One Baby. YAY!!!!

Today we went in for our first OB visit. It went really well. We saw the baby, and heard as well as saw the heartbeat! It was so exciting. I admit I shed a few tears. We also called our families and told them the wonderful news. Our next appointment is in a week and a half and we'll get another ultrasound. I can't wait!

Final results in our game (please click here for explanation):

#	Actual	Andre	Jen	Mason
Eggs Retrieved	23	-5	-2	+7
Eggs Fertilized	20	-12	-8	<0>
Embryos Transferred	2	+1	+1	+2
Embryos Left to be Frozen	10	-10	-4	+6
Resulting Babies	1	<0>	+1	+1
Total	N/A	-26	-12	+16

Cravings, Aversions, and Boobs

So far my cravings have started early although they aren't as strong as the real cravings I'm sure I'll have later. For a week or so I was really cravings eggs, which was strange because I never really crave them or even really like them much (except for an occasional omelet). When I was pregnant with Mason one thing I craved was chili cheese dogs but just the thought of hot dogs makes me wanna hurl. The last few days I've also been a little nauseated in the morning so maybe by next week I'll be spewing without thinking of hot dogs. If you read the ticker up at the top you'll see that Pamela Anderson is getting jealous of my boobs and that isn't a lie. I'm barely fitting in my regular clothes now. Some of it is also due to the fact that my belly is already showing. It's kinda cool but I wish I'd pop soon. With Mason I didn't really show until about 16 weeks and even then with maternity clothes on you couldn't tell unless you knew me. Maybe I can give Kate (from Jon & Kate Plus 8) a run for her money on belly size. Yes, after going through IVF we get asked all the time if we've seen that show on TLC with the 8 kids. If one more person asks that, I swear, with the hormones going through me I might just rip their heads off! :D

Final Beta results!

My final Beta results were 1080! So they more than doubled in 5 days! We have our first ultrasound June 30th. I cant wait!!!! So FUN!!!

New HCG level

My HCG level went up to 187. I am doubling every 2.2 days. Which is normal. It should double every 48-72 hours. Yay!

Why I Didn't POAS

We were very tempted to take a home pregnancy test, especially after the spotting, but we were too afraid to get the wrong answer. It might have shown positive if I was pregnant or if the HCG shot was still in my system, which would have meant a possible false positive. On the other hand, if the test showed negative it might have meant I wasn't pregnant or simply that the embryo (or embryos) wasn't putting enough HCG into my system to register on the home pregnancy test. With only two days to go until the beta test, we didn't have enough time to take tests over multiple days but the biggest reason was we just wanted the right answer without havin to worry if the answer we had was wrong (reminds me of Serendipity where Molly Shannon says she should stop worrying about looking for Mr. Right when Mr. Good-Enough-For-Right-Now is in the bar around the corner). We've enough scares with peeing on a stick ("POAS") that we wanted to hear it from the clinic. They wouldn't lie to us, would they? :D We're happy with the result regardless!!!

WOOHOO!!!

We are PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!!!!! It worked. We are so excited!!!!!!!!! HCG levels were at 100 as of this morning. I have another HCG level test on Saturday morning.

spotting, having a down day.

I am spotting today, Its brown blood, which is a sign of it being old blood. (I know TMI) I'm not sure how many women who do IVF spot or bleed, but for me usually that means its coming to an end. Maybe its that I had the miscarriage back in January, and spotting was how all of it started. but I cant help but think that this cycle is a bust! Thursday seriously cant come soon enough! :(

Hot and Hungry....Pregnant or Period?

Lately I have been hungry and very hot all the time, which for me is different. I'm so used to being cold all the time. It's hard not to get my hopes up when I have these "symptoms" especially since both pregnancies (I miscarried in January at 5 weeks 4days) I felt the same way. It's also confusing to me because almost every time my period is coming I also get hot and hungry!!! Go figure, huh? Oh well, we will know for sure on Thursday! It's going to be a long couple days.

Miracles

Going through the process of IFV & ET has made me realize what a miracle it was for Mason to come into our family. The doctors, nurses, embryologists, and everyone else have advanced this artificial conception so far that many variables can be eliminated, or at least reduced to become almost negligible. Even so, they cannot ensure that the blastocyst will implant. They can try assisted hatching and giving progesterone to the mother, but that is no guarantee. It's amazing with so many things that could have gone wrong (and probably have at other times) that we have Mason. Hopefully he can get a brother or sister out of this!

Caffeine Free Heaven in a Can!!!

I just have to say that since I have been told no caffeine, I have been struggling. Not because of the caffeine but because I love Dr. Pepper. The places we usually shop do not carry caffeine free Dr. Pepper. I was so sad. I ended up calling Dr. Pepper, and through a voice activated system I was told 5 places near us that carry it. One was a place I had already checked and I knew they didn't really have it. I called the Kroger by the temple and I was in luck - they carry it. The next day we went and I got a 12 pack. I haven't been so excited for a drink in all my life. It was wonderful!!! I have had one a day since then (Monday) and will continue to do so. YUMMY!!!!!

Transfer Day!!!

We went in today for the transfer today; luckily it was at 10:15 instead of the crack of dawn, or before. We got there a little early, but were surprised that we got called back right at 10:15. We went in and I got undressed. Then Andre and I both had to put on the awesome doctor hats and booties.



We then went into the procedure room, where John (the embryologist) came in and checked to make sure I was the right person. Dr. Schnell came in and said how impressed she was about how well our eggs have done. At the time we had 8 in the blastocyst stage and she said probably 4 more that would be there by tomorrow. They drew some blood and then gave me some Valium through an IV. Man that stuff works fast. They transferred two eggs. Here is the picture of what they looked like.

Then I laid there for an hour and we were sent home. We find out if we are pregnant on June 12th. Nine days. Crazy!!! I keep talking to them telling them to stick/implant and hold on tight (just like the Backyardigans song, except using 'embryo' might instead of 'viking' might)! Hopefully they will listen.

Here are the standings so updated for today. The 10 frozen embryos is an estimate based on what Dr. Schnell said but it is subject to change tomorrow when we hear the final word on them. Jen barely edged out Mason, though it's still close. Andre is out of it.

#	Actual	Andre	Jen	Mason
Eggs Retrieved	23	-5	-2	+7
Eggs Fertilized	20	-12	-8	<0>
Embryos Transferred	2	+1	+1	+2
Embryos Left to be Frozen	10?	-10?	-4?	+6?
Resulting Babies	-	-	-	-
Total	N/A	-26	-13	+15

Fertilization: Day Two and Day Three

I didn't do an update yesterday about the fertilization, so, as of yesterday morning (day two) all 20 fertilized eggs were still growing: nine were at the four-cell stage and 11 were at the two-cell stage. Here are some pics of what they would look like:

Two-cell Stage


Four-cell Stage



As of this morning (day three) we have nine at the eight-cell stage, three at the six-cell stage, and eight at the four-cell stage. John (the embryologist) did mention though that he had looked at them earlier in the morning so he wouldn't be surprised if the eight at four-cell would be at six-cell by early afternoon. Here are some pics of the eight and six-cell stages:

Six-cell Stage


Eight-cell Stage

(You can only see 7 out of the 8 in this pic)

The transfer is on Tuesday at 10:15 am. =)