Take heed...

Shoot for the moon!

When all is well with my internal universe, my cycle times in perfectly with the rise of the full moon. Tis very mother nature/fertile magical goddess of me!

Well last night was 2012's only Super Moon... and happened to mark the beginning of our very first IVF cycle. At 10pm we calmly sat down and watched the instructional DVD on Gonal F, prepped the epee-pen thingy, I took a deep breath... and then freaked out!!!
Looking in my husband’s eyes as he held aloft a big pointy needle aimed right at me didn’t go down too well and it took about seven failed attempts, before I stopped screaming and actually let him inject me.

After my award winning performance, I must admit, it wasn’t actually very painful or traumatic at all.

Worlds most expensive esky!

Sitting in my fridge at the moment, between some half eaten garlic bread and a jar of ogorki pickles, is this strange green cooler bag.
Inside I will find 2 Gonal F Pens for ovulation induction (150ui), 2 boxes of Cetrotide Injections to  control my body's hormonal responses (250ui), 2 Ovidrel PreFilled Syringes to trigger the release of mature eggs and a sharps disposal unit.
Also 2 instructional DVDs thay I forgot to take out that are now ice cold!

Total Cost - $7707.35
After medicare rebate out of pocket expense will be $2561.50

As they say in all the baby forums, I am currently awaiting the arrival of Aunty Flow, so I can begin our very first round of IVF!

Need all the help I can get!

So a few weeks back, my darling husband meant well and snuck a creepy fertility statue next to my bed while I was asleep! The problem was, I awoke in the middle of the night, dazed and confused, and as my eyes tried to adjust to the dim light this creepy statue came into view... my heart and mind raced trying to figure it out what was staring at me... it was horror movie moment scary!

I was so freaked out, that instead of screaming, I actually started crying... he did apologies profusely and I guess he was only trying to help.
That creepy clay statue has been banished to the garage, so the other day we were passing a fair trade shop, and decided a replacement was a good idea.

This is an Ndebele Fertility doll, handmade in South Africa by women of the Ndebele tribe. The doll is made (in secret) for the bride by the maternal grandmother and is ritually presented to her when she enters her new hut after the wedding ceremony. According to custom, after the birth of their third child, the fertility doll must be given away, because it is considered unlucky to keep it anymore.

So when our family is complete, I will pass her on...

What's in a name?

So like most couples trying to conceive, we have had a handful of baby names that we love.

A few boy names and a few girl names... even a handful of middle name ideas!

I understand that I don’t have copywrite on said names, but fuck me if all of my friends don’t beat me to it... And as they actually have a baby that warrants naming, I guess all is fair... doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt :(

 One friend in particular beat us to our top girl name Maya, so I had to accept that it was gone and I came up with Aria as a replacement favourite. Well yesterday at 8pm little Maya welcomed her new baby sister Aria into the world!

 I’ve never told anyone our fantasy children's names of course, because I don’t want to tempt fate... but it kinda feels like yet another slap in the face from the universe, when friends and family literally create the baby I was wishing and hoping for.

Jabs, pricks and lasers!

Considering I haven’t even started our first IVF ICSI cycle, I am so over all the ouches...
Acupuncture once a week, I had a flu shot on Monday just incase I do end up getting pregnant over winter and a blood sugar test to see if the Metformin is making any difference... not so much.

 Weird side effect from the flu jab was for my ear to swell up to thrice the normal size! WTF?!

My GP decided I ought to cut down the dose of the Metformin, as it’s been over 5 weeks of feeling like shit. I can’t work, function or even sleep properly because of the constant headaches, nausea and bathroom fun. So I’m back down to 2 x 500mg once a day, and I am already feeling more human.

This evening I am off to my monthly laser treatment. Another unpleasant symptom of PCOS is facial hair... charming! After years of painstaking, upsetting plucking for hours a week in front of the magnifying mirror, I had decided to try something new.

It’s expensive ($120 a pop), unpleasant (feels like being flicked by tiny rubber bands) and kinda humiliating (leaving the salon with a bright red beard and moustache)... but laser therapy does work.

I’ve had about an 85% reduction since I started about a year ago.

 Mind you, unlike with "normal" facial hair, PCOS facial will need ongoing treatment and only works on the dark hairs, which I am excited to report, I have a plethora of... sigh :(

>:(

So I've just had my first period after starting the Metformin and doing acupuncture...
and what a doozy she was!
I don't think I have ever been in so much pain - cramps from hell, migraine for hours and so bloated I thought I might pop!
My acupuncturist says she is trying to clean out any old stale blood to make way for a fresh new lining for when we begin our first ICSI IVF cycle (which is in less than 1 month!!!).

My period also came early, that is to say, on time for once. YAY!
So as much as it was an awful experience, something is working and will hopefully all be worth it.

Tonight was the last night of the IVF clinic sessions at the hospital...

I wish all the lovely couples I've met, much luck on their IVF journeys and baby dust for you all xx