Time!

Our babies are almost 6 weeks old! Time is flying by... they are getting bigger day by day (RM weighed 8 lbs 5.6 oz and RT weighed 8 lbs 11.4 oz at their 1 month appointment... their next appointment is at 2 months - they get their vaccinations then (they have had none till now))... interacting more day by day! They absolutely do not fit in to their newborn outfits or newborn diapers!

RM has his Apnea monitoring appointment this Friday (after 1 month of monitoring)... we are hoping that he doesn't really need to be monitored (at all or as much) and he can get off of it pretty soon... he is not too fond of the belt (with the monitors on it).

I also have my 6 week OB appointment this Friday. I will be getting a prescription to check my blood sugar (GD) again! We will also be discussing how we are going to manage my PCOS! Keeping it under control naturally would be the best option... if that doesn't work I might have to go back to BCP (which I am not very fond off). I guess, I am also allowed to be a normal human being after 6 weeks. Though, I still don't feel like it yet. Mostly with my bones and joints. I am so stiff and sore most of the time, that I wonder when I will feel like my normal self! I am considering getting some massage... there should be some postpartum massage?! My OB had mentioned that I was okay to drive around after my 2 week appointment. So I started driving at around 3 weeks... that was after 4 months of not driving. It felt weird... it felt like I was visiting an old place I had driven around several years ago.

I celebrated my birthday this (past) weekend... we were home with the babies... it was nice to just stay back and relax with my greatest gifts in life! That reminded me of my birthday last year... the day before (the "birthday"), my nurse had called to tell me that my 2nd IUI cycle had failed! Things have changed so much in the last 1 year! That brings me to the point as to whether we will TTC again. From what we had discussed before, I don't think we will be going that route. I do miss all the kicking and movements... the feeling that I was growing two babies in me! But, with all that I have been through (IF (IUI/IVF), Subchorionic Hematoma (@ 8w), GD (@ 14w), and Shortened Cervix, Contractions, Bedrest (@ 24w)) I was constantly on the guard and scared, I cherish this (current) phase more than anything else in life! RM & RT are our greatest blessings and we are a happy family of 4!

36 Weeks... and 7 days...!

We completed 36 weeks yesterday!!! Looking back 12w when the bedrest started... 36w seemed so distant. I counted down hours of every day at one point of time! I started calming down a little bit after crossing 30w! Every week seemed like a bonus after that. Emotional and the physical aspect of the long bedrest is beyond words. Yet, here I am at 36w1d today... just 7 days away from our scheduled c-section!

Yes, we rescheduled (from March 31, 2010) to Friday, March 26, 2010 at 37w1d! My husband and I were of the opinion that since technically 37w is full term, we would rather schedule the c-section around that time than have an emergency situation later on. Yes, things can still change anytime, but at least we will be trying our best to get to 37w! Our OB agreed with us, and after a long anxious wait today he finally called at around 0800 pm and informed that we are all set! I am technically off of bedrest as of 36w, but I am so not in a shape to move around... so I am just generally going to take it easy for the next 1 week!

NST and BPP have been going well. Though, they are starting to see some increase in fluid for the babies. It seems that in this stage of the pregnancy it is possible to see increase in fluid if the mom is diabetic. Even though I am not on any medication, I am borderline and have been monitoring my blood sugar (4 times a day) and watching my diet since week 14. So, we will be seeing how things look during Tuesday's NST and might go early if there is any drastic change!

I am just hoping and praying that everything goes well, and we have two healthy babies with us next Friday!

34 Weeks!!

34w1d today! And there is a lot to report!

I had an OB appointment on 03/03. We did the GBS test. I haven't heard back from the doc (I need to follow up), but I guess since he didn't call back it is probably negative. Cervix was still closed! I have gained close to 50 lbs (including ~5 lbs of IVF wt)!!! It is gonna be fun to go back to the pre-pregnancy weight - but I guess anything for healthy and chunky babies! My OB does not measure fundal height (for twin PG) - but we did measure this time and I was measuring 42w! We discussed about HUAM and Procardia (see below).

I stopped monitoring on the HUAM (Wednesday, 03/03 was the last day). I used it for close to 9 weeks... it probably is one of the reasons that I could stay sane through the last 2 months! It was reassuring to see that I was not contracting-away beyond the threshold, and at the same time it alerted us enough to take action when required! Though we had now reached a point were the contractions were obviously increasing (I couldn't feel most of them)... it's but natural to be contracting significantly at 34w with twins (especially since it has been going on from end of 2nd trimester). Also, after 34w typically the docs will not stop labor, so it did not make sense to continue monitoring.

