Day to day

Well, now that I'm pregnant, it seems that there's not too much to blog about on a day to day basis. I'm not fulfilling a bunch of clinic obligations, my meds aren't changing, there's no more travel in sight.....

Which is all good. It means that everything is progressing exactly as it should. I'm just doing all the normal first trimester things.

I'm getting to be super tired very easily- no matter how well I sleep at night. The nausea is coming in waves. Not as bad as I remembered with Finn, but it's still early. If I'm lucky it won't get any worse. I've had some heartburn on and off, and my appetite is definitely changing.

Diet Coke is one of my absolute favorite things of all time. Now, I can drink just a few sips here and there. I haven't finished an entire can by myself in a few weeks now! It's good.... my caffeine consumption has tanked. Maybe that's part of the fatigue... ;)

I'm at that spot where nothing sounds good to eat most of the time. And the only thing that I want when I am hungry is carb rich food.... Mashed potatoes, rice, bready things...... I also really like sour/tart things right now- Fresca, sour patch kids, lemonade. It's funny how food changes when you're pregnant. I can eat chicken in things, but (once again) the thought of eating just a chicken breast makes me want to.... well.... I'm sure you understand.

I wonder what I'll crave as things move on. With Finn, it was chocolate, and all three of my other pregnancies I craved red meat.

Chris is always glad to see the first trimester go- in terms of food. I either don't cook, or I cook the same things over and over. Not to mention the weird things I ask for!

I'm falling behind!

Things have been so busy the last week! My kids went back to school, and we have been doing all sorts of fun "end of summer" things. I haven't had much time to keep everyone updated....

Well, we saw one little heartbeat on ultrasound this week! I'm a little relieved that there aren't two little beans gestating in there. I was wanting to experience a twin pregnancy (kinda), but I know that a singleton pregnancy is likely to be less complicated. Not guaranteed, but likely.....
I know what to expect carrying one baby!

I'm still feeling good most of the time. I do notice spikes of nausea in the late afternoon to early evening, and my appetite is changing. I'm hoping that these little spikes of nausea are all I get. I remember being monstrously nauseous with Finn all the time.......

Medication Woes

It's been a busy week! It's the "end" of summer here, and we've been getting the kids ready to head back to school. Chores, work, appointments.... the time just seems to be flying by!

I had to change some of my medication. Again. I don't think I posted about it before.... One of the maintenance meds after transfer is progesterone. It's usually ordered as an injectable- the progesterone is prepared in an oil solution, and given as a shot. In your hip or bum.

The first progesterone I was given was prepared in sesame oil. I seemed to do okay with it, the shots didn't hurt, the med didn't really burn. But after taking it for about a week, I started itching from head to toe. And not just a little, bothersome itch.... I wanted to scratch my skin off with a dull spoon. I was also taking progesterone suppositories and estrogen pills, but I'd been taking them longer than the shots and hadn't previously had any problems. I figured it must be the sesame oil.

So we switched preparations. I was sent progesterone prepared in ethly ocelate; it's supposed to be a very mild preparation that most people can tolerate. About 10 days after starting that, I noticed that my injection sites were itching. Then one morning I woke up, and my injection sites were fiery red. And itchy. And the affected area was raised, and swollen more than bumpy. Crap. This isn't going to work for me either.

The good news? No more shots for me. The bad news? The med they are switching me to is another vaginal insert (a gel this time), and it is ridiculously expensive. Of course. Part of me wonders if I'm allergic to the progesterone itself. I decided no, though, after some thought. I've also been taking those progesterone suppositories- since the beginning- and I don't react to those.

Sooooo.... Now I'll be taking a vag gel in the morning, and vag suppositories at dinner and bedtime. Plus the estrogen pills and my prenatal. Oh yeah... plus a third preparation of progesterone- this one in a pill form.

Everyone that I've talked to who have also had IVF pregnancies swear that this is an absurd amount of medication to be on. All I know is that every clinic is different, and they all have different protocols. If this is what my clinic tells me I have to do, I'll do it. But I won't lie.... I'll be happy to reach that 12 week mark, and wean to just (hopefully) my prenatal. And probably some TUMS. And maybe some iron. And some colace......

Betas

Yep, I'm pregnant all right.

My 2nd beta came back right where it should be. Remember I said that it had to double or more over the course of two to three days? Well, my numbers were perfect. 212 for the first, and 546 for the 2nd. Since everyone's numbers are different, there's no clue as to how many may be in there. We'll have to wait another couple of weeks for the heartbeat confirmation ultrasound to find out if one little embryo implanted, or if they both did.

