Book Review: The PCOS Workbook: Your Guide to Complete Physical and Emotional Health

PCOS still affects me regularly even though I've quit the TTC hoopla.  Unfortunately PCOS does not only affect our ability to get pregnant, but also can affect our overall health.  As I'm trying to focus a little more on my personal health now, I have been reading through some PCOS books lately and wanted to review one here.  Most of the ones I've read are not that helpful for someone who is not trying to get pregnant.  This one seems to focus on getting better first and infertility second.

The PCOS Workbook: Your Guide to Complete Physical and Emotional Health

by Angela Grassi and Stephanie Mattei

I was able to get this one through my library but I will be ordering a copy to keep at home!  I highly recommend checking it out to see if it can help you in whatever stage of your PCOS adventure you are in right now.  

What is PCOS?

The workbook starts off with the same overview of PCOS that you really can get anywhere.  What is different in the beginning from the very first page through the entire book, is that you record your personal responses to questions and prompts right in the workbook.  (I obviously couldn't do this in the library version, so you see why I am getting my own copy). This gives you a chance to really think through how you are being affected and what you can do (or are willing to do) to improve your situation.  

Nutrition and PCOS

This is pretty much a key factor in PCOS and if you have done any research so far, you already know this. Low carb is essential for PCOS treatment, yuck.  (I love carbs!)  I did like how the book provided a few alternatives that I had not seen elsewhere such as a list of substitutions you could make (you know, eat this instead) and sample menus. They also address the emotional aspect of food (do you have food regrets? negative associations with veggies, etc?).  

Infertility

I can't leave out the infertility section on an infertility blog.  This is covered, but not until the eight chapter.  Which really showed to me that the authors are concerned with the disease as a whole, not just how it affects getting pregnant.  I really only skimmed this section since it did not apply to me.  However the information covered seemed to match what I have come to know about PCOS through other sources.  Still it is useful information if you need it.  

The PCOS Workbook: Your Guide to Complete Physical and Emotional Health

Overall I was very happy with the information in this workbook and I can't wait for my copy to arrive so I can start to work through all the activities.  Hubby and I are both planning to gradually reduce our carb intake (starting on our next grocery trip!) and once we have started to get used to the changes, we are going to see if I can handle a major carb reduction (no soda? ack!).  He has done the Atkins diet several times in the past, so we know he can sustain a ridiculously low carb diet for long periods of time.  Me, hmm.. not so much.  

*This post is not sponsored.  All opinions are my own.  

Pregnancy after Infertility

It's been quite awhile since I posted here but I've had a few comments as well as a hike in visitors.  I thought that those visiting here would be interested to hear that even though I continue to have PCOS and its symptoms, that I was able to have a second child on my own.

We tried a couple rounds of IUI at Carolina Conceptions with Dr. Meyer back in 2010 with the last one being in November.  After the last failure, we decided to take a break for the holidays.  I'd been very stressed through the IUI and holidays and had laser eye surgery scheduled for January 2011.  In early March I struggled with shingles and later was just not feeling better.  I got the crazy idea in my head that I might be pregnant so I took a test.  And then hubby had me take another test!  Sure enough, baby girl was on the way!

Sweet Inara was born in December last year and just turned a year old!  I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and a Happy New Year!

Take Action: Oppose SB 169

I received an email from the American Fertility Association today about legislation that could impact fertility treatments. This particular legislation is in Georgia, so please ask your Georgia friends to take action this week! If made into law, the bill will limit fertility treatment for many couples along with taking away the right for parents to choose what to do with any frozen embryos after they are done building their family. Full details at the link below.

http://www.resolve.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ta_stleg_home

Thin Women PCOS

As a woman with PCOS, I still read about the condition from time to time. It's not something that magically goes away with or after a pregnancy. I still have symptoms though they rarely are significant enough to bother me. That said, I recently came across a site that caught my attention called soulcysters.com. I would have loved this resource when I was initially diagnosed!

