How far we have travelled in 12 months

I've just been reading my blog for exactly 1 year ago. On Oct 4th last year, I was getting ready to do my trigger injection for our first IVF cycle. I'ts the cycle where E3 was conceived.

I titled this blog 'Down the yellow brick IVF road' and what a long way down it we now are. Its just so wonderful that we got this far. Its not over yet until E3 is born, but we are so close now.

All those months of apprehension, excitement and sadness of the IVF process have definitely been worth it. My heart goes out to those who are still going through IVF and I just wish there was a way for everyone to succeed.

I know we have been incredibly lucky that this process worked for us and I still remember the dark days when we were contemplating never being parents. And now we talk about what life will be like with E3.

We wonder every day what he/she will be like - what physical characteristics of each of us it will have, how intelligent, what kind of personality, what will it do when it grows up?

I'm happy to have made it through the past week. It was a tough one, with no outings. For me at the moment, that's only drs appointments, which I sadly look forward to very much. That's what my life has been reduced to.

I did get a friend to give me a massage mid-week so I would have some company and that was lovely. I felt like a bit of a fraud though because I just don't have any aches and pains that would normally be the problem at this stage. One of the few benefits of languishing on the couch prison.

LH worked very long hours this week, getting home after midnight on at least two nights, so they were very long, lonely days.

Now its the weekend, and the best bit is that Monday is a public holiday, so LH is with me for three whole days - lovely! I had forgotten about it because I'm out of the working rat race now and these things don't have the same significance anymore.

So next week will be good for me I think. Monday, LH will be here, Tuesday evening, we go to the caesarian information evening at the hospital and Wednesday I've got appointments with the obstetrician and endocrinologist, so hopefully the week will fly by.

The only worrying thing with my health this week was that last night I woke up with what felt distinctly like a cramp. It was low down and like a period cramp but not very painful at all and it didn't last long. I know this could be a sign of labour coming on soon but I will just have to see if I get any more. I haven't felt anything at all since then and my tummy feels nice and soft and I can't feel any pain at all today, so hopefully it was nothing to worry about.

My bump is definitely starting to head south and I feel that it is much heavier now too. My weight doesn't seem to be changing at the moment. The endocrinologist told me I could expect this but the baby will keep growing regardless. I can't wait to see E3 on ultrasound again just to be reassured that he/she is still growing.

I'm confident he is doing well because he is kicking and squirming around a lot at the moment. I just wish he would stay away from punching me around the bladder and cervix area. I'd much rather be kicked in the ribs - it might hurt a bit but its much less worrying.