Growing & Thriving

I had my 3rd and final Beta HcG this morning. It was 4599! So, in 4 days it a little more than quadrupled...which is perfect! The most exciting news...I get to cut back my Progesterone shots to every other day. Yeah!! My tush needs a break :) I have to admit that I'm a little nervous about the decrease though. Everything is going so well, it's hard to feel comfortable stopping anything that's working. But, my nurse reassured me that my numbers are plenty high. She said I could probably cut out the Progesterone all together, but we'll continue it until the ultrasound just to be sure. Fine by me :) We officially scheduled our first ultrasound. It will be March 11th at 11:00 am. The 11th at 11...sounds like good luck to me! I can't wait to see little heartbeats :)

HCG Tripled!

I had my 2nd beta HCG yesterday. Results...1007!!! So my HCG went from 344 to 1007 in 48 hrs! That's almost triple! I asked Brandi (our nurse) if she thought I could be having twins & she said, "I'm always wrong so I don't want to say for sure, but you at least have 1 VERY healthy baby in there if not 2!" Such good news :) Now we can enjoy the weekend. More labs on Monday & then we will schedule my 1st ultrasound for the week of March 9th. We can't wait to see how many babies are in there!!

I've been off work the last 3 weeks to grow this baby/these babies. Tonight is my first day back. I've been so tired the last few days...I'm a little nervous about being able to stay up all night! It's been nice to have the time off but I'm ready to go back. Remind me of this at about 2am :)

I'm hoping to enjoy this sunny day. I think my mom & I are taking Vegas to the dog park here in a little while.

Well, have a nice weekend!! I'll update on Monday.

Big Fat Positive

WE'RE PREGNANT!!!

I went in for labs this morning at 7:30 am & then began the agonizing wait for results. We went to Sonic for breakfast, then to Wal-Mart for groceries. My phone rang at 10:30 am & I almost peed my pants while trying to get to my phone, I was so nervous...but it was just my sister. Well, not just my sister, but you know. We finally got the call at 11:14 am, a day & time to remember!! I was so nervous I almost didn't want to answer it. After the 3rd or 4th ring I answered and heard the most beautiful words, "Well Shelley, you're pregnant!!!" Then, the more important question, how pregnant was I?? I asked what my HCG was...344!!! I screamed, "344!!!" & started crying. From there the phone calls started. We called our close friends & families to share our miracle. Thank you, thank you for all your support.

With an HCG of 344 at 3 weeks 6 days pregnant, twins are a very real possibility. Yeah!!! I go in for more labs on Thursday & Monday to make sure my HCG is increasing appropriately. It should double every 48-72 hrs. I'll keep you posted!!

I was afraid to mention these earlier. Symptoms so far...

3 days ago I woke up to teenage acne all over my face and chest (jealous, aren't you?) I've been very tired the last few days, taking naps & going to bed extremely early. I've been feeling lightheaded/dizzy when walking up & down stairs or just when standing up. The nausea started Sunday, not too bad yet. I spilled 2 drinks yesterday...very clumsy.

Needless to say, we are on cloud 9. We are planning to stay here for the next 30+ weeks until we are holding our baby/babies in our arms. At that point I think we'll be beyond cloud 9 :) We can't stop smiling!!!

Waiting...

I haven't posted in a few days because there's not much to report. Since the embryo transfer we have just been trying to keep busy, waiting these 8 LONG days to find out if we are indeed pregnant. I have managed to stay away from home pregnancy tests...I gave all of the ones I had at our house to my mom weeks ago so I wouldn't be tempted. Oh how those First Response Early Result commercials have been haunting me!! They really discourage taking home urine tests because if you get a negative result, you'll be super upset & if you get a positive result you still don't know "how positive" it is until you get your blood test. So I am proud of myself for holding out. Now I am SUPER nervous about tomorrow morning. I don't know if I'll be able to sleep tonight! I think I'm going to go first thing in the morning...7:30 am. They will call with the results as soon as they get them. For those of you who may not know, the test is a blood draw & it is called a quantitative beta HCG. Once an embryo implants itself in the uterus it starts releasing the hormone beta HCG. You can measure the amount of HCG in your blood. So, when they call with results tomorrow, I'd like the number to be greater than 50. We want this number to double at least every 48 hrs. If it doubles, it is a good indication that it is a healthy pregnancy. Cross your fingers for good high numbers tomorrow!!! I'll post as soon as we know something!

2dp5dt

There are many ways to describe today...Today our embryos are 1 week old, today is 2 days post our 5 day transfer (2dp5dt), & today we are theoretically 3 weeks pregnant.

There is not much to report other than we got the news yesterday that we do not have any embryos to freeze. Embryo #1 was found to be abnormal (Turner Syndrome). Embryos #4 & #5 did not make it to the blastocyst stage & were therefore unable to be frozen. But, the good news to focus on is the 2 embryos we transferred were normal & very healthy.

