17 week sibling update... Surrogate Side

Well, hello there!  I am just terrible these days with blog posts.  Please forgive me!

So, there's quite a bit to update all of you on since my last post.  I hadn't been feeling great at all; still nauseous much of the day, but no vomiting.  I was having some pretty good headaches and one that really didn't want to go away.  I was always so dizzy.  I would get up and have to stop and hold onto something so I wouldn't fall over.  I would even see stars.  My most frustrating symptom at that point (apart from being woken up in the middle of the night with the feeling of having to puke) was some pretty significant shortness of breath.  I'd barely take a few steps and would feel like I've run a marathon; not that I would know what that feels like because if any of you know me, you know that I don't run unless I'm being chased (wink, wink).

I've also had another appointment with my OB.  The doctor took my blood pressure and had a weird look on her face.  She asked if I was feeling okay.  I shared the symptoms I was having and she told me that my blood pressure was significantly low.  I was also diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia. The doctor hopes that taking the iron supplement will help my low blood pressure, too.

Baby is perfect with a heartbeat of 160.  I was told I'm measuring large (ahem, what?!).  But, that may be par for the course at this point.  This is my fourth pregnancy...  Doc wasn't concerned at all and pretty much had the same train of thought as me and added the fact that I do grow some big babes.  She doesn't lie; they do end up being on the larger side... o_O

K&J are still amazing.  They are always so thoughtful.  Just the other day, I came home to a flower delivery at my door.

And I just love the pics of Charlie they send periodically.  He is such a handsome little man! Watch out, ladies!!

And, now onto me...!  Here's my 17 week (measuring a little big) belly pic!

Faith, Hope, and Love.....Parents Side

Three things will last forever--faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.  On Mother’s Day, I appreciate all the good things around me. My own mom, sister, mother in law and grandmother and all they given me. I feel so much more than gratitude for what G has done not only for me—but for my entire family. She has taught and showed us the true meaning of all these things. I hope that someday Charlie and his sibling can have a similar compassion for others, learn from G's kind heart, and know that they are always loved.

 

Let it grow... Surrogate Side

Folks! The time has come where we just let the little HIPster grow on its own!  NO MORE MEDS!  WooHOO!  My body sends its undying thanks!

K met up with me this past Tuesday to attend our nuchal-translucency scan (otherwise known as a sequential screening).  This scan requires specific measurements of the baby's spinal fluid. Baby looked more like a baby this time and not so much like a blob; LOL!  It was nice to see the baby moving all around.  We've got another little jumping bean on our hands!!  It's a running joke about Charlie always being on the move and I constantly kid that I called this when he was in the womb!

Following the ultrasound, I was directed to the lab to have my blood drawn.  I won't even get into that.  Let's just say I don't have much luck and I didn't get the "Lead Lab Attendant" this time around.  Both arms for 1 tiny tube...

Anyway, not only were we able to see the little mover at the ultrasound, but we also had an appointment directly following with my OB.  At that time, Dr. G greeted K and congratulated her on this new journey and joked that she didn't wait long and based that on the fact that I am getting old and reaching "advanced maternal age".  Ha. Ha...  Always a joker that Dr. G!

We talked about the logistics of the duration of the pregnancy and listened to the heartbeat; 169 bpm.  We will be discharged to our other OB (closer to our delivering hospital with a NICU) around 35 weeks.  All of our regular appointments have been scheduled; including the big ultrasound for the anatomy scan!!  That bad boy is June 24th.  K&J have until then to decide if they want to find out the gender or let it be a big surprise at the end!!!  May I suggest... LET IT BE A SURPRISE!  Ha ha!

But, let's be honest.  I think it is very clear that K has her heart set on dresses and bows.

And, since I'm pretty confident (LOL) that this baby is a boy, there is a greater likelihood that it is, in fact, a girl since I have been wrong EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. before.  Could this be the one time I am right??

As for how things are progressing for me:

• I still feel like crap, but not as much like crap as before...
• My porn star boobies have officially returned.
• I am tired.
• Sleep and peeing have been good.
• My belly is beginning to grow, but it's in that awkward stage where it's not obviously a baby belly and could easily be confused with a muffin top.

So, there's that.  Until next time!

First OB appointment... Surrogate Side

Sorry for the lapse in blog posts!  There really hasn't been a good excuse except for the fact that I, quite honestly, have felt like crap these last few weeks.

I had my first "OB" appointment yesterday with my real doctor and not my monitoring clinic.  Everything went really well.  K was unable to attend due to prior commitments, but was available via phone for questions -- thank goodness!  I had to complete some lengthy paperwork that is always a bit confusing when the baby you are carrying is not genetically linked to you...  Most of the information requested was about anomalies that could be inherited genetically.  So, K got a call so I could accurately complete the forms.

