32 Weeks - Placenta Previa No Mo!

Unbelievable. Just when I had come to terms with the fact that I will be having this baby via c-section I find out that my placenta has moved a full 3 cm and I no longer have previa! I still have more mental prep to do but I think I'm happy that I'm going to have a "normal" birth. 

We also found out that she's gonna be a big girl. At 32 weeks she's in the 77th percentile, weighing in at 4lbs 12oz. Doc says she's gonna be an 8 pounder! Apparently I was over 8 lbs and mom had a 4 hour labor with me.

Symptoms? Ugh... heartburn is the big one, indigestion, constipation, trouble sleeping, some mid- back pain, and sore ribs from this little girl kicking me! I'm not too uncomfortable yet but can't imagine what I'll feel like over the next 8 weeks!

Baby girl's nursery is coming along. The furniture is all ready to go; just need to hang the decor and put the shower gifts away (the shower is this Saturday... so excited!).

25 Weeks and Kickin'!

It's hard to believe I'm already 25 weeks (tomorrow). I am past the point of looking like I have a gut and on to full-on pregnant. I've even had several strangers comment on my bump. A woman in the elevator today asked me, "Are you pregnant?" I said yes and she went on to tell me how wonderful I look. What a boost! :)

Baby girl is certainly a mover. If she's not kicking, she's punching or somersaulting in her little amphibious sack. It's amazing to me every time she moves and I remind myself to relish it all, as she'll be crawling and walking in no time at all.

We've been working on clearing guest room furniture out of the baby's room and are pretty much ready to paint and start getting baby furniture set up! I just need to order the crib. :)

And then there's her name. I think we've settled on two, though if I can convince the hubs, it's actually three.
Emily Elayna
Emily Olivia
Anastasia Claire

I have a feeling ACE is going to win but I'd honestly be happy with any of them. They're all beautiful and perfect for our perfect, baby girl.

16 Weeks... Ouch, Ick

Everyone tells you the second trimester is a breeze. Morning sickness is gone, you're not so big you're uncomfortable. Not so, my friend - at least not for me. I'm still nauseous and vomiting a couple times per week (admittedly better than before!) and now I have these weird growing pains in my lower abdomen that are apparently called Round Ligament pain. I'm feeling pretty bad today - didn't sleep well (due to vomiting!), have vomited twice at work, my pants are unbuttoned, and I have growing pains in my tummy... all while trying to get work done! But at least I'm pregnant! :)

Besides my little complaints, everything is going perfectly! All tests have come back normal and my nifty little fetal doppler lets me hear my little girl's heartbeat at home! At the next OB appt we'll get to see her again! And the appt after that I get to drink a disgustingly sugary drink to test for gestational diabetes. Woo. :) C'est la vie.

Hubs and I are headed to Paris on Friday for our babymoon. Baby's first trip abroad. :) A bientot!

12 Weeks!

I am officially 3 months pregnant today! 

We had the NIPT/Verify tests done on Tuesday. The first test is for genetic defects such as down syndrome, chromosome 13, and others, while the second is a carrier screening test to check if I am a carrier for any of 75 different genetic disorders. If I test positive for any, Andrew will also be tested, as it takes both of us to be a carrier for a 25% chance the baby will have the condition. I'm a little nervous to get the results in a couple weeks but since the ultrasound showed perfect growth and nucheal density (liquid under the neck) I feel pretty good. AND we get to find out the gender! The ultrasound is by far the coolest thing we've seen so far. This one was finally on my belly (vs the hoo ha!) and so detailed we could see the nasal bone, hands, and feet! We even got to see it moving! I swear the kid is already a dancer. :)

I'm so anxious to be further along... I've started drooling over the things I'm going to buy like Belly Buds and a Belly Band... I know I'll regret saying this but I can't even wait to buy maternity clothes. :) 

Baby Beats

I had my first appointment with my OB yesterday. I was a little nervous since it's been 2 weeks since my last appt/ultrasound and found out when I got in the exam room that the OB appointment did not include an ultrasound. My doctor completely understood my anxiety so she pulled out the dopplar and said it's pretty early but we could try to listen for a heartbeat. She put the goo on the wand and pressed it to my belly. Immediately I could hear a heartbeat, loud and clear! It was the most amazing sound. So fast but so strong. 

I left the OB with a smile on my face and went straight to the post office to mail our big announcements! Can't wait till the calls start coming in from surprised family!

