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Wednesday, August 28, 2013

11 weeks and all is well :)

Today I had another ultrasound. Both the babies are measuring as they should (4.5 and 4.1 cms). They are very active: turning around, moving their hands and feet, covering their ear with hand and ........ everything which I saw today still appears unbelievable ! I was lying down looking at them; tears flowing down my cheeks; and I was overwhelmed with so many different thoughts. I was thinking of my dad; my IVF attempts and the miscarriage I underwent; Mumbai trips; suggestion from my RE in Germany to use heparin (I didn't even take baby aspirin this time around !); the HLA matching tests and the stupid therapy I underwent for that; the fear I had to endure; the determination I had; and now some beautiful ultrasounds ! Everything appears surreal.
 
I already have a small bump. Nausea and vomitting is still there and I feel very tired. Please excuse me for not updating my blog as I used to !
 
What more to say - thank you so much everyone for all the love and prayers !

25 comments:

  1. So so so happy for you dear Manju. I have prayed even for you on this auspicious day of Krishna Jayanthi. Take care.

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  2. Awwww...i am all teared up reading it!!! The fate bitch cannot stop your happiness this time manju! Enjoy the remaining days.

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  3. Awwww....i am all teared up reading this! The 'fate bitch' is not going to win this time coz it is stopped by all our prayers for you and ur little ones this time! Enjoy the remaining days of ur pregnancy.

    - S

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  4. This is so good news .. very happy for you .. now be on cloud 9 and enjoy every minute of this divine feeling dear.

    Love,Anu

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  5. Dear friends,

    Thank you so much ! S, you have rightly said - I believe so too. Only the prayers from all my well-wishers created a belt of positive energy around my little ones and protecting them.

    Manju

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  6. Great news! So excited for you and looking forward to your updates!

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  7. I'm so happy for you! You deserve it!

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  8. So very happy for you Manju!! it sure feels surreal! :)

    Enjoy every bit of the pregnancy. I am thinking and praying for the well-being of you and your little ones.

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  9. Ohh wonderful....god is great! :) now i wish its a boy girl pair :)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks ! But I don't really care, let my babies be of any sex...even intersex.....they are my babies :)

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  10. so happy for you my sis. Take care!

    Lot of love and hugs. ^_^

    Le

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  11. Hi manju
    Today is my et. Any tips ...I m very nervous...

    Anu

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    Replies
    1. Dear Anu,

      During ET stay relaxed. Ask your husband to be nearby you. Doctors have done lots of ETs and they know what they do, so do not panic about what is going on down :) It might be little painful if they have to use the speculum, but it won't harm anything. A slight bleeding is also normal in some cases after ET. What I want to say is, many women, after ET keep on worrying whether their embryo was transferred to their uterus properly, this kills the joy of 2ww !So do not panic and believe whole-heartedly all is well.

      2ww is nerve-wracking but do not make it much more difficult by becoming paranoid. Nothing you do will harm the little embies that are within the uterus. Just relax, do not lie dowm in bed all the time, take it easy and try to divert your attention by doing what you enjoy most.

      You will be in my thoughts and prayers and thank you so much for all your love and kindness. You will never know how much it helped us. Take Care and write to me if you need someone to talk to during 2ww.

      Lots of love,
      Manju

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  12. Hi manju


    Thanks for your encouraging words. Et went smoothly. Can you please tell me lying in which position maximises blood flow to uterus. Did u eat pineapple as they say it enhances implantation chances. Pl tell me what to do to make it successful as I already have had three failed attempts. Pl pl share with me. .....

    Regards
    Anu

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    Replies
    1. Nothing Anu, there is nothing we can do after the ET inorder to make it successful. I didn't eat pineapple but if you feel it could help you eat it, any fruit is good but in limited amounts. Sleep in whetever position you like-they say sleeping on your left side increases blood flow to the uterus but lying on the left side all the time will bring you body pains :) I just took 5 mg folic acid, estrogen and progesterone as prescribed by the Dr and I took 500 mg metformin (for my insulin resistance !)

