September Queer Conceptions - Ready to *FALL* in love w/ our future babes! - Page 12

[ktcl]

SPCD-- are you at Boston IVF? is this your first time with IVF? Fingers crossed over here for you.

[Lyndzies]

Originally Posted by megincl

This is definitely worth a regression analysis. Or some sort of study using causal methods?

And it also makes me want to meet more of you folks in person!

Totally agree on all accounts.

We are a bunch of geeks, and I LOVE it. I think we could all have great conversations at some remote woodsy retreat complete with campfire and wine (assuming none of us were in the TWW, of course! LOL!).

Oh, and computers. So we'd have SPSS, SAS, AMOS, and/or NVIVO handy, naturally. ;-)

/nerd

P.S. GOOD LUCK w/ crunch time, Megin. Early congrats on being almost done, and big congrats to come on Thursday! (... and hopefully even BIGGER, unrelated congrats to come after that!)

[FtMPapa]

SPCD - YAY!!!!


I'm a little braindead. . .anyway, wow, it's weird that we're all in education/higher ed!

I'm not quite dissertating, actually, I'm not sure what I'm doing. That's a lie - I'm burnt out. This is my 3rd year of my PhD, 5th year of grad school (2 yrs MA), I need to be moving on to a job (and be ABD) in about two years, which I am in the process of realizing is going to affect my TTC plans. At this point, I'm safe, but if I don't get pregnant within the next six months, I've gotta rethink my plans.

I don't intend to continue in academia - there are too many unknowns, it's too stressful, I'm not that much of a workaholic, did I mention burnout? My plan is to cozy myself into a nice federal Gov't position in Canada, which is home. I may return to academia some day, but the reality for me is that my fellowship runs out before I'll be done, and I can't go back to living on what I can make as a TA. It was too depressing and too hard, and I have no desire to end up adjuncting all over the place.

GO MEGIN!!!!!!

Osker - as for tips, uh. No. I had some success with Parkinson's Law, earlier in my grad school career. Parkinson studied organizations, bureaucracies. His law is that the time available to a task is the time the task will take. That's why you're still putting finsihing touches on a paper ten minutes before it's due, whether you had two days or two years to write it.

I made Parkinson work for me (for aminute there. . .and it worked well) basically, I gave up the illusion that I had this whole chunk of endless time, and I slotted tasks in. Chunking helps. So, instead of a vague "today I will prepare for class by doing these readings and grading these four papers and replying to e-mail from students" I would schedule it all in - 3 hrs to read, two half hr blocks to waste time online, 1 hr to grade, twenty mintues for e-mail, forty for lunch" and that's the morning.

I should probably get back to that plan, because it damn well meant that I had that reading done in three hours, and otherwise, it could stretch out and take up the entire day. The trick is to be realistic about it - some days, you really can say "this will take three horus" and it will, and other days, you can't. The problem for me with academia is that our work is often (nearly always!) so open-ended, abstract, and it can (and nearly always does!) take over our entire lives.


Also, I didn't know about that post orgasm crampiness. Can I chalk that up as a symptom for today??? Not even necessarily after orgasm, but then too... not that that's what I was doing instead of my reading this afternoon.

A close friend and colleague who is a practicing wiccan or pagan or something (I'm very bad at this spirituality thing) asked me tonight if it would be Ok if she did a fertility spell for me. I was totally touched and am way into it. She was worried I might think it was a creepy "I'm going to pray for you" thing, but it totally isn't and I'm quite thrilled that she reached out like that. She is also friends with KD, and knows his role, and they are talking about it quite a bit and I'm pretty thrilled about that, too.

Anyone else have any good supportive ttc allies? I have a few, and it really helps when I remember that I do have people who don't say stupid, hurtful shit or tell me to shut up about TTC related things. It's kind of all I talk/dream/think about lately.

[FtMPapa]

Oh, and I really love your new .sig, Lyndzies!!!!!

[cejae]

Good luck SPCD!!

All of your posts re education/dissertation cracked me up. But then I always find myself to be at home among the nerdier types. And I hope you all take that as a compliment! I remember my first week of grad school thinking "ah, these are my people!"

