TTC a Miracle 2009

Denise- CONGRATS!! sending lots of sticky dust!!!!

Congrats, Denise!!

Whoa! No way! Congrats Denise!!!! Yeah...that whole 'frisky' thing can happen around O time....just so you know...

Thanks, guys.

I need to be doing school work but eh, not feeling it.

Congrats Denise!!! I totally was not expecting to see that when I logged on. Hope I get my BFP this month also so we can be due date buddies. Do you know what your due date is?

Denise!!! That is fantastic news That must make you due somewhere near Alexa's 2nd birthday!!! I know I found out I was pregnant with Olivia on 4/3/03 and she was due 12/5/03.

Holy Crap Denise!!!! I was so surprised when I saw that. Congrats!!!! Isn't it funny how that works with trying and then BAM! Let us know what Chris says when you tell him. I know he will be so thrilled too!

Sorry I haven't been on I am just having the week from hell and one of these days when I have time to explain everything I will. I have to get going. I am having a hard week. I have been trying to read but just not having time to post I will soon though. Promise!!!!

lol...I started to type this this morning and I guess never finished since it was still sitting here when I sat down a few minutes ago

Yay for the interview Maureen!

Can't wait for you to test Alicia...I will not be able to see the results until we get home Sunday night though...so hopefully there is a big BFP waiting

OMG!!! DENISE!!! You have been hiding even the possibilty from us...fb lips are sealed...Congrats to you all, I cannot wait to hear when you tell Chris!

Aara ~ we were going to wait until next month because I would have liked to only have one December baby but, eh, it happened!

Jeannette ~ according to the BabyCenter calculator, the due date would be 12/21. Which would be neat b/c my birthday is 3/21 and Chris' is 11/21. Alexa's b-day is 12/19. She almost made it to the 21st!

Gigi ~ thanks! I ready your FB status update. Oy, Miss Olivia is giving you some good tantrums, huh? I *love* one year olds!!

Alicia ~ I still have my fingers crossed for you!.

Clare ~ I am counting down the days until your beta. You are a strong woman. I would SO be POAS if I were you.

It is hot. But I'm too lazy to go and close the windows and turn on the air - lol.

Denise-Yay Chris will be so excited! I was waiting for you to post it on here, I knew it wouldn't take long, lol

Denise - Oh my goodness! Congrats.

Clare - How are you doing? When is your beta? Are you planning to test early?

Man, I just got back from taking Alexa for a walk. It's 93 degrees out there. I didn't realize it until we were halfway through. Geesh, we were both sweaty messes. But it was nice.

Denise- that other cutie that's in your avi...does she have a mis-shapen head? Is that what the helmet thingy is for? I saw the pics on your FB page, and was curious.

Adrienne ~ that is my niece, Abby. When my SIL went into labor, Abby's head got stuck on her pubic bone. She pushed for 2.5 hours and ended up with a c-section. She also spent some time in the NICU b/c she wouldn't eat. So, the compression in the pelvis and the NICU made for a funky head. Her's wasn't bad, though. She actually just got out of it the other day. She was in it for 4 weeks and 2 days. Most kids are in them for a minimum of 2 months and most of the time, it's the parents faults for not doing tummy time and letting the baby lay on their backs all of the time.

Adrienne - Like Denise was saying that is a cranial remolding helmet. There are many reasons why infants may have a flat spot or kinda mis-shaped heads. I have seen infants that we put in them that needed them because of positioning during the pregnany (more common in multiples), use of delivery aids such as forceps, & NICU babies (are often rotated between laying on their right & left sides so the head kinda becomes elongated). The most common that I have seen though is where the child has a flat spot on the back of the head. This can be caused because of tortiollis (tight muscle on one side of the neck so the child can not turn the head easily in the opposite direction). Like Denise was saying this type can also be caused by parents not doing tummy time with their infant. The infant spends a lot of time sleeping (on there back because of risk of SIDS), in their car seat, in the swing, bouncer, etc. All of these mean that pressure is being applied to the back of the head. The way the helmets work is that growth will occur in the path of least resistance so there are voids in the helmet where you want the growth to occur but not where you want to stop the growth. Most infants due have to wear them for 2 or more months depending on the severity. The good thing is that you can personalize them with cartoon characters, you favorite NFL team, or just a solid color of your choice. The infant also has to wear it 23 out of 24 hours a day.

Denise - That is awesome that your niece got out of the helmet so quickly. I have had one patient that was in one for 6 months because he didn't want to grow. Then bam he hit a huge growth spurt & was out of the helmet in no time.

So, is the helmet for cosmetic reasons, then? Is this something the parent's request, or do doctors suggest it? Maybe it was a good thing that Jalen hated being on his back! He's got a beautifully shaped head, if I do say so myself.

Adrienne ~ no, it's not really cosmetic. If left alone, it can cause facial deformities. The bones of of the face could become "off" and cause the face to look funny. Chris' nephew needed one but his was due to the tortiollis and the fact that his sister NEVER did tummy time with Tyler. She never did it because "he cried every time we put him on his belly". Well, so did Alexa, but we did it anyway. Alexa also has a beautiful head. In fact, her pedi asked me one time - how did you get her head so perfect. I told him forced tummy time - lol.

