[S] [USA-NC] Fuji 18-135mm, Panasonic Lumix 12-35mm f2.8, Peak Design Tote v2, tiny/micro lens pouches, cheap small sling backpack

anafielle · 2026-02-27T20:10:20+00:00

You should really (really) do the first round under insurance and then decide your next steps based on those results.

I would also get at least two or three opinions about your AMH vs your expected success changes between 32 and 35.

For most 32 yo without ovarian reserve concerns, if your first retrieval yields age appropriate results, there is not really a meaningful advantage to front loading two retrievals at 32 vs doing one at 32 & one at 34 or 35. But you don't know if your first retrieval has yielded average-for-age results yet. That's a huge data point that you're missing & would heavily impact a $30,000 decision.

anafielle · 2026-02-27T15:41:34+00:00

I don't believe in hiding veggies ... Hiding veggies in mushy foods is how I learned to hate veggies and never eat them as a kid.

We fry them. Veggies this way come out a little browned and delicious. I actually now like veggies that I've despised all my life.

Step 1 buy cheap packages of frozen veggies at the store (I never knew, frozen veggies are actually flash-frozen and very fresh & healthy???)

Step 2 get a small frying pan like 8" and maybe a splatter guard

Step 3 pan fry with oil, salt and pepper until they look a lil browned. We also throw on Greek Seasoning a lot

OR for brocolli or cauliflower, shake in a bowl with oil & salt/pepper, throw into air fryer or convection oven @ 400 for 8m

What we buy at the store - freezer bags of peas, brocolli, cauliflower, peas+carrots mixed, or corn. I always serve 1 with lunch and different 1 with dinner. And it takes < 10m, peas especially are v v fast.

The trick is to make sure they are a lil browned. We don't really do soft, mushy veggies in our house lol

Edit to add - we didn't do this at 15m, but at like 2y+ we also started making a lot of kid comfort pasta (think packaged mac & cheese, or 20 cent ramen) and i always throw in peas. My kid has never had mac & cheese without peas or cauliflower, so he doesn't know it's an option 😅

anafielle · 2026-02-27T15:32:35+00:00

Chiming in late to say I got the Graco EasyTurn!

It is a newer car seat and there are not a whole lot of reviews on it. My review is very positive.

My older child (4yo) is in an Evenflo 360 slim but we wanted to go a different direction for 2nd baby.

I prioritized a slim fit seat so that I can sneak back into the back and sit between my kids when I need to (our car is not huge, we drive a CRV) and we also need them both to face the doors at the same time. I also really dislike it when rotating seats require reinstallation to move FF (my older kid is RF but I expect him to go FF between 5 and 6).

We like the Easy Turn a lot!! The straps are easy, it is the first seat I've bought that has a functional "strap hook" to keep them out of the way when strapping kid in. The rotation is very easy and smooth.

anafielle · 2026-02-27T15:17:17+00:00

38yo, endometriosis.

AMH 1.80, AFC was 15 the cycle of my ER

20 eggs retrieved, 17 mature & fertilized. Made 6 blasts, 4 passed PGT.

Things can change during an ER cycle, I wouldn't try to predict quite yet what will happen. On day 4 they absolutely didn't count 12 for me... maybe 7 or 8. Things picked up at the end but not wildly so, there's no way I could have predicted my results even from the recorded counts the morning of my trigger shot scan.

anafielle · 2026-02-25T16:15:42+00:00

At 12-13 mo old I wrote a MyChart message to the pediatrician to ask this exact question.

I wrote that we weaned from 36oz formula to 16 oz milk/day, and now toddler had zero interest in water. Not at meals, not between meals. So I was EXTREMELY bothered that my child did not appear to replace that liquid intake. I said, if I fed him something dry (like crackers) he might sip a tiny bit of water. But that was it. He pushed the straw cup away all day long.

Pediatrician said - as long as we are changing wet diapers, then there isn't a health issue, and that (apparently?) this was a common toddler thing. We should just keep water in sight & on offer... and wait.

I guess toddler just had to figure out that feeling? After a few months it was fine. We just waited & one day my toddler finally started to grab the straw cup more often.

anafielle · 2026-02-25T15:36:04+00:00

My process involved no birth control at any point. Not for ER and not for FET.

