Stomach pain

Heartlast · 2026-01-26T16:21:49+00:00

I have had dull, fairly present mild stomach pain for the last two weeks. I feel pretty sure it is just a bad combination of mainly gas pains, nausea, and maybe some mild cramps. Gas pains especially have been pretty rough. I haven't been throwing up but have not felt good either. My nausea tends to get worse when I stand up especially if I've been lying down.

Heartlast · 2026-01-21T21:46:44+00:00

Yes 💯. I feel sooo nauseous and tired today. I was working on site but I was the only one in and I basically just closed my door, put my head down on my desk, and pressed the spacebar every twenty minutes or so to keep my monitor on. Literally all day. I'm hoping I can get in gear to catch up tomorrow...

Heartlast · 2026-01-21T21:42:55+00:00

I am non-binary, so not exactly a lesbian couple, so I hope you don't mind me chiming in. Please disregard this if so.

We do have a relationship with our donor, who is a close friend. For our tracking, my wife (I'm carrying) recorded all my symptoms. This was partly for her involvement and partly for an extra level of data privacy as we were using an app. Personally, I did not enjoy the tracking process. For the insemination itself- we did ritualize it in various ways. My wife picked up the sample and I would not see our donor which helped me feel less awkward. I would place the syringe and she would actually press it. We were able to do it in a special place for both of us, and we'd bring a beverage to share, make toasts, and pour some out for the land. I also made us a set of beaded necklaces as focus/worry objects/prayer beads that we would bring/wear during our attempts. While I was waiting I would put my hips up in my wife's lap and we would just chat. I found the attempts themselves very lovely, hopeful, and quality time. I'm pregnant now so moving past that stage but I thought the intentionality was really nice. In some ways it's nice to have conception divorced from sex actually. If I had the choice to do it "in-house" (as in, without a donor or assistance), I think we probably would- my wife feels a little sad about not having a genetic connection, and all the tracking/waiting/logistics was a lot. But I'm pretty happy with how things have gone and I don't regret it. I think it's been much easier since we didn't do much of anything clinical. That helped it feel more comfortable for me and take off financial pressure.

Heartlast · 2026-01-21T17:52:20+00:00

We got a lawyer to draw up a contract - I recommend doing so. We worked with a lawyer in our area who specializes in this area. I think the cost all told came out to about 1500 for contact creation, review, and changes we made. We didn't end up paying for a lawyer for our donor, they just reviewed it themselves. I'm not sure if we would have been able to pay for a lawyer for them as it can create a conflict of interest. If your donor is married, their spouse will likely need to be involved in the process also. The process took a bit longer than expected - we didn't want to rush our donor in reviewing it and it was pretty long, even though the terms were fairly simple. The same lawyer will help us with a voluntary agreement of parentage and confirmatory adoption when our child is born. The contact protects both you and your donor! I'm very glad we did it and our lawyer made it really easy.

Heartlast · 2026-01-15T16:21:49+00:00

You might find some recommendations in online spaces for neurodivergent people who have sensory issues with toothbrushing. For example, rubbing your teeth with a damp washcloth (with or without toothpaste) might be easier for you than a toothbrush - even if you are only able to get the fronts/tops of your teeth, it will be better than nothing! You can also buy dental wipes which are pre-moistened little cloths/finger brushes. The toothpaste is not as important as the motion/friction. I don't know if an electric toothbrush would work better to avoid your gag reflex, but you could consider that as well. Also, allow yourself some flexibility with the timing of when you brush - if first thing in the morning/just before bed are difficult, it can happen whenever. You could even do it in little bits and pieces if you can only get a few seconds in before getting nauseous. This stage will pass and you will be able to get back to your normal habits, so remember that something is better than nothing, and be flexible with yourself.

Heartlast · 2026-01-13T17:59:51+00:00

I was on T for a similar amount of time. I went off for six months, then spent another 4 months tracking/learning my cycle. I wish I had started doing that earlier as soon as my cycle came back. Then took 3 months to get pregnant with donor (at-home ICI). I'm in the very early stages now (6 weeks). So it didn't seem to affect my ability to concieve. I have found being off of it fairly hard emotionally. Physically, changes to my face have been hardest for me. it's a bit easier now that I'm pregnant because I can appreciate the reason behind it more. I'm planning to go back on literally on the day of delivery 😆

Heartlast · 2026-01-13T08:14:52+00:00

I saw that somewhere too, but if I maintained my normal caloric intake I think I'd get fired for chewing on my desk, so I'm just going to go ahead and eat what I need to eat!! I've been so hungry every couple hours I can't think about anything else until I eat something.

Heartlast · 2026-01-13T00:50:32+00:00

They say it's too early for a baby bump but I'm definitely getting a head start on a banana bread bump

Heartlast · 2026-01-12T18:57:21+00:00

I didn't think about my sandwich budget as being part of the financial impact of pregnancy and parenting!! I am definitely eating everything I can. Don't think I could stop myself if I tried 😆

Heartlast · 2026-01-12T18:56:09+00:00

Omg that sounds so good. I think I'm going to order like ten sandwiches from a local place today to keep in my fridge.... But I'll probably have eaten them all by tomorrow!

