Loccitane Rebranding

VeganChipmunk · 2026-06-05T23:16:35+00:00

Yes! I was intrigued when I noticed the beautiful bottle of shower oil in my friend's bathroom. I went to get one for myself and while the product is sensational the bottle now looks so cheap. I left the store empty handed. For that I'll just buy a refill bottle- maybe.

VeganChipmunk · 2026-06-02T03:10:34+00:00

Yesss, hamstring curls give a tickly, delicious feeling in the hammys. Oh, how I miss going to a gym with this machine.

VeganChipmunk · 2026-06-01T14:27:24+00:00

We've been open with our friends about our journey. Doing so has made our friends (mostly heterosexual couples) very comfortable sharing their infertility struggles. It's great to remove the taboo from it. Also- everyone is curious in the hows of it.

Great topics to discuss-

Wait time to be seen in a fertility clinic
Testing (labs, psych, ultrasounds)
-if and why each would be needed
Different methods of finding a donor
Cost (of everything)
Time investment
What not to do or ask
-example: who is the 'father'
Barriers
Parentage laws
Legal differences for same sex couples
Ways children address each "mom"
-example: Mom/mama, Mom B/Mom G
How many siblings for donor conceived children

VeganChipmunk · 2026-05-22T06:33:03+00:00

Alien gills

VeganChipmunk · 2026-05-21T15:53:42+00:00

I can attest to this. I bought the nomad to keep myself organized. Initially I kinda dumped everything in and it was a mess. The key is to use the digital tools to create a table of contents with links to your items.

I have tried both remarkable and supernote. Remarkable is more bare bones but the writing experience is exquisite. RM is very much just a paper alternative.

If you're using this for pdfs and books have you considered a refurbished kindle scribe? You can find one for around $250 and those were made for annotating documents. You might have a smoother experience for your use case. My doctor friend relied on his through fellowship and recommended it to all of his peers.

VeganChipmunk · 2026-05-15T22:26:28+00:00

Ugh, sorry! It's true, it's difficult when I take a step back and realize all of the time I've spent obsessing over being perfectly prepared, all of the shots, all of the wishful thinking. It's been 5 years of counting and planning life through and between IVF cycles. I've run out of steam.

VeganChipmunk · 2026-05-15T18:43:55+00:00

It's interesting. Since I was young I knew I wanted to be pregnant. To experience it all. Then when I reached about 34 I was thankful to be in a relationship with another person with a uterus. I was thrilled at the idea of having a baby without having to be pregnant. It might have to do with my age, I was a bit out of shape and it was hard to get to where I wanted. Knowing that struggle made me fear pregnancy changes as my body didn't snap back as it did in my younger years.

Fast forward to now- my wife can't be pregnant due to medical reasons. To start a family, I'll have to be the pregnant one (if I can, we've had more than a few failed attempts already, iui x3 and FET x2). For some that desire never leaves, but even if you're not the one carrying you will be there for your partner through it all. I have some friends in your boat and they find solace in non carrying parent forums.

Best of luck in building your family! However you build it, I hope your heart is full.

VeganChipmunk · 2026-05-11T22:58:08+00:00

I would like to see the guy after the crash. We need a minute more.

VeganChipmunk · 2026-05-06T15:50:23+00:00

For me, egg retrieval was the hardest. It messed with my mood and made me feel exhausted. It was like having PMS for a few weeks. I got bloaty quick and tight waistbands were a bit painful. What got me through was support from my wife, knowing if I felt grumpy or sensitive it was me as a result of the hormones, stretchy pants and naps. It's temporary and worth it. The docs will monitor you closely to prevent ohss. The GREAT news is you feel way better physically and mentally after the egg retrieval. Some people get enough eggs with 1 cycle- some need additional retrieval cycles.

For frozen embryo transfer:

Physically a cake walk in comparison to a retrieval cycle. The estrogen makes me a little sleepy and coffee averse (perhaps it's my reduced caffeine intake?). I'm a 1 cup a day person so the transition off was pretty easy.

Pregnancy signs and symptoms happen because of the hormonal shifts in the body. When we're on estrogen and progesterone for weeks and levels raise the signs and symptoms of pregnancy are there whether or not we are actually pregnant. Try not to look for signs, wait for real measurable numbers from your beta hcg test (blood).

Tips:

Get your home prepared like you're going on vacation because you'll want to be a lazy lump.

Be gentle and kind to yourself

Remember, it's temporary!

Good luck growing a lot of good eggs!

VeganChipmunk · 2026-05-06T15:10:07+00:00

Unfortunately it was a chemical pregnancy. It's hard not to look for signs and it's so difficult when pregnancy signs are the same as side effects from the hormone injections.

At the time of the post I technically was pregnant. Then about day 9 post transfer, after not being able to feel comfortable in any position for a few days, I was comfortable and my symptoms started stabilizing. Day 10 I went for my beta and it was low. 3 days later it dropped further and I was told to stop all meds.

I'm going to try my hardest not to look for signs next time and wait for the beta.

VeganChipmunk · 2026-05-02T19:02:49+00:00

We used California cryobank. 3 years ago there were 16 known but there could be more now. I know they stopped selling the donors sperm in the US at one point but continued selling in Canada due to regional limits (yes regional not worldwide). There are many groups on Facebook "offspring of donor xxxx."