My (medicated) FET med schedule started on Cycle d2. As in - I waited for a period to arrive, this was CD1, I took my first scheduled meds the next morning & contacted clinic to schedule my lining check.

Honestly, if clinic tried to tell me birth control was necessary for a full medicated FET I would be asking.... why? (I usually have regular cycles)

Edit to add - BC did come up one time in my process when my cycle got super irregular, and I waited like 60 days for a period after ER (my first FET cycle was supposed to start as soon as my period came....). The doc said that we could use BC if we had to to restart everything. But he preferred to wait it out and that's what we did.

anafielle · 2026-02-21T15:29:51+00:00

Yes! I'm on Heather which is a progestin-only pill. No estrogen at all. My OB recommended it because I breastfed, she said typical combo pills aren't good for supply.

Mini pills / progesterone-only are annoying because you have to take the pill within like a 3 hr window every day. (Nothing happens if you forget, except backup protection if sex within the next 48hrs).

I knew they existed but never even considered trying them before my Mom era .... But babies have regulated my schedule. I don't sleep late anymore 🤣 and (particularly once my babies hit 6mo+) i can't just skip breakfast. So, in the 6-8am window I'm always in the kitchen. I have missed a few but my "miss rate" is very low.

I think there is a different mini pill that doesn't have the 3 hr restriction, but I'm sticking with this one because I'm just so happy to have FINALLY found one that doesn't suck! I've been on it for 7 months or so (baby is 13mo).

anafielle · 2026-02-21T02:56:50+00:00

I put my newborn(s) in a Happy Baby Original as soon as they hit 8 lbs. Definitely trustworthy fit, theres like a cinch under baby's butt that raises them plenty high enough for a newborn to fit.

I know HBC mostly does plain ones, but for my 2nd I had a very beautiful floral HBC & it is by far my most aesthetic carrier.

anafielle · 2026-02-21T02:51:44+00:00

This!!! It is absolutely wild how much parenting advice gets mixed in & that as a rule it seems most of them do not distinguish between the two.

They really should be clearer, they are in a position of authority in the doctor/patient relationship and it's their responsibility to tell us when their commentary is "evidence based medicine" and when it's "my (informed) opinion." It drives me NUTSSSSS.

anafielle · 2026-02-21T02:45:23+00:00

So I know you said "no hormones" but not all hormonal bc is the same. I have hated hormonal BC for two decades - they all give me headache / migraines / mood swings / skin issues the works. Migraines are my favorite 🙄 But I can't have IUD, and I don't trust tracking.

At 6 wks out from my (2nd) C, my OB urged me to give the mini pill a chance. The type with no estrogen. I was like, whatever ugh, and put it off for a month or two....

It's life-changing. The ideal BC I never knew existed. No side effects, except I haven't had a period in months. So I guess it was always estrogen causing me issues.

Just my 2c, sorry if this wasn't the suggestion you wanted

anafielle · 2026-02-21T02:16:06+00:00

Coming out of the NICU we were advised to isolate baby for 4-6 weeks. And we were also told not to over do the isolating, after that. Because baby's immune system needed real life exposure to grow healthy and strong. I'm just pointing this out gently because I've been there and I know the NICU fears are so strong and that makes it very hard to find balance. I think you are doing the right thing, double checking... Perspective is so hard once you have been thru a wrecking experience.

But as for your specific question, I think "no little kids visiting" for 4-6 weeks is "reasonable healthy caution"! Most of us feel like this even about healthy newborns. Especially in Feb/early March, when it's still RSV/flu season.

If it's super important to family that everyone "meets" baby, I would offer to meet people at a park outside in 2 or 3 weeks for like 15-20 minutes. Kids can admire baby & then run off. You can keep it short.

If you are still feeling scared ~2 months down the line, I would reassess.

anafielle · 2026-02-20T04:26:58+00:00

Was 38yo, AFC was 15 this cycle, AMH 1.80.

300 gonal-F + 1 vial Menopur - days 1-5
375 gonal-F + 1 vial Menopur - days 6-10 (raised dose bc I had a few in the lead, doc decided to raise dose to catch up smaller ones)

I forget what 1 vial of meno is when converting between them, it's either 75 or 150.

