2 more shots...
4 more patches...
8 more suppositories...
And then I am free! Woo hoo, Sunday is my last day of meds!
Nothing else is going on. My household is finally healthy again, and now I'm finally well enough to notice that I'm starting to feel pregnant. Still nothing much going on, just some general stomach unhappiness, very hungry, and tired. I have continued to spot on and off since my last ultrasound, but since there has been no red blood I'm not too worried. I was told that my SCH was starting to clot up at the last ultrasound, so I'm guessing (hoping!) this is just the excess being released as the SCH reabsorbs back into my lining.
Other than getting to stop meds, I won't have much to report until the first OB appointment on February 20.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Thursday, January 24, 2013
8 Week Ultrasound
Yesterday was our 8 week ultrasound, and it went great! I was very happy to get to go in yesterday, because I had had quite a bit of spotting the night before and that morning. So it was a relief to see both babies with their strong heart beats.
Baby A was still measuring right on track with a heartbeat of 181, and Baby B (our overachiever, as the tech refers to him) was still measuring a day ahead with a heart beat of 173.
My IPs were able to make the trip down from Chicago to check out how much their babies have grown in the last two weeks. They looked much bigger and had arm and leg buds this time, which is something they didn't have last week. They were so excited to see them looking perfectly strong and healthy. We got to use the brand new state of the art ultrasound machine that the office just got in. The tech told us she had only used it a couple times before. So IPs were able to take home pictures of their babies not only in 3D, but in color too! It was really amazing, you could see every little detail of the cute little blobs. They basically look like gummy bears right now, but that equipment is going to be amazing once their faces are more developed!
My next appointment will be my first OB appointment and NT screening ultrasound on February 20, at 12 weeks. My IPs are going to be able to make it down to that one as well. It's going to be so exciting to be able to see them see the 12 week ultrasound. That was the first one my husband and I got to see for our own child, and I can't even describe the feelings I had when I saw that teeny tiny person bouncing around inside me that I couldn't even feel. Even though they have gotten to see their babies twice already, by 12 weeks they will look like little people, with faces and arms and legs. I can't wait for my IPs to get to experience that awe and elation!
As far as everything else, I have been doing really well with this pregnancy - probably better than I did with my last one. I haven't had a single moment of morning sickness (I know I'm probably jinxing myself by typing this out), and hardly even a passing wave of nausea. I have been extremely tired, but nothing I can't handle, even with a toddler this time around. I also haven't had any problems with bloat. Comparing my belly to pictures at this time from my previous pregnancy, I look much better this time around. I lost about 4 pounds between the start of my meds and the first beta, and I am still a pound below my initial weight. I have been battling a couple of colds that I've caught from my kiddo (oh, the joys of having a daycare baby!), but I have still been able to eat well and get enough fluids. So I'd say that considering the fact that I'm growing two people right now, I'm doing pretty well!
Baby A was still measuring right on track with a heartbeat of 181, and Baby B (our overachiever, as the tech refers to him) was still measuring a day ahead with a heart beat of 173.
My IPs were able to make the trip down from Chicago to check out how much their babies have grown in the last two weeks. They looked much bigger and had arm and leg buds this time, which is something they didn't have last week. They were so excited to see them looking perfectly strong and healthy. We got to use the brand new state of the art ultrasound machine that the office just got in. The tech told us she had only used it a couple times before. So IPs were able to take home pictures of their babies not only in 3D, but in color too! It was really amazing, you could see every little detail of the cute little blobs. They basically look like gummy bears right now, but that equipment is going to be amazing once their faces are more developed!
My next appointment will be my first OB appointment and NT screening ultrasound on February 20, at 12 weeks. My IPs are going to be able to make it down to that one as well. It's going to be so exciting to be able to see them see the 12 week ultrasound. That was the first one my husband and I got to see for our own child, and I can't even describe the feelings I had when I saw that teeny tiny person bouncing around inside me that I couldn't even feel. Even though they have gotten to see their babies twice already, by 12 weeks they will look like little people, with faces and arms and legs. I can't wait for my IPs to get to experience that awe and elation!
As far as everything else, I have been doing really well with this pregnancy - probably better than I did with my last one. I haven't had a single moment of morning sickness (I know I'm probably jinxing myself by typing this out), and hardly even a passing wave of nausea. I have been extremely tired, but nothing I can't handle, even with a toddler this time around. I also haven't had any problems with bloat. Comparing my belly to pictures at this time from my previous pregnancy, I look much better this time around. I lost about 4 pounds between the start of my meds and the first beta, and I am still a pound below my initial weight. I have been battling a couple of colds that I've caught from my kiddo (oh, the joys of having a daycare baby!), but I have still been able to eat well and get enough fluids. So I'd say that considering the fact that I'm growing two people right now, I'm doing pretty well!
