{Pregnancy Progress}

I found this on another blog and thought it was a cute idea :) Enjoy!


How far along: 5 weeks 0 days
Total weight gain:hopefully none yet (except the 10 lbs or so gained during IVF..ugh!)
How much does baby weigh: Not sure, but according to my book, baby is about 1/8 inch long!
Maternity clothes: Not yet ...but things are already uncomfortable :-/
Stretch marks: Not yet..I will be buying cocoa butter soon to try to keep them away!!
Sleep: Not as good as pre-pregnancy, and I wake up early to pee every day..
Best moment this week: Looking at baby stuff at Target with DH :)
Movement: Nada..
Food cravings: Cream Soda ....random since I hadn't had it in YEARS!!
Belly button in or out: Obviously still an innie
What I miss: Caffeine/Tea (although I haven't had caffeine since Jan)
What I'm looking forward to: Our first appointment in 2 weeks!!!
Milestone: Everyday is a milestone! I'm still pregnant!
Thoughts: I'm still in complete and utter shock...after almost 2 years we're finally expecting our little miracle!! It doesn't even seem real!! Maybe after our first ultrasound and heartbeat appt in a couple weeks it will!! :)

{B/W Results are in...}

Well..it looks like both my HPT's were correct. I had my b/w done yesterday at the RE's office and got the results back...POSITIVE!! By HCG levels were at 238 which she said is great for the first blood draw. I go back on Saturday morning to make sure the #'s double. I'm still in shock that this finally worked for us...after so much heartache!! I'm still nervous, but keeping my fingers crossed and praying that this little one sticks.

{The verdict is in...}

Well, the beta (blood pregnancy test) isn't scheduled at my dr's office until tomorrow, but I got anxious and couldn't wait any longer so I tested yesterday...and the verdict......

POSITIVE!!!! I couldn't believe it :) I was still very skeptical so I bought a digital to test with today which also instantly came up with a Positive, I am soooo excited, yet still very cautious, with all we've been through we are sure hoping this little one is our miracle :) I will update again tomorrow after my trip to the RE for the blood test.

So far I'm already feeling hungry ALL THE TIME...it's actually pretty frustrating, even after eating a meal I don't feel satisfied (which is pretty much how I've been the past week or so once my OHSS symptoms went away on Friday). But I'd rather be hungry then have nausea and morning sickness, so I'm hoping this trend continues and I have an easy pregnancy! :) Please continue to keep us and our little bean in your prayers and thanks for all the support so far.

{OHSS}

OHSS: Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome...I was officially diagnosed with a moderate case of this today. Ever since the ER I have been bloated and slightly nauseous off and on. I attributed this to possibly a mild case of OHSS and side effects of the Progesterone injection. I weighed myself this morning and I was up 5 lbs from the Egg Retrieval a week ago. This concerned me slightly because I knew that this was another sign of OHSS. So I called the on duty nurse and spoke with her, after discussing my symptoms (bloated abdomen (I look about 5 months pregnant..), nausea, lower abdominal pain, slight shortness of breath) she talked to the Dr. and they decided they would like me to come in today for an ultrasound and blood work. Unfortunately this was right in the middle of the day and I had to drive up to the Seattle office, so my plans for scrapbooking with friends were thrown out the door :(

I went up to the doctor's office and all my vitals were taken, my bp, pulse and temperature were all normal. Then I was taken into the exam room for an ultrasound. They started with a vaginally ultrasound and found that each ovary was about 12cm's I believe..which is a lot bigger than normal!! So that explains why my lower abdomen is sore and distended. They then used an abdominal u/s to scan the rest of my stomach and check for fluid build up. They did find some fluid retained in my abdomen, so they are going to continue to monitor me closely over the next week and make sure it doesn't get too much worse or uncomfortable for me.

The good news is, this won't affect the embryo at all. The dr. said if anything this probably means that I am pregnant :) So....going through this discomfort will definitely be well worth it!!!

{Embryo Transfer/Day 5}

Our Embryo and future child!!!!!

Well, I finally received the long awaited phone call Saturday afternoon and they gave me the rundown on what would happen on the day of my 5 day transfer (today!). I woke up this morning and took a shower and got ready as normal, then I took my progesterone shot as I have been each morning since the ER as well. Unfortunately this morning I had HORRIBLE nausea :( I think it's just one of the side effects of the hcg shot (it mimics pregnancy symptoms). At 8:30 a.m. I had to insert a prometrium capsule intravaginally. So I did that then tried to hang out and relax a bit since I was still feeling nauseous. I headed up to Seattle and drank my 20 oz of water on the way so I would have a full bladder as instructed. By this time my nausea had finally subsided for the most part. I met my husband up in Seattle at the clinic and we went in for the appointment.

When we were first admitted to our room, the embryologist came in and talked to us about the quality of our embryos and the # they suggested transferring. She immediately told us that the embryo they had chosen to transfer today was of the best quality there is for a 5 day. When we told her we had hoped to transfer 2 she said they didn't think it would raise our odds for sticking much more but we could discuss it amongst ourselves and our Dr. So Dr. Dudley came in and talked with us. He told us the chances that ONLY one of the 2 would stick if we transferred two was only about 5-10% higher than if we only transferred one embryo and our chance of twins would go from about 2% to 60%. And he thinks we have a VERY good chance that this one will stick due to my age and overall health. So...we decided to take the advice of the Dr. and only transfer one embryo. As much fun as twins 'sounds'...I can't imagine how much work it would be!!