I reduced the medication (Procardia) as well... from 80 mg (20 mg every 6 hrs) to 60 mg (20 mg every 8 hrs)... and I will be dropping it further (gradually), and I will be completely off of it by 36w (assuming I reach that far)!

We had a growth scan today (03/05)... everything looked good. Our little boy weighed 5 lbs 1 oz (around 56% ...up from 35th% previously) and our little girl weighed 5 lbs 8 oz (around 66%). I feel so much more relieved after reaching 34 weeks and with these weight measurements!

NST and BPP continue every week for now. We are scheduled for a c-section on Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at 37w6d! Though, my OB is thinking it is probably going to be earlier than that.

We installed the car seats today, and we will be getting them inspected tomorrow! The pediatrician that I had mentioned in my previous post... one of my friend (who gave birth recently) is going to the same ped, and she really liked the group... so that's a good thing! This weekend is going to be a major get things done weekend (of course by my parents and DH - while I lay around and give orders :P)!

22 Weeks

Well, 22w4d!

Quite a few things to update, so I am going for the bullet points...

• I had my H1N1 vaccination last Tuesday (12/08/09)... I was ready to take what was available, but fortunately they had the Thimerosal free one available, so I got that. Haven't had any side effects till now... hope it stays that way!
  
  
• Had an OB appointment last Wednesday (12/09/09 - 21W6d)... we discussed c-section again. We tentatively scheduled a c-section date for April 2 (38w1d). My OB does not like to go beyond 38w... and he seems to be highly optimistic :). As much as I want the babies to stay in there for that long, I very well know that that is an absolute best case scenario and things can change like crazy before that! I am trying to stay cautiously optimistic and positive, yet realistic!
  
  
• After the 20w scan, I will be continuing with my cervix check every 2 weeks along with growth scan every 4 weeks (at least as of now)... so the next growth scan will be on 12/24/09 (24w). OB appointments continue to be every 4 weeks as of now (next one will be 01/05/10).
  
  
• Cervix check on last Friday (12/11/09 - 22w1d) went well, I am still measuring around the same... I hope I can hold up the same way for the next several scans!
  
  
• The babies are dancing in there and I can sometimes see the whole tummy move! I might have felt the baby girl hiccup yesterday - it was a continuous rhythmic nudge on the top right side - a little too rhythmic to be kicks... though I am not very confident it was hiccups either... since I have never felt it before!
  
  
• Starting (around) 2 weeks ago, I can hear my left side groin/pelvic area "pop"... it normally happens when I have laid in one position for long. At night when I change positions or get up to pee, it is the most common. It doesn't hurt much, but it definitely makes me want to make any movements slowly. I guess it is Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD)... I didn't really mention it to my OB, but I will be bringing it up the next time I speak with him. Has anyone experienced this... what did you do to reduce it?
  
  
• I signed up for Marvelous Multiples and the Breastfeeding classes (for January) at the hospital I will be going to. I would like to take the Baby Care class as well, but that seems to be conflicting with the other classes and the next one I can go to is in late February... and I am not sure if I am really going to be super mobile at that time. I would imagine that class is going to be pretty general and the other class contents would overlap with this one to some extent... also, my mom will be with us starting Jan mid, so hopefully even if we can't make it to that class we should be okay.
  

18 Weeks

Well, actually 18w4d!!!

Had an OB appointment last week... we did the AFP testing, which came out normal. We also tested for my TSH (it has been 4 weeks since I stopped my TSH medication)... and fortunately it seems to be stable. It just went up from 0.9 to 1.3 (and not the 3+ that it was at my RE's office).

My 2nd cervix check was Friday and things seem to be stable (so far)... my cervix was measuring 3.4 (like last time)... hopefully it stays the same for weeks to come!

And then... we are barely a week away from our 20w u/s!!! I am nervous, excited and anxious at the same time! It will be one of the big u/s, and if the babies cooperate we will know the genders too! It is scheduled for Nov 25 (a day before Thanksgiving)!

14 Weeks Today!

Yesterday was my second OB appointment at 13W6D. Each passing day makes me a little bit more comfortable with the idea that I am PG... I guess I am just a worrier! Not much has happened in the last 2 weeks, though time sure is flying by!