Speaking of which, my nerdiness and TTC have come into conflict. I was tapped to introduce one of my intellectual heros at a talk tomorrow and my insemination appt is .5 hour before her talk. Sigh. So I can't introduce her. Boohoo.

[megincl]

Oooh, I liked learning about the Parkinson theory. I have found it to be totally true, though didn't know it existed as a theory. But of course it does, right?

For those yet to have kiddos in their homes, I can say that the theory is absolutely positively correct and real. Work that used to take me a day can now take me an hour or two. Or really, work that I'd lollygag through the day on I now just get done in the time I have. I see it as a major benefit to parenting -- a huge uptick in efficiency.

AFU -- 2nd injection last night. I'll have to post the post-injection reflection section that I recorded with Katie. She felt much better about it, much less bruising, etc. I had her put arnica on the injection site and she felt like that was helping, too.

And when we're all around the campfire with all of our computers and analysis programs, I want to be sure we have Atlas.ti too, please!

be well all,
megin

[jjnoho]

i have an urgent, time sensitive question for all of you...does anyone know how i can get my hands on a catheter to do an iui at home? my midwife group is not cooperating with us about timing of iuis - no appointments available today - and i am not willing to miss out on this window. i am hoping to be able to find one asap!!! if not a catheter any other thoughts on what i could use??

[Lyndzies]

Originally Posted by jjnoho

i have an urgent, time sensitive question for all of you...does anyone know how i can get my hands on a catheter to do an iui at home? my midwife group is not cooperating with us about timing of iuis - no appointments available today - and i am not willing to miss out on this window. i am hoping to be able to find one asap!!! if not a catheter any other thoughts on what i could use??

Crap.... no, I do not know.

Any reason why an IVI or ICI is no good for you? I know some perform IUIs on their own at home, but that there is greater risk involved....

Hope you get your answer and don't miss your window of opportunity! FX!

[FtMPapa]

Yes - if you find a vet or farm supply store, you can get a Tom cat catheter.

I thought it was just a name, tom cat, but then I found out that the cath my RE used was actually used to catheterize male cats. No, really.

Alternately, can you ask them for a catheter and explain that you really need this to happen today?

I mean, they're midwives! What happens if you call and say "I'm in labour" do they say "Oh, we can't attend your birth today...."

Though, honestly, I think you can probably find a different midwife to do it. I wouldn't attempt a DIY IUI unless I really knew what I was doing. Call around...but really? Really? I would be calling the midwives back and saying "No, today, today is the only day." Do they not understand that? WTF???

[jjnoho]

Originally Posted by Lyndzies

Any reason why an IVI or ICI is no good for you? I know some perform IUIs on their own at home, but that there is greater risk involved....

can't do ici because we have 2 iui frozen samples already washed at home in a tank. we had done ici and iui in last cycles but decided to do 2 iui because my cm is less than impressive!

Originally Posted by FtMPapa

Yes - if you find a vet or farm supply store, you can get a Tom cat catheter.

I thought it was just a name, tom cat, but then I found out that the cath my RE used was actually used to catheterize male cats. No, really.

Alternately, can you ask them for a catheter and explain that you really need this to happen today?

I mean, they're midwives! What happens if you call and say "I'm in labour" do they say "Oh, we can't attend your birth today...."

Though, honestly, I think you can probably find a different midwife to do it. I wouldn't attempt a DIY IUI unless I really knew what I was doing. Call around...but really? Really? I would be calling the midwives back and saying "No, today, today is the only day." Do they not understand that? WTF???

who knew that's where that name came from!? i will still attempt to obtain some for possible future use but the good news is that the midwives have come through for us. they have scheduled us for later today and tomorrow morning just as i wanted!!! now i can take a deep breath and relax and let my body get into baby making mode

thanks for your suggestions!

[Lyndzies]

jjnoho - gotcha! Well, I guess it's moot now, since it all seems to have worked out! GL and FX for you!!

AFM - EWCM alert! It's here a day earlier than it ever has been... I hope this doesn't affect O, because we've already pretty much scheduled the insems. I know that it's not set in stone or anything, but I just hate changing "the plan" just when it's been figured out.