Alicia ~ we were really surprised at how fast it changed. My nephew had his on for 7 weeks but he's just got a huge head that had a big growth spurt.

Thanks again for the well wishes. Chris called me tonight and asked me how I was and I told him we were ok but my stomach was feeling icky again. It's been a little off for a few days but I did think it was a stomach bug. He asked me what was going on and I told him that I think you knocked me up ;o) So he says to me - do you have tests. I told him yeah and he said ~ you already know, don't you. SO I lied and told him no. I told him I was going to wait for him to come home tomorrow. He told me he didn't mind me taking it while he was at work. So I'm faking it right now and getting ready to text him - lol.

Once he knows I'm still keeping it to ourselves for a bit longer, like after the hb check.

I hope everyone is having a good night. I'm finishing up watching Accidentally On Purpose that I DVR'd tonight. Then I'm probably going to bed. Chat at you tomorrow.

Suprisingly a lot of pediatricians do not know about the helmets. Some parents do want them for cosmetic purposes but they are not really intended for this purpose. There are certain measurements that must be taken & if the head shape is off by a certain number then insurance companies are more likely to pay for them. If it is below the number then they just consider it cosmetic. As Denise said there can be deformities to the face if not corrected. The infant can have one ear that is farther back and higher or lower than the other. The eyes may not be spaced evenly from the center of the face. There are also other things that can be off but that is the easiest to notice. I have had 1 patient that DEFINITLY was not just for cosmetic reasons. This was a very young infant that according the the CT it looked like the bones of the skull were getting close to fusing together & he was no where near the age for this to happen. This child also had a lot of other issues going on. This particular doctor was concerned about the brain developing properly and having room for the brain to grow if the bones did fuse. I haven't heard anything about this child since I transfered offices but from what I heard while working with him he was getting significant improvement but if the bones fused early they were discussing having to do surgery to remove part of the bone when they fused that way the brain would have room to grow. If he had to have the surgery he could very well have to wear the helmet for a couple years because the brain would need to be protected since some of the bone that covers it is removed. Also this gives you time to get more correction before the bones again fuse together. So basically what I'm saying is no it is not exactly for cosmetic purposes and sometimes it is very important for the child's growth.

Denise - Let us know what DH says when you tell him.

Alicia ~ do you find that many insurance companies do not want to cover the cost of the helmet and all of the exams? My SIL (Chris' sister) who's son had the facial deformities - although you couldn't really see them but they could on the MRI - had to fight the insurance co. They told her it was cosmetic. She had to produce all of this documentation and they finally paid for most of it. My brother and SIL got theirs covered right away because of the documentation from the hospital, the NICU, etc. But either way, both kids were going to get their helmets.

I just sent him a text of the pics saying "way to go super sperm, I guess I'll be puking here in a couple of weeks". He hasn't gotten back to me yet. He may be out on a call.

Denise - He's probably in a state of shock right now! I know I was when I saw your post. As for insurance, yes a lot of the time they do consider it cosmetic but the company I work for, Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics, has a group of people that do nothing but fight insurance on things like that. I do have to say that it usually takes very detailed notes sent to the insurance company showing how sever the plagiocephaly is in order to get them to pay. Most of the ones I saw were Medicaid & with good notes that's all it would take but even then they still tried to get by with not paying for a few but after filing appeals we got them paid. Other insurance companies just flat out refuse to pay for them though no matter what proof you send them. Thank god for Care Credit to cover the helmet until parents can pay it off. Several of our patients parents have had to go that route because of insurance not paying & them being pretty pricey. In case you don't know Care credit is like a credit card for medical expenses that you pay back over a period of time with little or no interest.

Alicia ~ I just learned about Care Credit the other day. I had no idea anything like that existed. I think it's an awesome program.

I just talked to Chris. He said when he saw the text picture his mouth fell to the floor. We both laughed. Then he said that he didn't want to tell anyone. I told him I spilled it to you girls but he was ok with that. He said to me "You didn't go and post this on Facebook did you". LOL. So, we'll probably start telling people once we see the doctor. He is very excited. He said he is ready and that Alexa needs a brother or sister.

I thought I was going to feel sad about her not being the center of attention anymore but I'm not. I'm looking forward to it. I love her with all of my heart but she needs more than me *cry* and I know that. Since I'm old, I'll need at least two kids to take care of me when I'm pooping in diapers myself!!

Denise - Glad your DH took the news so well. I wish DH & I could have started ttc sooner but we had other things to get in order such as $ 1st. I would have loved for Kieya & #2 to be closer in age but that just didn't happen. Oh well, it will happen when the time is right.

Alicia ~ it will happen I was also getting a little nervous, turning 37 last month. I was afraid it was going to take a long time to get pregnant again and I'd be 40 - which I didn't want. Not that there is anything wrong with that, it's just not for me!!

Ok - I'm off to shower. I stink from my walk that we took earlier. I chat at you girls tomorrow.

I'm fixing to head to bed also. Well, check in tomorrow after work. Good night everyone.