My Face Hurts from Smiling

Thursday, August 27, 2015

#HolyHeartbeat

Big smiles all around folks! Chris and I had our first ultrasound with Baby G tucked safely away inutero. We were both very nervous leading up to Tuesday which marked 6 weeks and 6 days pregnant.

Now I know you must be thinking…6 weeks 6 days?? Didn’t you just implant on the 28^th of July? How can you be 6 weeks and 6 days pregnant? Well…let me explain the wacky science behind this.

1^st: the day  you implant is not technically you first day of pregnancy according to doctors. In a natural pregnancy, the last day of your period is considered to be day 1. Yes this is strange but what it means is that the female body has started to build up a new lining in her uterus and is preparing for a baby to implant itself.

So for me that day would be July 14^th; however Baby G was already a 5 day old embryo making the conception date or first day of pregnancy the 9^th of July. So fast forward to August 25^th and we are 6 weeks and 5 days…yes I said 5.

However…when Baby G was measured, we were given a ‘gestational’ age of 6 weeks and 6 days! It’s all voo doo to me J

So back to the nervousness…I have not been feeling pregnant…no nausea, no sore breasts, morning sickness, constant urination…a bit of wicked heartburn and a few food cravings (Italian Food) but nothing else. The day before our appointment I got so worked up that I sat in the bathroom and cried for 30 minutes straight saying the word please over and over and over again. Begging God to let us have this little miracle and carry a healthy Baby G to term.

Well we made it to Tuesday and Chris met me at the fertility clinic and HOLY HEARTBEAT! Baby G is doing very well and Baby G’s heart beat is strong and is the most musical thing I have ever heard. Both Chris and I had tears of joy streaming down our faces. I am in love with that heartbeat, totally in love!!

In other news, we also just returned from Chris’s annual visit to the Mayo Clinic for his 3-day testing event that keeps him on the transplant list as a waiting recipient for a Kidney. The good news is that he gets to remain on the list the not so good news is that he is not a candidate for a pancreas. All this time 1,154 days we assumed that he was going to get both a Kidney and a pancreas…not the case, you have to be a type 1 diabetic to qualify for that organ.

The other small hiccup is now that my other mother in law Kathy is moving back to Oregon we no longer have a support network and a place to stay post-transplant for the required 6 weeks. So we are currently looking into other options including Mayo’s transplant house which is first come first serve and neighboring hotels, particularly the Marriott that is located on the Mayo Clinic campus in Scottsdale. Both will require a pretty hefty financial commitment so I am considering starting a 501C3 to raise money on Chris’s behalf for the cost of lodging and a caretaker. We are also reaching out to family and friends who may want to donate a week or two of their time to act as a full time caretaker. More to come on that topic.

May you all have a blessed day and keep us all in your prayers.

XOXO,

Amanda, Chris & Baby G

Breaking News

Friday, August 07, 2015

#PT-day

Well if you have been waiting for an update today is the day!

Chris and I started our next round of IVF back in the beginning of May. I made it through the shots, pills, ultra-sounds etc….my saving grace this time around was Dr. Sharon Roth my acupuncturist. Sharon, the sweetest, funniest 5’1” Jewish acupuncturist made the symptoms and complications of IVF bearable. *I mention that she is Jewish b/c you don’t typically have a non-Asian that practices this wonderful eastern technique. She swears like a sailor, she makes me laugh when I need it most and I like to think we are kindred spirits. J

Because I have PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) my ovaries are good little producers of low quality eggs L this time around I produced 20 eggs and yes I hyperstimulated once again. The eggs came out alright but as a result of the hyperstim I formed a hemorrhagic cyst around my left ovary which was threatening to choke the ovary itself. Two days after retrieval I found myself in the emergency room once again in the middle of the night and facing emergency surgery to remove the cyst.

Side note…when admitted to the ER and waiting in my curtained off cubby for the nurse to put in my IV another women was admitted right next to me. Thirty minutes later the doctor came to tell her why she had been experiencing major back pain and vomiting….she was pregnant!!! She sat there and cried, not happy tears but sad tears. She wasn’t planning on a pregnancy at her age and single status in her life. I sat there and cried too; I hadn’t planned on being childless at this age and married status in my life. Every part of me wanted to scream at her but I just sat there and balled. Chris held my hand and stroked my hair; what else could be done?

Okay back to my eggies! Thirteen of my eggs fertilized and six lived to day five, testing day. Two of the six came back genetically normal which beats the odds game if you are playing. J I only expected one of the six to come back normal!! Horrah!!

So….now we let my body rest. A month goes by and I start taking my FET (Frozen Embryo Transfer) drugs J on 7/1/15. The transfer date was tentatively scheduled for July 31^st but my body is ready early and we transfer on the 28^th! Chris and I decided to only transfer one of the two embryos just in case I don’t carry to term.

The morning of the 28^th I woke up early, went to acupuncture and then off to the fertility clinic. Sadly, Chris’s boss would not allow him any time off for the day so I went to the clinic solo. We had a successful thaw of our 3AB embryo and I was off back to the acupuncturist. For the next five days I stayed home and watched TV, read books, talked on the phone with my sisters…I did my best to remain stress free. I went in on the 31^st for my first hormone check and then back again on the 4^th of August. Today I went in for my pregnancy test.

For those of you that may not remember it’s a blood test and they are looking for positive levels of HSG between 5 and 439. You may recall when we had the twins implanted last time my day ten HSG levels were 176.

Well this morning the alarm went off at 5:00am and I jumped out of bed, I took a shower and got dress and ready to head off to the fertility clinic. I had my blood drawn at 7:30am (the earliest they open the doors J ) and then I waited. And waited. And waited. And then the nerves set in. I finally gave up around 12noon and logged into the online patient portal fearing the worst. Nothing posted yet….okay so now I am obsessively refreshing the page. I refuse to call. I don’t want bad news over the phone.

Chris texts me, how did it go??

Me:  I am still waiting sweetheart.  

Chris texts again, well?? 

Nothing.

 

Chris calls me: I answer, honey I told you I haven’t heard yet!!!!!  

Chris: I have.  

Me: WHAT???? What, what, what tell me!! 

Chris: You’re pregnant!!!  

Me: Really????!!!!! 

Chris: Your HSG level is 281.  

Me: Hot Damn!!!  

Okay so back to the newly pregnant stage. I am on antibiotics and steroids. Please oh please let this be the ticket! Let baby G stick around till April and be born healthy and happy!  

Please keep us in your prayers. J  

Forever grateful,  

Amanda, Chris & Baby G