Hope everyone is doing great!

Baby Kate at 32 Weeks

First off, we’d like to apologize for not updating in awhile. People are correct when they say that things will get hectic trying to prepare for a new addition. We just hit the 32 week mark and all is well but yes, things are busy! Kate is definitely an active little girl. Sometimes her kicks and moves catch Wendi off guard and scare her a bit! It’s probably the time when Kate will start running out of room in her mommy’s belly so that means a little less comfort for everyone!

Over the past month we have gotten quite a bit done. After this weekend, we will almost be done with the nursery. The carpet is getting installed tomorrow. The room has been painted pink. The only major thing left is waiting on the crib and dresser to be delivered and assembled.

Other than getting the nursery ready for Kate, we’ve attended some pregnancy related classes. I went to the Daddy Boot Camp a month ago. Last week we attended a breast feeding class at the hospital we’ll be delivering at and this weekend we have a Labor and Delivery class that runs Saturday and Sunday.

Wendi is trying to get things organized for her substitute at school while she is on maternity leave and other than that, it’s time that we make our final “must do” list before she arrives.

At this point, 32 weeks, anything can happen. We want to make sure that if Kate decides she wants to meet us earlier, that we have things ready for her, as much as humanly possible!

Well, that was a quick update. I’ll let Wendi fill you in on the rest. She’s a little more detailed than I am but I just wanted to send a quick update for everyone.

Have a great day!

Our Pregnancy Is Flying By!

It’s crazy what a couple of weeks can make when it comes to pregnancy. It seems like things are progressing quicker, day by day. Our little girl is kicking, A LOT! It must be from the yummy treats her mommy is eating! Much of the kicking and moving around is around 9-10 p.m. when we are getting ready for bed! Yes, I said 9 p.m. We are getting old! Wendi’s belly is also growing like no other over the past few days. Her “baby bump” started out very low in her stomach but is now taking over her whole mid-section and rounding out very nicely! I’m sure we’ll be posting more pictures in the next week.

So, with all of these new changes and growth, it means we have to get our act in gear and get moving on things we NEED to get done. The nursery is one of our first tasks. I successfully cleaned EVERYTHING out of our second bedroom this past weekend. It’s now empty and ready to be worked on. We will first paint the new room (PINK, PINK, PINK!!!) and then we are going to get new carpet. After that, we will be ready to start loading it up with all of the baby stuff such as crib, dresser, her clothes and all of the other goodies we will be getting over the next couple of months.

Our next OB-GYN appointment is in 2 weeks and then we should also know when our next ultrasound is. This next ultrasound is going to be a good one. Our last one they were able to tell us the sex of the baby. This third trimester ultrasound should be able to show up much more detail and features of our little girl, Kate! I think the OB mentioned that we would have 2 more ultrasounds before Wendi delivers in December.

Last but not least, please bear with us for the next couple of weeks. Things are looking pretty crazy. Wendi just went back to school yesterday. She’s a elementary teacher. We’ve also received some requests from readers/experts so we are going to work on touching up the website to accommodate some of these requests.

One more thing, we are running a “Best Fertility Story Contest” so please enter here for a chance to win a $50 Visa Gift Card!

Wendi & Mike July - Firesky Resort

Yes, this will be my first bout with fatherhood and you can definitely tell by all of the questions I have as our due date of December 8th approaches. I couldn’t be more happy and I can’t wait to see our little girl, Kate but there are definitely things that I do not know! There is a lot that goes into being first time parents and it’s starting to hit home.

Much of what we will experience, especially me, we will learn from trial and error. When will the baby eat? When will the baby sleep? What will make the baby sick? What will make the baby smile? How will Wendi and I function on so little sleep? How many potties per day? Those are things that we will experience just like millions of other parents have gone through. It’s part of life and it’s soon becoming a reality to our household.

