Wow! It’s Wednesday! One More IVF Blog

As I’ve said before, IVF pregnancies are a little different. From what I can see, women tend to either be a lot more secretive or a lot more forthcoming about them. I’ve chosen forthcoming. I wish that more women would. And I would love for stars like J.Lo, Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman (all rumored IVF recipients) to talk more about IVF. In my opinion, by not doing so, they are lending even more to the impossible “perfect woman” ideal, and making women who have to go through IVF feel that it’s taboo. With that in mind, I decided to do one last blog on my IVF pregnancy, just in case it’ll shed some light on the subject for someone else out there. Once the dot was confirmed, I was a little surprised to find that IVF pregnancies operate a little differently from traditional pregnancies. You don’t immediately switch to an OB, but have to continue seeing your IVF doctor for the first 10-12 weeks of the pregnancy. This is a little difficult, because the things you want in an IVF doctor (aggressiveness, intensity, intelligent explanations, constant risk assessment, a certain brusqueness [so you don’t cry]) are not necessarily the same things that you want in an OB. Also, you’re monitored a bit more closely. Save for my Belgium trip hiatus, we’ve seen our doctor every other week since the pregnancy was confirmed. It’s gotten to the point, where CH and I have set up a routine of going in on an empty stomach full of dread and eating out for breakfast after we see that the baby is okay. And one more thing: drugs. You have to take estrogen for the first few weeks of an IVF pregnancy and progesterone suppositories for the first...