On one of the forums there, I found interesting information about thin women & PCOS (I was originally told that obesity is a common factor in PCOS). I've never read anything that talked specifically about PCOS in thin women. Not only does this article cover treatment in thin women, it talks about potential causes of PCOS in thin women. It's very detailed & lengthy so I wouldn't suggest it for my casual readers but I wanted to link it here for any of my PCOS readers. (It covers PCOS for all body types as well).

http://www.jarrettfertility.com/PCOS%20patient%20handout.pdf

We've Moved

Now that baby Jaxon has arrived, I think that's the end of the infertility adventure for awhile. I'm leaving the blog up as is for those who are still struggling with infertility. Our whole journey is still documented here so anyone can see what we went through & know they are not alone.

For those that want to follow along as Jaxon grows up, you can find him at: http://jaxonpaul.blogspot.com/

You can also find me at http://mickiemck.blogspot.com/

For those of you following Jaxon's blog, this is a repeat post. I thought I'd include it here as well.

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Jaxon & I went to two reunions this weekend which kept us pretty busy. I'd already planned to attend my mothers family reunion when I found out that the fertility clinic was holding the first baby reunion. Luckily, Mom & I were able to work it out to attend both.

Saturday morning we headed over to the fertility clinic and thought we were in the wrong place at first. It looked deserted as we rounded the corner to the clinic, but they had blocked off the whole parking lot for the event. I heard they had around 300 people show up! I've never seen so many strollers in one place. We were welcomed by staff and stopped by several vendor tables. Then we registered for the door prizes before going under the deck to chat & get food. I got a chance to quickly speak to both of the doctors that helped us and walk around looking at all the lovely little babies! There were mostly singleton babes like Jax but there were plenty of twins and pregnant women plus a couple sets of triplets! There were some fun things for the older kids like a moonbounce and a train. The event was catered so we had burgers and hotdogs. Best of all, I won one of the door prizes! A $100 Visa giftcard!! More pics here

belly shot

38 wks

37 wk checkup

Quick update today. We had our 37wk checkup yesterday. Normal vitals, everything looking good. No significant change in stats (dialation, etc). I did put on 2lbs this week but the doc seemed pleased since I'd not put on any weight in the last month. So I'm up to 19lbs gained in 37wks. He said my blood sugar levels have been 'almost too good' and is why I'd not gained any. I admitted to cheating this week & he said that was fine, that I apparently was being restricted a little too much. You should have seen the big fat grin I gave Jack - but don't worry he put me back in my place by pointing out that soda is probably still supposed to be offlimits. Doh, got me there. I was bad about that this week but it was so nice to have a big ole sugary Coke or Dr. Pepper a few times! That was pretty much it other than a few questrions we had about natural birth options, but more on my hopes & plans on the natural thing will have to come in a later post.

GBS negative

My Group B Strep test came back negative. Thats good because I won't have to be treated with antibiotics during labor. One less thing to worry about.

36wk checkup

As always, my checkup was rather quick. Blood pressure still is hanging right at 100/60 which it has been at for weeks. My weight has also not changed since mid-March (still at 17lbs gained). Jaxon's heartrate is good (144) and uterus is measuring right on.

This week I was due for the GBS test to determine if I would need to be treated for Group B Strep during labor. We should hear back on that soon. In addition, I had my first pelvic exam and I was very curious to find out where we stand. (Btw- for those who've heard this is so terrible, it really isn't. It's odd, but not painful in the least. Certainly nothing like a PAP). Doc said that I'm 70-80% effaced, a 'fingertip' dialated (so about 1cm?), and that baby is at zero station.

For those of you that have no idea, these are a good start. He said this doesn't specifically mean baby is coming early. But it was good to know that the contractions I've been feeling are actually doing some work! Doc said the most important thing he got out of that exam is that the baby is well down in my pelvis (he went on to say something about my size & that it's good that baby was able to get that far). So I'd been waiting for the baby to 'drop' but he'd already done it!