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Second Ultrasound Results
Yesterday morning I went in for my second ultrasound. I was by myself this time, as my IPs weren't able to make the long drive down this week. I'm not sure if it was because there weren't a bunch of other people with me this time, or it was just a coincidence, but the tech had a med student and resident with her so they could observe the ultrasound. It was actually kind of too bad that my IPs weren't there for it this time, as the tech was going over everything in a lot of detail as she explained things to the students.
Despite the bleeding I had last week, both babies looked perfect again. Baby A was measuring right on track at 7 weeks 5 days, with a heart rate of 155. Baby B was measuring one day ahead with a heart rate of 165. They looked bigger this week and the heart beat was much easier to see, but they still pretty much just look like little blobs at this point.
The SCH was still there in all its glory. It looked huge to me. It was almost as big as the babies' gestational sacs. When I commented on it, the tech didn't seem concerned. When I got the official call from the Chicago RE, they didn't even mention it. So I guess I'm the only one who was worried about it. I will just keep myself braced for more bleeding in the next few weeks.
Starting today I get to cut my meds in half. The RE said I could stop using one method of progesterone. So I could either drop the shots or drop the suppositories and increase to a shot every day. I would have gladly dropped suppositories and increased shots, but unfortunately I don't have enough of the PIO left to make it through the first week of February without ordering more. Since I know the meds are really expensive and I don't want to make my IPs pay for them just for my own convenience, I will just do the shots every third day as before, and skip the suppositories on those days. I also get to drop down from 4 patches to 2, which will make my tummy skin happy!
I also set up my first regular OB appointment! It will be February 20, and we will have the 12 week ultrasound (including nuchal translucency screening test) and then the appointment with the doctor. This will be the first time meeting this doctor, since my last OB left the practice since I delivered by baby. My IPs will be attending the appointment, so we will all get to meet her and decide if we want to continue the pregnancy with her or switch to someone else.
Despite the bleeding I had last week, both babies looked perfect again. Baby A was measuring right on track at 7 weeks 5 days, with a heart rate of 155. Baby B was measuring one day ahead with a heart rate of 165. They looked bigger this week and the heart beat was much easier to see, but they still pretty much just look like little blobs at this point.
The SCH was still there in all its glory. It looked huge to me. It was almost as big as the babies' gestational sacs. When I commented on it, the tech didn't seem concerned. When I got the official call from the Chicago RE, they didn't even mention it. So I guess I'm the only one who was worried about it. I will just keep myself braced for more bleeding in the next few weeks.
Starting today I get to cut my meds in half. The RE said I could stop using one method of progesterone. So I could either drop the shots or drop the suppositories and increase to a shot every day. I would have gladly dropped suppositories and increased shots, but unfortunately I don't have enough of the PIO left to make it through the first week of February without ordering more. Since I know the meds are really expensive and I don't want to make my IPs pay for them just for my own convenience, I will just do the shots every third day as before, and skip the suppositories on those days. I also get to drop down from 4 patches to 2, which will make my tummy skin happy!
I also set up my first regular OB appointment! It will be February 20, and we will have the 12 week ultrasound (including nuchal translucency screening test) and then the appointment with the doctor. This will be the first time meeting this doctor, since my last OB left the practice since I delivered by baby. My IPs will be attending the appointment, so we will all get to meet her and decide if we want to continue the pregnancy with her or switch to someone else.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Bleeding....Check
As I mentioned in my post yesterday, the clinic told me to not be surprised if I had some bleeding. I'm glad they mentioned it. Only a couple hours later, I went to the bathroom and discovered what I had assumed was my regular old suppository discharge was actually blood. Lots of blood. I freaked out.
Then I reasoned with myself and it was just blood, there were no clots or tissue with it. And I had no cramping or anything. And I had just seen two healthy little babies in there earlier that day. It was not very likely that in the space of a few hours something would have gone that wrong.
I contacted the clinic as soon as I discovered the blood to see what they wanted me to do, and I didn't hear back until the very end of the day. Put my feet up, keep hydrated, and let them know if it gets worse and they will send me in for another ultrasound. It's probably just the SCH, possibly being irritated by the ultrasound wand poking around up there.
Luckily after a couple of hours the bleeding slowed, and since last night I have just had some brown spotting, I'm hoping that's the only time the SCH rears its ugly head, but I now every time I feel any sort of discharge (which is several times a day thanks to the Endometrin), I have to run to the bathroom and make sure it's not more bleeding. At least from now on I will be more prepared and less shocked.
Then I reasoned with myself and it was just blood, there were no clots or tissue with it. And I had no cramping or anything. And I had just seen two healthy little babies in there earlier that day. It was not very likely that in the space of a few hours something would have gone that wrong.
