Today Obama was inaugurated as our 44th president! What a historical day! I couldn't help wish I was in DC today as I watched the events unfold on tv. Obama's speech was incredibly moving and I finally feel optimistic about the future of the USA.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Obama's Inauguration
By Emily
Today Obama was inaugurated as our 44th president! What a historical day! I couldn't help wish I was in DC today as I watched the events unfold on tv. Obama's speech was incredibly moving and I finally feel optimistic about the future of the USA.
Today Obama was inaugurated as our 44th president! What a historical day! I couldn't help wish I was in DC today as I watched the events unfold on tv. Obama's speech was incredibly moving and I finally feel optimistic about the future of the USA.
Geboortecentrum
By Emily
A week from today we have our first midwife appointment!! Our ex neighbors and friends recommended a place called the Geboortecentrum (Birth Center). It's a less than 10 min bike ride from our home! The area is called the Birth Street because there is a baby store, toy store, birth course center, birth center and more - all in a super cute Amsterdam neighborhood. I'm really looking forward to our appointment, we'll be talking with our midwife for about an hour and I hope we get an ultrasound so we can see our little wazzberry! (BTW, our term wazz comes from combining parts of our lasts names.) I'm curious also about learning more personally about Dutch midwives and having a baby in the Netherlands. I have a feeling our experience here is going to spoil us should we ever have a baby in the USA!
A week from today we have our first midwife appointment!! Our ex neighbors and friends recommended a place called the Geboortecentrum (Birth Center). It's a less than 10 min bike ride from our home! The area is called the Birth Street because there is a baby store, toy store, birth course center, birth center and more - all in a super cute Amsterdam neighborhood. I'm really looking forward to our appointment, we'll be talking with our midwife for about an hour and I hope we get an ultrasound so we can see our little wazzberry! (BTW, our term wazz comes from combining parts of our lasts names.) I'm curious also about learning more personally about Dutch midwives and having a baby in the Netherlands. I have a feeling our experience here is going to spoil us should we ever have a baby in the USA!
BFP
By Emily
Here are some photos of our Big Fat Positive.
Verification on Dutch digital HPT a few days later!
Here are some photos of our Big Fat Positive.
Verification on Dutch digital HPT a few days later!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
How we made our baby
December 11, 2008 was the big day!
Our huisarts' (GP) office.
We were surprised to see the size of the "dry shipper"! The tank is refrigerated with liquid nitrogen and surrounded by spongy material to prevent spillage.
The donor straw is held in a tube which is clipped to a metal support rod. The tube facilitates removing the straw from the 10 kilo tank. It was freezing!!
Here is the straw with our donor sperm! We could not believe such a small amount of sperm could make a baby!
Swim spermies swim!!
And that is how we made our baby on the Bloemgracht!!
Our huisarts' (GP) office.
We were surprised to see the size of the "dry shipper"! The tank is refrigerated with liquid nitrogen and surrounded by spongy material to prevent spillage.
The donor straw is held in a tube which is clipped to a metal support rod. The tube facilitates removing the straw from the 10 kilo tank. It was freezing!!
Here is the straw with our donor sperm! We could not believe such a small amount of sperm could make a baby!
Swim spermies swim!!
And that is how we made our baby on the Bloemgracht!!
emotions!
Today, according to how doctors calculate timings and due dates, I am at SIX weeks and ONE day into our pregnancy. Although, if we are going to be technical, the reality is that we inseminated on Thursday 11 December 2008 which truly makes today exactly FOUR weeks since the 11th! But who’s counting? Ok, ok, everybody is counting since exam and sonogram dates need to be scheduled not to mention the count down for my first sip of beeeeer ;) seriously, I’m not really that desperate for it – but isn’t it human nature to just always yearn for the things which are forbidden?!
I’ve been sitting here thinking of all the different emotions I’ve felt since the insemination, the positive test results and just knowing (or not knowing as the case may be) of what the future holds!
Some of the emotions I’ve felt (in no particular order):
• Excited – we’re going to have a family – holy sh*t !!!!!
• Anxious – Am I going to be a good parent? Will we be able to provide for the baby and ourselves sufficiently?!
• Curious – How much is this going to change everything?!
• Disbelief – it only hits me in waves that we are going to have a family – it still doesn’t seem real!
• Gratitude – thankful for Emily's love. I know I will continue learn a lot from her.
• Homesick – I realize more and more I want to be closer to our families and close friends as Em and I go through this wonderful event together! We want to share this with everyone
• Wonder – what a miracle this truly is!
• Nervous – but in a good way!
• Happy – Em and I are going to have a family together !! starting a family with the one I love feels great!!
My plan is took look into the midwife thing today! Or at least start it out. It isn’t until around the 10th week that we actually go in for any tests/sonogram with the midwife. Until then I just need to stay healthy, monitor and listen to my body!
I’ve been sitting here thinking of all the different emotions I’ve felt since the insemination, the positive test results and just knowing (or not knowing as the case may be) of what the future holds!
Some of the emotions I’ve felt (in no particular order):
• Excited – we’re going to have a family – holy sh*t !!!!!
• Anxious – Am I going to be a good parent? Will we be able to provide for the baby and ourselves sufficiently?!
• Curious – How much is this going to change everything?!
• Disbelief – it only hits me in waves that we are going to have a family – it still doesn’t seem real!
• Gratitude – thankful for Emily's love. I know I will continue learn a lot from her.
• Homesick – I realize more and more I want to be closer to our families and close friends as Em and I go through this wonderful event together! We want to share this with everyone
• Wonder – what a miracle this truly is!
• Nervous – but in a good way!