Hee, Hee, Hee, Hoo...

29 years of life and I had to take a class to learn how to breathe, lol.

Over the weekend, Jack & I had our labor & birth class. I really liked getting it done in one weekend rather than dragging it out for 6 weeks. The class was 9-4 Saturday including lunch at the hospital (we ate with my stepmom who is a nurse at this hospital) and then 1-5 on Sunday.

I think I was the class 'know-it-all' (I have a tendency to jump in & offer my opinion a lot, especially in a group that is being so quiet) and Jack was the class 'clown'. Every class needs some personality right? Ha!

Anyway, we did feel like we learned a lot. We had specifically wanted to learn the breathing & pain techniques plus hospital procedures. I think those were covered well. I am glad that we had practice time to try out the various positions & breathing. There were some that were great (even some that I originally thought were dumb or awkward) and others that just did not work for us (like one where Jack had to lean down to me & hold up my belly - we were just too mismatched in height). I was especially impressed with the birth ball (though I couldn't bounce on it like some of the ladies.. that just bothered my belly), I had to do a swaying motion instead. Jack was very helpful with the massage, the 'stroking' (you can see Jack had plenty of ammunition for being a clown), and the breathing. I was better at the slow breathing technique but needed his guidance to do the 'hee,hee,hee,hoo' type breathing on pace. He did make me laugh in the middle of our practice 'contractions' a few times. I warned him that I might not find him as funny during labor :)

Overall, if you are debating on whether to bother with the class or not, I'd say definitely take it. I've heard a few people tell me it was a waste of time & money, but I do not agree. I've only mentioned here a fraction of what was covered. There is plenty of information regardless of your plans for pain management. The only time I'd say you probably would not get much use out of it is if you are already going into labor knowing for sure you are going to have a c-section.

Nursery

Jack & I finally have put most of the finishing touches on the nursery! I'm really happy with how it's turned out. There are a few other items hanging on the other walls plus a bookcase that you don't see here. I also have a lamp sitting on the floor next to my rocker that will eventually go on a side table, once I find a good one that's not too expensive. I also had plans for a matching valance with the puppies on it to go over the shade. That will depend on our funds. It's really not necessary, but would be cute.

Braxton Hicks

I forgot to mention earlier this week that I've also been having Braxton Hicks contractions. It's normal & no big deal, but man is it odd. My belly gets all tight & hard (I've read different descriptions from being as hard as your forehead to being able to bounce a coin off it, lol) but there really is no pain. My doc said that it can come with pain and that it still would be Braxton Hicks. So far, most of mine have been painless, but uncomfortable. Though I've had a couple with back pain (feels like baby is kicking me in the spine during them sometimes).

I've also been having some pain that I described to the doc as 'period-like'. He explained that it has to do with the muscles holding my uterus up. I was having random sharp pains on my left side and low dull pain in front of my belly. Both are related to the ligaments & muscles stretching. He said the reason my pain seems to come primarily to the left is that I'm carrying baby slightly off to my left side. Who knew I was crooked?

35wk checkup

I'm now going to the OB every week for a checkup. I can't believe how close we are getting, 5 weeks to go now!

Anyway, as usual all the vitals looked good. My weight was exactly the same as it was two weeks ago, no increase so I'm still at 17lbs gained thus far. Baby's heartbeat was 144. My belly is getting huge :) which is quite the amusement for my friends & family. Blood sugar is still looking good too thankfully (even though I've been cheating a bit).

I asked how big the baby is (they've never really told me that since early on) and he guessed about 5.5lbs. Doc said if I go to due date, he thinks we'll be looking at 7.5lb baby (though I know plenty of people who ended up with babies no where near the size the doc said, so take that with a grain of salt I guess). But I liked hearing that my gestational diabetes hasn't made him a huge baby.

