We found out how many....

Just got back from Dr's appoint. for U/S..... there's one heart beat! I feel relieved, thought we were going to hear any. At the same time I was pretty sure there was 2. So I got to thinking that would be cool- 2 for 1, we can have our instant family and we'll be done. So, in a way, (I hate to say it) feel a little dissappointed there weren't 2- I think my husband does to, he would never say it. He just said "I was kinda of already getting attached to the lil' guys"... Happens for a reason. At least there was a little heart beat. Next u/s in 2 weeks.....

YIKES!~ Spotting :(

I started spotting today and completly freaked out. Has anyone experience this with IVF. The nurse at our clinic said it was very normal and considering my HCG #'s (6030) I should not worry- easy for her to say. Has anyone experience this? I have my ultrasound appoint on Mon. and am so anxious to know what is going on.

We got the results!!!

Well, I had 2 blood test, one on Monday, the other on Wensday- this one was the determiner. Posititive!!! I am officially pregnant. I think I'm still in shock. My husband is gitty this exitement and I try to match his mood so wont think I'm not excited. I think it's going to take me awhile for all this to register. All my life I've never really had much interest in reproducing, so switching gears may take awhile. I'm sure once I see the first sonogram of a little being inside me, things will change. I swear, I have maternal instincts, my pets are my babies and treat them as such. I guess this is why God gives us 9 months to adjust to this life changing experience. The entire scientific experience has been very fascinating though. Well on 10/23 we will find out if 1 or 2 embryos stuck.

Transfer complete....still in pain :(

Well, transfer was on Tuesday 09/25, it went well. We transfered 2. So I have been laying down since then BUT my ovaries haven't recovered from the retrieval. Looking forward to walking upright soon.
For some reason my doctor thought I was 25 and was adament about only transfering 1. He said "if you were 35 and over I would recommend 2..." Under normal circumstances I would have let him believe I was 25 BUT I had to remind him of my "real" age- darm! That instantly changed his mind. Well see if my body thinks it's 25.
Thanks for the well wishes. Monday 10/01 we have our first preg test then another on Wed at which point we should find out if these babies (literally & figuratively) stuck. This is such a weird experience, I have NEVER imagined myself #1 pregnant #2 going through such extremes to get pregnant #3 possibly being a mother- very surreal.
Bye for now!

Eggs Retrieved

Well, it has been an interesting last few days. On Thursday 9/20 I went in for the egg retrieval and they were able to get 37 eggs. Turns out that's a bigger deal than I thought- no one was really making a big deal so I thought it was normal-it's not. Anywho, felt crappy all day and have since- my belly is very bloated and I am uncomfortable. I guess that's just the beginning. They let me know 24 embryos have formed and now it's day 3 and we were suppose to have the transfer done today but they want to wait until day 5 for quality purposes. I'm still in a state of shock I think because I don't really feel anything. I'm happy everything turned out ok and that we got so many embryos but I don't think the entire situation has really hit me yet.
I talk to my sister about everything and a couple of good friends but I don't want to say anything until we know for sure- I'm super private.
My husband on the the other hand, tells his family every single detail- yes, I'm talking TMI. So I don't really want to see any of them because I don't feel comfortable talking to anyone that I don't choose to talk to about this- he's upset that I don't sit and blab about this to his mom & dad. Beside, they will somehow find a way to segue my situation to something they want to spend the next hour talking about. Sorry, must be the hormones :)

Hyperstimulated Ovaries?

So, we are on cycle day 9, Sunday 09/16. I went in on Friday to get my blood drawn and turns out I am producing many follicles. For each follicle an egg will be produced. I had to go in yesterday, Saturday and be checked- ultra sound- I guess I am over producing- around 20 or so follicles [eggs]. I have no idea what this means, whether it could potentially be a problem when it's time for retrieval or if my eggs will mature to early and throw the entire schedule off, I don't know. At this point, I am moody, can't think straight, forgettful, and I'm tired of getting 3 injections a day along with having my "parts" looked at daily. If I see stir up's (not pants but, I guess those to) again in my life time it will be to soon.
Anywho, I'm going in tomorrow for more inspection. YAY.
Can anyone out there feel my pain- literally and figuratively speaking? I'm very frustrated!

This is our IVF adventure.......

Our adventure begin June 2007 with our first appointment. Overwhelmed, scared & excited (excitement from my husband), we tried to make sense of all the information and steps. All I remembered were the amount of injections I was going to have to receive and the probing that I was going to have to endure, and quite frankly, I was feeling much like a prized sow ready for show and breeding.
You see, I have always thought myself to be very healthy, as well as doctors. But since our family stayed limited to our 4 legged fury family for the past 2 years, we accepted the fact there was something wrong or, in our case, unexplainable.
And so that's how our journey into IVF began: unexplained infertility. I will spare you the details of the thoughts and concerns and, yes, disagreements, my husband and I went through to get to this point: I will get to the nitty gritty.
Our IVF clinic, thankfully, is so methodical, and you have to be, everything is based on your body timing, they put everything on a tentative schedule. I went on birth control pills. Before I started my next cycle [period], I had to undergo a Hysteroscopy (inspection of the uterine cavity). No fun! BUT I was heavily sedated :) & it was necessary for this to be successful.
Once you have reached the point of IVF, they don't want to know why you can't conceive, their goal is get you pregnant, so they pick & probe you and you spend more time than you would have imagined in stir-ups to make sure they are doing everything possible to create a nice, cozy, comfortable environment for your embryo's so they can grow. Yes, I said embryo's. I'll get to that later.
So let's fast forward........ on Sept 06, Thursday, I began my first shot of Lupron. Honestly, it didn't hurt. The needle is so tiny, you can't even feel it- seriously BUT I tell my husband it kinda hurts for sympathy ;). I was worried about mood swings and "road rage" moments but so far so good. We will continue these for 2 weeks (week one down- yay!!!).
On Sunday we began the massive egg production shots: one in the morning & one at night, along with the Lupron. That is correct, 3 shots a day! But they really don't hurt .... unless, you make your partner mad (like I stupidly did) and he inserts the needle slowly :( Still, it wasn't bad.
Throughout this process, I have been up in stir ups more times than I appreciate and have had more strangers look at my girly part's since that one time in college..... never mind.
The way I see it, you're going through all this and spending all this money (& it's a lot of money) to make sure it is a success and to bring home a healthy baby/s. Oh ya, they put multiple embryo's in in hopes that at least one grows but if they all (up to 3 in my clinic) grow, plan on that tummy tuck. I will let you know when my eggs are retrieved (tentatively scheduled for 09/20) and when the embryo's are transferred three to five days after that.
I went in today and had an ultra sound and everything is looking great, my body is responding to everything as it should.
So there you have it, the fast forwarded and condensed version of what we are currently going through.
Please feel free to ask me any question. At this point, I am not shy and very little embarrass me- I've come a long way since just a couple of months ago I referred to being on my period to "I'm on the fritz". I guess I'm just weird like that.
Good to all who are going through this and if a glass of wine doesn't relax you enough to prepare for the shots, laugh... what else can you do?