A summary of the OB visit: NT scan results came back as 1 in 4,200… so the chances of having a baby with DS are pretty low and we won’t be testing any more. My TSH levels have dropped to 0.9 (from 3.6) and the OB decided to redo the b/w to see what is going on. If the levels are still low, I will be stopping my TSH medication (Levothyroxine) and we will be monitoring the levels. I was tested for Gestational Diabetes and am awaiting the results. I hope I don’t have to deal with GD! If the results are negative, I will be tested directly at 28 weeks.

Ultrasounds: I scheduled for the cervical check u/s! The first one will be at 16W1D and will continue thereafter through the pregnancy (every 2 weeks). I am glad that I will get to see the babies so frequently… hopefully that will reduce my anxiety! I also scheduled for our anatomy scan. We will know the sexes a day before Thanksgiving (November 25th at 19W6D)! Besides figuring out a day before the holidays, I am also hoping that I can get some good Thanksgiving deals. I am not very big on sticking to pinks and/or blue, but I would definitely like to have a tinge of it in the decor and clothing. Our spare bedroom is colored blue (by the previous owners)… we might not do anything if it is 2 boys… but it if is 2 girls or a girl/boy combination, we probably will repaint and make it neutral.

I can’t get myself to start shopping yet, but we definitely have been trying to narrow down on the items we need to get. We are planning on test driving a SUV this weekend (I am reluctant to become a minivan driving soccer mom… let’s see how far I can hold up on that! :)), so we can at least make up our mind as to what we want to get. We currently share a 2 door car and that is definitely not going to work (space + safety)… so we have to buy a car before the babies arrive. I have looked at all cars (of course online) of all shapes and sizes and prices over the last 2 years (and have probably mentally owned each one of them), but have kept on delaying on buying one… it was that one thing we wanted to wait till we figured out that we were PG.

We told a few more friends yesterday! And we also told my Grandma! She was on cloud nine after hearing the news… she told my Mom that she felt like dancing (She is almost 80 and has trouble walking!) :) I hope she gets to see her first great grand kids and can spend some memorable time with them as they grow.

An Update: OB, 12 Weeks, NT Scan…

Yes, I am 12 weeks 2 days today! Every week is a milestone and I am glad to have reached where I have! You girls have been the greatest support in the journey thus far – Thank you so much! This is going to be a pretty looong post. I haven’t quite posted much in the last 2.5 weeks and there is so much I want to say. I am going to try to keep it simple by putting up some bullet points! Here goes…


• I had my first OB appointment at 9W5D. We absolutely loved him (as mentioned before I was planning on changing my OB because my previous OB did not go to the hospital I wanted to go to… with twins, we definitely need access to a hospital with a level III NICU – I hope we never have to use it though). We spent around an hour + at the doctors office discussing our history, current status and all our options. He is very friendly, comforting, and as much as he has firm opinions about certain things, he is very open to listening to your concerns and discussing issues. I am very uncomfortable with doctors who won’t listen to you and will shove their decisions on you…. So far, I think this doctor is wonderful! My next appointment is at 13W5D.

• The doctor performed an u/s, but his machine was very old. Nevertheless, it was an u/s, we saw the babies and heard strong heartbeats! The doctor does not perform actual high def u/s at his clinic; I will be going to the hospital for u/s.

• I will be tested for gestational diabetes (GD) at my next OB appointment. My insulin has been at the higher end of normal range (PCOS!) and I was put on Metformin during the fertility treatment. Hopefully, I will pass the test. Depending upon how things go, I may be monitored more frequently.

• The OB discussed about vaginal vs. c-section deliveries for twins. Vaginal deliveries are possible for twins but things can change at last minute (as last minute as – one baby is out and the other baby moves and is in an unfavorable position). As much as I would love a natural birth, I think 95% we are going for a c-section!

• After my “scared” post – my cold lasted for around a week (reducing day by day)… I did not get any fever and the sore throat was very intermittent… fortunately, drinking warm water helped, I did not end up taking any other medications. Though, after the scare, speaking with my OB and going through several medical websites, I decided on taking the flu vaccine! And I will be getting vaccinated for H1N1 as well!

• With all the twin PG blogs I am following, most seem to have issues with their “cervix”. That is incompetent cervix is very common and most gals end up with a cerclage and bed rest. I was given an option (by the OB) to monitor the cervix every two weeks starting at 16W. I have to tell the OB if I choose to monitor - and of course my answer is yes! It also means that I will get to see the babies every two weeks starting at 16W.