When I was called back for my appointment, it was like a crazy train of people congratulating me and wondering if this baby was for the same set of parents.  They were all so excited.  I let them know that this baby is a sibling for Charlie and they got all mushy.

During the appointment, we talked more about the logistics of the pregnancy and how things will play out.  I assured them that everything will remain as it was last time around.  I was also lucky enough to have a pelvic exam to complete the initial pregnancy testing for everything under the sun.

We were able to hear baby's heartbeat!!  At 10 weeks along, the heartbeat was 172; busy little bee in there!  She was only able to find the heartbeat that one time because HIPster is already a mover; just like it's brother was...

After the appointment, I was sent along my merry way to have my lab work drawn.  As most of you know, I don't usually have the greatest luck with getting my blood drawn.  This time around, I had the "Lead Lab Attendant" and, obviously, I had some high hopes.  I got lucky; this guy was good.  During the time he was draining my veins to fill the 7 vials of blood, he asked me if this was my first.  I chuckled and said, "No; this is my fourth."  He looked a little stunned and asked how old they all are.  I shared that my own two children are 4 and 5 years old and Charlie was 15 months.  He then said, since I was pretty much an expert when it came to this that I probably already knew that I also had to leave a urine sample.  I knew, but I also had to just leave a sample about 30 minutes ago for my doctor!  I gave it my best effort.

So, apart from still feeling like shit, things are going really well.  Baby is healthy and growing and we await our next appointment.  We have the nuchal-translucency scan in two weeks!  K will be joining!!

Ultrasound..IP Side

The time had finally (almost) come. We were counting down the days for the first ultrasound to determine if we saw a heartbeat, if things looked okay so far and if there was 1 baby or 2. The night before I was headed to meet G, J and I both started feeling like we were coming down with the stomach virus that was going around. Much to my dismay I was unable to make the 3-4 hour drive to meet G for the ultrasound as I was just feeling pretty crappy. I was so disappointed but knew that G would update us as soon as she could! As the time grew near we kept staring at my cell phone and like magic this sweet picture phone appeared with the following phrase.

One baby! Heartbeat 130. 7w1day and due 11/10/15.

This was amazing news! We couldn't believe it. G and I agreed it both felt "real." During the course of this cycle, things on my end didn't look great. My response to the medications was poor, my ovarian reserve was worse than before and overall my poorest cycle yet in terms of stimulation response. At one point the nurse even said to me, if things do not improve Dr. B may consider canceling this cycle. I didn't tell G this because I didn't want to worry her, and I kept telling the nurse, I know I can do this, please have Dr. B give me a few more days. So here we are, another miracle. This process really is crazy, only words of advice I can give is to enjoy the ride . I know without a doubt that if wasn't for G we wouldn't have been the proudest parents in the world to Charlie and soon to be parents to the "HIP." We aren't out of the woods yet, around 8 weeks now but staying positive.

Ultrasound tomorrow... Surrogate Side

Just a quick post:

EEK!  We have our early ultrasound tomorrow! K will be traveling up here to join!  I am so excited to see what's in there!

Things have been moving right along.  I have begun to have some unpleasant symptoms of early pregnancy; nausea being the most significant.  I am also pretty tired.  Well, actually, it is more like exhausted.

Otherwise, things are good.  Can't complain, really!  We're pregnant!!!!

Beta #2... Surrogate Side

Just a quick update...  

Get this!  I am currently 4 weeks pregnant!! What?!  Yep. According to the due date calculator for IVF pregnancies, I am 4 weeks, 1 day pregnant as of today. And, we are due 11/12/2015. This still hasn't hit me yet.

I went in for my follow-up beta blood test this morning to be sure that my levels are progressing appropriately from our last blood test on Wednesday morning.  According to the Gods of reproduction, beta levels (hCG), should double every 48-72 hours.  

Here's a table that shows average levels by weeks:

• 3 weeks LMP: 5 – 50 mIU/ml
• 4 weeks LMP: 5 – 426 mIU/ml
• 5 weeks LMP: 18 – 7,340 mIU/ml
• 6 weeks LMP: 1,080 – 56,500 mIU/ml

I am 4 weeks along so my levels should be between 5 - 426.  The nurse just called me a bit ago and revealed our latest number... dun, dun, dun...   431!

A good strong number!  The nurse was pleased that it more than doubled in two days and let me know that we will have an early ultrasound in 2 - 2.5 weeks.  