      The only secret to success is to be strong and happy ! My prayers are with you.

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  13. My doc asked me not to eat raw pineapple and raw papaya... i guess papaya contains papain and pineapple has bromelain - these enzymes are proteolytic... so if you really want to eat papaya or pineapple, make sure the fruit isn't raw and have it in moderation...

    Good luck!
    Mom of a three year old born through IVF and currently expecting (through IVF) again.

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    Replies
    1. Dear Commenter,

      Thanks for the input ! But I need to add some info here:

      It is very true that papaya and pineapple contain proteolytic enzymes, namely, papain and bromelain. Bromelain is available in tablet form in Germany (purified). People here use it for its anti-inflammatory properties and it is touted to have blood thinning properties just like baby aspirin. The highest concentration of bromelain is present in pineapple's core region.Does taking bromelain help with iimplantation-no ! Neither does eating pineapple. Pineapple is good to eat because it has lots of fiber and is tasty. Too much of pineapple (good thing) is bad because it is a fruit which is high in sugar. Eating more of it will not cause any harm to embryos or will bring on your periods.

      The papaya story is interesting. This a fruit which is rich in nutrients but has earned a very bad reputation as far as pregnancy is concerned. My mom-in-law warns me everytime to keep myself away from it! Consuming proteolytic enzyme like papain will not cause m/c. Our stomach is obviously full of much stronger proteolytic enzymes without which digestion cannot take place ! Papain is a mild proteolytic enzyme and you can be aware that it is used to tenderize meat before cooking. The milk oozing out from raw papaya skin has the highest concentration of papain and this white liquid makes the meat softer. Then how come papaya earn such a bad name ?

      In olden days, inorder to induce abortion some uneducated village mid-wives used to apply the liquid oozing out from papaya skin to the cervix of women who go to them for abortion. This softens the cervix so that they can insert the instrument ( in most cases a stick) to induce abortion. It sounds cruel isn't it ?

      This is the reason why papaya became a no, no in pregnancy :( I love it but my DH is paranoid and will never allow me to eat it :)

      This is the story behind the fruits and I hope it is interesting. Ingesting any amount of proteolytic enzyme from any fruit is harmless to the embryo. The only good side effect is better digestion perhaps ! :)

      Manju

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    2. Hi,
      I personally dont know much abt this....but here's a reference that seems controversial.

      Br J Nutr. 2002 Aug;88(2):199-203.
      Papaya (Carica papaya) consumption is unsafe in pregnancy: fact or fable? Scientific evaluation of a common belief in some parts of Asia using a rat model.
      Adebiyi A, Adaikan PG, Prasad RN.
      Source
      Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, National University of Singapore, 10 Kent Ridge Crescent, Singapore 119260.
      Abstract
      Using controlled in vivo and in vitro pharmacological methods, we evaluated the safety of papaya (Carica papaya) consumption in pregnancy with reference to its common avoidance during pregnancy in some parts of Asia. Ripe papaya (Carica papaya L. (Caricaecae) blend (500 ml/l water) was freely given to four groups of Sprague-Dawley rats at different stages of gestation (days 1-5, 6-11, 12-17 and 1-20). The control group received water. The effect of ripe papaya juice and crude papaya latex on pregnant and non-pregnant rats' uteri was also evaluated using standard isolated-organ-bath methods. The daily volumes (ml) of ripe papaya blend consumed by the treated group were significantly (P<0.05) more than water consumed by the control (control 40.3 (sd 11.6) v. treated 64 (sd 19.0)). There was no significant difference in the number of implantation sites and viable fetuses in the rats given ripe papaya relative to the control. No sign of fetal or maternal toxicity was observed in all the groups. In the in vitro study, ripe papaya juice (0.1-0.8 ml) did not show any significant contractile effect on uterine smooth muscles isolated from pregnant and non-pregnant rats; conversely, crude papaya latex (0.1-3.2 mg/ml) induced spasmodic contraction of the uterine muscles similar to oxytocin (1-64 mU/ml) and prostaglandin F(2 alpha) (0.028-1.81 microm). The response of the isolated rat uterine smooth muscles to 0.2 mg crude papaya latex/ml was comparable to 0.23 microm prostaglandin F(2 alpha) and 32 mU oxytocin/ml. In the 18-19 d pregnant rat uterus, the contractile effect of crude papaya latex was characterized by tetanic spasms. The results of the present study suggest that normal consumption of ripe papaya during pregnancy may not pose any significant danger. However, the unripe or semi-ripe papaya (which contains high concentration of the latex that produces marked uterine contractions) could be unsafe in pregnancy. Though evaluation of potentially toxic agents often relies on animal experimental results to predict risk in man, further studies will be necessary to ascertain the ultimate risk of unripe papaya-semi-ripe papaya consumption during pregnancy in man.