A few people have asked how I feel. Everyone has asked if I'm excited.

Right now, I'm feeling good. I'm giving it a couple of weeks, though, before I expect to feel sick at all. It's all still a little surreal. You have a few pink lines and a page of lab results to tell you that there's a baby growing in there, but until you really start to feel it, it just doesn't seem quite real. Seeing the heartbeat always helps. And as monstrously annoying as the nausea is, at least it tells me that all is well. The real fun is when I start to grow out of my clothes, though! Okay, once you get past that, hmmmmm is she just getting plump? phase.

Of course I'm excited. It's interesting, though. It's a different kind of excited than I felt when I learned that I was pregnant with my own babies. I'm so happy for Jason, thrilled, really. And I'm looking forward to being pregnant again. The experience for me is just fascinating every time. But, instead of knowing that we're adding to our family, I know that we are helping add to someone else's family. Instead of looking forward to picking a name, planning a nursery, and holding my new baby in my arms, I'm looking forward to giving someone else those experiences. This pregnancy, it's my job to keep this new life happy, healthy, and safe until we can deliver him or her to Jason's arms.

People have asked me if it will be hard to give this baby up. My immediate answer is no. Because this isn't our baby. This child is not destined to be a part of our household; not a new brother or sister, not a new son or daughter for us. I'm sure I will love this baby, but not in the same way that I love my babies.

:)

My first "I'm really pregnant" experience

So, I'm brewing a headache. Same old, same old- it's creeping into my right temple and wrapping around my right eye.

My response? Well, I'll drink some water, try a little caffiene, and if it's getting bad enough I'll try to cut it off with some ibupro- ....... Crap. I can't take any ibuprofen. I'm pregnant....

Lol. Loks like I need to get to the store and buy some plain ol' tylenol.

And the results are.......

Well, the thing everyone wants to know at this point is, "Are you pregnant?????"

We talked about HPTs last time. And of course I took one. Okay, okay, I took three.... But I couldn't post anything until it was "official". You know, those Betas that the clinic like to see. And really, I'm posting about 2 days before it's officially official. But I just couldn't wait anymore!!!

The transfer was successful!!! Looks like I'm pregnant.

I took the first test on day 7. The line is sooooo faint, you can barely see it. (I swear it's there on the real thing....)

Day 9 was "more" positive. Hey, at least you can easily see the "pregnant" line.

Day 11 I took the test more because there were three in the box I bought, than to prove anything to myself. The "pregnant" line is darker than the reference line!!!

Things seem to be progressing well.

I'll post my betas on Monday when I know the second one. I would post the first, but there is absolutely nothing to reference it to. Everyone's betas can be different. The important thing is the draw 2 or 3 days later. They look for the numbers to increase over that time, hopefully at least doubling. Anyway, my beta today told me that I am, indeed, pregnant.

The next big question..... "How many babies are growing in there???"

To HPT or not to HPT.....

....that is the question.

After a transfer, I always thought that waiting that 8-10 days to find out if I'm actually pregnant would kill me.... drag by like the last week before Christmas for a kid. Or that 39th week of pregnancy....

Funny enough, the first week flew by. the bedrest, the flight home, settling in, then working.

Now the question I'm sure every woman who has ever had an IVF transfer asks herself.... Do I actually take one of those nifty home pregnancy tests (HPT), or do I wait for that blood test???

It's called having your "beta" drawn. Your beta HcG level... that little hormone that you produce when you're pregnant. Most clinics draw betas at 8 days and 10 days post transfer. They draw twice to make sure that the first beta at least doubles over the two days- signaling a probable healthily growing pregnancy.

My clinic, of course, has to be..... different. My betas aren't scheduled to be drawn until 11 and 14 days post transfer. Seriously.

Some people like to wait for the blood draw. They don't want to be disappointed if the HPT is negative. Maybe they don't trust the home tests? Maybe they just want the added bonus of knowing the number doubles?

Who knows?

I however know that I am extremely impatient. The only question is How long am I going to wait to take that HPT? The secret, after three pregnancies of my own I've learned, is the sensitivity of the test. Some of them show a positive result down at 15-20 units of measure, but others don't show until you hit 50 units of measure.

I must make sure to buy the "early" test. Because we all know I'll take it.