Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Reminders

I'm  girl of faith and I love how I can come across a verse or just something in my every day life that reminds me to keep a smile on my face and not lose hope.  Here's something I came across today...

"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for 
and assurance about what we do not see."
Hebrews 11:1

Friday, December 17, 2010

Hello 6 Weeks...

It's nice to meet you. So glad you brought your friend morning sickness with you!

Ugh...I was hoping I was lucky and going to stay that way regarding morning sickness. I've had a horrid cold since last week that just doesn't want to go away and then my good 'ol friend came around today.

I'm all for keeping my weight gain down, but I would prefer not to have to see anything I eat come back up.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

For your viewing pleasure...

Proof that I can't control myself...

11/29/10 - 10 DPO - just baaaaaarely visible, but enough for me to know! :)
11/30/10 - 11 DPO - getting darker...
12/01/10 - 12 DPO - still there! :) YAY!

Photobucket

Monday, November 29, 2010

Soy Isoflavones Success Story!

Whoa!  I am a dysfunctional mess today!  I can't keep my mind in one spot (so I apologize if this post is all.over.the.place.) 

I'm guessing maybe you've figured it out by now....

If not...

It goes a little like this...

Ready?

I got a BFP!!!!

Oh my goodness, I can hardly contain my excitement!!  It's taking all I have not to shout it from the roof tops and pee on 20 tests just to keep seeing 2 lines!  When I POAS this morning, it really didn't show anything right away so I just hopped in the shower figuring it was another BFN.  When I got out, I stood there inspecting it like I had a microscope.  As I'm tipping it back and forth and closer to the light, I definitely see the faintest of lines and then my brain registers - THERE.IS.A.LINE!!!!  Anyone who has been TTC knows, a First Response pregnancy test is as accurate as it's probably going get without going for a blood draw - a LINE IS A LINE!  Ahhhh!!

I was totally going to come up with some kind of creative way to tell DH, but I'm kind of like a 4-year-old at Christmas and couldn't keep it to myself!  As I'm sitting there, trying to be cute and talk to him, he goes "you already told me."  I was completely confused as I hadn't said anything yet, thinking to myself - "I'm only 10 DPO, how could I have already told you?!"  He then informed me that I had said something to him the other day about a baby in my belly and he assumed I was serious (way to get excited honey! lol).  Hmmm...guess my "women's intuition" is stronger than I realize!  And really, DH is excited - he's kind of one of those silent types! :)

We're going to keep things a secret for a few more days - I do plan on doing something fun to tell our parents.  Don't worry - I'm sure I'll share! :)

I made my first appointment already because I was that excited.  Unfortunately, my OB's first available appointment wasn't until January 19th.  I'll be around 10 weeks by then and will at least get to see something that resembles a baby on the ultrasound AND a heartbeat. :) With all my charting, I'm figuring my estimated due date should be pretty accurate, but we'll see what my OB says when I see him.  Already looking forward to August 2011 and thanking the Lord that we were blessed after only a little over 3 months TTC.

THANK YOU to all whom have supported me during this part of my journey!  To those still waiting for their miracle - sending lots of prayers your way!

Sunday, November 28, 2010

So it's at moments like this that I wonder if adding a third to our family is a wise decision.  DH's work can be such a pain in the ass and right now I'm absolutely livid!

He's a police officer and has ALWAYS had crappy work schedules, but nothing that we usually can't work around.  Well, they are short staffed right now.  Which puts him on-call practically all the time when he's not actually on-duty.  He was on-call all day Thanksgiving and then worked that night.  Come to find out he's on call BOTH Christmas Eve and day PLUS works those nights.  Meaning we can't go anywhere with him and celebrate Christmas (all of our family is out of town from where we live).  Add on top of that, we were suppose to go away next weekend to a hotel (which is already booked and non-refundable) for a family get-together and even though he put in for vacation 3 weeks ago, he just found out today that he's only off 1 of the 2 days we would be gone (which obviously won't work).  AAHHHH!!! I just want to go screaming and yelling to his Sargent - obviously that wouldn't be in his best interest though! ARGGH!

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Well THAT was new...

DH and I are pretty good at limiting BD'ing to when the TT's are asleep.  In fact, I'm pretty sure we've never BD'd while they were awake in the same house, until recently...

