Posted Sunday, March 25, 2012 1:51 PM
Oh, boy, it's been a pretty long time since I've blogged! As of now, we're 10 weeks along, and the baby is doing well. About a week ago, we had our latest doctor appointments - we had our LAST visit at Shady Grove (yikes!) and our first visit at our OB's office. Both appointments were great, but the best part was the ultrasound at the OB office. That technician was ah-ma-zing! He took multiple fabulous pictures, and let us watch the baby wave for a few minutes, and overall it was a fabulous experience. At 9 weeks, 1 day the baby looked like a little teddy bear (just like daddy!) and it was so breathtaking to see a real, baby-shaped fetus. Oh, and the best part? We got to hear the heartbeat! It was an amazing experience, one I could never explain. We left that appointment feeling so happy & blessed...
Right now, we're really just in a waiting phase (although MUCH happier than our previous waiting). We're still keeping it a secret from the general public until 12 weeks, so that's been really hard. And we're just trying to eat healthy, not stress my body too much, and keep up with my vitamins & meds. Most of me knows that "no news is good news" here, but part of me goes crazy not having any check-ups to verify it. Lol - the morning sickness is still an active indicator though!
Posted Sunday, February 26, 2012 1:11 PM
Wahoo! We had our first ultrasound this week - at 6 weeks, 1 day - and it was the most amazing experience of my whole life! It was exactly the confirmation I was looking for, after worrying if the baby was still even there. I got teary, and DH was grinning like a fool.
We could clearly see the gestational sac, with the baby in the corner. It was basically just a little smudge, but it was the prettiest little thing I ever saw! The doctor also was able to see the heartbeat. It was 113, which is great.
I'm sitting in my living room, watching tv, but glancing at the newly framed picture next to the screen. I can't believe I'm actually pregnant - it hasn't really sunk in yet! But, we have another ultrasound in 1 1/2 weeks, so I'm sure that will be even better :)
Posted Wednesday, February 22, 2012 8:36 PM
I'm starting to REALLY miss my blood level checks.
I know this seems weird, since getting poked & prodded isn't exactly fun for anyone. But the reassurance of getting those hCG levels every other day was amazing. I absolutely loved getting updates telling me the baby was growing, and that my pregnancy was on track. This past week, I feel like I've been going crazy, hoping nothing is wrong. I worry that I've lost the baby, but I don't know it. God should've given women some sort of notification system. You know, like I'd wake up every morning & have that notice - "smile today, you're still pregnant."
We have an ultrasound scheduled for Friday. That will be 6 weeks, 1 day, so there's a chance we could see the heartbeat. I'm hoping & praying that everything is good, and the baby is healthy.
Posted Wednesday, February 15, 2012 6:04 PM
As I've found out these past few days, one of the perks of going through fertility treatment, and having a fertility specialist in charge of your prenatal care, is getting extra check-ups.
For example, I have gotten my hCG levels checked 3 times. Most women only get their blood checked once, to confirm the pregnancy. I'm lucky, because I get to have qualitative proof that my baby is growing. On the first day my blood was drawn - 4w, 1d - my hCG level was 297 - perfectly healthy for a new pregnancy. At 4w, 4d it had grown to 500, and by 4w, 6d (this morning) it was measuring 2040. I am so excited that my pregnancy is progressing well, and so far, everything seems good.
Next week, I get to go have my first sonogram taken. It's early, so all we'll really see is a blob (lol), but I'm SO excited to get my first glimpse of "Little A." Hopefully, that will be one more piece of good news :)
Posted Saturday, February 11, 2012 9:55 AM
Well, it turns out I was correct - we are indeed PREGNANT! I can barely wrap my mind around the idea that we're having a baby...
I feel thrilled & terrified, both at the same time. I couldn't be more excited, and DH is right there with me. He keeps saying how much he loves me, and hugging me extra times, and calling me "Caitlin plus 1." It's very adorable. No matter what else I may be feeling, I'm super lucky to have him with me!
I'm just so nervous about this whole thing. The thought of labor & delivery makes me want to cry, I'm so scared about it! But, I'm pretty sure I'm definitely not alone - this is a feeling every first-time mother has, I'm fairly positive. Luckily, I can just push that out of my mind for now, until I calm down & have a better state of mind to consider it. Lol. Besides, there are plenty of other worries to keep my occupied right now! First and foremost, I just want this pregnancy to stick. Having PCOS puts me almost 40% more at risk for a miscarriage - yikes! Research says that my metformin will lower that risk down to what a "normal" woman has (about 10-15%), so I will absolutely be continuing to take that! But it's such a scary thought. I feel like I say a prayer every 20 minutes for God to keep this pregnancy going. And I'm going to keep praying til I deliver in October.
As for now, I'm spending my Saturday doing the only thing I can do for my baby - resting & thinking positive thoughts.
Posted Thursday, February 09, 2012 10:50 AM
My blood pregnancy test is scheduled for tomorrow morning, and I'm so, so excited to get the results. See, I've been having symptoms for, like, a week now - headache, nausea, fatigue, gasiness (ick!). I just had a strong feeling that it isn't the flu, and my body is reacting to progesterone. The only question is, am I responding to my body being pregnant, or am I responding to the progesterone supplement I'm taking twice a day?
Last night I couldn't take it anymore. It was driving me crazy, thinking I might eb pregnant. I was crying, and getting upset, so my DH brought home an Early Response hpt. Then I couldn't convince myself to actually take the test - what if it's negative - I'll lose my mind! What is it's positive, but turns out to be wrong?!? I just chickened out, and went to bed.
But, this morning, I went ahead and did the test... and it said I'm pregnant. Those 2 pink lines were the most beautiful sight I've ever seen!! I texted a picture to my DH, and he immediately called me. I can tell he's excited, but he's playing it cool, to keep me calm. He's just the sweetest man alive.
Anyways, we're waiting for our blood test to confirm the results tomorrow, so we're not telling ANYONE yet. I still haven't quite figured out who we'll tell, who we'll try to keep it secret from, etc... But now I have time to think about it :)
Posted Wednesday, January 25, 2012 7:23 PM
Well, it's been a couple weeks since I blogged, but in that time we've worked our way through the prep phases of our 3rd treatment cycle. I took Clomid for 5 days, and ended up needing 3 Bravelle shots this time. I'm glad that each cycle isn't taking as long as the first one did. I don't really know why that is, but I'm not questioning it.
This cycle, we're going a step up from the timed intercourse cycles we've done before, and trying IUI instead. This makes me feel both excited & nervous. I'm really hoping this more aggressive method will be successful for us, and the higher success rates make me feel really excited. But, I don't know exactly what's going to happen during the procedure, and I'm worried it might hurt. And, of course, it's even less romantic than timed intercourse - it's so frustrating that we can't have a baby in the normal way, that we have to be so medical about it.
Our IUI is scheduled for tomorrow morning, so happy thoughts & good prayers will be appreciated!
Posted Wednesday, January 11, 2012 7:52 PM
Well, yesterday I got my blood test for my 2nd treatment cycle done, and it was negative, yet again. Like I said in my last post, I had an inkling that it was going to be this way. But, it still super sucks. I, once again, feel like a failure. Not to mention yet another month of my life & $300 was completely wasted.
Obviously, we're going to jump right back in to another cycle. As soon as I can figure out how to get the money, we'll order more meds, so we're ready. I think we'll switch to IUI this time, to be more aggressive. I don't want to waste more months than we have to!