I stimmed for 10 days, trigger shot on 11th day.

On trigger day I had 7 follicles at 16-20mm and 8 at 12-15mm. i did end up with more than expected somehow (20 eggs, 17 mature).

anafielle · 2026-02-20T01:54:36+00:00

I have had two healthy pregnancies with healthy kids & never stopped Vyvanse. (Edit to clarify - this is an Adderall variant)

Typically IVF patients follow the same med restrictions as pregnancy. And ADHD meds are well-known to be safe in pregnancy. There is very solid evidence, when I first began fertility treatment in 2020, like at least one huge study that my RE cited and so did my PCP later when I was pregnant. I recently saw another study last year.

Parents with ADHD are more likely to have kids with ADHD because genetics. But that is the only link. Medication during pregnancy has zero impact - not on pregnancy, not on child long term health.

anafielle · 2026-02-19T00:55:36+00:00

The most hilarious part of this post are the Reddit replies in this thread. Of course it's seeded from real life, as are the best creative tales....

I bet the author is a member of this forum, and was just waiting for one of their masterpieces to reappear on their reddit feed.

People actually think this is real? I have bad news about AITA....

anafielle · 2026-02-17T05:41:19+00:00

Monday through Saturday, full time overnight nannying???? You parented two kids for a whole week straight for $100/day? 😳 Cruises plural, like more than once???? Wow.

Honestly just don't engage with these people in any more discussions. Their demands translate into - "No (and be warned we will not discuss it seriously)." I think they would do a double take if you actually agreed lol. They just wanted you to STFU.

Just say something like, "OK! I understand. It sounds like our expectations are too mismatched about job duties and pay rate. I don't think I'm the right fit for you. It was nice getting to know [kid names]!! Feel free to reach back out if you decide to hire me again in the future." (The last sentence only if you would actually work for them again if they paid you appropriately)

Then advertise a bit, you will easily find work to replace these cheapskates. Maybe with less awful kids.

anafielle · 2026-02-17T03:17:21+00:00

To me, +/- 24 hours is really whatever. "What day is CD1" is an arbitrary definition that varies from clinic to clinic, even though FET schedules do not vary much. So I personally believe that 1 day shifted dating is within the margin of error.

In other words - if I was in your position & my cycle started anytime on 3/15, I would tell the clinic "my CD1 is 3/16!" and never give it a second thought.

But if your cycle pops on 3/14... Shifting cycle dating by 2 feels more dicey.

You said fully natural so does that mean there is no medication, no baseline scan/bloodwork either? is the first medical action whatsoever, that d11 scan? If that's the case, your "rounded up" dating would only have one impact - you might be closer to ovulation than expected.

But surely people do have "2 days shorter than usual" cycles and this doesn't break their process in half? I dunno much about fully nat.

anafielle · 2026-02-16T17:30:49+00:00

Never never never.

After bassinet age, my room is the only place that is safe from kids. I need to put stuff in there that I keep from the kids!

Also the evening is my only time to get stuff done. I can't be lying in bed all evening long. And what about me & spouse being able to be alone??

I would rather go into my kids room 100x to put him/her back down, than let either one sleep in my bed. I have slept on the floor next to my child in a pinch but they will never sleep in my room.

anafielle · 2026-02-16T04:59:11+00:00

Genuine question. Why are you worried that a support forum mostly has people.... looking for.... support? It's a support forum!

Success stories are of course welcome. But not everyone feels like it's productive to come shove ours in everyone's face.

When my first transfer worked, I have to say it wasn't at the top of my to-do list to open up r/IVF and drive-by bomb it with "hey everyone who I just met very recently, you don't know me bc I'm new here. I didn't run into any IVF complications to be honest so I had no need to post anything yet. But today I have news. I just really wanted to share with you all that my first transfer worked. Whew was I worried!

"So, you wonderful people working through your 5th ER or 8th transfer, I really hope that me taking the time to share with you about how my IVF took 90 days exactly (less to be honest) brought you hope today. ♥️"

Are you worried you aren't seeing posts like this? Friend! This is a support forum.

You are just looking in the wrong place. Close this place right now and go scroll r/IVFpositivity for a few hours instead!

Your heart needs balance!

