All HCG levels are in...
Here is where we stand:
11 days post Embryo Transfer - 662
14 days post Embryo Transfer - 2,475
17 days post Embryo Transfer - 8,246
The numbers look great... and high!
We have some fear/trepidation that we may be expecting twins, but we will manage either way. We knew it was a risk and we are prepared to manage that situation with the proper amount of excitement and exhaustion.
I've been putting together my pros and cons list for twins. I can argue that either situation is wonderful. For now, my mindset is that we are having one baby. One healthy, happy baby. From there, I don't care.
The sonogram is scheduled for July 29th - which seems forever away.
For now, boy am I pregnant. 6 weeks pregnant and I'm already being hit with a freight truck of nausea, very sore chest and an overwhelming need to sleep 2 hours during the day and go to bed by 9pm. Welcome to the 1st trimester!
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Holy Cow
I'm PREGNANT!!! It's hard to believe that what we have been working toward for so long has actually been achieved. I'm still so cautiously excited, but thrilled that we have made it this far. I had so little faith that the FET was going to work...and boy was I wrong!
I started taking Pregnancy tests 4 days post 5 day transfer. A glimpse in to my brain...
Day 0,1,2,3 - Bed Rest
Day 4 - Negative - whatever, too soon anyway. I am just a glutton for punishment.
Day 5 - Negative - Ok, still too soon, but brace yourself for the negative. Get used to it.
Day 6 - FAINT, FAINT, FAINT line (June 27th). I'm VERY aware of what a negative pregnancy test looks like and this one was a little, itty, bitty, bit different. Not getting excited. But, ok, a little bit excited.
Day 7 - Yep - Line is still there. Not as faint. Holy cow, is this real? Don't get too excited - it could just be a chemical pregnancy. The lines have to continue to get darker for this to count
Day 8 - Line definitely there - definitely darker than the day before. Ok, I'm pregnant. Shock. Disbelief. Need a new test.
Day 9 - Line is no darker today than yesterday. Something might be wrong. Go back to non-excitement. Protect yourself. This may not work out.
Day 10 - got a new brand of pregnancy test. 2nd line was IMMEDIATELY there and very dark. Yep, I'm pregnant. Holy Cow. My mom is jumping up and down, we are excited, but still need to find out what my HCG level is. If it is too low, the pregnancy may not be viable. Cautious excitement... again. (July 1st)
Day 11 - Home from Louisiana - Doc appointment in the morning to officially confirm the pregnancy and get my HCG level. Peed on one more stick for good measure. Absolutely positive. No question about it. We are having a baby! Wow, wow, wow!
Doctor called at about noon with the results. "I've got some good news" was how he delivered the official pregnancy announcement. YAY!
HCG level is high. Really high for the very first test. 662... holy cow... Twins?
I started taking Pregnancy tests 4 days post 5 day transfer. A glimpse in to my brain...
Day 0,1,2,3 - Bed Rest
Day 4 - Negative - whatever, too soon anyway. I am just a glutton for punishment.
Day 5 - Negative - Ok, still too soon, but brace yourself for the negative. Get used to it.
Day 6 - FAINT, FAINT, FAINT line (June 27th). I'm VERY aware of what a negative pregnancy test looks like and this one was a little, itty, bitty, bit different. Not getting excited. But, ok, a little bit excited.
Day 7 - Yep - Line is still there. Not as faint. Holy cow, is this real? Don't get too excited - it could just be a chemical pregnancy. The lines have to continue to get darker for this to count
Day 8 - Line definitely there - definitely darker than the day before. Ok, I'm pregnant. Shock. Disbelief. Need a new test.
Day 9 - Line is no darker today than yesterday. Something might be wrong. Go back to non-excitement. Protect yourself. This may not work out.
Day 10 - got a new brand of pregnancy test. 2nd line was IMMEDIATELY there and very dark. Yep, I'm pregnant. Holy Cow. My mom is jumping up and down, we are excited, but still need to find out what my HCG level is. If it is too low, the pregnancy may not be viable. Cautious excitement... again. (July 1st)
Day 11 - Home from Louisiana - Doc appointment in the morning to officially confirm the pregnancy and get my HCG level. Peed on one more stick for good measure. Absolutely positive. No question about it. We are having a baby! Wow, wow, wow!
Doctor called at about noon with the results. "I've got some good news" was how he delivered the official pregnancy announcement. YAY!
HCG level is high. Really high for the very first test. 662... holy cow... Twins?