I contacted the clinic as soon as I discovered the blood to see what they wanted me to do, and I didn't hear back until the very end of the day. Put my feet up, keep hydrated, and let them know if it gets worse and they will send me in for another ultrasound. It's probably just the SCH, possibly being irritated by the ultrasound wand poking around up there.
Luckily after a couple of hours the bleeding slowed, and since last night I have just had some brown spotting, I'm hoping that's the only time the SCH rears its ugly head, but I now every time I feel any sort of discharge (which is several times a day thanks to the Endometrin), I have to run to the bathroom and make sure it's not more bleeding. At least from now on I will be more prepared and less shocked.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Drumroll Please...
So bright and early this morning, My IPs, my husband, my kiddo, and I all met up at the doctor's office for our first ultrasound. We shuffled into the ultrasound room, and I took off my pants and hopped onto the table and into stirrups. Then we saw:
Yep, there are TWO babies there! Sorry about the crappy quality of the picture, my husband took it with his phone from the back corner of the room (the babies' parents got to see the show from the front row).
They took measurements and both babies look great. Baby A is measuring one day behind, at 6 weeks 4 days, and Baby B is measuring right on track at 6 weeks 5 days. Both of them had nice strong heart beats at 125 bpm.
IM was overjoyed, IF was shocked. After the ultrasound was all over, he needed clarification. He asked the tech, "wait, there were two?" They better start preparing for a busy future!
I will go back again in a week for another ultrasound, and then again in two weeks. After that, they will release me to be seen by a regular OB for the rest of the pregnancy.
In less great news, the ultrasound also revealed that I have a subchorionic hematoma (SCH), which is basically an accumulation of blood that forms near the placenta. It makes it very likely that I will have spotting/bleeding during the early weeks of my pregnancy. SCHs are actually very common in IVF pregnancy and it will most likely eventually reabsorb back into the tissue. The long shot risk is that the SCH could get big enough to actually cause the placenta to separate from the uterus, causing miscarriage. So it's something we will definitely need to keep an eye on in the coming weeks.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Tomorrow's the Big Day!
Tomorrow is the day we find out how many babies are baking! Our first ultrasound is at 8:00 in the morning. My IPs are coming down to find out how many bundles of joy are on the way for them! I'm hoping they are able to get a good show!
My RE originally wanted me to go in at the end of last week, right around the 6 week mark. I decided to put it off to a little closer to 7 weeks, because the heart doesn't start beating until right around 6 weeks. I was worried we would go in and see a sac but no heartbeat, and then have to spend a week or so worrying about whether the baby was alive before returning again at around this time anyway to find out.
Of course I am nervous that there won't be a heartbeat. By now, there will be one if there is ever going to be one. Since I am taking the pregnancy hormones artificially, it's possible that the baby could die but I wouldn't miscarry because I am fooling my body into thinking it's still pregnant. So it's going to be a big relief to see at least one strong little heartbeat in there tomorrow!
My RE originally wanted me to go in at the end of last week, right around the 6 week mark. I decided to put it off to a little closer to 7 weeks, because the heart doesn't start beating until right around 6 weeks. I was worried we would go in and see a sac but no heartbeat, and then have to spend a week or so worrying about whether the baby was alive before returning again at around this time anyway to find out.
Of course I am nervous that there won't be a heartbeat. By now, there will be one if there is ever going to be one. Since I am taking the pregnancy hormones artificially, it's possible that the baby could die but I wouldn't miscarry because I am fooling my body into thinking it's still pregnant. So it's going to be a big relief to see at least one strong little heartbeat in there tomorrow!
Friday, January 4, 2013
6 Weeks Pregnant
Wow, I'm already six weeks pregnant! I figured out that this actual pregnancy is going to take less time than the planning/trying to get pregnant did. So far the pregnancy is a breeze compared to the preparation part!
I know what you're thinking right how. You want to know how I'm feeling. Or maybe you don't really care, but since it's the obligatory question to ask a pregnant chick, I will tell you anyway.
As far as pregnancy symptoms go, nothing major yet. I have sore breasts once in a while. A couple mornings this week I woke up a bit queasy, but it was nothing a few saltines couldn't fix. I feel more tired, but that could also be because it's so freaking cold right now - normally during the winter I wish I could turn into a bear and go hibernate until spring. I definitely am more hungry. The kind of hunger where all of a sudden you realize you need to eat RIGHT NOW or you might just die. This week I have started eating a second dinner right before bedtime so I don't wake up in the middle of the night feeling like that. I haven't noticed any weight or body changes yet. In fact, since starting meds I have actually lost 3-4 pounds. The stomach bug over Christmas helped with that, because not only could I not overindulge on Christmas goodies, I could barely eat anything at all.
