Before Baby Archives - Fit Bottomed Girls

Understand How IVF Works in Less Than 2 Minutes

Jenn — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 11:00:02 +0000

The first time I entered into a fertility clinic I remember feeling scared, nervous, excited and — honestly — confused. Things were pretty rushed. We didn’t get a lot of time with the doctor and everything was just so … cookie cutter. We were just another couple going through the treatment process. We had done some research before we went in, but — looking back — I wish we had done more on our own up front so that we had a better idea of what to expect and how to better advocate for what we truly wanted. I also…

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5 Easy Ways to Save Money When TTC

Jenn — Tue, 09 Jan 2018 12:00:08 +0000

Fertility treatments are expensive. And usually not covered by insurance. Which sucks. Really sucks. But that’s for another post. Because this post is all about how you can actually save some money when TTC. Because you know what? The last thing you need when trying to get pregnant is added financial stress, right? Right. 5 Easy Ways to Save Money When TTC 1. Consider other options for testing. The first thing a fertility clinic will typically want to do is bloodwork to see what your hormones, ovarian reserves and a number of other factors are. Sometimes health insurance will cover…

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Infertility: The Second Time Around

Jenn — Tue, 19 Sep 2017 11:00:33 +0000

Infertility sucks. That’s an obvious. And the second time you’re going through fertility issues after having a child … it still sucks. Not in the same gut-wrenching ways you experienced the first time because you’re seasoned (and have a child to be VERY grateful for), but it hurts in a different way. In a way that you would wish would just go away — you’d magically get pregnant like so many of those last-chance miracles you read about … or you’d simply just settle down and be happy with one child. That’s how it is for me at least. It…

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Pregnancy After a Loss

Julie — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 11:00:01 +0000

A few weeks ago I had my 16-week check up with my OB. Yay, a baby! We also learned through the genetic screening at 12 weeks that it’s a girl! This pregnancy has really been textbook. The home pregnancy test was positive right on schedule according to the box; my seven-week ultrasound and first visit with the doctor showed a beautiful, flickering heartbeat, and the fatigue and nausea hit full force shortly after. I followed along on my pregnancy app from a sesame seed to a lima bean and so on. But it was just a few days before my…

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Is This the Fitbit for Fertility?

Jenn — Thu, 03 Aug 2017 11:00:32 +0000

If you’ve ever had trouble getting pregnant and resorted to taking your basal temperature every morning and/or checking your lady bits for anything of the eggwhite variety and/or peeing on OPK sticks (hand raised high), you know that while it’s not rocket science to do and track, it’s not exactly fun. In fact, for me, it was stressful. And I spent a lot of time worrying about how the glass of red wine I had the night before impacted my temp or how getting up an hour earlier than normal for a workout or a flight messed up my chart. And,…

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The Woman (and Inspiring Story) Behind The Stork Bag

Jenn — Thu, 25 May 2017 11:00:33 +0000

When you’re pregnant for the first time, you really have no idea what you’re in for. Even if you’re read the books and talked to friends, it’s just different when you’re there. Same goes for when you first come home with baby. Motherhood is a learn-on-the-job kinda gig. But, wouldn’t it have been SWELL to have a bag of goodies sent to you to help you specifically get through each trimester of pregnancy and those early postpartum months? I know I would have loved that! And that’s exactly why Erika N. Perry founded The Stork Bag — the first reusable OB-GYN approved pregnancy subscription bag…

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When You’re a Grieving Mom on Mother’s Day

Julie — Wed, 10 May 2017 11:00:19 +0000

When you’re a grieving mom, celebrations of any kind feel a little less celebratory. Especially when you’re a grieving mom on Mother’s Day. I know that in some ways, I am one of the lucky ones. I had very little trouble conceiving both of my pregnancies. When 1 in 8 women struggle with infertility and 1 in 5 pregnancies end in miscarriage, I understood that I was a lucky one. The pain and heartache these mothers feel on Mother’s Day must be immense. And for those who have gone on to have successful pregnancies, the pain is not forgotten, but…

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Infertility Sucks: A Guide to Getting Through It

Jenn — Mon, 24 Apr 2017 11:00:25 +0000

It’s Infertility Awareness Week, and fertility issues are something that we’ve discussed on Fit Bottomed Mamas quite a bit. I’ve struggled with it and almost all of our writers have been touched by it personally or by friends in one way or another. And the statistics on infertility rates support that — the CDC says that 15 percent of all couples in America are affected. It doesn’t discriminate based on race, religion, sexuality or economic status. And, honestly, it sucks. There’s simply no way of getting around that. BUT! We’ve found that because it affects so many, it also means that…

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3 Fertility Tips You Haven’t Already Heard

Jenn — Tue, 18 Oct 2016 11:00:59 +0000

I’m more than six months into the whole TTC-baby-no.-2 thing. And as much I was hoping and praying and wishing that conceiving again wouldn’t require reproductive specialists’ offices and weekly acupuncture visits and Googling pregnancy symptoms endlessly and being sad when you have to bust out the tampons or menstrual cup, that is not my current reality. Which has led to … feelings. Feelings I’ve had before and am experiencing again. via GIPHY But, unlike the three years it took to conceive my daughter, this time I may have similar feelings, but I also have experience and — from being on…

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Taking the Two-Week Wait Challenge

Jenn — Thu, 11 Aug 2016 11:00:35 +0000

When you’re trying to conceive, the two-week wait can be brutal. Brutal. And I would know — I had three years of ’em. Whether you’re trying the old-fashioned way or are using science or other means to up your odds, getting from ovulation to that magical time when you can pee on a stick can seem like an eternity of back-to-back moments of “what if?” “I wonder” and “Oh, just try not to think about it …” (Yeah, right!). Which is exactly why Lindsay Fischer decided to create her book The Two Week Wait Challenge: A Sassy’s Girl’s Guide to Surviving the…

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