• I had my NT Scan yesterday (12W1D)!!! From 9W5D to 12W1D was a very long haul! The last few days, I was very anxious and a complete nervous wreck… it was around 4 weeks since a proper u/s (last one at the RE) and I was praying hard that all readings would come out with in the normal range. But, I was a happy gal by the end of it! Things looked great, the babies measured 12W3D and 12W4D, with a heartbeat of 160 and 162. The NT measurements were below 1.4. Honestly, the technician was going so very fast that I lost track of the exact readings! The technician could not see any source of new bleeding. The babies were pretty active and we could see a few punches too! I hope the (associated) b/w results come out normal!

• I almost jumped with joy after the scan and my DH had to calm me down! We also did our first baby shopping on the same day! I have been so nervous all this while, that I needed to do something to overcome this immense fear and believe that this is really happening! We went and bought our first pair of baby clothes from Macy's. It is a Carter’s Newborn Fleece Sleeper (cute little yellow ducklings). I also shed some (happy) tears after coming home while looking at our purchase - it was just overwhelming! I am starting to e-window shop for all the stuff that I would like to buy/have. I hope I am not starting to get over confident!

• We informed both sets of parents at around 6W. They are very excited! A few of my very close friends know about the PG, but we are still tight lipped over all! We will be telling a few more friends in the next couple of weeks, but overall… we are going to keep it undercover for as long as we can. I am not sure how to handle the congratulations and the PG talks! This still feels surreal and I still feel like anything can happen any time!

• I feel fat (5 lbs IVF + 7 lbs PG = 12 lbs)! But, after looking at all the other preggo (singleton/twin) bellies (around 12 weeks), I think I am starting to accept the fact that what I am seeing is not just fat - it’s a bump! :) We still haven’t taken any belly shots yet! (Though, I did mentioned to my DH that we should probably start taking belly shots and he was like "Baileys Shot?!" ...Men!) Staying undercover might not work for very long! But we will see!

• I realized that I haven't mentioned anything about my symptoms till now! I haven't thrown up even once! I have had intermittent nausea... but nothing extra ordinary! Though, I just can not stand any kind of meat! I am trying to load up on protein through milk, eggs and nuts! I am constantly hungry... I gained 7 lbs in the begining, but in the last 3 weeks, no matter how much I eat... I don't seem to put on any weight! Not gaining weight has never been an issue for me! :P I am constantly thirsty and consume any where between 3-5L of water in 24 hours! Out of which approx 2L is consumed at night (during the 3-5 pee breaks I have to get up for)! People talk about PG glow, I think I am going to be one of those who get "acne". Acne has been a problem for me (thanks to PCOS) previously, and it just doesn't seem to subside!

Spotting and Graduation Update

Just an update…

After the event last weekend, there has been no major bleeding so far (and I hope it stays that way)… though I have had some brown spotting (and I guess brown is not as bad as red!) The more active I am, the more the spotting, so I am trying to rest as much as possible. Thank you for all your comments and information!!

I had an u/s on Friday, September 04, 2009 at 8W1D. The babies measured on target and the heartbeats were in 160’s! I spoke to my RE about the bleeding and he didn’t seem (much) worried since the babies were doing fine. He said it (subchorionic bleeding) is common and normally doesn’t cause any major issues with the pregnancy. So I am trying to trust him, just like I have so far. And I guess I didn’t mention this earlier but September 01, 2009 was my last day of PIO and my progesterone still looked good on the Friday b/w… so that is good to know!

Friday was also my last day at the RE’s! I have officially graduated to an OB. My first OB appointment is September 15… and I am very anxious with this whole waiting period! I feel like if something were to happen I have nowhere to go. On the other hand, the last day at the RE was bitter sweet! I hope I never ever have to go back to them (cause I WANT to be blessed with healthy twins 7 months from now)... but they helped us achieve something we couldn’t do on our own and I can’t thank them enough! This is a milestone amongst the several milestones we need to cross in the next 6-7 months! (Note: If you live in the northeast/tri-state area and are looking for a good IF clinic, I would definitely (highly) recommend the one I have been too... drop me an email (listed on the sidebar) for more details!)

Labor Day weekend is a staycation for us and I am enjoying chilling out at home and hanging out with friends. I can’t believe summer is over! Time sure does fly!

