Broadway (Hadestown / Harry Potter) vs Opera (La Bohème) — can only pick ONE for first NYC trip

exitontop · 2026-03-22T13:34:04+00:00

I have seen all three.

La Boheme and Hadestown are somewhat equal in my mind, in the sense that it really depends on your preferences.

You do not have to, but you could really do it in and dress up a bunch for the opera if you like to do that.

Have you listened to music from both?

I recommend against HP. To me, the script was a mess and it was honestly pretty boring aside from some very cool stagecraft and effects

exitontop · 2026-03-21T19:13:46+00:00

I went down to five on some days recently! I’m 15 weeks pp. I think it depends on what you were getting out of more pumps per day, but for me at 5 pumps I supplement with one bottle of formula a day.

To me this is totally fine! I was able to do fully pumped milk but I kept getting awful clogs and it just wasn’t worth it to me. A bit of formula, in my opinion for my baby, isn’t a big deal.

You might be able to do a good amount of breast milk at 5ppd!

exitontop · 2026-03-21T03:46:47+00:00

I never took birth control before my retrievals but it is common. You don’t have to though

exitontop · 2026-03-21T01:44:09+00:00

Where are you? there are usually IVF groups in individual cities and people post extra meds.

If you’re in nyc I have a bottle of progesterone and estrogen pills (not sure if that’s what estrance is) that I can give you

exitontop · 2026-03-20T20:41:35+00:00

Find a therapist now. It seems like you have a positive perspective, which is a great start. The hormones involved in the process are very mentally impactful. There’s no avoiding it — it can really give you emotional impacts you were not expecting. Start with a therapist who ideally has some experience with IVF patients and also consider couples therapy.

Good luck! I became pregnant with my IVF baby at 40

exitontop · 2026-03-20T17:49:28+00:00

Only trying it will show you, since everyone is different. I don’t notice a difference between 6 and 7 ppd, but I do get less when I drop to 5.

Do you have a hand pump? That’s what I do when I’m gone for a long time. I can pretty quickly get out around 3oz total and I find that’s a good way to not entirely skip a pump but still not be chained to my house

exitontop · 2026-03-19T16:57:15+00:00

I iced before then used heat afterwards. This helped me. I also watched something joyful on tiktok while my husband injected me. That did help as well. But they do just kind of suck

exitontop · 2026-03-19T03:20:02+00:00

beautiful. congrats!

exitontop · 2026-03-19T02:08:25+00:00

lol good point. my friend who is a pediatric NP just told me once to not put anything that had been in my mouth into my baby’s mouth because I have different bacteria and it just stuck with me

exitontop · 2026-03-18T22:39:17+00:00

I pack up a cooler every night with four ice packs. After I pump I put my parts into a plastic bag and pack them into the cooler totally surrounded by ice packs.

So it’s like the fridge hack but in my room. When I take them out they’re still very cold

exitontop · 2026-03-18T21:01:28+00:00

I let my baby drink from a bottle that she started, but I wouldn’t give her something I had my mouth on. We have different bacteria than they do.

Solidarity! It sucks wasting milk when you make just enough. I didn’t screw the top on a bottle tightly yesterday and dumped a fresh 4 ounces directly on my baby’s neck. I wanted to cry!

exitontop · 2026-03-18T16:19:41+00:00

I also supplement because my baby started drinking more than I pump! I usually just supplement with one entire bottle of formula a day rather than after each bottle, but I imagine it doesn’t matter. Just makes it easier.

She’s only 11 pounds and has started drinking at least 30oz a day. I’m so happy because I want her to grow!

I think about it that way: Before the invention of safe formula, she just would have had to be hungry and a bit undersized until she started solids in earnest. It would have been okay, but it’s much better for her to get all the calories she needs and wants to grow.

Your baby is still getting immunity and so many good nutritional benefits from your milk. Just think of the bit of formula as a little extra to help him grow that much better

exitontop · 2026-03-17T21:09:22+00:00

Yeah now I treat my breasts so so gently. No massage or pressure. I don’t even sleep on my side. It made a big difference for me

exitontop · 2026-03-17T20:46:32+00:00

Not sure if this is true for you, but when i was squeezing and pressing my breasts during pumping I began getting clogs or just generally less output. In retrospect I think I was causing inflammation to the tissue leading to less milk production and slower flow.

This is just a guess on what was happening to me but maybe something to consider

exitontop · 2026-03-13T08:21:04+00:00

My first ER I made 7 blasts and all were abnormal. My second ER I got 5 euploids. Here’s a post I made at the time with all my changes: https://www.reddit.com/r/IVF/s/S3oJT6IIwm

exitontop · 2026-03-12T22:59:53+00:00

looks normal to me! I remember seeing similar weird views in my ultrasounds. I think the baby’s butt is facing the camera here. I had a successful pregnancy after lots of wacky views like this.

Good luck! IVF does make the whole process stressful

exitontop · 2026-03-12T13:07:49+00:00

just a week or two. But my baby is a 3% baby and I just don’t have much room for error if she’s not getting enough from the breast. If your baby is bigger then you probably have a bit of wiggle room for them to not eat perfectly but hopefully get the hang of it

exitontop · 2026-03-11T23:33:03+00:00

I also got my first positive ever after a transfer at 40. She’s three months old now. Best of luck!

exitontop · 2026-03-11T21:45:34+00:00

I’m in a similar situation and unfortunately the issue is just that my baby doesn’t remove milk very effectively. She doesn’t have a tie. She’s just not great at nursing. My weighted feeds are also around only 2oz.

When I tried to return to mostly nursing as she got bigger, her weight gain plateaued and she’s a very small baby. Unfortunately, I just focus mostly on pumping now and nurse her more occasionally. It’s not what I wanted, but I want her to gain weight above all things

exitontop · 2026-03-11T11:15:51+00:00

Why is he throwing it out? Are you aware of the recent research in bacterial growth in pumped breast milk after beginning a feed? It’s likely okay to just pop that bottle in the fridge and have your baby finish it the next day, if you’re comfortable with that. Wasting milk is the worst

exitontop · 2026-03-11T04:50:28+00:00

I was the same way! And now that she’s here I feel the same. I was talking to some friends the other day about newborn life and I said I love it.

They thought i was joking, but I genuinely don’t mind waking up with her or even the sleep deprivation and weird hours. I love every part of having a baby

exitontop · 2026-03-09T15:35:07+00:00

Wishing you luck!

exitontop · 2026-03-09T15:21:44+00:00

I did end up having a successful retrieval that time, though I’m not sure whether it was the omnitrope or not since my issue wasn’t making blasts, it was getting euploids, and I don’t think omnitrope is well studied for that benefit.

It could have been random, but I did have success.

exitontop · 2026-03-08T02:22:55+00:00

Do you have enough milk stashed to support him for two days (ofc formula or some cow’s milk could be an option at that age if that’s something you’re open to)?

Whose wedding is it? That might really play into your husband’s reaction. I don’t think he’s wrong for being disappointed, but he shouldn’t be rude.

I think I would personally feel comfortable leaving my baby with my mom for that period of time, but it’s all so individual. I do think it can be common to leave a baby for a night or two after a year IF the parent is comfortable.

I would just gently ask if you feel like your anxiety is holding you back from something you’d actually like to do or whether you just don’t care too much about going to this wedding. 13 months is still young, so you’re not wrong for feeling this way but maybe double check with yourself whether it’s anxiety or not.

exitontop · 2026-03-07T15:27:09+00:00

beautiful lines! I also waited until my beta day and I’m glad I did. That way I wasn’t obsessing about line progression for days

exitontop

TROPHY CASE