I guess when the TTC bug hits you and O is near, you'll find any way to BD!  Thanks to a lock on the bathroom door the mission to have a good BD schedule was accomplished this cycle!  More than that, we threw a little spice into TTC with the spontaneity! :)

CD 25 and the TWW is commencing!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Can we get a “whoop, whoop” for soy isoflavones?!  It could just be coincidence, but I got a +OPK today on CD 22!  Wooooo!!!  This is the earliest I’ve O’d since we started TTC and is exceptionally sooner than CD 30 like last cycle!  So, with that I’m going to say YAY for soy isoflavones!  Now my temperature better go up, up, up to confirm O (with a beautiful BFP at the end of the rainbow)!

My poor husband, I don’t think he saw it coming this morning.  I got a +OPK this morning and was determined we had to BD because I wasn’t sure if we would be able to otherwise until tomorrow with our schedules, BUT the TT’s have been up exceptionally early lately and we had a guest spending the night.  Luckily all 3 were sound asleep after I got out of my shower and discovered the positive test on the counter.  I sure as heck am NOT going to miss my window this cycle!!  I’m pretty proud that I didn’t just go pounce on DH and say “we have a baby to make, NOW darnnit.”  Instead, I tried to hurry him with as much romance as possible! ::wink wink::  The poor guy works nights and I was sound asleep when I started pleeding...lol, maybe there's something enticing about your wife begging!  Someone was on our sides though, the TT’s (and our guest) slept in this morning well after we got our BD on.  :)

One BD session down and a few more days to go!  I hope DH is ready!

Thankfully Thanksgiving is here next week and all the hustle and bustle of that will hopefully keep my mind off of the TWW.  Reaaaaaalllly hoping we have some fun news to share at Christmas!  I’ve already got lots of ideas, but I’m trying not to “put the cart before the horse.”

Monday, November 1, 2010

Watch out cycle #3!

AF is almost out the door and so I'm lining up my arsenal! 

Here's what I'm doing this cycle:
PNV
DHA
Calcium
200 mg Isoflavones on CD 3-7
200 mg guaifenesin three times per day CD 15 through +OPK
OPK's
BBT

I'm really hoping the isoflavones will move up ovulation - waiting to O last cycle felt like an eternity!  I have already felt some twinges by my ovaries that I don't normally feel (thinking positive).  The guaifenesin is to help thin out my CM - I haven't noticed a whole lot of it and I used to notice a LOT when I still had my IUD in.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

I don't have much for words tonight...utter disappointment is about the only thing I'm feeling.  As I'm sure you can guess, AF decided to show up.  Completely unexpected when I went to the bathroom and realized she showed.  Although my intuition was that she was on her way, I wasn't expecting it to be today.  This scares me a bit because it means my LP is probably too short -- meaning, I have some fertility issues.  Back to the drawing board for cycle #3.  Once I get over the shock, I'll be researching like crazy and figuring out my arsenal.

digression from optimism

Today, I feel entirely sure that there is no life inside of me and there is impending doom (AF) at my door.  ugh.  It's going to be a craptastic weekend if AF shows!

CD 40 - 11 DPO and I have no patience left!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

bugger...

Having horrible cramps tonight down in my hoo-haa and lower abdomen....pretty sure AF is on her way! :(  The nausea is still hanging around making itself comfy too.  Seriously?!  I'm so NOT a fan of all this, UNLESS of course it means there's a bun in this oven!

9 DPO - I think women who get BFP's at 9 DPO are full of it!
It's amazing how just the right words can find you when you need them most...not sure how I came across this today, but it spoke to my heart.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."
Phillipians 4:6

Monday, October 25, 2010

PNV's

If you remember a little while back I discussed my desire for the "perfect" PNV on this post - I recently did some more research on PNV's in an attempt to save some money.  I spent around $75 for a 60-day supply after my insurance coverage on the prescription PNV-DHA.  My insurance is changing in 2011 - meaning I will have to pay a lot more out-of-pocket for this prescription if I keep taking it.

So, I did some research and narrowed down my choices and then finally decided on the Super Nutrition Simply One Prenatal Multi-Vitamin and Nordic Naturals Prenatal DHA.  Due to my acid reflux issues, I'm not really looking forward to taking so many pills, but it's only once per day and I got a 90 day supply for far less than the 60 days supply of RX PNV's - I'll just have to suck it up!  The PNV's have 1000 mcg's of folic acid and lots of other good quantites of vitamins, plus they claim to be gentle on the stomach.  I was already a fan of Nordic Naturals quality, pharmaceutical grade vitamins and expect the prenatal DHA will live up to their good background - my TT's take their Nordic Berries and children's DHA gummies. 

