26 week sibling update... Surrogate Side

Holy smokes; time has flown right by!  I am the worst blogger ever.  The time has come to really nail this sibling project down and get back into the swing of how Charlie's updates went!  Here goes!

Date:  August 5, 2015

How Many Weeks:  26 weeks

Total Weight Gain: About 14lbs!

Baby Size:  Lettuce


What is going on with this baby:

• Baby's eyes are forming, and will soon start to open.
• The eyelashes are now grown, too.
• Baby is getting it's immune system ready for life on the outside by soaking up my antibodies.
• Baby is taking breaths, too. They're of amniotic fluid, not air, but it's still good practice.

Maternity Clothes:  Oh, but of course!  My wardrobe consists of a lot of sundresses, maxi skirts and tank tops these days...  I am not complaining!  I absolutely LOVE this weather!

Sleep:  No complaints here!  Although, I'm still waking up super tired and feeling exhausted during the daytime.  I consistently have my daily "crash" around 2/2:30pm where I literally cannot stop yawning consecutively.  It's really quite a sight to see!

Movement:  There is no denying that this child is directly related to Charlie.  We've got another little mover on our hands!  I am blessed with nightly performances once again, but this time much later than Charlie's.

Symptoms:  Some pretty significant shortness of breath and low blood pressure.  I'm not dizzy anymore, but have episodes of not being able to catch my breath.  Docs think it's related to my low iron and my iron supplement not working as well as they'd hoped.  We shall see what these next few days/weeks present.

Food Cravings/Aversions:  I cannot believe it; I don't want ice cream!  I actually don't feel well after eating it.  I am, however, pretty drawn to cake.  Chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting.  Delightful.  But, the most demanding craving I have at the moment is a specific panini from a local bakery/deli located just across the street of my work; Wild Oats.  I may or may not go there to purchase one every now and again.   Or, maybe every other day?!  I am just a little bit obsessed with them.  No lie.  The workers know me by name and are already writing down my order when I walk in.

I'm looking forward to:  Relaxing!  We are heading out on vacation next week with my brother and his expecting wife to Cape Cod!  She's due the day before me!  How funny is that??

Belly:

Before at 23 Weeks!

Today at 26+ Weeks!

19 week sibling update... Surrogate Side

19 weeks!  Yowza!  Almost halfway there.

Not much has really changed, but at least I'm not nauseous anymore! For crying out loud, all I want to do these days is eat!  (Specifically Japanese food; veggie sushi rolls, seaweed salad, gyoza...)  I'm still having shortness of breath and dizziness, but I'm hopeful those symptoms will subside soon enough!

I haven't had another appointment just yet, but have one scheduled for next week Wednesday. This will be our "big" appointment with our anatomy scan ultrasound where K&J will find out the sex of their baby!  They just cannot wait to learn if it will be a boy or a girl.  I was hoping they could hold out, but dangit, they just can't!  LOL!  So, notice I only said "K&J"...

Given that this will be my very last pregnancy ever, K has decided that I deserve to get the surprise birth I've always wanted, but never could have.  With my own pregnancies, my husband just HAD to know and he wasn't going to be able to make it through the duration of the pregnancy without spilling the beans in some way or another.  K&J and I tried to keep it a secret for Charlie's pregnancy, but the ultrasound technician didn't advise me to look away before he got to "that" area and low and behold there he was right on that screen for the whole world to see.  When I said, "well, there goes that idea..." to the technician, he was surprised that I figured it out that quickly.  I told him that this was not my first rodeo and there was no denying what I had seen.

Anyway, K is determined to prevent me from finding out.  We'll see how this goes!

19 Weeks!

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.