrassing and of course - all modesty out the window.

Are you going to find out the sex of the baby?
Yes! I think I'd consider waiting and letting it be a surprise, but Chad wouldn't be able to stand it. He wants to know as soon as humanly possible. I should find out the sex at my next ultrasound on March 28. And of course, I'll share that info with you guys shortly after. For now, you can vote what you think on poll on the right-hand side of the blog.

Do you have names picked out?
I think we are 99.9% sure on the boy's name. I have several girls names I love (most of which Chad loves too), but one is at the top of the list... for now. The girl's name is more likely to change than the boy's.

Will you share the names?
This is always the hard part - because people like to give you their two cents on whatever name you choose. We'll likely tell our family and closest friends, but not sure if we'll make it public pre-birth.

Will MPLT turn into a baby blog?
Well from the beginning, this blog has been a place for me to put whatever pretty little thought comes out of my mind. Obviously, with a baby around, I'll have many posts about pregnancy, the baby, motherhood, parenting, etc. But that doesn't mean I'll stop blogging about recipes, random stories, soapbox-ing, etc. And I really am sorry about the lack of recipe posts --- but the lack of appetite + nausea = no cooking for me. Hopefully I'll ramp up sooner than later.

Have you figured out your birth plan?
Yep: to have a healthy baby. I feel like everyone I know who was super type-A about their birthing plans, usually had a wrench thrown into the mix. Of course I think it's a good idea to have general guidelines about what I'd like to do while I'm in there... but when push comes to shove, I'll do whatever feels right at the time. But for me, I don't need/want a doula (I want the birth to be about me, Chad and our baby... no one else). If anyone is going to be soothing/coaching me, I want it to be my husband. I'm going to try to have a natural childbirth, but if I'm feeling miserable, heck yeah I'll take an epidural. That being said, I know every person will make decisions on what they feel is best for their family. My goal is to deal with situations as they arise, and not to get too caught up in "plans." I 100% trust my OBGYNs and that their only motivation is to keep me and my baby safe and healthy.

Are you going to keep working after the baby comes?
Man, this has been a loaded question for us. Everyone has their two cents about what they think is best... but you have to remember that everyone's situation is different. We're all trying to do what is best for our family. At this point in time, the plan is for me to go back to work after our Baby Bean comes (and after the FULL 12 weeks maternity leave, of course) - perhaps at reduced hours. The reason for this being: 1) I love the work I do and the place I work at. 2) I get paid well for what I do and my insurance is 100% covered... I don't pay a penny for it. 3) My schedule (and boss) give me lots of flexibility to be able to work from home when needed, leave at a moment's notice, etc. and 4) We are BLESSED that my darling mother-in-law has agreed (well more like requested... orrrr more like insisted) that she will keep the baby for us during days when we're at work. Chad has off every Friday already (so he'll be doing full-time daddy duty on Fridays), and hopefully we'll work it out that I'll have one other day off during the week.

For us, daycare wouldn't be worth it. Not to say that they're aren't tons of wonderful daycares out there... because I hear about them all the time. But for us, if it were a matter of putting the baby in daycare or me staying home, we agreed I would stay home. Since we are lucky enough to not have to do that - and we know our baby will get one-on-one attention from a family member that will absolutely raise our child the way we want him/her to be raised, it just didn't make sense for me to not at least TRY to go back to work. In addition to me actually having a career I enjoy, my extra income will afford for us to provide additional opportunities for our baby - now and down the road.