I'm still stalking my order through Fed-ex...hoping it'll be here tomorrow!  I'll be sure to post again on how I like them after a few weeks...

8 DPO - another day closer to insanity

Not only am I still naseaus, but when I got up quick tonight, I had pulling in the bottom of my abdomen that hurt.  And because I like riding the crazy train, I POAS today - obviously, it was a BFN.  I still don't know how I feel about this cycle....

A strong part of me says that it didn't happen - that side of me is the reason I picked up some soy isoflavones (they apparently work similar to the prescription medication clomid) at the store the other day.  Then the really hopeful, optimistic side of me is saying we had perfect timing - we just have to be pregnant this cycle.  That side of me is also consistently thinking of all the fun baby planning - including how to tell our family and friends when the time comes.  Anyone have some good ideas?

CD 38 - if my temp doesn't go up tomorrow, I pretty sure we're out for this month!

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Naseau

It blows (not quite literally)!  Although I'm starting to wonder if I pulled a bulimic move if I would feel better...

I have acid reflux on a normal day, so  feeling queasy isn't new to me, but in the last few days (and cycles) I've had these bouts of it I would rather do without.  Today, it's a little more than I can stand.  I never had morning sickness with my other pregnancies until I was around 6-8 weeks along - therefore, it's highly unlikely that's what's causing my problem.  A girl can hope though...

My chart is looking fantastic post-O, but I'm staying pretty pessimistic. :(  It does seem like we had great timing and I know the amount of BD'ing we got in in a 24-hour period during O, is far more than we've experienced post-TT's in a LONG while! :)  So much so that we haven't since - I'm still feeling the repercussions!  uff!

CD 36 today...the TWW (and long cycles) can just bite me!

Saturday, October 16, 2010

smiley face hApPy DaNcE

Anyone who has used OPK's probably has used or at least seen the Clear Blue Easy version - when you get a negative you get an empty circle, BUT (if you're me - today) you get a wonderful little smiley face! 

CD 29 who would have thought?!

My husband and I are away an overnight without the TT's - so, I'm reaaaaaally hoping we catch that egg this time!! Pretty sure the TWW is going to draaaaaaag knowing our timing was near perfection this cycle!  :)

Friday, October 15, 2010

My temp finally went up today...it doesn't necessarily tell me anything though.  We'll just have to wait and see what the next few days bring.

There will be time for BD'ing this weekend at least (in hopes that maybe I haven't O'd yet).  My husband and I are off to the metro area tomorrow to stay overnight and then we're going to a NFL game on Sunday.  It's my first game and I'm not really a football girl, but spending some alone time with just my husband during this chaotic time is all I care about!

It's CD 28 - most "normal" women are getting AF or a BFP today.  As for me, I haven't even O'd yet.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Emotional Rollarcoaster

I feel like I'm on a wild ride that won't slow down.  Beyond the crazy ups and downs that come with TTC - our family schedule has been well above chaotic!

Here I sit, CD 25 and I've yet to detect O with a +OPK.  My FF chart sure isn't giving me any clear idea either - my temps are all over the place.  I hope maybe I just missed the surge with the OPK's, but on the other hand I worry I'm not O'ing at all.  And I think we all know what that means - no O = empty uterus.  :(

My CM hasn't given me any clues either...today it's creamy (more CM than I've detected all cycle at least) - whatever that means.  lol

I did check my cervix over the weekend and I swore it felt pretty high and soft - giving me a little more hope that I just missed "seeing" it on the OPK's (although I don't how that would be, I've been POAS twice a day for the last week not wanting to miss it).

The icing on the cake...I've had this awful queasy feeling for the last two days.  Kind of a cross between a nauseous and nervous tummy.  Stress could totally be the factor with this, but my mind is still going with the little game of "could" it mean?

Oh and as excited as I am for a dear friend who had her sweet boy on 10.10.10 - seeing him definitely made my uterus scream more for a baby!

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Ooops!

Tonight I purchased a new infant car seat...

No, not because I finally got a BFP, but because I'm still riding that crazy TTC train.  It was an awesome deal though...approximately $60 after tax and shipping for a $150 carseat...

isn't it cute?


My husband is going to shoot (not literally - don't send the cops) me when it arrives at our door!  Not because I'm not even pregnant yet, but because we have a perfectly good infant car seat in storage from the TT's!