Two Heartbeats!!

2 Heartbeats at 6W1D!!
Beta at 29DPO (24DP5DT) is 37,553
TSH is 3.6 (up from 1.9 during diagnostic in 2008)
Progesterone is > 40
PIO to be reduced to 0.5 ml (from 1 ml)

Sorry, I have been MIA! I have been so freakin’ nervous and scared the past whole week… all this seems surreal, too good to be true! There is a long way to go and there is a lot that can happen in the interim, but for now… this is real! For now, I have been super tired, feel a little dazed at times, am always hungry (I snack in the middle of the night as well once in a while), have gaged a couple of times (no major nausea as of now), get headaches once in a while!

Yesterday, I had some spotting, and that scared the shit out of me! Not very much, just a little bit when I wiped (sorry, TMI)… but I was a super nervous wreck since then till we saw the heartbeats this morning! I probably slept for 4-5 hours last night!

When we went in this morning, it was one of the RE’s I had during the ER. He is new to the clinic but he is super cute! :) Pretty friendly and open for discussions. As soon as I saw him, I mentioned about the spotting. He said it is normal but we will take a look. As soon as the wand went in, we saw the first sac! Beautiful… there was a heartbeat (Baby A)! The embryo measured on track! Then we started looking for the second one… the second sac is located a little higher up in the uterus and was a little hard to get to today (my bladder was full, and I am not sure if that had anything to do with the visualization of my uterus and ovaries*). At first the RE thought that the sac was empty, he said it looked a little collapsed (vanishing twin)… I was a little disappointed. But then he decided to look at again and there it was. Second beautiful heartbeat (Baby B)! So, yes… we still have two in there and I hope it stays that way. We love our babies! On a side note, my ovaries are shrinking back to “normal”… they were still pretty big last week… and as usual my right ovary* was hard to get to!

The call from my nurse about the b/w results didn’t come in till very late. I was still a nervous wreck… hoping that the HCG was looking okay and the spotting was not going to cause any issues! Finally the call came and I was at peace. The nurse said everything looked fine and spotting is more common with twins. However, she mentioned that my Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) levels have gone up! They like to see TSH value to be less than 2.5 during pregnancy (non pregnant women normal is less than 4.5) and mine had gone up to 3.6 (it was 1.9 during diagnostic less than a year ago). I am going to have to start some medication (Levothyroxine). So ladies… has anyone been through this situation? Is it normal for the TSH to go up during pregnancy and have you gotten onto any kind of TSH medication? Any remarks/comments about this will be greatly appreciated!

I am also being weaned off of PIO. The dosage is getting reduced to half. I was advised to make an appointment with my OB. As mentioned before, I am trying to change my OB… so I called this new OB, but it was too late in the day to speak with anyone, so I left a message and I am hoping to get through by Monday. I am supposed to make an appointment with in 3 weeks from today. I am just hoping that I can make an appointment with this new OB (and not have to start all over again the process of short listing). He was recommended by my clinic, has good reviews, is associated with the hospital (which has a good NICU) I want to go to and is also the husband of one the RE’s at my clinic... in the interim, I go back in for my next u/s and b/w on Friday, August 28, 2009.

And now… the Babies…

The annual visit...

After debating whether I should go to my old OBGYN (I am looking at changing my OBGYN... for details see this post). I caved in and just decided to get it done with – that is my pap and the yearly visit! And so, I just got done with it this morning. I am sorry, I have been in a super bitchy mood over the last 3 days and this post is not going to be very jolly!

My visit started off with almost getting hit by a couple of cars in my rear. Reason - This dumb (probably preggo) women not knowing how to back up a freakin huge SUV from the small parking lot. I was held up in the middle of a very busy 4 lane road because of her and was praying that I didn’t have to deal with some car bumping in to me since I was unexpectedly (completely) stopped in the middle of the road.

After parking the car I marched in hoping not to see any bellies. Fortunately, there were only 2 MEN there. One was snoring away to glory and the other was waiting to speak with the receptionist. The women I could hear inside was supposedly 40+ and excited about how she weighed less today than when she was a teenager! I was very happy for her (cause I didn’t have to deal with hearing some preggo lady). This doctor’s office is completely covered with pictures of babies he has delivered and the happy families he has created. He has tons of albums of these folks as well. For the last 3 years I have enjoyed looking at them and dreaming! Today, I was too busy playing a game on my phone, I didn’t want to look up!