As for the other embryos that fertilized we found out today that 3 were being frozen today and 6 more would be looked at again tomorrow to see if they were of high enough quality to freeze, and the Dr. also thought there was a pretty high likelihood this would happen. So if this little embryo doesn't stick (which we're trying not to think about) we will have options for a Frozen Embryo Transfer in the future. This would also be a lot less expensive than another IVF cycle. So...now the dreaded 2ww (two week wait) begins...although I only have 10 days until my first pregnancy test which is scheduled for July 23rd!!! :) Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers and let this baby STICK!!! :)

{Day 3 and frustrated...}

Today is 'Day 3' since the ER and I received the call yesterday that all 20 fertilized embryos were still doing great so we'd be doing a Day 5 transfer and they'd call us today with further results on how they were dividing as well as instructions and a time for the Embryo Transfer on Monday. Well..I expected an early morning call because the last 2 have been at 8:30 a.m...well it's 2:25 pm and I STILL haven't heard from them. It's making me really frustrated and nervous. I'm such a huge planner and I hate not knowing what is going on 2 days from now....sigh....I called the answering service *twice* and they were supposed to forward a message to the embryologists that I'm STILL waiting for a call and I haven't heard anything...GRRRRRR!!!! Ok..vent over.. I just had to get that out ..updates will follow as soon as I figure them out myself..

{Fertilization Report #1/Day 2}

Results are in...I got a phone call this morning and out of the 30 eggs that were retrieved, 20 fertilized!!! So we have VERY good numbers to work with :) It sounds like we will most likely be doing a 5 day transfer (which is what I was hoping for, it seems like it has better odds..) but I will find out more tomorrow when I get a call to see how the embryos are dividing and surviving. I'm getting so nervous/excited and can't believe this is all really happening!

I also had to start my progesterone shots this morning. That is definitely not going to be a fun one ... the shot is IM (Intramuscular) just as the HCG was which means I have to do it in the upper buttocks/lower back area and the needle is much longer than the SQ needles were. And not only that it's Progesterone in oil and it takes SOOOOO long to inject..I felt like I was holding the needle in me forever :( So it's gonna be a fun one to take every day ....ugh...I just hope this is all worth it because I am sooo incredibly bloated and crampy on top of everything else..

{Egg Retrieval}

Well today was the "Big Day" (well one of them..). We headed up to Seattle this morning for our 10 a.m. retrieval appointment. They took my husband and I back and I got undressed and put on a gown and hair cap (I looked stunning let me tell you!), we had to wait for another patient's retrieval first, then I was taken back and the hubby left to do his part (which was much easier let me tell you ...). I was put under anesthesia and was completely out of it for about a half hour while they did the retrieval. I woke up slowly and my husband was brought back to my recovery area. Once he got back there they had the final count on how many eggs were retrieved and we were sooo thrilled and relieved to hear the number....30!!! So we have a very good chance that several will fertilize, then we just have to pray that the ones we transfer back will stick! :) We will get a call tomorrow letting us know how many fertilized and whether or not we will have a 3 or 5 day transfer. So we are counting our blessings that things are going great so far!

{Triggered!!}

Today was "Day 11" of my "cycle" I went in to the RE this morning for another u/s and bloodwork. The U/S looked great compared to Friday, I had several 'mature' follicles and several more that will be mature by the time of egg retrieval, so that's a good sign. I got the call back from the nurse at the RE this afternoon and just as the u/s tech thought, we scheduled me to take the hcg 'trigger' shot tonight, which makes the egg retrieval (ER) 36 hours from that. So...since Andy isn't able to deal with needles and this shot had to be done Intramuscularly where I couldn't really see to do it myself, we went over to my friend's house and she did the injection for me. She did an awesome job and it went very smooth!! :) So now I just have to take a pregnancy test in the morning to confirm the HCG got absorbed (it should be positive..weird I know..) then Wednesday morning we go in and my eggs are retrieved! So..we're keeping our fingers crossed that the smaller follies develop and we have PLENTY of good eggs from the retrieval.

That's all for now .. I will update more on Wednesday (or Thurs if I'm too loopy Weds) after the ER!!!

{Day 8 U/S and B/W}

Today was my Day 8 ultrasound. Everything seems to be progressing well and as planned as far as I have been told. Today I had a much larger number of follicles growing then I did at my Day 5 appointment which is good. As long as I don't have TOO many and over stimulate it will be great to have a lot of follicles that could potential mature when we fertilize them. I will find out this afternoon whether or not my dosage of meds will change, but as it stands now I will be on the same dose and go in again Sunday morning for an ultrasound and blood draw. I will be a pro at all this by the time this cycle is done!! (But I'm crossing my fingers I never have to do it again :)) ...

Well...that's about all there is to update for now. I will post any changes in the next few days and if all goes as planned the Egg Retrieval and then transfer will happen next week!! :)