It's been awhile...

Hi all... I know it's been awhile. Just thought I would check in to see how everyone else is doing and let people know that I am in fact still alive and well. Things are still going great with the pregnancy. In order to stay anonymous I'll be keeping the details to a minimum but I can say everything in my world is wonderful. I have truly never been happier. My husband has been wonderful. I feel great and we are so excited for our little miracle baby. I have to say that as a first-timer, being pregnant is indescribable. I've heard about and witnessed dozens of symptoms but until you experience them yourself it is unfathomable & I am loving every second of it!

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers, I have made it through the first trimester without any problems. I already have a little bit of a bump and I am counting down the weeks until we can feel our baby move! I hope this post finds you happy, healthy and closer to your own little miracle!!

5 Weeks

Not a bunch to write now, just thought I'd check in and let everyone know how things are going.

I have my first appointment next week. I am actually feeling great other than being exhausted. I don't necessarily feel tired, but it's all I can do to pick up my feet and walk. I've been indulging myself in naps just about every day on my days off. I have been eating every meal like it's my last meal-- I am just hungry 24/7 but am pleased to see that I haven't gained any weight yet from all my eating. I haven't had any more cramps, no spotting, and my HCG is well within range. By the end of this 5th week our baby will already have a heart beat and I cannot wait to hear that beautiful sound on ultrasound! I have already been thinking about delivery and how I want things done after the baby is born. We know that both my husband and I agree that it should be just him in the delivery room with me (besides the Nurses and Doctor of course). I am sure we will have family coming into town to visit and I am pretty certain that after the baby is born I am going to ask that we not have any visitors for at least an hour after birth to give us time alone with our little miracle before everyone charges in wanting to see the baby-- yes, I'm going to be very, very stingy! My husband has been wonderful. My family is excited.

I thank God every night for this little blessing growing inside me, and I pray that he will carry us both through a healthy pregnancy and delivery. Please keep us in your prayers as I continue to pray for a miracle for all of you! 

Finally!

I struggled the last couple of days with going back and forth on rather I should write this post or just sort of fall off the face of the blogging world. Obviously I've decided to write. 

I woke both Sunday & Monday from a stupid dream that had me in tears so bad that I couldn't fall back to sleep. My boobs were getting more tender and my nipples were a bit sensitive, but nothing alarming. By Monday I figured I was up at 4 am and bored anyway so I may as well take a test. I was crampy and gassy and cried as I sat on the toilet waiting for those stupid 3 minutes to pass. I sat for more like 5 however because I was too paralyzed by the fear of seeing another negative that I had to remain sitting and say a prayer for God to comfort me. I stood, and there it was-- a very faint 2nd pink line! Tears filled my eyes and as my heart raced I thanked God for finally giving us this miracle we have prayed and tried so hard for. I tried to wake my husband (who is not a morning person) and he mumbled grumpily about me waking him up and fell back to sleep. When he finally woke for work I showed him the test. Let me just say this was not the reaction I was hoping for or expecting. He said "You can barely see anything, it needs to be darker." Talk about raining on my parade. Being emotional, I starting sobbing uncontrollably and it ended in a big fight because I was so hurt and we both left for work without a kiss. 

When I got to work I asked the first OB I saw to write me a script for my HCG levels. After about an hour he came back with my printed test results. My HCG was 20.6 which is within range for someone 3-4 weeks. He congratulated me and left. I was so excited I told every poor soul that walked through that nursery door that I am pregnant! (Who can blame me....we've been trying for about 3 years now.) I called my husband to tell him my blood work was positive as well, and got a little bit better reaction that time. I'd say I'm a little more than ecstatic! After work we surprised my parents and the rest of my family. My mom was so happy she cried. My dad grinned, but I think it was a little awkward for both of us. My best friend ran into my husband getting groceries yesterday and text me to tell me how much he gloated about our excitement. This was so reassuring for me. I know that he is so excited, I was just anticipating a very different reaction when I told him and when it wasn't what I expected it really pissed me off!

Yesterday I was extremely crampy and my back hurt even worse. JUST like AF coming! I fought back tears of fear all day yesterday. I slept with the heating pad on my back. I am still very crampy this morning, and my ovaries hurt a bit oddly enough,  but I was so relieved to wake and not see any evidence of AF when I wiped. Thank you God! My nipples are still sensitive, but not painful or "on fire" as I've heard many women describe it. My mind is still thinking of the worst scenarios like tubal pregnancies or misscarriages and I am struggling to keep from stressing. When you want something so bad and you finally get it, it is not easy to relax. Especially if you are a bit of a control-freak in some ways like me.