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Home Pregnancy Tests and Symptoms
Day two of testing on Home Pregnancy Tests and day 2 of Negatives. However, it is still VERY early. I suppose I am attempting to protect myself from a large boulder of disappointment by torturing myself a little bit each day. I'm not certain this route is any better. But, I'm on this horse now - so, tomorrow I'm peeing on a stick again. Thank goodness for dollar store pregnancy tests or I would go broke.
Symptoms at this stage include:
1. 2dp5dt - 3 dp5dt (2-3 Days Post 5 Day Transfer) - abdominal cramping, lower back pain and a slight bit of nausea. All can be attributed to a)embryo implantation or b)impending time of the month. CRUD - no help there.
2. 4dp5dt - Lower back pain and exhaustion. But, it was my first day off bed rest. I assume any real movement on this day (other than slowly walking to the bathroom and slowly walking back to the couch) would make me tired. That many days horizontal may have made any muscles I have left melt in to the couch. No help there.
3. Not giving a damn how many calories are going in to my mouth... that can be a bad day at tennis, impending time of the month, a fight with hubby, a day that ends in Y... in fact this is less of a symptom and more of an "issue".
Prayers, prayers, prayers for a positive HPT tomorrow!
Symptoms at this stage include:
1. 2dp5dt - 3 dp5dt (2-3 Days Post 5 Day Transfer) - abdominal cramping, lower back pain and a slight bit of nausea. All can be attributed to a)embryo implantation or b)impending time of the month. CRUD - no help there.
2. 4dp5dt - Lower back pain and exhaustion. But, it was my first day off bed rest. I assume any real movement on this day (other than slowly walking to the bathroom and slowly walking back to the couch) would make me tired. That many days horizontal may have made any muscles I have left melt in to the couch. No help there.
3. Not giving a damn how many calories are going in to my mouth... that can be a bad day at tennis, impending time of the month, a fight with hubby, a day that ends in Y... in fact this is less of a symptom and more of an "issue".
Prayers, prayers, prayers for a positive HPT tomorrow!
Sunday, June 23, 2013
And we wait...
The last 8 weeks have included shots, patches and the occasional doctor's appointment. This was the build up to the Frozen Embryo Transfer that we did on Friday. Now, we wait. And Pray.
Back in March, we had 4 embryos left that we were able to freeze. We arrived to the Fertility Center at noon to find out if 2 of our snowbabies had defrosted and were still viable. It was one of the first questions I asked our nurse but she deflected and told me the Dr. Lilly was going to have to talk to me about it. The anxiety that was already through the roof pretty much hit the moon at that point. They prepped me for the transfer and Jeff and I quietly waited in the waiting room.
When it was time, we walked to the procedure room and met with Dr. Lilly. I was ready to hear the worst - but it was perfect! The embryos thawed perfectly and were already starting to hatch. That was wonderful news for us! We got to see our 2 embryos and talk with Dr. Lilly about what could have gone wrong the first round and her thoughts about this Frozen Transfer attempt. She was very positive and had such a wonderful sense of hope and enthusiasm about this effort. It was contagious. After almost 3 months of negative, bitter and frustrated feelings about this process, I started to feel like it may actually work this time. I've spent so much time shielding my feelings and not getting overly invested in this second process that having a glimmer of hope made a huge difference in my attitude going forward. Thank God for Dr. Lilly!
Just like last time, the procedure was "perfect", according to Dr. Putman. He was literally "in and out" and we were sent over to the waiting room. I had to wait for an hour before we would be discharged. I decided to find an article about relaxing and stress reduction. It had 6 steps and I fell asleep before I got to step 6...so, I would say that this article was accurate on how to reduce stress.
Once home, I've been catered to by such amazing friends and family. Amazing meals, wonderful conversation and lots of laughing. The calls, text messages and emails from people still continue to amaze me. I am so blessed and have such amazing people in my life. No matter what happens, I will never forget how wonderful these people are. And, of course, a huge thank you to Jennifer & Sybil for dropping everything to watch over me, my kiddo and this house while Jeff had to work.
The next step is we wait. We wait until July 1st. Problem is, we are going out of town to my cousin's wedding and won't return until July 2nd and have the first HCG Blood test on July 3rd. However, I will be doing Pee-on-a-stick tests for this round. So, by July 1st, I will likely know if we are pregnant or not.
Prayers, Prayers, Prayers!!!
