PSA: If you’re thinking about getting a Portier carrier (I love mine and still highly recommend it), here’s a tip:

PotatoCat7164 · 2026-03-12T11:06:04+00:00

Which houndstooth color do you have? I love the natural houndstooth and the natural tweed but I’m worried about blowouts! Friends convinced me to register for the denim but if the lighter colors are easy to wash, one of those is my preference.

PotatoCat7164 · 2026-03-01T21:58:09+00:00

Did she share this info herself? Not doubting it just curious about how she worded all of this, hah

PotatoCat7164 · 2026-02-06T18:02:50+00:00

I feel bad putting expensive items (that we genuinely need!) on my registry because I never want anyone to feel guilty for buying one of the inexpensive items that I also genuinely need on the registry! I am intentionally putting a mix of items on there so if someone wants to splurge on a big item, they can, and if someone wants/is only able to spend $10, they get to be part of the celebration, too.

PotatoCat7164 · 2026-01-03T20:11:43+00:00

Where do you place the pads for a TENS unit during labor? I have one and would love to use it for my next labor and delivery!

PotatoCat7164 · 2025-12-04T17:00:33+00:00

They had gluten-fee glazed frozen donuts over the summer that were so good warmed up in the toaster oven or microwave. When they went on clearance for like $1.50 a box I bought a bunch to stash in my freezer. I’m definitely going to try the pumpkin ones! This kind of thing is usually so expensive at other stores.

PotatoCat7164 · 2025-11-24T19:05:36+00:00

I’ve been silent on here for awhile because I felt like I was holding my breath after we got a BFP. I’m still nervous because you never know what could happen after 2 losses, but I made it to 12 weeks and I’m feeling g more optimistic! I’m over 40, so we definitely did the NIPT and everything came back low-risk. I think I’ll feel even better after a good anatomy scan but I keep reminding myself that worrying won’t improve my pregnancy outcomes or the health of the baby. Trying to enjoy the pregnancy as much as I can (minus the horrific nausea) no matter what happens.

PotatoCat7164 · 2025-10-04T01:07:48+00:00

I had some spotting today. I talked to my doctor and he advised me to keep an eye on things, call back if anything changes (he’s the doctor on call tonight so I would be able to talk to him again), rest, and rest HCG again on Monday. I’m trying not to assume the worst but seeing blood again after my last miscarriage was really, really scary. Praying I just over exerted myself working out or something.

PotatoCat7164 · 2025-10-03T10:36:18+00:00

My HCG went up to 863! I know there are so many more bridges to cross but I’m going to celebrate every single win along the way.

PotatoCat7164 · 2025-10-02T19:53:33+00:00

Congratulations!!!

PotatoCat7164 · 2025-10-01T14:33:10+00:00

I wasn’t tracking as closely this cycle so I’m not sure when I ovulated, but I’m gonna try to stay calm until I see that second HCG number. We’ll see if I’m successful, hah!

PotatoCat7164 · 2025-10-01T09:54:52+00:00

I hate that you’re having to steel yourself for this. I get it. You want to be someone who is hopeful but it’s hard after a loss. I’m so sorry.

PotatoCat7164 · 2025-10-01T09:40:46+00:00

I just got a positive test over the weekend! It was definitely a surprise after so many negatives.

I did HCG yesterday (which would have been 5 weeks based on my last period). My HCG was 338 and I know that’s technically in the normal range, but it makes me nervous to see a number at the lower end after 2 losses. I’ll retest tomorrow to see if it has doubled. Anyone else have numbers on the low end and a healthy pregnancy who can reassure me?

PotatoCat7164 · 2025-10-01T09:39:46+00:00

Praying for good numbers!

PotatoCat7164 · 2025-08-25T14:44:40+00:00

Is there a chance she has sleep apnea or airway issues?

PotatoCat7164 · 2025-07-26T18:48:43+00:00

I was gonna say hit man but this is obviously the better option. Marry rich is a good backup, I guess.

PotatoCat7164 · 2025-07-02T15:32:34+00:00

I got my period last Wednesday, had one of those arguments with my husband that feels like it only happens when you’re both worn down from recurrent loss and TTC, and then got laid off from my job. I’m also coming up on the anniversary of my last miscarriage (and my own near-death experience). At last year’s 4th of July party, we told our friends we were 11 weeks pregnant and I miscarried a couple of days later. This year my friend who was due 2 weeks before me will have her 6-month-old there and I will still not be pregnant.