Now we wait, and keep praying that I have a healthy pregnancy. A few women in my family have had miscarriages with their first few pregnancies so I am very nervous. I decided yesterday that it is out of my hands though and I just have to put my trust in God that he will see me through this and keep our little miracle healthy.

The reason I struggled with deciding whether to write or not was because I know for many of you this will be a source of pain and for that I apologize. I can say I have been there before. However, I hope that you will share my joy just as you would hope others would yours if this was your post. After all, we are all working so hard for the same thing, right? I feel that I will always consider myself an infertile, and I don't feel that I could ever forget the painful process we have been through to get there.  It is not a guarantee that this pregnancy will be without trouble, although that is certainly what I am praying for. I hope that this gives you hope, and that you know I still pray for you all, just as much as I pray for myself through this process. I still feel the sting of people's stupid comments. I've already heard "see I told you it would happen when it was time" (duh), "I told you that you just needed to relax." If these idiots only knew..... For us, babies aren't "luck" or a drunken night of sex with our husbands. Actually, it was technically the nurse that knocked me up, on a table with my feet in the stirrups. There was nothing fun about it, but I don't care how I got here, I'm just so blessed that I did. 

I have not yet decided whether or not I will blog about the pregnancy. If I decide to, I will probably start a new blog just for my pregnancy so that I am not flooding people's reading list with baby news if they don't want to hear about it (I know I didn't, so I don't blame you a bit.) If I do start a new blog I will post the info on here so that anyone who chooses may follow me. I have been so grateful for all the support throughout our whole journey, and please know that I am still reading your blogs and rooting for all of you!

CD 24

4 more days until test day. I am very emotional today and my boobs are a bit tender, I anticipate AF coming on Wednesday rather than the BFP I was hoping for. I am getting more bloated by the day, and more anxious and depressed by the day too. 

As I have for the last 24 days, and many days before, I prayed and cried in the shower this morning begging God for a miracle. I was raised in church and am a Christian but throughout the course of ttc-- especially the further along we get-- I find myself doubting and hurting, wondering why God has allowed me to go through this pain for this long without stepping in and giving me a miracle. We have gotten ourselves into debt with all the labs, tests, etc, not to mention the emotional and physical toll it has taken on me especially. I usually like to think that most everything happens for a reason, however I don't believe that there is a reason for this struggle. There is nothing in my future that I want to do so badly I would ever look back and wish I hadn't had children so I could do it, there is nobody that I would ever want to have a place in my life if they couldn't love a child of mine. Infertility has lead me to question so many things along the way.... my job, my marriage, even the purpose of my life if not to be a mother. If everything happens for a reason then why are these druggies and child abusers given the gift of bearing children? I just can't believe that there is a reason that they are more deserving than I, or that there is a reason that God would put any child in that environment. I realize that as a Christian I shouldn't question God, I should have faith in his plans for my future but this is just something I don't think I'll ever be willing to let go of. I feel that I was "meant" to be a mommy, as much as I was "meant" to have some sort of healing/caring profession when I grew up beyond just mending a bird's broken wings, splinting a rabbit's broken leg, or playing Nurse to my dolls. I am MEANT for this. 

My heart aches at the thought that I may not get the result I've been praying for come Wednesday. The thought of another negative test makes every cell in my body hurt just as much as my heart hurts. 

As you can tell I am not very positive today. This 2ww has taken a toll on me and made me question everything I think and feel. 

Starting to get Discouraged...

I have 8 days down as of today, 6 more to test day. I'm starting to get a little discouraged since my only "cramps" this morning has been gas pain. My boobs aren't unusually tender, I don't feel particularly emotional (other than being a nervous nellie waiting this crappy 2ww), I don't feel like I have any cravings--just hungry in general but I'm starting to attribute that to stress due to the lack of the above symptoms. I am still hoping and praying for that BFP on Wednesday but I'm not expecting it as of the moment. The only thing that remains this morning is the tenderness in my lower abdomen. I've had no spotting, no nausea, and no headache since Tuesday. I've prayed multiple times each day, especially in the shower (where I do all my praying/crying/singing/cursing), I've begged God to give me this gift and a chance to be a wonderful mother to a child I would place above all else. I've sung just in case there happens to be an embryo in there, I've cradled my would-be stomach as if I were pregnant and promised to protect and love this child if God would so bless us. 