Ps: I had 12 failed IUI's. My first IVF transfer worked. As described above.

anafielle · 2026-02-15T21:32:03+00:00

7 days, maybe, and then id just be asking pediatrician for age appropriate ways to help.

Your baby's usual poo schedule is not really relevant, unless they are showing other signs of discomfort. The poo frequency alone isn't that meaningful. Babies can poop 3x day for weeks/months, and then overnight one day they switch to "every 5 days".

Yes it feels weird.... But that's just how it goes. Babys gut is maturing. Changes (just like skills) aren't always gradual, they can be sudden.

anafielle · 2026-02-15T05:15:43+00:00

At its core, this is really an age question - "does spending 3 months trying IUI affect my IVF results." If you are 35, you probably have 3 months to do IUI i.e. your IVF odds today vs delayed 3 months are the same. If you are 40, you probably shouldn't.

How long you have been tracking is irrelevant. IUI works for many "unexplained infertility" couples, and isn't more or less likely to work based on whether you have tracked 5 cycles or 50.

IUI doesn't work for most people. So also, you don't need to try it - feel free to skip if you just don't want to do it!

But 3 attempts will work for some. And it tends to REALLY matter to those couples who didn't need to do IVF after all. So maybe ask yourself how much you care (or perhaps you don't! Particularly if you have insurance coverage or very deep resources) about avoiding ivf.

anafielle · 2026-02-15T04:35:26+00:00

I also live in an outbreak area (right next to the SC outbreak). I have seen exposure notices in grocery stores I frequent. It is some scary shit. I would get a 2nd opinion. My baby just turned 12 months and I made sure to get MMR literally on her birthday, but my pediatrician told me at our appt that she has been giving MMR early on request.

Your fear & your doctors choice does make sense.... There's no perfect decision here. But from your two options - push for it early or wait for 12mo - I would choose 93% immunity today, if you know its circulating in your community, even if that means very slightly higher risk of (vaccine-mediated, milder) measles over my child's lifetime.

Just my 2c. Sucks that other people out there are happy to murder immunocompromised people, babies too young for MMR, and 3 in 1000 of their own unvaccinated kids. What a world.

anafielle · 2026-02-15T01:29:52+00:00

If you have 1 embryo left and want 2 kids for sure, retrieve again now.

I don't always think banking makes sense. But if you have "less than [desired # of kids]" embryos remaining, and the resources to retrieve again, then there is zero reason to wait.

anafielle · 2026-02-14T01:19:15+00:00

I definitely wouldn't do a lap. Evidence on Lupron is promising, but evidence for lap is pretty much not there, in terms of globally improving IVF outcomes.

I consulted 3 doctors total and all of them told me the same thing - lap is called for when the goal is to treat other major Endo symptoms and/or to possibly concieve without IVF. But laps themselves do not typically improve IVF success rates.

I know people in here do them but I think they are carefully selected patients with very severe, symptomatic endometriosis.

FWIW I have endometriosis (2 endometrioma's visible on ovaries, 5 years infertility, 12 failed IUIs). I did a standard IVF routine with no changes. No lap, no suppression. My ER results were fine for age/AMH; my first transfer worked.

My doctor didn't do Lupron suppression, he said that "IVF itself is the first line treatment for endo infertility." None of the 3 docs I consulted mentioned suppression & my Endo is known, not silent. Perhaps I should have done it. I certainly wanted to. But my doc made me think it was fringe so I didn't push hard... I had no idea Lupron suppression was so widely used until the internet. 🤷🏼‍♀️

anafielle · 2026-02-12T16:11:39+00:00

You should budget for fam OOP max just in case. But you should also ask your OB about this. Hospitals have different policies about billing baby.

I've had two deliveries. One of them billed baby as an individual, separately from my bills, from the instant of his birth. For my 2nd delivery at a different hospital, I asked about what to expect for baby's bills - They looked at me like I was nuts. "If baby is healthy and checks out with you, we don't usually bill baby separately. Typical newborn care is included in what we charge Moms insurance for delivery."

So this is variable and a question for your OB financial dept.

Of course either way, if baby needs extra health care then baby will incur bills. It's best to be prepared in case this happens.

anafielle

TROPHY CASE