• Happy – Em and I are going to have a family together !! starting a family with the one I love feels great!!
My plan is took look into the midwife thing today! Or at least start it out. It isn’t until around the 10th week that we actually go in for any tests/sonogram with the midwife. Until then I just need to stay healthy, monitor and listen to my body!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
huisarts...
Today Em and I went to our Huisarts (GP) to tell her the good news and to confirm that there is in fact a little bud developing in my belly!
We pretty much expected Dr H to be happily bewildered that the insemination worked; we sure as hell were!
Initially Dr H’s intern saw us first. She was shocked to hear that I am preggers; apparently Dr H relayed the insemination process to her and therefore likely expressed the slight chance of this actually working. I mentioned that I took five pregnancy test – all of which proclaimed a Big Fat Positive – but we set up the appt to confirm the pregnancy with a blood test cuz that's what they do in the US. Even if I took 100 tests in the US and knew in my heart that I’m pregnant they’d still require and order a blood test to confirm. Well, we def are not in Kansas anymore… but honestly the practicality of the Dutch medical system makes sense to me, at least in this case. Five positive tests, period is 10 days late, my boobs are tender (and bigger) and my skin is changing – this should understandably be evidence enough – which it is here in NL.
The intern said we just need to call up a midwife and let them know I’m preggers and let them do their thing. The intern asked a few questions and took out her little dial chart which calculated my due date to be Sept 3 2009! I also got a little Dutch booklet entitled “Zwanger”. Yep, I’m zwanger! I still can’t believe it!!!!!!!
Finally, Dr H appeared in the room and I just held up the booklet and her eyes widened with mouth agape… and then… “NEEEE!!!”….
She couldn’t believe it!! She was utterly surprised! Dr H recalled the “struggle” to get the darn sperm out of the straw and the difficult attempts to get the sperm as close to the cervix as possible. This definitely was not an easy process when you 1) have a doctor who hadn’t really done this before and 2) do not have the right insemination equipment on-hand. It was truly a miracle it worked. period. Or in my case, no period.
Then Dr H went on to tell us that while she was inseminating she concluded I was at the most fertile phase; I won’t go into detail here about how she concluded this but let’s just say two of the five senses were at play here.
So, I apparently cannot/should not have vitamin A as this may cause birth defects. I cannot/should not eat raw/undercooked meats or unpasteurized cheese. If I eat seafood it must be fresh – not because of birth defects but just because it can make me sick. I must continue taking my folic acid. Dr H said I am “not eating for two”. I was bummed about that because it’s such a great excuse to pig out and order three desserts. Oh well. I’m still gonna use that excuse…. Shhh.
Now onto the midwife search! I’d preferably like a midwife that subscribes to the theory that beer drinking is good for pregnancy. However, I think this will unlikely happen and I will have to wait at least another 30-35 weeks before my hands caress and lips touch the full bodied glass of the luscious liquid love of my life...
well, on that note, I am hoping and praying for a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby - once we get passed the first trimester we will start telling people the happy news! keep your fingers crossed for us!
j.
We pretty much expected Dr H to be happily bewildered that the insemination worked; we sure as hell were!
Initially Dr H’s intern saw us first. She was shocked to hear that I am preggers; apparently Dr H relayed the insemination process to her and therefore likely expressed the slight chance of this actually working. I mentioned that I took five pregnancy test – all of which proclaimed a Big Fat Positive – but we set up the appt to confirm the pregnancy with a blood test cuz that's what they do in the US. Even if I took 100 tests in the US and knew in my heart that I’m pregnant they’d still require and order a blood test to confirm. Well, we def are not in Kansas anymore… but honestly the practicality of the Dutch medical system makes sense to me, at least in this case. Five positive tests, period is 10 days late, my boobs are tender (and bigger) and my skin is changing – this should understandably be evidence enough – which it is here in NL.
The intern said we just need to call up a midwife and let them know I’m preggers and let them do their thing. The intern asked a few questions and took out her little dial chart which calculated my due date to be Sept 3 2009! I also got a little Dutch booklet entitled “Zwanger”. Yep, I’m zwanger! I still can’t believe it!!!!!!!
Finally, Dr H appeared in the room and I just held up the booklet and her eyes widened with mouth agape… and then… “NEEEE!!!”….
She couldn’t believe it!! She was utterly surprised! Dr H recalled the “struggle” to get the darn sperm out of the straw and the difficult attempts to get the sperm as close to the cervix as possible. This definitely was not an easy process when you 1) have a doctor who hadn’t really done this before and 2) do not have the right insemination equipment on-hand. It was truly a miracle it worked. period. Or in my case, no period.
Then Dr H went on to tell us that while she was inseminating she concluded I was at the most fertile phase; I won’t go into detail here about how she concluded this but let’s just say two of the five senses were at play here.
So, I apparently cannot/should not have vitamin A as this may cause birth defects. I cannot/should not eat raw/undercooked meats or unpasteurized cheese. If I eat seafood it must be fresh – not because of birth defects but just because it can make me sick. I must continue taking my folic acid. Dr H said I am “not eating for two”. I was bummed about that because it’s such a great excuse to pig out and order three desserts. Oh well. I’m still gonna use that excuse…. Shhh.
Now onto the midwife search! I’d preferably like a midwife that subscribes to the theory that beer drinking is good for pregnancy. However, I think this will unlikely happen and I will have to wait at least another 30-35 weeks before my hands caress and lips touch the full bodied glass of the luscious liquid love of my life...
well, on that note, I am hoping and praying for a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby - once we get passed the first trimester we will start telling people the happy news! keep your fingers crossed for us!
j.
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