I was in touch with K and she, too, is super excited!  I think J was excited, too, because I was told that he shared that they were having another baby with the Dunkin' Donuts worker!  Bahahahaha!!!  Love it!

Here's to more waiting!!  o_O

Beta #1... Surrogate Side

I finished all of my home pregnancy tests; all six of them! I'm a POAS maniac. I love watching the positive line appear.

Each test indicated a progression in the right direction. The last couple of tests showed the indicator line as darker than the control line -- wooHOO! What a great feeling to "watch" this pregnancy progress. Every morning, K received a pic with each additional test progression. 

Our beta blood test was this morning! Although we kinda already knew the results, I was a little bit nervous to hear the actual number... Was it too low? Too high? Were all my pee tests faulty?? 

I am a very impatient person. My lab appointment was at 8am and they told me that the IVF clinic will have my results by 11am. Around noon, I texted K to see if she had heard anything. Nope. At 2pm I got a phone call from the clinic. I picked up the phone thinking, "this is it!" To my surprise, the nurse simply was calling to see if I had even gone to my lab appointment because they hadn't received the results yet. I assured her that I did and she then asked that I follow up with my monitoring clinic and ask them to fax it over. So I did. 

At around 4pm, I received the phone call from the IVF clinic that I had been waiting for all day; the results are in...

A good strong number! A little high for my liking, but still a good strong number. (As a comparison and the reason for my worry, Charlie's first beta, who's pregnancy began as twins, was 151...) But! There's no need to fear things now. 

We. Are. Pregnant! Woot, woot!!!!

Follow-up beta is Friday morning. 

POAS #1 (and #2)... Surrogate Side

After our transfer last Saturday, K and I talked about how long we should wait before testing using a home pregnancy test. The clinic has their standard two week wait time for a scheduled blood test, but that is just waaaayy too long to wait; for me at least. K and I both knew we would try testing at home before our beta on March 4th, but when...?

K is a heck of a lot more reserved than I am and said Sunday, March 1st. I had another date in mind; Friday, February 27th - 6 days past our transfer date. We had a positive that early with Charile, but he was also a twin. I decided to take it day by day and see how I felt as time progressed. 

A day after our transfer, I got ill. Coincidentally, I caught some bug that was going around and had a fever, chills, headache and some pretty intense body aches. I didn't have any nausea (thank God), but didn't feel good at all. I really don't like taking meds (and especially during pregnancy or potential pregnancy), but I had to get my fever under control. I texted K and let her know how I was feeling and she agreed that I had to take something for the fever. I took Tylenol pretty regularly and it helped significantly. 

I stayed home from work on Monday and made the fatal error to keep my daughter home with me instead of bringing her to daycare. Well, I take that back. She was an angel and played perfectly and quietly throughout the day, but the fatal part was that she wanted to be fed. She wanted lunch, dammit. I gathered up all my strength to make her macaroni and cheese for lunch and that was when it hit me. Remember when I said I wasn't nauseated at all? Well, the smell of the pasta cooking sent me over the edge and to hugging the toilet. I never did throw up, but it was bad. Bad enough for me to curl up on the bathroom floor and pray. But! That was the only time I felt that way. I never once had another bout of nausea. 

Hmmm... Pregnancy related or sickness related?? Haha! Probably only sickness related, but totally makes your mind wonder!

Well, the remainder of the week trickled on and Thursday arrived. K had asked how I had been feeling and asked me what my gut feeling was. I told her that I thought I was pregnant. As crazy as it seems, I was yawning all the time (to the point of embarrassment during a meeting) and my sense of smell was considerably heightened. I know, these symptoms could very well be in my head, but I've been around this block a time or two (or three). I could also feel some magic happening down there (wink, wink).

So, I told K that I was going to pee on a stick (POAS) on Friday morning. Eeek!

And so I did:

I had heard if you put your ring on top of the test, your camera would have something to focus on and you could better capture the results of the test. It didn't work as well as I hoped...

Well, I did the test, but didn't think there would be anything worth jumping around for since it was so early. But! A very, very faint line did appear. Can you see it?!

Anyway, I POAS again this morning and this is what we saw:

How about that for a darker line??

I think it's safe to say that we are PREGNANT! Official word will be told on Wednesday, March 4th for the blood test!

Eeeek! It still hasn't sank in...!

Ready for Spring!

Can't believe Charlie is almost 14 months old! He is walking and starting to talk more and more. We were so happy G could come down for his first birthday party in January it was so fun to see her.  Fingers crossed for good news next week! As G said we didn't have the best news with the number of eggs that were mature, but we are hoping for good news despite these odds. GROW HIP GROW! G is amazing, her kindness and excitement is never ending and we are counting down the days until we learn more about this transfer.