The flip side to all the happiness is this stupid cold I got last week. It hit me like a mac truck... I was absolutely demolished for days. I'm finally on the mend and left with a stuffy head and awful sinus pain at night. I started the neti pot treatment yesterday and am hoping that will help me avoid a sinus infection. Not sure how antibiotics work with baby.

Happy Vegetable Day!

Oh happy day, the morning sickness has finally subsided (at least for now)!! Salads actually sound good again, which is great because this baby can't survive on mac 'n cheese and Fritos alone! 

As soon as the nausea started to abate, I of course came down with a nasty cold. I usually have the immune system of Wonder Woman but with the lifeform inside me my defenses are down. :) I read that some over the counter cold medicines are ok but try to avoid them in the first trimester if possible. ...which means I've been relegated back to olden times when the best medicine was sleep, water, and oranges. Luckily I'm in my "two week notice" phase at work so I don't have much responsibility (read: I've been laying in bed for three days watching the final season of 24).

8 Weeks 1 Day

Woo, this baby is kickin' my butt already! I'm pretty nauseous most of the day/night and throw up at least once a day. Though I haven't gained any weight - actually lost 3 pounds since this all started - I'm getting really bloated. I'm actually sitting here with my jeans unbuttoned! The good news is that they say all this sickness means the baby is super healthy. And this morning's ultrasound confirmed we're 8 weeks and 1 day and the little jelly bean's heart rate is up to 181! There doesn't seem to be a change in my boobs yet but I'm sure that'll come. 

I'm working on a project to tell my family we're pregnant. So excited to get started this weekend!

6 Weeks and 6 Days

This baby is certainly making his or her presence known to momma! Morning sickness (I want to know who coined that phrase... liar!!) is in full effect. It typically starts while I'm getting ready for work, eases a bit after breakfast, and lasts until just before dinner. I've been searching for remedies and today I'm happy to report that I am trying the Jolly Rancher remedy. I'm at work and after vomiting up my lunch in a public bathroom, I was ready to try anything. So far so good! Maybe baby will have a sweet tooth like momma.

Hubs says major morning sickness means it's a boy and I don't have the heart to tell him that Dr. Google says it actually means it's a girl!

Woah Nausea

My appetite really picked up last night and after a full plate of spaghetti and meatballs and a few pieces of bread I felt awful. I was so gassy and bloated. Unfortunately that carried over to today and now nausea is added to the list. We'll see tomorrow if it was the pasta or the baby making me nauseous. Morning sickness finally here?

Just in Time for Valentine's Day

Our first ultrasound was yesterday and we got incredible news! Our baby is measuring perfectly at 6 weeks and we saw the heartbeat!!! 98bpm... how's that for a Valentine's Day present? It really took my breath away to see that tiny, blinking little grain on the screen. I couldn't stop smiling and I think hubs was pretty moved too. That little grain of rice and his or her yolk sac are my baby!!

We met with the doctor afterward and he said everything is absolutely perfect, and after two more weeks of ultrasounds at the fertility clinic we graduate to our ob/gyn!

Waiting

I am normally a pretty patient person (thanks Grandma) but I'm going crazy waiting right now! I'm waiting to start feeling pregnant (know I'll regret that one) and waiting for our first ultrasound tomorrow! 

So far I really don't feel any different. Not really tired, not really any nausea to speak of, no food aversions or cravings. It's still early but I think I will feel a little less anxious about a healthy pregnancy when I start to feel pregnant. Granted, when we had the mc I was exhausted and nauseous all the time so maybe different is good. Only 25 more hours till the ultrasound!!!

ARTIFICIAL Insemination

I'm starting to understand why it's called artificial. Because it doesn't feel real. The first time we got pregnant I was elated! I was glowing and smiling all of the time but we lost that one. This time around I'm almost afraid to be happy or to get too invested. I really feel positive that this will be a healthy baby but still I am reserving my emotions. 

On a happier note, the nurse called with our 3rd beta results. We're up to hcg 1429 and pg 38!! AND...... we get to go in next week for our first ultrasound! I'm really hoping that next week's appt will make me feel better so I can start to relax and enjoy the fact that I'M PREGNANT!! I hope hubs can make it but when I asked him earlier he was pretty stressed and sounded unsure about the schedule. *sigh* 

Movin' On Up

Blood test came back and we're trending in the right direction! HCG is now at 460 and progesterone is at 32. I go back on Thursday for another beta. The nurse hasn't told me how many blood tests we'll do or what's next. All she said was to continue my medication as usual (4 estrogen patches every other day, Crinone 2x/day, and progesterone in oil every 3 days) and continue diet and exercise restrictions. 