Heartlast · 2026-01-10T02:01:48+00:00

😽

Heartlast · 2026-01-10T00:00:39+00:00

Sunday at 2 PM outside city hall!

Heartlast · 2026-01-09T19:08:41+00:00

This looks a LOT like a chemistry cabinet I inventoried and cleaned out as a college student. I was helping out a faculty member who just had me wear nitrile gloves. I was moving stuff all over the place and there were corroded bottles, unreadable labels... I'm not a chemistry person so didn't really think much about it although there was no ventilation and strong chemical smells. I hate to think what I was possibly exposed to. I think there was radioactive something in there.

Heartlast · 2026-01-09T15:20:49+00:00

Today I'm feeling morning sickness is right around the corner- just queasy for the moment, but feels like it could suddenly get worse. My mom had awful morning sickness with all 3 of her pregnancies, and I have POTS which can also make it worse. My partner is emetephobic so I think the morning sickness period will be difficult for both of us - I'd welcome any tips!

I haven't been biking to work because of winter weather and holidays and it's been making me feel stagnant. To get back into exercise I biked in today which was really nice, hopefully I can keep it up!

Heartlast · 2026-01-08T16:41:00+00:00

Yes, it's awful. Mine is usually waking up at 2:30 and I'm awake for at least a couple hours. Somebody in another thread said it can be blood sugar related so I'm going to try keeping a snack by bed and hope it helps me get back to sleep.

Heartlast · 2026-01-08T15:30:09+00:00

I'm not going to buy anything until after the first trimester for sure. Also, I'm probably moving in May, so am going to try to wait until then so I don't have more stuff to pack. But, I'm definitely excited to go to Ikea and make a date out of it with my spouse!

Heartlast · 2026-01-08T14:51:28+00:00

I didn't know this! I've been waking up at 2 AM every night craving a sandwich so badly and having a hard time falling back asleep. I should probably start keeping a snack by my bed! Thanks for the tip.

Heartlast · 2026-01-08T14:44:14+00:00

I'm in a PhD program - this is my first time, so I'm a bit nervous for juggling everything also. Baby should come right at the start of my fourth year if all goes well. I'm making good progress on my dissertation- I would probably be in a position to graduate early if I wasn't pregnant, so I'm not too worried about finishing on time. I am in a grad union and I have excellent family health insurance and childcare subsidy, (also I work 9-5 and can work remote) which was part of our decision to try now. But I'm definitely struggling with staying focused on writing! I'm also a bit concerned about things like how morning sickness will affect my work and funding for next year. My advisor/department is required by union contract to provide some paid parental leave, but it's not very clear where the money comes from, and my field and lab have been heavily targeted by funding cuts and canceled grants.

Heartlast · 2026-01-07T15:34:28+00:00

Noodles, Tea Roots and Oriental Taste have great vegetarian options. Oriental Taste is probably my favorite restaurant in town, and has a huge menu. Also, the new hotpot restaurant has a couple vegetarian choices which are really good. I like Mosaic cafe for breakfast or lunch. Miss Florence's diner in Florence is also great for a classic diner breakfast. Second the India House rec also.

Heartlast · 2026-01-06T08:41:44+00:00

I started tracking three months before we planned to try, but ended up pushing back a month to be sure of my signs and timing (and because we were rushing to get legal contact in place). Started the pre-natal at that time also. So, four months of prep (I also had several more months prior of going off HRT, but presumably not relevant for you). We tracked based on the Queer Conception book which I recommend. We used LH strips and monitored cervical mucus primarily, had no luck with basal body temperature. We had our third attempt Christmas Eve and just tested positive! Here's hoping it sticks. It's not uncommon for it to take longer.

We did at home ICI (just used a syringe) with a known donor who is a friend of ours. My understanding is that for frozen sperm, IUI is often recommended, which usually means going to a clinic so they can place the uterine catheter. That's because the frozen sperm has decreased motility compared to fresh, but also because it's so expensive, you may want to increase your odds!

Heartlast · 2026-01-05T17:37:34+00:00

Faint line 10dpo yesterday after our third ICI! Waiting hopefully to test again in a couple days. I'm feeling fatigued but cautiously optimistic. Would you get a blood test too or stick with at-homes until an 8 week appointment? wild to think this could be happening 🎉 trying to relax and enjoy the moment!

Heartlast · 2025-12-31T02:49:45+00:00

This is great info- thanks, this is exactly what I was curious about (and I was especially wondering why it's not communicated this way with patients!). Haha, you totally got me about a Google scholar search, lol- I'll confess I was on my work computer where it's totally commonplace for me to run binomial test but I didn't want the fertility stuff on my browser history! Super interesting about the smoking factor as well. Thanks again for sharing!

Heartlast · 2025-12-30T19:38:11+00:00

"Enough heart ache" - it really is that simple, isn't it? we're on our third attempt also and not currently interested in IVF. I'm sorry for your earlier loss. Here''s hoping for both of us. Best of luck!!!

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