Finally I got called in. I didn’t want to get weighed. I know what my weight is, but I hate to be reminded of how I have yo-yo’ed with all these medication. Next came the pee cup. I didn’t need another reminder that I was not pregnant a year after my last visit (which consisted of a beta test, cause I was sure I was preggers and the darn pee stick didn’t want to recognize it… fun-fun)! The nurse also had to ask me and reconfirm that I was there for just an annual checkup! So finally I went in to the examination room... was hoping that the doctor would arrive right away so I could get out of this place. The doctor came and asked me “What’s new?”… my answer: “Nothing and everything”. That is I am not pregnant right now… I have had 3 IUI’s so far, the last one resulted in to a chemical pregnancy at 5 weeks and I am currently on an IVF cycle! As he was doing his deeds, he started telling me stories of how some of his other patients have been directed towards an IVF and turned out pregnant right before the IVF cycle. I didn’t want to hear stories (I had started tearing up already) and I wanted to get out of there ASAP! I had to tell him that unless my chemical pregnancy has made this miraculous change to my “system”, I am probably not ovulating (on my own)… and also I am on BCP… so it’s highly unlikely. He is a very sweet old guy and I know he was trying to help me… but I was in no mood to be given false hopes. On top of it as I said, my goal was to see no pregnant bellies, and no baby and happy family pictures… so that meant I had to get out of their as quickly as I possibly could. I would say I was pretty successful, I just saw one (not so pregnant) belly in the passing. Was such a relief to get out of there!

May be I just made a big deal out of it! Though, I did reconfirm myself that I am very happy to see other slightly pregnant bellies at my RE, because that’s a positive reinforcement that it can happen… and I know those ladies have struggled… and they deserve it! It’s sad that I have developed this phobia for non-IF pregnant bellies… I hope this anxiety easies (I know it will never completely disappear) as I move along in life (hopefully with a kid or two). I am glad I don’t have to deal with this kind of a visit for another year… I will know my pap went well (hopefully) and I can go on with my IVF!

IVF - Cycle # 1 ...and more

Thanks to my Grandma’s visit… I have been busy with her and relatively sane post the end of my slightly P cycle! However, I have been miserable in the evenings (at times). I have felt lost and lonely… insecure and scared… feelings I can’t really define! Honestly, the low HCG kinda helped… cause it did not get me too excited… I was more cautious. In one of my insanity spells, it just occurred to me that if there is nothing to lose (as of now) then there is nothing I can lose… sounds stupid I know, but it made me feel a little better.

My AF started middle of last week… that was a relief… that I could move on – specially to the next step (IVF). During AF I noticed a few clots and I couldn’t let go of them (sorry, TMI)… it seemed like they would be a part of this baby in some form or the other! I just calculated the due date and it would have been Feb 7, 2010… I had dared not to calculate it all this while!

Anyways, I went in for b/w over the weekend and I have now officially started my IVF cycle… yay!!! :) I started my BCPs and my IVF schedule has arrived in my inbox! The schedule as of now is:

* 6/13/09 – Start BCP
* 7/2/09 – Start Lupron (20 units)
* 7/6/09 – Stop BCP (may or may not get a period)
* 7/13/09 – First b/w & u/s, Start Follistim (300 IU) and continue with Lupron (10 units), DH starts Doxycycline
* 7/16/09 – Second b/w and u/s (medication could change post 7/16)
* Possible retrieval (ER) 7/23 – 7/25 (Ovidrel to trigger, Doxycycline & Medrol start on the day of retrieval, PIO starts the day after retrieval)
* Possible transfer (ET) 7/26 – 7/30

I have my annual gynaec visit scheduled for 7/21. My (IF) nurse wants me to reschedule it since it will be so close to the IVF (ER/ET)… also I will probably not be my own self (physically) during this phase (for pelvic and bre.ast examination). Now there is a catch here… I am trying to change my OBGYN! The one I go to (as I mentioned before), I dearly love… though I am not very comfy with the hospital he is associated with… so if/when I get pregnant I want to change my OBGYN! I have kinda figured out which OBGYN I would like to go to… but getting an appointment with him is a pain in the rear! I can’t get one prior to 7/13… and it seems that it’s okay to have a pap smear et. al. once you are pregnant. Though, I would just like to get it out of the way and know that everything is okay before I deal with the IVF. I might just schedule an appointment with my old OBGYN!