Currently planning on Friday early afternoon, MAYBE Saturday evening, Sunday (not sure when yet) and a final on Monday (anticipate O WAS Sunday/Monday, but not sure what's up w/ this early EWCM. Guess I'll do my 1st OPK tomorrow instead of Friday like I was gonna.

No time like the present to start peeing on stuff!

ETA - I have consumed 4 large cups of green tea today... two cups yesterday. Could it REALLY actually work, and that's why earlier EWCM? I have to admit, I thought it was an urban legend.

[cejae]

So glad the midwives were able to fit you in jjnoho!

Lyndzies, we'll be in the TWW again together. We're insemming tomorrow, right before I introduce Bigwig Queer Theory Professor for her campus lecture.. So weird. So weird.

[osker]

Papa, thanks for the Parkinson's theory stuff... I've always felt that to be true... most certainly with packing for a trip.. or a move... it always takes the time you give it. I just need to figure out how to chunk my time so that everything gets done ASAP! It's a bit of a crunch time for me right now, but six weeks it a bit of an ambiguous crunch time, so I don't feel the pressure just yet, though I should...
Anyway, as for your question on ttc supports, we're finding some in an unexpected place. DW recently took a new job and her bosses are being incredibly, amazingly, wonderfully, super supportive and interested and lovely! She's actually getting off work 90 min early today so that we can go to and VIF open house event! And they ask thoughtful questions, and comment that we'll make wonderful parents... and give suggestions.. and! best of all, are veterans of IVF four times over (one happy baby as a result), so their support really feel meaningful, you know?
It's been a new and unexpected, but very welcome, blessing in all of this. We're so grateful for them!
AFU with ttc this month... swimmers arrive tomorrow, so we're busy POAS while taking in other options as this will be our last month with at-home insems. We'll see what happens, but we're not holding our breath like we have been in the past.

[DJK]

Originally Posted by jjnoho

i have an urgent, time sensitive question for all of you...does anyone know how i can get my hands on a catheter to do an iui at home? my midwife group is not cooperating with us about timing of iuis - no appointments available today - and i am not willing to miss out on this window. i am hoping to be able to find one asap!!! if not a catheter any other thoughts on what i could use??

Dr. Zavos online, he actually even has an ebay store.. Keyword catheter..

[FtMPapa]

Oof, exahsuted, from giving a talk this afternoon, and actually being on campus for hours 'n hours, but JJNOHO - I'm so glad they came through for you! I was rooting for you on that one!

I'll post the new thread later tongiht, but for now, TV and lasagne leftovers.

[spcd]

Originally Posted by ktcl

SPCD-- are you at Boston IVF? is this your first time with IVF? Fingers crossed over here for you.

No, we're in western ma - at Baystate. It's not our first IVF. Actually, sometimes I feel like a miracle of modern medicine. I conceived our ds (14 months) via our first IVF after 14 tries, mostly IUI's. We froze 4 embryos and now my dp is using those to conceive a sibling. She implanted 2 over the summer but ended with a chemical/early miscarriage - our excellent first beta never rose. She just did a FET of the last 2 we have. So, really it's our 3rd go in the IVF suite. If we aren't lucky enough, we will have to come up with plan B, but our donor is unavailable. ugh. Anyway, long answer to short question. sorry.

jjnoho, that was such a scare. Keep the Holyoke midwives in mind, if you have any more trouble. In our experience, they have been wonderful. In fact, we will use them in the future if need be.

dp has had a "weird stomach" for the last two days. She says she feel hungry. I keep saying, do you think they're "twingelike"? Does it feel like somethings burrowing in? lol. let the crazy begin.

[FtMPapa]

Lyndzies - YES, it totally could be. It has happened to me before! Including this month - I wasn't seeing tonnes of EWCM until I started with the tea.

On today's 4 DPO symptom watch, I feel absolutely exhausted and definitely "twingey" (Great word, SPCD!)

Ok, I'm posting the new thread. . .y'all got 1.5 hours left of September, but I expect to see you reporting for duty at the new thread tomorrow!