Our lives are soon to change, but for the best. We will truly have a “family” once Kate is born. Our family might be female dominated (1 wife, 1 daughter and 2 female doggies) but none-the-less a family! Do I see gray hair in my near future? Absolutely! But that’s what hair coloring is for….right!!!

What’s more amazing is to think about our pregnancy. Kate is a “frozen” baby. She was literally frozen and thawed! Our first frozen embryo transfer was a success after an unsuccessful fresh IVF cycle. It’s absolutely amazing what medical technology can do these days, especially for those of us who don’t have the leisure of snapping our fingers and….KAABAAM! We’re pregnant! Didn’t quite happen like that for us. That’s okay though. We definitely went through a life experience during the IVF process and it’s something we will be going through again when it’s time to give Kate a little brother or sister. Without IVF, we’d still be starring at our dogs wondering how the heck we are going to have children. Well, some days….no MOST days, our dogs do think they are humans!

So, we’re going to have to fill Kate in someday on how she was brought to us. I’m guessing, the way technology advances, that IVF will be one of the norms of getting pregnant and I’m sure there will be other procedures that arise over the next decade that allow fertility professionals to more so master the art of fertility treatments. Explaining might not be as tough down the road as it’ll be much more common than today. There is still mystery for a lot of folks that are not familiar with assisted reproductive technology. IVF and fertility treatments have been the craze over the past few years…a few more years and they will be totally normal to someone trying to get pregnant that has fertility issues and cannot due so on their own.

I think that’s about it for now. I need to stop writing and get back to emptying out our second bedroom, so Kate has a little space of her own when she joins us!

Swine Flu More Severely Affects Pregnant Women

Back in April, we posted some information on Simple Tips On Going Through IVF During The Swine Flu Outbreak. The swine flu craze has seemed to settle down, at least in the U.S. But, another article came out today on CNN.com that states the swine flu more severely affects pregnant women.

Pregnant women infected with the H1N1 virus are more likely to be hospitalized from it and perhaps even more likely to die from it, according to a federal study released Wednesday.

If a pregnant woman is diagnosed with swine flu, antiviral drugs are recommended to protect themselves and their fetus. Some doctors are hesitant to prescribe antiviral drugs to pregnant women because of possible side effects to the fetus but Dr. Denise J. Jamieson, lead author of the study and a medical officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is urging doctors to put aside this concern for now.

Dr. Jamieson says that the benefits of the antiviral drugs outweigh the risk right now.

The CDC reported 45 deaths between April 1, 2009 and June 16, 2009. Of those deaths, 13% were pregnant women. All of those women were healthy before the swine flu infection and all developed viral pneumonia that lead to acute respiratory distress that required the use of ventilators.

This is no cause for panic but you should be aware of your body and if you do notice any symptoms of swine flu, be sure to contact your OB-GYN promptly so they can determine the best course of action. Just use common sense and try to stay away from large crowds or closed in places with large crowds.

CNN Article Source: H1N1 Virus More Severely Affects Pregnant Women

Planning For Your Baby's Arrival

Wow, this pregnancy is REALLY flying by. We are already past 20 weeks. 4 more months and our little baby girl will be here. So, I think the question is, are we ready for her? OF COURSE, I cannot wait to see her for the first time. Daddy’s little girl! But, we better get our stuff in order quickly because there is A LOT to do before she arrives. I truly didn’t realize all of the little things that need to be done. We’re lucky Wendi is a teacher and has the summer off so she can get some pregnancy things done. Nursery, clothing, strollers, car seats, breast pumps, cord blood. The list goes on and on. We also have 11 more doctors appointments in the next 4 months and that doesn’t include 2 more ultrasounds. It’s simply a lot of things going on but it’s for the best reason ever!

Seriously, Planning Before The Baby Arrives? From A True Male!

This might be tailored more for the guys that are going through pregnancy because I sure am learning a lot about what needs to be done BEFORE she arrives. Here are a couple of things that you need to be thinking about sooner than later. I’m sure Wendi will give a more complete list but these are some of the things that I was not aware of so hopefully it’ll alert you guys to take action sooner than I would have!