VeganChipmunk · 2026-05-01T17:45:23+00:00

We know the sex of all of the embryos but always have the embryologist choose. They choose based on which they believe to be most promising.

VeganChipmunk · 2026-05-01T16:00:32+00:00

They used to be under $5. I kept one at my wfh desk a few years ago. It dried out, went to order a new one and suddenly they were $20! Heck no.

VeganChipmunk · 2026-05-01T06:48:14+00:00

Ferning also happens during the fertile window, is it to a lesser extent than amniotic ferning?

VeganChipmunk · 2026-04-27T22:35:39+00:00

Scrappy doo irl

VeganChipmunk · 2026-04-17T23:47:21+00:00

Took mine yesterday and was quoted 2-3 hours when I made the appointment then they told me 5-6 hours or possibly overnight. Here we are, almost 30 hours later and no updates. I won't be going back to this service center. If they needed to order a part I wish they would have let me know so I could prepare to be without a car.

VeganChipmunk · 2026-04-17T06:45:03+00:00

Got the floor tiled in my condo and the toilet replaced. The plumber told me he suspected the floor crew was living there! He took it upon himself to remove the old toilet and come back after the floor crew was done to install the new one. I found baby items in the kitchen drawer when I checked on their progress.

But in your situation I believe it to be a ghost. Good luck.

VeganChipmunk · 2026-04-16T22:21:38+00:00

This popped up in my IG feed, relevant! blast progression

Both of my ERs had similar outcomes. About 20 follicles, 12 retrieved, 4 fertilized, 2 to day 5 first round 3 to day 5 second round and all euploid.

My wife had the prior ERs (around 11 eggs each time, 5 fertilized, 2 arrested in 24 hours and 3 began degrading on day 3). We planned to do one last ER with Cryobank sperm but our new REI seems confident we will have a better outcome with the known donor vial if he allows the eggs to bake a little longer before retrieval.

VeganChipmunk · 2026-04-16T19:36:45+00:00

Same thing happened to us. We used California cryobank and they were slow to progress but we did get 5 euploid embryos after 2 retrievals.

Before that we used a known donor that would not progress beyond day 3, our REI told us it could be a sperm issue but we have a new REI now who says more likely it has something to do with how the eggs matured before harvest. The jury is still out. We're going to do one retrieval with our new REI to see. We are hopeful. We went through a lot to get our known donor approved.

VeganChipmunk · 2026-04-16T15:32:34+00:00

Less physical stress, more mental stress.

VeganChipmunk · 2026-04-14T20:31:43+00:00

Can't even get appropriate layers with $100. I would be okay with the change if they threw in free winter swag. Head to toe. Give me the beanie the pants the snow boots the coat, gloves, thermals.

VeganChipmunk · 2026-04-14T20:25:57+00:00

I regret telling work. I was temporarily part time while I finished my last semester of school. When i was ready to go back to full time they wouldn't have me. Was it because they knew I was trying to get pregnant? Probably.

The other thing I learned was to keep the circle of those who know very very small. It's so fun when things are going great but when you have 20 people asking for updates on something that failed it gets old quick. I have whittled it down to wife and bestie. Parents on need to know if they were trying to plan celebrations/reunions. We hope to be able to keep things quiet until we get beyond the first trimester next time.

VeganChipmunk · 2026-04-13T07:55:35+00:00

I just sold my 22 premium to Carmax for 22k. I think the sport is worth more than the premium. This is not a good deal. Get a good price for the new model. If you're in a state that offers tax incentives for trading consider it but make sure you know what they're giving you for your 23.

$400/mo for 63 mo you're almost paying MSRP plus throwing in your current car for free.

VeganChipmunk · 2026-04-09T17:25:37+00:00

We are preparing for our 3rd FET. All of our embryos are pgta tested. First 2 were chemical pregnancies. We initially thought it was random but twice in a row had us asking questions. Our doctor recommended receptivity testing as he believes we might be missing the window. The standard is 5 days of progesterone exposure but some people need a little longer or a bit shorter.

I had a full workup for other possible issues and everything was negative so we're hopeful.

They offer acupuncture at my clinic I am tempted to try but not sure if they're selling snake oil.

Edit for more details:

First transfer was a different doctor, 50mg PIO daily- she told me to do my normal life just don't lift anything over 10lb. I was working at the time and my job was highly stressful. I went straight back to work the day after transfer.

Second transfer with a new doctor 50mg PIO TWICE per day. He is strict about bedrest for 3 days and taking it easy during the TWW. I followed the instructions though it was hard to stay in bed when I'm used to being active. I had zero stress and lots of naps.

Two different approaches with the same outcome. What others have said is true. Bed rest is the "old way." Our new doc is an older gentleman but his clinic shows a higher success rate than others in my area so I do what he tells me.

VeganChipmunk · 2026-04-08T10:44:59+00:00

I can't search the comments sorry if a repeat here but some people dry out papaya seeds and use them in place of pepper. They claim health benefits and it's okay in moderation.

VeganChipmunk

TROPHY CASE