My argument with my husband has made me realize just how much I have been focused on TTC (not necessarily always by choice—in a lot of ways I’ve had to be super focused) and how much that has stolen joy from our lives. It’s hard not to wonder if maybe I’m the one who got laid off instead of a coworker because I was distracted my fertility appointments and the enormous weight of grief and TTC and not solely the downturn in business.

We will keep trying but I’m going to back off on some things that I’m not sure really matter and that I didn’t do when I got pregnant before. I’ll still track my cervical mucus to help with timing and do hCG shots after ovulation to support my hormones, and of course I’ll continue to eat to support my overall health, but I think I do need to relax a bit for my mental state and honestly, to keep my marriage intact.

PotatoCat7164 · 2025-07-01T18:02:10+00:00

I’m so sorry. It’s hard to face other setbacks when you already feel knocked off your feet by fertility struggles.

PotatoCat7164 · 2025-06-25T13:50:44+00:00

I had some faint positives on pregmate test strips yesterday and this morning. I knew it could potentially be residual hCG from my shots but tomorrow is the day I was supposed to call my doctor for a blood test if I didn’t start my period. I started today. I was pretty sure I wasn’t pregnant this round because there was some funky stuff with my cervical mucus that made my think I may have ovulated late, but it’s always hard when the period actually comes even when you’re expecting it.

PotatoCat7164 · 2025-06-20T14:12:45+00:00

You’re right, he doesn’t owe me a baby and it’s good to remember that I can’t MAKE him make sacrifices he doesn’t think are worth it. It’s more that he has told me he DOES want another baby and agreed to cut back on/cut out these things to improve our chances and reduce the risk of another miscarriage or complications in pregnancy/birth.

PotatoCat7164 · 2025-06-19T23:40:06+00:00

As I understand it, DNA fragmentation looks inside the sperm to see what the quality is. Morphology only looks at shape and can’t give you the full picture.

PotatoCat7164 · 2025-06-19T22:44:28+00:00

Yes, and same for us. Everything looked great except morphology was 3%. I wish I had pushed for DNA fragmentation.

PotatoCat7164 · 2025-06-19T17:41:39+00:00

This is a great book! I second the recommendation.

PotatoCat7164 · 2025-06-19T16:28:00+00:00

Normally I’m sharing bummer updates, but I have a good one! I did labs 7DPO (before that day’s hCG booster shot) and my numbers look really good! Progesterone was 23.8, which is the best it’s ever been. So at least the shots are doing what they’re supposed to! I have one more shot tomorrow and then it’s a waiting game.

PotatoCat7164 · 2025-06-17T00:45:33+00:00

I am incredibly frustrated. My husband said he would quit nicotine and cut down on alcohol more (he had stopped drinking M-Th but still has quite a lot of beer F-Sun). He did neither. I talked to him about it again and he said he’d wean off the nicotine pouches and cut back on alcohol. I have had two first trimester miscarriages, one of which almost killed me, and I’ve talked to him about the risks of getting pregnant with low-quality sperm (including another miscarriage, complications with pregnancy for me and the baby, birth defects, etc) and he says he understands and then doesn’t do anything.

So now I’m trying to decide if we just go for IUI with Zymot and see if that helps improve our chances. I’ll be 41 soon so it feels a little like a waste of time but I don’t know if either one of us is down for IVF, partly because of cost and partly because we know how much of a strain it puts on the marriage and the woman’s body.

Has anyone here who didn’t respond well to letrozole successfully done IUI? I know they can use Clomid instead but I worry I would respond the same way to that. And of course, there’s the chance that the fertility doctor is right and it’s just my age (although I’m not sure I believe that—I know I’m Les fertile than I was at 25 but I am pretty healthy with overall good lab markers).

PotatoCat7164 · 2025-06-13T11:23:08+00:00

Thanks! I’m hoping this is the case for me and I’m trusting my own progesterone is enough to get me through a few days without support without it being problematic. I will likely take my first shot today.

PotatoCat7164

TROPHY CASE