I checked back through the pregnancy journal I kept during my last pregnancy, and recalled how horribly bloated I was and how much my breasts hurt. I don't have that this time around, which of course causes me to worry that something is wrong with the baby. I mean, I'm pumping my body full of all kinds of fertility meds, shouldn't this pregnancy be worse instead of better? Luckily we only have 5 more days until we find out what's going on in there.
As far as meds go, I'm getting very tired of them. I'm still on all the same meds I have been on since transfer - one IM butt shot of progesterone every three days, 3 vaginal suppositories of progesterone a day, and 4 patches of estrogen that I change out every three days. The shots are actually the easiest part for me. My husband is a rock star at giving them, and most of the time I have no pain during or after the injection. I have found the best thing for me to do is to draw the medicine into the syringe, use body heat to warm it up to body temperature (helps the oil in the medicine disburse instead of lumping up under your skin), sticking it in, massaging for a couple minutes, and then continuing on with my day. I have tried taking a hot shower or sitting on a heating pad after, and I actually have more pain the day after those shots. It's better for me if I simply keep moving around like normal and let the muscle work the medicine in.
TMI WARNING
The suppositories aren't really a problem, but man they are gross. I pretty much have constant discharge from them. Sometimes it comes out in such a gush that I think I am peeing my pants, or worse, miscarrying. I will definitely not miss those tablets when I am rid of them.
The thing I'm actually having the most trouble with is the patches. I have skin that is pretty sensitive to adhesives to begin with, and I have been on these patches for a month and a half now. I have to put four on my lower abdomen. Every three days I rotate sides, but they cause itchiness, rashes, and its now getting downright painful. It's to the point where the skin isn't even healed from three days ago by the time I have to stick them back on. Normally I am the suffer through type, but this morning I actually broke down and emailed one of the RE's nurses to see if she has any suggestions or if there is anywhere else I can put them besides my lower abdomen.
I will probably have to stay on the meds for another 4 weeks or so, and then hopefully my body will be able to produce everything that is needed on its own.
I know what you're thinking right how. You want to know how I'm feeling. Or maybe you don't really care, but since it's the obligatory question to ask a pregnant chick, I will tell you anyway.
As far as pregnancy symptoms go, nothing major yet. I have sore breasts once in a while. A couple mornings this week I woke up a bit queasy, but it was nothing a few saltines couldn't fix. I feel more tired, but that could also be because it's so freaking cold right now - normally during the winter I wish I could turn into a bear and go hibernate until spring. I definitely am more hungry. The kind of hunger where all of a sudden you realize you need to eat RIGHT NOW or you might just die. This week I have started eating a second dinner right before bedtime so I don't wake up in the middle of the night feeling like that. I haven't noticed any weight or body changes yet. In fact, since starting meds I have actually lost 3-4 pounds. The stomach bug over Christmas helped with that, because not only could I not overindulge on Christmas goodies, I could barely eat anything at all.
I checked back through the pregnancy journal I kept during my last pregnancy, and recalled how horribly bloated I was and how much my breasts hurt. I don't have that this time around, which of course causes me to worry that something is wrong with the baby. I mean, I'm pumping my body full of all kinds of fertility meds, shouldn't this pregnancy be worse instead of better? Luckily we only have 5 more days until we find out what's going on in there.
As far as meds go, I'm getting very tired of them. I'm still on all the same meds I have been on since transfer - one IM butt shot of progesterone every three days, 3 vaginal suppositories of progesterone a day, and 4 patches of estrogen that I change out every three days. The shots are actually the easiest part for me. My husband is a rock star at giving them, and most of the time I have no pain during or after the injection. I have found the best thing for me to do is to draw the medicine into the syringe, use body heat to warm it up to body temperature (helps the oil in the medicine disburse instead of lumping up under your skin), sticking it in, massaging for a couple minutes, and then continuing on with my day. I have tried taking a hot shower or sitting on a heating pad after, and I actually have more pain the day after those shots. It's better for me if I simply keep moving around like normal and let the muscle work the medicine in.
TMI WARNING
The suppositories aren't really a problem, but man they are gross. I pretty much have constant discharge from them. Sometimes it comes out in such a gush that I think I am peeing my pants, or worse, miscarrying. I will definitely not miss those tablets when I am rid of them.
The thing I'm actually having the most trouble with is the patches. I have skin that is pretty sensitive to adhesives to begin with, and I have been on these patches for a month and a half now. I have to put four on my lower abdomen. Every three days I rotate sides, but they cause itchiness, rashes, and its now getting downright painful. It's to the point where the skin isn't even healed from three days ago by the time I have to stick them back on. Normally I am the suffer through type, but this morning I actually broke down and emailed one of the RE's nurses to see if she has any suggestions or if there is anywhere else I can put them besides my lower abdomen.
I will probably have to stay on the meds for another 4 weeks or so, and then hopefully my body will be able to produce everything that is needed on its own.
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