Another item he mentioned while talking was that with gestational diabetes they won't let me go past my due date. This was first I'd heard of that, so I had him backup & talk more about that. He said they would normally induce at 41wks (1wk past due date) due to the deterioration of the placenta, but that with gestational diabetes they do that earlier to be sure there are no problems with the placenta or the size of the baby. If I don't deliver on my own by then, they will put me in the hospital the night before my due date (which would just happen to be Mothers Day) and start the process. Now this is lovely, so faint of heart should turn away now. That night, they would pass a catheter through my cervix and then blow up a balloon inside the uterus. The balloon would act as a baby's head, putting pressure on the cervix to trigger it to dialate (and efface too I would assume). He said by the time the balloon comes out, usually the cervix would be at 3cm dialation. (No idea how long it takes to accomplish this using this method, but I have read that it can take hours & hours to get to 3cm with natural contractions). The following morning, they would begin the pitocin. I knew pitocin was used for inducing labor, but had never heard of this balloon procedure (I looked it up & it's called a 'Foley Catheter'). Though we would prefer to skip this whole induction process I will say that I'm not scared of the catheter thanks to all my infertility treatments. I've had a catheter thru the cervix 7 times over the last 3 years. The first was for the HSG test, then for 5 IUIs, and a saline ultrasound before IVF. So I have a pretty good idea what to expect with the catheter itself. Now the balloon I'm not so sure. For each of the procedures I had, they were pushing something thru the catheter into my uterus but there was no pressure on the cervix & the procedures were all less than 30mins. So, here's hoping that Jaxon will choose to come before or by Mother's Day!!

belly shot

34wks

its funny cuz its true

preparing fido

As many of my readers know, Jack & I have four big dogs. Dogs who have been the giant babies of the household for years. We also have a cat that runs the house. Even before we got pregnant, we started considering how we would all survive once baby arrived.

Soon after finding out it was a boy, we got 'Practice Jaxon' as he's called around here. Practice Jaxon is just a little kids doll that I bought (and replaced all the pink clothes with a blue onesie) that makes some baby noises. The sounds were a bit fake, but a good start. We haven't used it as often as we had planned, but have worked with the dogs so they understand what is or is not allowed while we are holding the baby. We even slathered a bunch of baby lotion on it so they could get used to the smells too.

We'd also read that you should play baby sounds, real baby sounds, to get your pets used to it. So we had ordered a CD with baby sounds. I'm not going to link to the site where I purchased it because we did have shipping issues. But if you need a CD like this, simply google 'dog baby sounds' and you'll have several to choose from. (Side note: We ordered 'preparing fido' and the CD itself is great. It arrived a month after we purchased it which is why I'm not directly recommending them. They also did not respond to my email request trying to find out where the CD was, but were very responsive once I had called to complain). Anyway, we choose a CD with various sounds. The majority are, of course, crying but it does include cooing, bathtime, laughing, etc. I'd make sure you can see the track listing including amount of time. I passed over a few selections because it was not clear what would be on the CD or it only had a few minutes worth of sounds.

Tonight we tried the CD for the first time & I have to say I was surprised at the results. With four dogs, we have a variety of personalities in the house. I expected one dog to become nervous, pace & maybe cry, another to become hyper & want my attention, one to run away & had no idea what to expect from the youngest. Instead, we got a whole lot of nothing, lol. Which is good I suppose. I played the CD on a reasonable volume (directions say to start off on a low volume for short periods and then work up to a 'true to life' volume) from my computer in the office. At the time, three dogs & the kitty were all in the office & close enough to clearly hear the sounds. The youngest (our biggest Great Dane) jumped up & ran over to my desk staring in the direction of the speakers with that cute head tilt dogs have. He sniffed around my desk for a few seconds then got bored & laid back down. Our Rottie perked up her ears & stared at my desk but within seconds she was over it. Our lab/pit mix, who I thought would be the one to be nervous & cry, didn't even move. I'm not sure how much the other Dane in the living room could hear, but no response there either. Kitty was sitting on his window perch which is pretty close to the speakers & he didn't even turn his head. Overall I was very surprised. I really thought it would take more work to get them to be that calm while the sounds played. I only played the sounds for about 10 minutes at the low volume. So I guess I'll play the sounds a little louder & a little longer tomorrow. I think I'll try it at different times of the day (since I'm WAH) and see if that makes a difference too. They might just be so tired from a long day & full tummies that they didn't respond as much as they might otherwise.