• Nursery furniture can take months before it arrives. We just found out that one of the cribs we like can take 14-16 weeks to arrive. That’s not to say that you can’t go out and get something today but if you are particular about style, safety, etc…it might take some time so start looking sooner than later. At least go shop around to get an idea of what you like and how long it might take.
• Will you be banking the cord blood? You say, “what’s cord blood?” Cord blood is the blood that is left over in the placenta and the umbilical cord after the birth of the baby. Cord blood contains stem cells, including hematopoietic cells that can be useful for treating hematopoeitic and genetic disorders. If you are interested in banking the cord blood, you need to have everything ready beforehand. Do your research. How much does it cost to store cord bloood What is the process? At what facility will it be stored? What paperwork needs to be done? Ask your doctor for more information.
• Register for the baby shower. Your baby’s going to need clothes, monitors, strollers, etc., correct? Better make sure you have your registry completed well before any baby shower. It might be a good idea to talk to or bring along a friend who has went through the process to help you pick things that are much needed and steer away from things that are not needed or used very often.
• Daddy boot camp. Okay…I’ll be the first to admit that I need to attend a daddy boot camp! I’ve never changed a diaper. I’m sure I could use the practice! Check local hospitals for daddy boot camps. I’ll be attending one in the next month or so! Wish me luck!
• If you have the room, start purchasing diapers a few months out. If you see that diapers are on sale, grab a pack every now and then to stock up. You can never have too many fresh diapers at hand!
• Do you have dogs? It might be a good time to start hinting to them that there is a new addition on the way. Play baby music. Let them see and sniff the baby stuff. Get obedience training if needed. Hey, maybe if your dogs are smart enough, you can train them to do a little babysitting!!!
• Decide if you will be breast feeding or not. If you are, you might want to look into breast pumps. Once again, do your research. Will you purchase one? Will you rent one? Now is the time to start looking into this.

Well, there you have a few things that you should be starting to look into. Remember, I’m a guy though so I’m probably missing another 50 things that need to be done BEFORE baby arrives. Best plan of action: create a comprehensive pregnancy to do list that has everything you need to get done before the baby arrives and put into specific categories. Check items off as you complete them.

One last tip from what I’ve heard from every parent out there…get your rest now because those days are soon OVER!

The Truth About Infertility

When some people are diagnosed with infertility, they sometimes want to block out the realities and not face the music. Infertility is nothing you with upon anyone but being infertile is not the end of the world. Know the facts. Seek professional help and move forward with the advice from a professional. Some things are just out of your control.

1. Some infertility is unexplained. You might never find out why you are infertile. It can literally drive you crazy searching for the cause of infertility when in fact there might not be a cause that is found. If your infertility is still unexplained after you have gone through all of the proper testing with a trusted fertility specialist, try to stop thinking about it. This is definitely one time in your life that you do not need added stress. Move on and see what kind of fertility treatments might be right for you.
2. You might be the reason you are infertile. It might be 100% your fault. You need to look at your past to rule out things you might have done that could cause infertility. Maybe you were careless in your younger years and had unprotected intercourse that lead to STD’s. Left untreated, STD’s can cause infertility. If this is the case, there is really no one to blame but yourself for being irresponsible. Or maybe you have abused drugs or alcohol. Drugs and alcohol are a major cause of infertility that can be prevented with a little common sense. Look to your past to see if there are things you have done to increase your chances of infertility.
3. Infertility can cause embarrassment. Infertility is not a hot topic people like to talk about, especially when it affects them. It’s common to feel embarrassed or ashamed of having fertility issues. Producing little or no sperm can be a huge hit to a guy’s ego. It was for me at first. This should not be the case as infertility is common and should not be look at as a “freakish” disease or condition. Get all the facts and get some help from a fertility specialist if you are diagnosed as being infertile. There are a lot of treatments that can help.
4. Infertility can be physically, mentally and emotionally damaging. Infertility causes stress in the toughest of individuals. It takes a toll on your body and mind like you’ve never experienced. You need to learn to cope with the stress of infertility in order to help overcome infertility. Stress only increases the severity of infertility so managing stress at this time is essential in optimizing your fertility.
5. Last but definitely not least, infertility might keep you from being able to have children. Sometimes, fertility treatments do not work. It depends on the causes of infertility and each case and individual are different. Just know, that if you are not able to have children, there are always other options such as adoption. There are many treatments available today as opposed to the past so opportunities to have children are much larger than they were in the past.