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    3. Thank you for the knowledge you have shared ! :) I was not aware of such studies. I stand corrected :) I didn't know that papaya latex have uterine contractive properties.

      But even then, I will not still say, consuming raw papaya can cause uterine contraction in humans leading to failed implantation or pregnancy. Every scientific study must be evaluated with our own commonsense and the results must be taken with a pinch of salt. If you clearly analyze the results they obtained, you can see what kind of flaws are there in such experiments and why it cannot be applied to humans.

      On the other hand, after a long struggle we achieve a pregnancy and we spend a lot for IVF too. So, naturally, it makes lots of sense not to eat raw papaya :)

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    4. Absolutely. I agree. For every paper that proposes one idea, there'll be another paper that says just the opposite :) And one really needs to spend time evaluating data before reaching any conclusion.

      The way I see it, there's no harm eating anything in moderation...

      Good luck and take care!

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    5. True, moderation is the key :) Not only in eating but everything else in life :)

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  14. Dearest Manju,
    I have been a sporadic reader of your blog but today when catching up i saw the good news i just had to stop and comment.
    I too have a darling son through ivf. By now you must be close to the 2nd trimester, so look forward to a more relaxed period in your pregnancy.....and make the most of it till the future rulers of your life emerge :)
    Manju you are a woman of great grit and determination as well as compassion. Your letter to B really moved me to tears. What you said is true that reproductive fertility is not a virtue it is made out to be, good parenting is.
    I can confidently say that your two bundles of joy are blessed to have you as their mom. You are going to be an exemplary mother and raise two wonderful strong intelligent and compassionate human beings :)
    All the very best..... And i will keep you and the little munchkins in my heart and prayers
    Ps

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    Replies
    1. Dear Ps,

      I am so overwhelmed by your kind and soothing words. Thank you so much for your kindness and the time you took to leave this comment. It helped me a lot ! I don't know whether I am worth your appreciation, but I will strive hard to be a good mom :)

      Thanks a lot for the prayers and lots of love to your son !

      Love,
      Manju

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  15. Hi Manju!

    I just came across your blog and I have to say it is the best! One of your posts was featured on a list of a BabyCenter forum member about AMH. I'll be doing my first IVF in Oct. We thought we were dealing with MFI, which still may be the case, but now my AMH has been tested for the first time and it's LOW! I've been reading all sorts of things about this journey I'm about to embark on and have been getting more and more freaked out the more stuff I read. After finally stumbling to your blog I feel a lot less stressed. I'm going to be reading lots more. You have a very realistic, refreshing and honest approach in all the information you give in your blog posts. I've learned a lot. Thank you so much for sharing your info and journey! I am so happy you're doing so well too! Can't wait to hear more updates on your growing babies!

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    1. Dear Cris,

      Welcome and thank you so much for all the kind and encouraging words !

      I wish you lots of good luck, keep me informed too about your IVF. If you need any info on IVF please do write to me. I will be happy to help as far as my knowledge allows.

      Manju

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Please do write to me! It makes me happy :)

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