Baby, I'm trying my best to make a nice home for you. Please stay and continue to grow!

We're Pregnant!!!

The blood test was 7:30am Friday and I was going crazy all day waiting for the phone call. I snuck out of a meeting to take the call and knew (or hoped I knew!) right away that the nurse had good news. She just sounded positive, and since I've received that same call 3 other times with bad news, I know the difference. I was right... she said, "I have good news for you. Your test came back positive!" I started to cry I was so happy.

I still can't believe it's real and feel like I'm just waiting for them to call back and say they made a mistake. My HCG is around 130 and progesterone is 29 so the numbers look good. I go back in tomorrow for another beta to make sure the numbers are going up. I couldn't be happier and am so thankful to God that he has blessed us with this miracle.

T-Minus 3 Days to Testing

But who's counting? ME!! Work has been keeping me really busy, though it's a fine line between staying busy and not getting worked up or stressed. I'm happy to report that the progesterone shots have gotten so much better. Hubs and I talked through a better approach and since then I don't feel like I'm going through an emotional break each time.

I have felt some twinges today and yesterday, almost like cramps. It's a little scary but I have to remind myself that I'm doped up on so much progesterone it can't possibly be cramps. So it's most likely the last meal I ate. :) I've also successfully avoided Googling anything post-transfer related. I feel like there is such a thing as too much information, plus I can get a little... ummm... obsessive about that stuff. It's best just to try to keep my mind off of it and wait until that phone call Friday! So until then, I have a Paris vacation to plan (oh la la!).

The Two Week Wait Begins

The transfer went seamlessly and was so easy. We were at the clinic for about 2 hours but only 5 minutes of that was the actual transfer. We got to watch on the  monitor as the embryologist showed us our baby, sucked it up into a straw, and the doctor inserted it into the cushion I've been working so hard to create for it. :) It was REALLY cool being able to watch the whole thing and it really didn't hurt at all.

I had an appt with my acupuncturist right the transfer after but since I was on valium I slept through the whole thing! 

My pregnancy test is scheduled for next Friday so luckily I don't even have to wait a full 2 weeks!! Now I just have to stay as de-stressed as possible (bed rest for 48 hours) and try to keep my mind off of the impending test. As of now, I'm going under the assumption that I'm pregnant until proven otherwise!

T-minus One Day

I'll be pregnant tomorrow! How many people get to know exactly when they'll be pregnant?! I'm waiting for the nurse to call today with the time we need to be at the clinic tomorrow. I'm so excited! I have an acupuncture appt over lunch and am taking a rock climbing class with a girlfriend tonight... all in an effort to relax a little and take my mind off of things. T-minus one day and counting...

Ow ow ow ow: Progesterone in Oil

The final and absolute worst of all the shots is here and is causing some contention with Hubs. Like a typical guy, he tends to do first and ask questions later. Like a typical girl, I am very detail-oriented and want to make sure we're following the instructional video to a T. So after this horrid shot is given and I'm in pain the whole way through, I ask questions on what he did and didn't do in hopes I would get a clue as to why it hurt so much. He takes this as a personal attack and instead of comforting his wife who has just been stuck in the nether-region with a 1 1/2" needle full of oil he retreats to the basement to sulk.

This pictures shows just how medieval the progesterone needle is compared with all the other injection needles I've been using.

Courtesy of  Princess of Taylor blog

I reached out to my nurse this morning to see if there is an alternative to the injections and she gave me permission to go down to every 3 days instead of every day!!! Thank you, Nurse Wonderful; you may have just saved my marriage!

Hello 2015

I was sitting at work, thinking about the pregnancy/IVF blogs I've been reading and thought, 'hey, I should capture my fertility journey' when I remembered I created this blog. It was hard to read the one and only post, since I wrote it the day my miscarriage started.

It's been a very long year and a half since that post, filled with countless pills, injections, dr visits, co-pays... Following the miscarriage it was a good 5 or 6 months before my body was back to normal and we could start trying again. After several months of baby dancing we begrudgingly went to a fertility clinic. Three failed IUIs (Intrauterine insemination) later we are one week out from our first IVF (in vitro fertilization) transfer!! I had OHSS (Ovarian Hyper Stimulation Syndrome) after the egg retrieval a month and a half ago so the transfer was delayed until 1/21/15. 

FINALLY the transfer is just around the corner and I am so excited I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve. I look ahead on the medicine calendar I made and see all the new pills and shots I'll be taking in the next few days. As much as I hate the injections, I know that the more drugs I'm on, the closer I am to the transfer!