A new countdown has begun (it seems we are always counting down to something!)...

6 days until a blood test will show that we're pregnant!!

See how positive we are :)

PUPO

It's official! We are PUPO! Remember, Pregnant Until Proven Otherwise! We can hardly contain our excitement :) The phone call bright & early this morning revealed all 9 embryos continued development. Then around 10:45 am we received another call...the test results. 2 out of the 9 embryos were found to be normal for all 10 chromosomes tested. Another 3 embryos have questionable results. Embryo #1 is being tested again tonight to re-count the sex chromosomes (right now they think it is missing one, & is therefore abnormal), Embryo #4 needs to be re-biopsied (something happened to that cell during the shipping process), and Embryo #5 is normal for half the chromosomes (the other half couldn't be tested due to a lab error). They will keep an eye on these 3 questionables. If they develop into blastocysts (making it to the next stage of development) over the next couple of days, then these 3 may be frozen. Confused? I don't blame you.

I had my acupuncture treatment this morning as planned. Kyle came along & we received a combined treatment. It was very relaxing & helped focus our energy on successful implantation of our embryos. We will have a second treatment tomorrow morning. Positive mental attitude!

Back to our embies that we transferred...

The embryos we chose are early blastocysts, around 100 cells large & very healthy looking according to our wonderful embryologist, Dr. Wilson. We were able to see them on a monitor before they were transferred to their new home (my uterus). They were so cute :) Kyle took pictures! It's pretty amazing, the first baby pictures :) Only one of the pictures turned out...that's the one you see at the top of today's post. The transfer went well, a little uncomfortable. I had to lay on the exam table for about 15 minutes following the procedure & off we went. For the next couple days, I need to be sitting or laying down other than bathroom & meal breaks. These embies need time to nestle into their new home :) Stick embies, stick! Over the next 1-5 days they will settle in & implant. Yeah!

Alright, so here's the other BIG news. As most of you know, by doing the genetic testing we know the gender of the embryos we transferred. Following transfer, I contacted the PGD lab in West Virginia. We are PUPO with boy/girl twins!!!! How much better can it get!!! So far, this whole process has been a dream come true...having 15 eggs, 9 embryos, all 9 making it to day 5, having 2 normal healthy embryos to transfer, those embryos be 1 boy & 1 girl, and having a possibility of freezing a couple embryos for later.

Here's where you come in...please please be thinking of us over the next week. I have my beta (blood pregnancy test) next Tuesday, the 17th. We need all the thoughts & prayers we can get for these embies to keep growing & implant. I'll say it again...stick, embies, stick! They are already loved & we can't wait to meet them :) Thanks for all your continued support & loving interest in this whole process. It means more than we could ever express.

Day 4 Embryos

We spent the entire day outside yesterday. My face even got a little pink! Last night we had a few close friends over for a BBQ. It totally felt like a perfect spring day. Loved it!

This morning we got the call that ALL our embryos are still dividing & looking well!! I have to say I was a little nervous from yesterday to today. I have read that people lose a lot of embryos from day 3 to 5. So far, so good. I can't believe tomorrow is the big day. EMBRYO TRANSFER here we come! We are so anxious/nervous/excited to hear the results of the biopsies. On one hand, we would love for all of them to come back normal with no chromosomal abnormalities. But on the other hand, if they are all normal, then what caused our 5 miscarriages? Then, we'll be worried that maybe it does have something to do with my body not accepting the pregnancy. But I'm on tons of meds to help keep a pregnancy. There is nothing else to "fix" in my body...so we'll just hope for the best!! Whew...we're a little stressed. Well, not stressed, just ready to hear how many little embies are still thriving tomorrow & how many of those are chromosomally normal. I really hope we have at least 2.

To help with the stress, I am doing acupuncture tomorrow morning before ET and then again on Tuesday. Acupuncture has been linked to increased pregnancy rates, specifically with IVF. It helps promote blood flow to the uterus, promoting embryo implantation. I'm really excited about it.

17 hours from now I will officially be with child (or children) :) Then, we'll need lots & lots of prayers and "sticky vibes" (that's what we women trying to conceive say). We need those precious embryos to stick!!

Well, wish us luck!!!

