Dearest Little Bear, This was originally going to be a sweet, sentimental letter to you (that I still plan on finishing) but for now, in the extreme heat and humidity I have dealt with the past week, I have one thing to say and one thing to say only. Please. Just. Come. Out. We want to meet you, and I am not above bribery. I will let you stay up all night and we can have a party at your crib if you just come out on your own. Consider this your official eviction notice because Mommy is very tired,...
On Friday, March 31st – both Dean and I went to the Quest Lab that is closest to our house to do my glucose tolerance test. Also known as the test that searches for gestational diabetes. Or, as Mr. Brimley would say: Now, the reason I selected this particular Quest office was because they offered a 7:15AM appointment time, and when you are pregnant and fasting, a) the sooner you can eat, the better and b) I am still working, so I wanted to make sure I didn’t impact the office with my absence. As always, we came prepared – Dean...
This morning, with a VERY full bladder, we had our anatomy scan. Now, before everyone gets all: Let me get through a few things first. You still with me, or are you scrolling down to get to the good part? Come on, stick with me. In addition to finding out what private parts our child has, this is a very important ultrasound where measurements are taken to make sure the baby is growing at a healthy rate, certain chromosomal defects can be ruled out, any potential issues with the placenta (i.e. placenta previa), and that the visible organs are functioning/present. Well, this...
Okay, okay, I am a bit late in posting this. I’m sorry, it’s been really busy over here. We had our transfer on 10/25, and Dr. Cass was there to perform it! I had my same nurse who performed my ultrasound…again, THE WORST part of the whole thing is needing to pee but not being able to. There was a Nurse in the room who did not introduce herself to me, so as I got into the stirrups, I said, “Hi, I know we don’t know each other, but my name is Jen and this is my vagina.” Everyone laughed,...
I had my lining check on 10/12, and everything looks great – 11mm like last time, which is great! I go back into the RE office on 10/19 for another ultrasound to check my lining, as well as a blood test to make sure that my estrogen still at a good level. If everything goes well, I start the PIO shots on 10/20. I am actually toying with the idea of filming one of these to document the truly fun part of this experience. I know that this is probably a weird idea, but I figure that there are way...
I’m sorry I left you all hanging and in suspense, it has been really busy for me lately and I haven’t had time to update. I had my appointment on Saturday October 1st, and that cyst is GONE. Thank you to everyone who kept me in their thoughts while we waited to hear. This cycle is going to proceed as normal! I have an appointment to check my lining on October 12th, and they will teach me how to give my PIO (progesterone in oil) injections. These are intramuscular injections, instead of subcutaneous. If you’re wondering what that means, it...
Like getting your period! It’s exciting because you can start a new cycle, begin your cycle meds, another chance at pregnancy, etc. But…real talk? It goes more like this: Thank you, Homer. During treatment, I really only have enough space for one feeling at a time, but every unique feeling decides it wants to push its way to the front, and ruin my day. Having a great day? Why not cry about IVF for 45 minutes? Feeling angry? Here’s some grateful feelings for how wonderful your friends and family can be! It’s really confusing to articulate, but it really is messy and...
Today was my Day 21 baseline appointment. This is generally a pretty routine appointment, you get an ultrasound, they count your AFC (Antral Follicle Count), and then you get your protocol that you will begin as soon as your period starts. …..Except, for when they discover a functional cyst. Some of you may remember this post, where I thought I had received my period but I had not. What I had was a functional cyst, as a direct result of stress in my body (stress, illness, professional, etc). This cyst is a direct cause of me not releasing an egg as I should. The...
No, this is not an album title…though now I feel like I should use it (so dont steal it!). This is something that has been on my mind to share for a few days, but it seems appropriate now because well… I had a little bit of a meltdown yesterday. Okay, okay…maybe it was a big, ugly crying breakdown. I have received a lot of compliments about how ‘strong’ I am, or remarks about how much courage it takes to write down our experiences like this. Truthfully, because I am terrible with compliments, I laugh or minimize these comments because...
Hi everyone, As I mentioned in our previous blog, the infertility world refers to the appointment after a failed cycle as the “WTF” appointment. You discuss what happened in the cycle, how you would like to proceed, what your options are, how you are feeling etc. Let’s go in order, shall we? What happened this cycle?: We implanted our best 6AA blastocyst, my lining was 11mm, and everything looked textbook perfect. How would you like to proceed?: We are going to start another FET cycle with my next period, which should be towards the end of September or early October. My...