UPDATE:  Got an email from Wal-Mart...apparently the item is out of stock and I won't be getting this GREAT deal.  Bummer.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Easily Excited

Apparently TTC makes you go wacko in the head!  That or just easily excitable - like the little dog who piddles when a friend comes to the door!  lol

My first bit of excitement is over a package of OPK's and HPT's on their way to my door!  I decided to order my tests for this month online - saving a significant amount over what I shelled out on 3 packages of 7 day OPKs last month.  I got them over at www.early-pregnancy-tests.com upon the recommendation of other TTC'ers on WTE.  They're the basic dip stick tests that your doctors office would use.  I have 4 digital OPK's left from last month I figure I can use for confirmation if there's any doubt.  I also have 2 "top shelf" brand HPT's ready to for confirmation.  PRAYING hard that there won't be any use for any of these tests after this month!!

Adding the excitement is my beautiful chart over on FF (if you click the ticker on the bottom of this blog, you can see it) - my pattern of temps is mimicking last month, which I'm hoping will lead to more precise timing of the BD'ing!! hee hee

To top it off, AF has pre-IUD like in flow (muuuuuuch lighter) and is wrapping things up and heading out the door!!  My husband better watch out - he's going to be reminded of what it was like prior to having the TT's!! ;)

Monday, September 20, 2010

Worry...

....it's a horrible feeling.

Life has been pretty overwhelming lately.  DH is working a crazy schedule that seems to change every time I blink.  Our days pretty much blur together.  When I'm working, he's sleeping and taking care of the kids - when he's working I'm taking care of the kids and sleeping.

Crazy every day life equals worry we won't be able to BD on the "right" days to conceive.

I trust Him to give us what our heart desires,  I just need to stop thinking about it so much and try to allow the story that has already been determined unfold in front of me.

::sigh::

Saturday, September 18, 2010

When intuition turns into reality...

My chart has been pretty text book (at least at seeing when I ovulated and such), so when I saw my temps start to drop in the last few days, I knew (instead of thought?) AF was on her way.  Well, I temped this morning and saw the significant drop in temp and knew.  It was completely confirmed when I went to the bathroom for the first time and discovered  that, indeed AF had made her ugly appearance.

My intuition has been telling me I was not pregnant for quite some time - I just had a feeling this would not be our month.  BUT that doesn't mean all the acne, breast tenderness, bloating, etc didn't make me hopeful I was wrong.  As much as I really wanted a May baby to fit in the the middle of the TT's birthdays, I'm just going to move on and hope that it'll share it's birthday month with it's older brother.  :)

The other nice aspect of charting - I can see that my cycles are getting shorter now that the IUD is removed.  Which means that there won't be as much time waiting to O and then the 2WW on top of that.  I'm off to fill up my arsenal of OPK's for next month!  Thank goodness for TTC message boards where they share where to buy them cheapest (wow, feel a little like an addict after that statement).

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Seriously?!  Who knew TTC could make every logical thought disappear?!

In the 30 minute commute home from work tonight, I managed to get aboard the crazy train and convince myself I should POAS.  I'm 11 DPO, if I would have stopped for a moment during the insanity, I'm sure I wouldn't have POAS and gotten the horrible feeling that comes with a BFN (even when you're expecting it).  Especially considering my "plan" was to POAS Saturday...heck, I guess Thursday is the new Saturday! lol

My chart has plateaued and I still feel that we're out this month.  If only all the other symptoms (breast pangs/soreness, horrid acne, acid reflux, constant peeing,...) wouldn't keep my mind playing games I could ease through this long cycle!

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Mind Games

It's amazing how a person's mind can play such cruel games when they really want something!  I know I'm not the only person TTC who has a mind running in circles.  In fact, there's a whole message board of them over at WTE!  Unfortunately, my mind seems to be taking it up a level every day that passes.

For instance, I've gone pee every 45 minutes for the last 5 hours.  WTF?!  I do drink quite a bit of water during the day, but I have not been drinking that much!  So, here I sit, my mind is spinning like crazy with the "that could be a symptom" thoughts.

BUT for every ounce of optimism there is always pessimism... 

For instance, I've had no CM (the stuff that apparently really tells you your fertility) this month and therefore I'm firmly believing we did not conceive this cycle.  The lack of CM is actually making me thing there is going to be a problem TTC overall.  On top of that, if I did read the darn OPK's correctly - we didn't BD nearly enough OR at the right times around O.  Ugh...