The most important thing to remember is that there are many different fertility treatments for many different causes of infertility. Make sure you seek a fertility specialist that you trust. Get references from friends. Shop around. Get the correct advice and educate yourself as much as possible about infertility and what you can do in your power to help improve your overall fertility.

72 is too old in my honest opinion!

According to Telegraph.co.uk, a 72 year old woman is going through IVF. “If she is successful with what will be her seventh course of IVF she will become the oldest mother in the world.” The woman, known as Jenny Brown, spent most of her life seeking degrees in medical sciences and zoology which left little time to start a family.

Personally, I think this is CRAZY! These are the stories that give IVF and fertility treatments a bad name and that give fertility clinics a HORRIBLE name. Best of luck Jenny Brown. I think you are in for a long road ahead!

My First Baby Girl Purchase!

In our last post, Wendi wrote that we were quite surprised when the doctor told us that we would be having a girl after they told us in the first trimester that there was a 70% chance of our baby being a boy. Even though there is a lot of room for error by trying to guess in the first trimester, we still had it embedded in our minds that we would be having a little baby boy so all of our thoughts were leaning towards having a boy, naturally.

It was quite the surprise when they did tell us we were having a girl. I know that when the doctor told us, behind the wave of happy tears from Wendi, that there was this certain glow as well! The glow was PINK, PINK, PINK!!! If you don’t know Wendi, she LOVES to shop and this is what she has been waiting for her whole life; to buy stuff for her little girl.

From a guy’s perspective, there were a ton of thoughts that hit my mind too when they told us we are having a girl. First of all I thought, “We’re having a little baby girl. I can’t wait to see her. I am going to love her SO SO much and I already do and she’s only 18 weeks old.” Second thought was, “We’re having a baby girl. She’s not dating, EVER!” Okay, maybe she can date when she’s 40 but the guy is going through the “Meet The Parents” lie detector scene. My third thought was, “We’re having a baby girl. Uh oh! I better start saving for her wedding since I know how her mother is!!!” My last thought was, “Aww…we’re having a baby girl. We couldn’t ask for more and we are SO lucky.” We truly are very lucky after battling infertility and having to go through IVF. It’s a blessing.

On to the next thing. The day we found out we are having a girl which was last Friday, I also had another milestone in my life. I picked out my first girl outfit ever! It might not be the most practical outfit, but it sure is cute and I can’t wait to see her in it. It’s the little fuzzy, pink thing at the top! Wendi, however, has lapped me and has bought roughly 8-10 outfits over the course of 3-4 days. One thing is for certain. This little girl will be well dressed!

Putting all of the material things aside, we are so excited about our news and we can’t wait until early December when we get to see her for the first time. I’m ready for a new routine that includes, late nights, early mornings, changing diapers, crying, snuggling and all of the other great things we are going to experience very soon!

Also, just because you stay away from soy products does not mean you are not eating soy. Soy can be found in many everyday foods we eat that are packaged and processed so be sure to read labels before purchasing your food. It’s also a good idea to ask waiters if the meal you are ordering at a restaurant has soy. They can usually point you in the right direction to a dish that would be better for your situation.

In the end, soy is not going to kill you but it can keep you from producing the quality and quantity of sperm you need to get your partner pregnant. Do yourself a favor an get your proteins from another source, at least while you are trying to get pregnant.