Day 3 Biopsy

Sorry I was absent yesterday. We stayed very busy with the beautiful weather. We met our friend, Kelly, in Independence for lunch at Cafe Verona (I highly recommend this place) & then window-shopped around the Independence Square, ending the afternoon with a couple old fashioned sodas from Clinton's. Very delicious! Then we came home, grabbed Vegas, & headed to the dog park. There were SO many dogs and their people there :) Vegas played hard with a fellow Great Dane & one of her favorite Dalmatian friends...so cute! We ended the night eating dinner & playing cards with my parents at our house. I was able to enjoy a cold beer with everyone as there is nothing, no eggs, no embryos, growing inside me now. I'm an empty vessel for 2 more days & am going to take advantage! Don't get too worried, I only had one beer :)

As for the embryo report...
Our precious embryos are 3 days old today. All 9 embryos are dividing appropriately & look healthy!!!!! Dr. Wilson, our embryologist called to let us know he will be biopsying all 9 this morning. He ships them to West Virginia to be tested (PGD) & we will have the results on Monday. Our embryo transfer is scheduled for 12:00 on Monday!! Yeah! We are so happy to have made it this far with so many embryos.

As for me...
I'm still not 100%, but am definitely feeling better. The bloat has almost completely subsided. I had gained about 5 lbs during stimulation & egg retrieval & have now lost 4 lbs. Almost back to normal :) I'm still experiencing some pain, but it's tolerable. On to the meds...I just added it up. Yesterday I took 14 pills & Kyle gave me 2 injections!!! The injections were quite horrible. I don't mind shots, really. And yesterday's were not unbearable...the horrible part is that I have to do these injections every day for a very long time. Lovenox (prevents blood clots) is given in the abdomen & burns something fierce. I will continue these injections every day throughout my pregnancy. Progesterone (makes the uterine lining like a pillow) is given in the hip with a long thick needle. It is Progesterone in oil...very thick & not so kind on the tush. I will continue these until about 12 weeks into my pregnancy. I keep telling myself...It'll all be worth it, it'll all be worth it, it'll all be worth it. So it had better all be worth it!!!

Today is another beautiful day. Gotta love the 60s in February!!! I think we'll be headed to the dog park shortly!

Grow Embryos Grow!

Well folks, we have embryos! 9 to be exact!! Our embryologist called this morning at 8:07 to give us the good news. So, exactly 60% of my eggs fertilized normally :) Textbook. Woohoo! He'll call every morning with our little embies' progress & will biopsy them on Saturday. We can't wait to go to sleep so we can wake up to another report :)

I'm still really sore...it's hard to stand up straight because of all the cramping. Hoping tomorrow will be better. I'm so glad I don't have to go back to work this weekend. I will be able to rest & heal, preparing my body for our precious embryos! I can't wait to be PUPO (pregnant until proven otherwise). Clever, huh :)

15!

Egg retrieval is painful! Thank God for good drugs. A little Versed followed by some Propofol and I don't remember a thing. No nausea or anything. A couple doses of Fentanyl in recovery, & I actually felt well enough for breakfast at First Watch afterward. One of my nurses recommended eating pancakes (I'm a very good patient and follow every "instruction" I'm given). By the time we got home, however, I was in quite a bit of pain. I took 2 Darvocet & slept for 3 hrs. Now, here I am updating the blog. I'm pretty comfortable as long as I don't move :) Good thing Kyle's here to wait on me! And my mom made a delicious lasagna for us tonight so he didn't have to cook. We're pretty spoiled!

Oh, did you want to know how many eggs they retrieved??? 15!!!!! We are so excited with that number. I was really only expecting 10-12. Pleasant surprise for sure. They'll let us know tomorrow morning how many of the 15 eggs fertilized. I can't wait to hear. On average, around 60% are expected to fertilize...so we're hoping for 9. The more the merrier!

Thanks for all the prayers! Keep it up! We love you all!

All is Well

I had yet another appointment this morning. Everything is right on track. We counted 12-15 follicles again today, growing well. My lining is 8.4 mm now & will continue to thicken every day. My estradiol level was 3249! We reached the 3000 mark. I guess it'll be well over 3000 by egg retrieval on Wednesday. Yep, it's official...ER is Wednesday morning, bright and early. We have to report at 7 am to the Overland Park Regional one day surgery. Our sperm and eggs have a date! I do my trigger shot tonight at 9 pm and take my last dose of dexamethasone. Yeah! (Don't worry, after the egg retrieval, I start a whole new slew of drugs.)

I've been getting increasingly uncomfortable over the last couple days. Apparently my ovaries can be compared to water balloons at this point. Water balloons in your abdomen...I don't recommend it :) I was told it will get worse before it gets better. WHAT!? Yes, worse. After egg retrieval, my follicles will fill back up with fluid, even more fluid than is currently residing in my pelvis. Very slowly this fluid will be reabsorbed, and my "fat jeans" can be put back on the hanger (until, God willing, they are called upon again in a couple months to accommodate the baby bump).

I've been told that the egg retrieval will take about 30 minutes. Then I'll hang out in recovery for 1-2 hours. When I wake up, Kyle will know how many eggs they were able to extract. Immediately after retrieval, my eggs are handed to the embryologist. Let fertilization begin!

I guess that's it for now...I'll try to post Wednesday when we get home. Or maybe I can get Kyle to do it.