Tuesday, May 31, 2011

This one goes out to the one(s) I love

Let's take a moment to be brutally honest: there are some things about trying to have a baby that concern me. In fact, if I thought about it for too long, I am sure the list would be daunting. But I'll keep it to superficial things right now ... and no, that does NOT have anything to do with gaining weight, stretch marks or anything like that. In fact, I look forward to having a valid excuse for all of those other than the truth which is, I'm very out of shape.

I'm talking about things I would have to give up for at least the nine months of pregnancy: caffeine probably being number one, followed closely by alcohol and third place being pills. I am neither an alcoholic nor a pill-popper but I do like having drinks with my friends whenever the mood strikes (and since we're being honest, the mood strikes most every weekend) and I have become accustomed to advil for aches and pains, unisom for sleepless nights and pretty much every medication on the market for upset tummies.

And caffeine, well, I have a nasty soda habit that I have tried (and failed) to break for years. Oh yes, and sushi. My ideal Friday night consists of sushi and wine. Sigh. However, despite all of that, if it were for the greater good, which it would be, I can adapt. I certainly wouldn't be the first woman to give up some of her faves in order to have a healthy baby.

Maybe I'll be one of those pregnant ladies who craves fruit and veggies? Ha ha ha ha ha ha. OK, I just came back to reality. Pass the pickles and ice cream.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

TCB ... or TTC*

So, we have actually been "not preventing" pregnancy for a couple of years. I went off birth control back in early 2009 and at that point we agreed that whatever happened would be okay, but we weren't actively trying to make a baby. It is just recently that we have flipped that switch to ACTIVE. And I'm an inpatient kind of girl.

That being said, we're giving it a couple of months on the ovulation timing method but I have already scheduled an appointment with a reproductive specialist for July. Why? Because I feel as if the deck is stacked against us from the beginning. I have always had a sneaking suspicion that it could be difficult for me to conceive. That theory is based solely on a diagnosed tilted uterus and a family history of fertility issues.

More than that, I have a history of abnormal paps and in 2008 I found out that I had cancerous cells on my cervix. They had to be surgically removed and at this time I am all clear. However, I am well aware that they could rear their ugly little cancerous heads again at any time. Now, that doesn't necessarily relate to any potential problems getting pregnant, but it does put us on a timeline. Every time I get a normal pap, I feel like we only have the one year until my next one to get a bun in the oven. Because, if those suckers come back, it will likely lead to a hysterectomy. I'm by no means an anatomy expert, but I'm pretty sure that would make having a baby a moot point.

My next check-up is scheduled for October, so I want to go ahead and find out if we have any other issues working against us and if so, devise a plan of attack. Even though J and I haven't been what is considered "actively trying" for all that long, I'm hoping the fact that I have been off birth control for so long without any luck, in combination with my other issues will prove to the doctor that further testing is needed. We shall see.

We still have June to see if anything happens naturally ... oh, and following Murphy's Law, we just booked a trip to Vegas with our friends for the end of July. That means fun fueled by alcohol, which of course means I'll get pregnant beforehand and have to be the sober one. But, if it takes a dry trip to Vegas to finally make this happen, I'll happily sip my water with lemon.


* I promise not to use a lot of the jargon found on pregnancy/infertility sites (TTC = trying to conceive). But t worked for the title this time, so deal!

Friday, May 27, 2011

Preamble

This August J and I will have been married for five years, something that seems like an admirable milestone in this unfortunate age of couples who are quick to divorce. I know there have been times we have been super frustrated with one another, but just like they say: we are stronger for it. Another milestone in our relationship is that we are finally both on the same page about starting a family.

If you know me at all, you know that I have been ready since day one. However, like many men, J had to come to it on his own terms and part of that meant selling our condo in Virginia. Well, that 1300 sq. ft burden was gloriously lifted from our shoulders the end of February. I also can't help but wonder that J realized he's not getting any younger and the longer we wait, the older he'll be (and feel) as a parent.

As a lapsed writer, I plan on getting back into the swing of things by documenting our journey;  from trying to conceive to the day we can only hope will have us holding our own little pink, smooshy-faced bundle of joy. Although I will attempt to be graceful in my words, my guess is that some of the posts could lean toward the TMI category. If that's not your kind of thing, I'm going to suggest you read no further. Otherwise, we (meaning I) invite you to join us on this adventure!