Today's CD 31, 9 DPO (according to FF) and I'm going insane.  AF better show her ugly face soon so we can move on to the next month!  (BTW...I did POAS today - BFN...totally didn't help the mind games)

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

I've decided - I'm putting the OPK's down for awhile.  Going to continue to temp and watch CM, but I've had it with OPK's always being negative.

I'm pretty sure I already got a +OPK, but I really don't know because I have no egg-white consitency CM to go along with it.

Ugh...why does it have to be so frustrating?!

Meanwhile, I've been crampy for a few days...

Saturday, September 4, 2010

going crazy...

...over not getting a +OPK!

Please, oh please let me get one soon!!  If I have to buy another 7 day kit and my husband finds out how much money I've spent on them he might admit me to the nut house!

Sunday, August 29, 2010

According to my husband, I'm trying a little too hard to get pregnant this month...hmm.  I asked him if I should stop temping, charting, using OPK's, etc and he said no, but now I feel like I have to "hide" when I'm entering all the info because he doesn't quite "get" why I need to do it when we, obviously, didn't have any issues getting pregnant the first two times. (uff, sorry about the run-on sentence there)

Anyways, I kind of have to agree with him, but my problem is that I hate the "unknown."  I detest surprises, unless they're the really, really good ones.  If you ever throw me a surprise birthday party, I might curse at you - just saying! :P

Anyways, there's another problem that comes from doing all these things plus reading and getting to know all about my body.  I'm getting frustrated that my body isn't doing what I want it to or what a "normal" cycle would be doing. Today is CD 15 for me and well I haven't picked up a BFP on the OPK's yet and it's bumming me out!  On top of that, I'm temping and I haven't seen any kind of temp surge indicating ovulation yet.  :(

I also read that you only have a 20% chance of getting pregnant every cycle - wow, that bummed me out too!  I think I'm going to try to stay away from letting my mind get the best of me and just enjoy TTC for the first time ever.  :)

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

OPK's

YAY!  AF was officially gone on Sunday - let's get this TTC train going!

I bought a box of OPK's at Target, their Up & Up brand to be exact, to try out our first month of TTC.  Obviously, I never used OPK's with my 2 previous pregnancies - they were both complete surprises.  The problem I'm facing with them though, is that my cycles have been much longer while I had my IUD than the norm of 28 days.  So, I'm having trouble deciphering when I should start POAS (peeing on a stick)... I only bought the 7 day test kit (there are 30 day kits out there).  The little phamplet inside tells me, per my average cycle length (35 days), I should start testing on CD (cycle day) 18.  For the average cycle length (of 28 days) it says to start on CD 11.  Want to guess when I started POAS?!  Yep, today, CD 11...I'm guessing I'll probably end up buying another box of the things to test for 2 weeks...gosh I sure hope I O (ovulate) in the next 7 days!  Then comes the dreaded TWW (two week wait) post O before I can POAS for a BFP!

Tired of the acronyms yet?  I know, there's a lot - hopefully soon I'll throw a little glossary to the right...

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Wooo!!

AF (aunt flow...aka my period) came today!!  :)

I wasn't sure when to expect AF, so the fact that she showed  up only a couple days after I suspected is glorious!  My cycles had been quite a bit longer after I got the ParaGuard and this cycle was actually around 39 days!

This means we can officially get this TTC baby train moving!!  I'm so excited - if we get lucky our first month we'll have ourselves a late May baby!  I'm really trying not to get ahead of myself in thinking we'll get lucky the first month, but I sure can have hope!

Opinions

"You don't have to agree with my choices, but as my friends you do need to respect them."
-Leigh Ann (Sandra Bullock) from The Blind Side 

 

Kind of a continuation on this last post I wrote. 

 

My friends and I all have varying opinions (some are much stronger in certain areas than others - definitely not a new phenomena), but we all usually respect those opinions and our friendships aren't  hindered by them.  Unfortunately though, there are times I wonder if our decision to have another baby is a choice that some disagree with to a degree where it may actually affect our friendship.  I have all hope it won't, but "Leigh Ann's" words above definitely are the mantra I'll be repeating!