Back in March, we had 4 embryos left that we were able to freeze. We arrived to the Fertility Center at noon to find out if 2 of our snowbabies had defrosted and were still viable. It was one of the first questions I asked our nurse but she deflected and told me the Dr. Lilly was going to have to talk to me about it. The anxiety that was already through the roof pretty much hit the moon at that point. They prepped me for the transfer and Jeff and I quietly waited in the waiting room.
When it was time, we walked to the procedure room and met with Dr. Lilly. I was ready to hear the worst - but it was perfect! The embryos thawed perfectly and were already starting to hatch. That was wonderful news for us! We got to see our 2 embryos and talk with Dr. Lilly about what could have gone wrong the first round and her thoughts about this Frozen Transfer attempt. She was very positive and had such a wonderful sense of hope and enthusiasm about this effort. It was contagious. After almost 3 months of negative, bitter and frustrated feelings about this process, I started to feel like it may actually work this time. I've spent so much time shielding my feelings and not getting overly invested in this second process that having a glimmer of hope made a huge difference in my attitude going forward. Thank God for Dr. Lilly!
Just like last time, the procedure was "perfect", according to Dr. Putman. He was literally "in and out" and we were sent over to the waiting room. I had to wait for an hour before we would be discharged. I decided to find an article about relaxing and stress reduction. It had 6 steps and I fell asleep before I got to step 6...so, I would say that this article was accurate on how to reduce stress.
Once home, I've been catered to by such amazing friends and family. Amazing meals, wonderful conversation and lots of laughing. The calls, text messages and emails from people still continue to amaze me. I am so blessed and have such amazing people in my life. No matter what happens, I will never forget how wonderful these people are. And, of course, a huge thank you to Jennifer & Sybil for dropping everything to watch over me, my kiddo and this house while Jeff had to work.
The next step is we wait. We wait until July 1st. Problem is, we are going out of town to my cousin's wedding and won't return until July 2nd and have the first HCG Blood test on July 3rd. However, I will be doing Pee-on-a-stick tests for this round. So, by July 1st, I will likely know if we are pregnant or not.
Prayers, Prayers, Prayers!!!
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Mowing Men
For the longest time, Andrew has been very scared of the lawn mower. He does not like loud noises - at all. When he was about a year old, he would cry if he even saw the lawn mower.
I guess he outgrew that fear.
Is it too soon for chores?
I guess he outgrew that fear.
Is it too soon for chores?
Monday, May 13, 2013
Camping Couple Plus 1.
Prior to becoming a mom, Jeff and I loved to go camping. I grew up camping with my family and have such fond memories of camping trips. We even registered for camping gear when we got married. We knew it would be fun for years and we truly enjoyed it. My last camping trip was almost 4 years ago. I was 6 months pregnant with Andrew and I knew it was going to be my last chance to sleep under the stars for a while...until now.
We took Andrew camping on Monday night for his first camping trip. He absolutely loved it! It was a little less "traditional" camping in that we went to my friend's lake house and camped in her back yard. That was planned though. We have not used the camping gear in years and needed to ensure that it was all in working order. We also needed an escape hatch in case Andrew got scared or had any major breakdowns in the middle of the night.
Happy to report - everything was perfect. My only complaint was that the weather report showed a low of 57 for the night, but the actual low was 46 degrees. We were COLD. Luckily, I was able to get 4 extra blankets from the lake house to help out. And, nothing stops Jeff from sleeping.
We cooked fajitas on the outdoor stove, made a fire, made Smores, went fishing and Andrew peed outside in the woods...true camping. However, in the morning, I went in to the lake house and made a big pot of coffee ... true convenience.
Camping will be a wonderful family adventure for us for years to come. I'm thrilled that the time has come for us to start this new tradition with Andrew.
Happy to report - everything was perfect. My only complaint was that the weather report showed a low of 57 for the night, but the actual low was 46 degrees. We were COLD. Luckily, I was able to get 4 extra blankets from the lake house to help out. And, nothing stops Jeff from sleeping.
We cooked fajitas on the outdoor stove, made a fire, made Smores, went fishing and Andrew peed outside in the woods...true camping. However, in the morning, I went in to the lake house and made a big pot of coffee ... true convenience.
Camping will be a wonderful family adventure for us for years to come. I'm thrilled that the time has come for us to start this new tradition with Andrew.
Monday, May 6, 2013
And...we're off!
Today, we start again. I'm officially back on the pill and will start Lupron in 10 days.
The current date for the Frozen Embryo Transfer is June 21st.
Praying, Crossing Fingers and Rain Dancing for this one to work.
The current date for the Frozen Embryo Transfer is June 21st.
Praying, Crossing Fingers and Rain Dancing for this one to work.
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