I saw on TV last night that First Response has a test that can predict 6 days before a missed period so I have been very tempted to make a trip to the store, but despite knowing that further from a missed period the test is taken, the more dramatically the incidence of false negatives, I know myself and the second I saw that negative I would only stress myself out.

I am scared not only of not getting the thing that my heart aches for most, but also of falling back into that pit of depression that would accompany a negative test. I have felt such hope in the last couple of months that the things that normally really upset me--pregnant women, the diaper isle, baby shower invitations, etc-- haven't shaken me as much. I'm so afraid of that sadness that you can't escape, and that feeling that you're 1 or 2 BFN's away from being locked in a mental institution for going crazy on the next poor soul that hands you a baby shower invitation.

 

7 Days Down, 7 More to Go...

I think it has been the longest week of my life thus far--and I still have one more week to go. After finally returning to work after my long stretch of days off I was so excited to finally get to tell someone other than my husband. Just as they always have been, my coworkers are all so awesomely supportive and excited for me.

I have felt the last couple of days like I could eat the paint off the wall. Symptom, maybe--probably not, since implantation is likely just now occurring if I am lucky enough to be pregnant. I think it's more of a nervous/stress thing. Then I woke up feeling a little crampy yesterday morning, and again this morning....like I was going to start my period. At first I almost burst into tears but then I realized I still have a week until AF is due--that was a little odd. My lower abdomen is sore, and tender if I lean up against something. I've been telling myself it could just be from the procedure still--maybe? As the day went on yesterday I ended up with gas so bad even my back hurt and a little bit of a headache. It's not like I'm paying attention to every little symptom or anything.... :)

If it wasn't for google raining on my parade I would have been back in the back room with the rest of my coworkers whipping out the ultrasound equipment on me. According to google though, nothing will show up on ultrasound until after 4 weeks, usually more like 5 weeks. I was still tempted though because I thought maybe we could see my follicle somewhere. This leads me to another point....why do they consider you 3w (if I happen to be pregnant) when ovulation didn't even occur until 1w ago? I know the exact date of conception would be the 10th. If I test positive next Wednesday I will be considered 4w along when in reality I will only be 2w pregnant. I think it's stupid, but nobody asks me....

Yes, like a crazy hopeful infertile I've already downloaded a pregnancy tracker app on my phone and figured out my due date on our EDC wheel in L & D. My due date would be January 2, 2014. How awesome would it be if I got lucky and had the New Year baby!

On another note--does anyone watch "The Client List" on Lifetime? Sunday's episode had both my husband and I laughing ridiculously at each other. The main character's best friend, Lacey and her husband are ttc. In this episode there was a scene where the husband started his old band back up but failed to tell his wife about it which somehow led to an argument about how their sex has become "mechanical" and how she always has to talk about ovulating and how it creeps her husband out. My husband turned and looked at me with a raised eyebrow and we both burst out laughing uncontrollably. It's not funny when you're there, and the baby making is such serious stuff, but I suppose when you get to the point we are at, after being in that "mechanical" baby making mode for well over a year you realize how ridiculous you were in each others eyes in that moment. I have to say I'm glad to finally see someone putting infertility in the media and in such a realistic sort-of way. I'm sure a lot of you ladies have been in that situation as well. I think it's a weird situation because the sex is so timed and planned at the exact right second that it becomes awkward, and for me, not as fun as it was prior to testing for ovulation. The up-side of all this RE and  IUI business is that our sex life is no longer timed around or affected by ovulation tests. 

7 more days friends! Fingers still crossed....

5 Days Post IUI

I'm 5 days pIUI today and goodness it has been a long 5 days. To think I still have over a week left to find out is driving me insane. I've been trying not to turn any little thing into being suspicious of pregnancy symptoms but it's hard even though I know that my egg wouldn't even be implanted yet if I was pregnant. After 2 days pIUI all of my cramping was gone.  I know given the circumstances it's a long shot but to think of going through all this time after time is depressing. It does feel good however, to have a glimmer of hope for the first time in years. As always, I just keep hoping for a miracle. 

And Now We Wait...

Yes, I know, I said yesterday that I probably wouldn't blog today but I just cant stand it. The thought of doing nothing at home all day is already making me crazy so I figured blogging would help eat up at least a little time, so here I am. Turns out my plan to "relax and stay positive" is easier said than done.