For my local ladies (StephE?) - if you want to borrow the CD, let me know. Also, here are a couple local resources that I've checked out. They also have good information for anyone not local. I had planned on attending one of the workshops but timing & money never seemed to work out. I found these folks through one of our dog trainers.
-Family Paws
-Dogs & Storks

Other tips we've read/heard but have not tried all yet:
- Setup baby items early such as the swing, bouncer, highchair, rocker, etc. early
- Let pets sniff baby items (clothes, blankets, crib, car seat, etc) & nursery
- Have Dad bring home one of the receiving blanket before baby comes home
- When home from hospital, Dad should bring in the baby (showing dogs that baby is higher in pack order) and Mom should greet dogs since she's likely been away for several days.
- Don't force dog to go near baby if he's not interested (this applies in most situations whether its a new dog, cat, baby or something else that upsets dog like the vacuum. Forcing them only scares them more).
- And of course, always supervise pets near baby!

minor panic

For some reason this morning when I woke up, the first thing on my mind was that I have just under seven weeks to go before my due date. And I panicked a little!

When we were talking with the doc yesterday, he said something to the effect that we'd be plenty happy if we didn't have to wait all the way until our due date. He told Jack that by 39 weeks, he'll be praying for the baby to come so he can get his wife back (ha!). If Jaxon comes early, then I obviously have less than 7 weeks to be ready. Um.. am I ready? Is Jack ready? Ack...

Ok panic subsiding... logically we are about ready. We have a car seat so we can bring baby home. The nursery is pretty much done other than some aesthetics and some organization I hope to accomplish in the closet. But it's definitely functional & he has a place to sleep. We plan to try to breastfeed, so formula is not an issue. We have a good start on disposable diapers thanks to my early purchases while I had coupons plus all the diapers we got as gifts from friends.. so his tushie will be covered, literally.

But am I ready for L&D? No I don't think I am. We don't go to our labor class until the middle of April. (Since we opted for the weekend version instead of weeknights, the class had to be scheduled closer to our due date according to the hospital). Jack did have his daddy class this past weekend, so he got to talk to other dads. He came back with lots of info & some interesting things for us to consider. I do hope we at least make it to the labor class before JP decides to grace us with his presence!

33 week checkup

Our 33 week checkup passed rather uneventfully. Jack picked me up since my car broke down this weekend (yes the Mustang is out of commission right now... ugh). All the regular checks looked good, they were happy with my blood sugar levels, and my weight was ok (17lbs gained so far).

We saw one of the doctors I had not met yet & he checked my uterus & the baby's heartbeat. I did have one question for him about some pain I'd been having. Turns out it's normal & that there is not a lot I can do about it. I'd been having this odd pain that felt like a combo between a bruise & a sting or rash. It was right under my right breast near my ribs. I think I had mentioned this in my rant the other day when I was so uncomfortable. Turns out it's something to do with the way my uterus is expanding over my ribs and that it's common for it to be on the right side. Ice or a heating pad is about all I can do for it but he did say that as the uterus continues to grow, it actually should get better.

When we were done, Jack asked if that was it, said it seemed like a hassle to go just for that. We do spend more time driving than we spend there in the office. But it is what it is. I go back for my 35 week checkup and then it's every week til Jax shows up.

belly shot

32wks