 

On a side note: I'm sure you remember this post.  With Grandma coming I decided to just flip over my TCOYF book because she probably wouldn't be going in our bedroom (all the HPT's and OPK's were put away in a drawer).  Well, go figure, she needed to go in our room to get the key off of our modem to use her laptop.  I have no doubt she picked up the book in curiosity to see what I was reading.  Hopefully she didn't "read" into the title of the book too much - maybe she just thinks I'm trying to get to know my body better and leave it at that! lol  For all she knows, I still have an IUD!

Friday, August 13, 2010

Reminders

Some days I sit wondering how I'm going to respond to those closest to us when we do tell them our news.  I'm not worried about our decision to add another member to our family, but unfortunately, a person is still affected by the words that come out of their family and friends.  Yes, we have a small house (smaller than most people's apartment), bills that always need to be paid, busy schedules, etc.  None of that really matters though because we have home filled with love.  We know through faith we will be provided for and our needs will be met.  Therefore, our hearts yearn for another blessing and we know we'll be just fine - we're happy and the rest all works itself out (it has this far)!

Today, I was reading a post from a young lady named Katie, who lives in Uganda and has adopted 14 girls!  God works in mysterious ways and through Katie's post, I was given the reminder I needed...

She wrote about Genesis 33 where Esau approaches Jacob about the many children following behind him.  Esau asks Jacob, "and who are these with you?"  Jacobs reply: "These are the children that the Lord saw fit to bless me with."  She was referring to adoption in her case, but I also felt it applied to the feelings associated with opinions on how many children one family should have.

If the Lord sees it fit to bless us with a third miracle - we will most graciously accept it!  I'm more ready now, for the questions "why more when you had one of each already?  how are you going to fit more in your house? what about this? what about that?" etc
    "These are the children that the Lord saw fit to bless us with!"

As I'm finishing up and glancing over the comments of the post, I see this verse...

"...with God all things are possible."  Matthew 16:26

Yes, yes they are!  We are ready for whatever He has in store for us next!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Grandma's Coming

Grandma's coming to watch our children tomorrow, so the hubs and I can have a date night.  It's been awhile - so we're going to go enjoy a meal and a movie without two tornadoes!  BUUUUUT, this means that all the paraphernalia of TTC needs to be hidden.  TCOYF (Taking Charge of Your Fertility) needs to be pulled off my nightstand....the OPK's (ovulation predictor kits) and HPT's (home pregnancy tests) need to be pulled out from under the bathroom sink (my luck she would go looking for something and see them) and I better make sure the PNV's are not sitting on the counter!

We've decided to keep our TTC journey a surprise from our family until we get our BFP (big fat positive) and are a little ways along in the pregnancy.  It feels kind of deceitful, I've always been pretty honest with my mom, but then it's really nice taking this journey with husband (and of course my lovely readers of this blog).

Sucked into the vortex...

...of maternity clothes!  Ahhh!! 

My friend, who is 28 weeks pregnant or so, is trying to put together outfits for her upcoming family photo shoot.  So, I'm poking around clothing websites looking at maternity clothes for her and I then I get sucked in and start looking for myself!!  Oops!

I found this suuuuuper cute top...I want it, but considering the 18 gallon tote plus some of maternity clothes I already own, I don't technically need it.


How could I possibly convince my husband I need this already? lol

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Prenatal Vitamins

I've been researching the crap (because that's what I do) out of prenatal vitamins (PNV) the last few days.  I really wanted something with DHA and if I was going to take some kind of fish oil, it needs to be pharmaceutical grade.  I run into problems with my acid reflux when I've got to pop more than a couple pills together and any kind of DHA is a HUGE pill, so my goal was to find a PNV with DHA all-in-one pill.  So, I found this stuff called PreNexa - looked good, had lots of folic acid in it, iron, a stool softener (always a benefit to counteract the iron), and other good stuff.  Every review I found on it said they really like it, didn't feel like it increased their morning sickness, and it didn't give them any kind of "fish" burps from the DHA...sounded good to me!

So, I go into my OB appointment (for my annual exam and to have my IUD removed) earlier this week and ask for a RX and some samples if they have some.  Well, the clinic I go to does not do any kind of samples - they did away with the process. Boo!:(  Because there are probably 30 different kind of PNV's with DHA, my doctor just wrote me out a general script.

Yesterday, I decided to go get it filled.  Thinking that this was a common vitamin, I wouldn't have a problem going to my regular pharmacy, Target, to get it.  After fighting my daughter while I was trying to talk to the pharmacist, I find they have not a single RX PNV with DHA - it would have to be special ordered.  Not yet feeling defeated, I took back the RX and called up the pharmacy across the street - they didn't have it either.  One last ditch effort, thinking I was probably just going to have to have it ordered, I called up Wal-greens across town.  They had a PNV with DHA - not PreNexa, but really close to it.