After I got my positive ov test result at 3am yesterday morning I let my husband know so he could call-in. I attempted to go back to sleep but realized around 5:30-5:45 that falling back to sleep wasn't going to happen so I decided to get up. I was so excited! I wrote my post and drank my cup of coffee and waited for my husband to wake up. He woke about 7:45 and got in the shower. After he got out, I got in and he wanted to plan on leaving as soon as we got out so that he could stop by the barber on the way while we waited for the clinic to return the message I left. Come 9:00 we still hadn't heard from the clinic so I called again while my husband was in the barber shop to report my test and schedule our appointment as I had been directed to do. Somewhere along the way in the last two appointments we both apparently misunderstood the timing of IUI. When I called and the clerk said "great we will see you tomorrow, what time would work for you?" I was a little irritated as it was already hard for my husband to call off. After talking to the nurse, she said although it isn't the most ideal timing, they would still be happy to do the IUI the same day, so we made the trip. 

I had my ultrasound and was excited to hear that my endometrium lining was 16mm, and the nurse said they want at least 6mm, so I was golden in that department. I was even more excited to see how many follicles I had.....then she told me I had 2 on my left and none on the right--disappointing news because I'm certain it felt like I had about 20 in there! I got dressed and we left to get coffee while we waited the 45 minutes for them to wash the sperm. Let me just say I didn't expect for the procedure to be that uncomfortable... I am still cramping today. It was a very odd feeling. It's not as bad as my period by any means but I wasn't expecting to feel anything since I had made it through my HSG like a champ way back when we first started ttc (I had been told by my Gyn that the test was pretty uncomfortable for most women.)When it was over and the nurse said I could get dressed I almost said "wait aren't I supposed to stand on my head or do something ridiculous like that for 30 minutes?" but she said since the sperm are past the cervix they won't leak back through so I have no activity restrictions other than avoiding hot baths, etc. We headed back home and got back late last night. Today I am cramping a little and I'm not sure if it's still from the IUI or if I'm ovulating now--I'm hoping I'm ovulating.

Now here I sit, trying not to stress and obsess about it. I can't help it though. Every hour counts in the life of a sperm and follicle since there is such a short window for conception. With the odds already not in our favor due to only having 2 follicles and my husband's lowered sperm count I am a nervous nellie today. I said several prayers during the trip yesterday, and even though the odds are against us with our timing not being ideal and all the other factors, I am praying for a miracle. I will test on the 24th and will be sitting around until then waiting & hoping for 2 pink lines. This will be the longest 2 weeks of my life thus far, I am sure of it.

CD 14--Here we go!

It's CD 14, and the day we will go for our first IUI because I got my positive ovulation test at 3 am this morning. I woke up to go pee and realized it was only 3am, however I knew I couldn't hold it for another 2 hours so I figured I may as well test! Now I'm up like a 6 year old on Christmas morning because I'm to excited to sleep. I will be calling the clinic as soon as they open to get an appointment with them today and we will make the trip to be in the office for probably an hour or so and then drive back home tonight so my husband can be at work tomorrow. After today starts the big 2ww and I am so nervous but so excited! Because of unforeseen circumstances we had to pull some money from our savings last week so we will be tight on money until next pay day but I don't care. If this is what will get me my baby I will be happy to eat Ramen noodles and baked potatoes like a poor broke college student again! Did I mention I am so excited? Here we go!

I'm praying this is it friends! I hope this is our big day where I will finally get my eggo preggo! I plan on resting the next couple of days but will post again as soon as I can. 

CD 12

First test day, which was a negative. I am relieved about that though as I'm hoping I'll be ovulating CD 14 or 15, only because it would make things a lot easier with our schedules, plus it would allow me more time to rest after the IUI. I will be off and although my husband will be at work, today and tomorrow were going to be hectic days and he was nervous about having to call in. I am so anxious for this. My ovaries feel so big and distended that it's hard for me to sleep any other way besides flat on my back at night and my pants are all so tight on my stomach that I have just wanted to live in yoga pants the last week.

My husband briefly spoke to his boss yesterday about our situation and said his boss seemed very understanding and willing to work with these unpredictable "sick" days which is a relief to both of us (Thank God for kind understanding people.) My family still knows nothing about all this. Occasionally I get an itch to tell them, but based off of previous experience with our journey so far leading up to this, we decided it was better to just stop talking about it. In some ways I just hope they don't ask because then I won't have to lie-- I am a crappy liar. 

Once I get my + test it will more than likely take me a day or two to blog as our clinic is almost on the other side of the state, so it will be an all-day event for us. We will leave as soon as we can after the IUI in order to get my husband home so he can be back at work the next day.