I make Walgreen's my next stop - I walk back to the pharmacy and after waiting for the couple in front of me to decide whether or not they should pick up their prescription, I'm greeted by a little Asian man with a cowlick like Alfalfa in the back.  He's got his handy little white pharmacy intern coat on - oh boy, I was pumped to talk to him (note the sarcasm)!  He greats me with his slurred American and I hand him the prescription.  I tell him I want a 90 day supply because it's cheaper through my insurance and he informs me that they can't fill it because it's wrote for 60, BUT it has refills for a year (makes a LOT of sense).  After a frustrating conversation on why he should be just fine to fill it for 90 because after all, it's not some kind of narcotic, it's a prenatal vitamin for pete sake - he gives me this blank look like he doesn't know what to do with the RX now.  I give him my best, you're.a.frickin.moron. look and say "you can fill it now!"  Then I get the, it'll be about 20 minutes!  Yeah, this made me more happy, all they have to do is a slap a label on a bottle - the vitamins are pre-packaged for 30 day supplies!

It still took them about 15 minutes to get the label on the bottle and after he calls me up, fiddles with the computer for a good 5 minutes, then he goes in his best Asian/English dialect (think calling the Chinese restaurant speak) "how far away are you?"  With a confused look on my face, I reply "excuse me?"  He repeats himself and I give him, what I'm sure was completely a sincere look and say "do you mean, how many weeks pregnant am I?"  "Yes, yes!" he replies.  "I'm not" I say.  "What are you using for?" he asks, like it's his business or something. "We're trying to conceive." I say, trying to end this, so I can pay and leave.  "Do you take any folic acid?" he asks which has me puzzled "The RX I'm picking up should have plenty in it, does it not?"  He grabs the phamplet stapled to the bag and starts going through it "I can't seem to find out how much it has" and I reach over, grab the bag, pull a bottle out and proceed to peel back the label and show him that each pill as 1 mg of folic acid, plenty for someone TTC (trying to conceive), pregnant or otherwise. "oh, that's plenty, you only need 400 mcg of folic acid" he replies like I'm some kind of person who has no clue, but yet was the one to show him how much it had.

After finally being able to pay, I left in a hurry.  I won't be going back there at all - regardless that the guy didn't know I had a pharmacy background (worked as a tech for a couple years), there was no reason for the poor customer service and really, what kind of business is it to him why I was getting prenatal vitamins?!  Good thing I have enough to get me through the next 60 days, then maybe I'll tackle the mail-order prescription company we have through my insurance!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

A little personal background to help...

I'm a Midwestern girl in my late-twenties who enjoys baking, cooking, scrap booking, photography, reading, playing in the dirt, camping, and more than anything, watching my children grow.  My husband and I have been together close to 10 years - we have our moments, but love is definitely abundant.  We have two beautiful children - a busy preschooler and a diva toddler.  I lovingly refer to them as my "tiny tornadoes" (TT) as they can destroy a room in under 30 seconds!  We're currently starting our journey to conceive TT #3 and couldn't be more excited.

Introduction of sorts...

I left this blog more private than the others I write on by not letting it be visible on my blogger profile.  I've really wanted a place to write uncensored thoughts and there just isn't time to keep them in a handwritten diary anymore.  Unfortunately with a "family" blog, shared publicly with family and friends, I've had to learn to selectively post my thoughts to keep from hurting anyone's feelings or having people know a little more than they would like.  This leads me to the creation of "the little things."  I've wanted a blogiary (blog-diary) for quite some time, but didn't feel like I wanted the whole world to know who I was in it.  I've found that it's also way too easy to forget all those little things without writing them down.  So, here I am, a somewhat nameless blogger writing out my thoughts as I go through this journey known as life.  If you know me personally, please respect my wish for anonymity.  Words of encouragement and opinions are still more than welcome!

Disclaimer:  I will be talking about things that involve trying to conceive, pregnancy, motherhood, wife-hood, basically things that I probably would never candidly bring up in front of any member of clergy.  Remember what I said above, I want a place where I don't have to censor my thoughts as they come out through my fingers on the keyboard!  If you're easily grossed out, offended, or otherwise, please don't read this blog.  Don't say I didn't warn you!