24 Weeks - *Viability* & the CERVIX

It is 24 weeks! We had a growth and cervix scan today.

The babies are doing great and are weighing in at 1lbs 7oz (baby girl) and 1lbs 5oz (baby boy). They were moving around a lot and looked like they were having a good time in there. 24 weeks is viability and I am very glad we made it to this big milestone... every week from here on is going to be a greater milestone in this journey to have two healthy and chunky babies!

Now for my cervix :(... Up until now, I have been measuring at around 3.4 cm (since 16w)... today it was 2.4 cm. That is 1 cm less than what it was 2 weeks ago! Till now I have been going in every two weeks for the cervix check, however this time I have been asked to come in (at the hospital) for my next check with in a week! I am worried and I know I still have quite a bit of cervix there, but that is a big difference in 2 weeks. It is always reassuring for us to get the checks done towards the end of the week, but this time with it being Christmas weekend, I can't really talk directly to my OB till around Monday/Tuesday (unless I call him on his emergency line) and that is not making me happy.

We were planning for a baby shower in January and I wanted to start gearing up towards all that... but right now I don't want to think of where I will be 4 weeks from now!

I have never really mentioned this before, but I was laid off earlier this year and we decided it was better for me to stay back home during this whole crazy ride... which essentially means that I have been resting a hell lot more than I would have had I been working full time. Which means that even if I get on to a pretty strict bed rest, it still wouldn't be very much different than what I have been up to thus far.

I guess right now I am just panicking and I just need to wait and watch. The babies are doing a great job in there... it is the Mommy who needs to keep her stuff together!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everybody! Please say a little prayer for me! Thank you for all your support!

22 Weeks

Well, 22w4d!

Quite a few things to update, so I am going for the bullet points...

• I had my H1N1 vaccination last Tuesday (12/08/09)... I was ready to take what was available, but fortunately they had the Thimerosal free one available, so I got that. Haven't had any side effects till now... hope it stays that way!
  
  
• Had an OB appointment last Wednesday (12/09/09 - 21W6d)... we discussed c-section again. We tentatively scheduled a c-section date for April 2 (38w1d). My OB does not like to go beyond 38w... and he seems to be highly optimistic :). As much as I want the babies to stay in there for that long, I very well know that that is an absolute best case scenario and things can change like crazy before that! I am trying to stay cautiously optimistic and positive, yet realistic!
  
  
• After the 20w scan, I will be continuing with my cervix check every 2 weeks along with growth scan every 4 weeks (at least as of now)... so the next growth scan will be on 12/24/09 (24w). OB appointments continue to be every 4 weeks as of now (next one will be 01/05/10).
  
  
• Cervix check on last Friday (12/11/09 - 22w1d) went well, I am still measuring around the same... I hope I can hold up the same way for the next several scans!
  
  
• The babies are dancing in there and I can sometimes see the whole tummy move! I might have felt the baby girl hiccup yesterday - it was a continuous rhythmic nudge on the top right side - a little too rhythmic to be kicks... though I am not very confident it was hiccups either... since I have never felt it before!
  
  
• Starting (around) 2 weeks ago, I can hear my left side groin/pelvic area "pop"... it normally happens when I have laid in one position for long. At night when I change positions or get up to pee, it is the most common. It doesn't hurt much, but it definitely makes me want to make any movements slowly. I guess it is Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD)... I didn't really mention it to my OB, but I will be bringing it up the next time I speak with him. Has anyone experienced this... what did you do to reduce it?
  
  
• I signed up for Marvelous Multiples and the Breastfeeding classes (for January) at the hospital I will be going to. I would like to take the Baby Care class as well, but that seems to be conflicting with the other classes and the next one I can go to is in late February... and I am not sure if I am really going to be super mobile at that time. I would imagine that class is going to be pretty general and the other class contents would overlap with this one to some extent... also, my mom will be with us starting Jan mid, so hopefully even if we can't make it to that class we should be okay.
  

H1N1 Vaccination?

The H1N1 vaccination is finally (kind of) available in our area! I am planning on taking it... but what is making me uncomfortable is that the Thimerosal (mercury preservative) free ones are either unavailable or are available in limited quantity and there is no guarantee that it will be available when I go in to take the shot!

The Thimerosal free ones are supposed to be "safer"... but there is no (super) concrete study as to whether the ones with the preservative truly cause any issues or make you (your offspring) 100% more susceptible to autism etc! Though it is something I definitely would like to avoid... the less crap in my body the better... (honestly, thinking of how many shots I have taken with IUI/IVF... I wonder how many preservatives I have put in to my system already and does 1 extra shot matter!?)

I am not sure what I want to do (as in take the regular shot)! If you have already been vaccinated, which shot did you get?

Pink & Blue!

Yes, it is a boy and a girl! :)

We had the anatomy scan today (Nov 25 @ 19w6d)... and so far everything looks good! I am so very thankful for how far we have reached and this experience that we have been blessed with. Still a long road ahead, but it is reassuring to see them hale and hearty, kicking and punching their Mommy!

The u/s tech we had was not very verbose, so it was hard to follow most of the stuff she was doing. We were in there for around 1.5 hours... the last 15 minutes were with the MFM, who checked the hearts and some other organs. I would say those 15 minutes were the toughest... since I have always heard that you see an MFM if there is a problem; though I guess for an anatomy scan it is a norm (at our hospital) for the MFM to come in and take a peak at the babies!

The heart rates were at 159 and 163 bpm, and they weighed 11 and 13 ounces (boy and girl respectively). At this stage, they do not measure the length since the babies are curled up. My cervix is still holding up at 3.3, which is a relief. I will be back for my next cervical check in approximately 2 weeks (Dec 11).

I feel like I am getting bigger day by day and it is getting tougher to move around, roll around...! The movement in the belly area is pretty distinct. We might have felt it from the outside on occasions, but it is still not super obvious.

My BFF is coming over for Thanksgiving and we are hoping to do some baby shopping on Friday-Saturday! :)

Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Cyclesista Announcement...

Since some of you asked...

There are a few technical changes happening over at Cyclesista, so the site may be unavailable at times. We hope to get it back to normal as soon as possible, and will keep you updated. In the meantime, feel free to submit your details to mybabytobe at gmail dot com (myself), shansterbaby at gmail dot com, babydustdiaries at gmail dot com, or beaxiaojie at gmail dot com and we'll queue them all up for when the site is running smoothly (and hopefully improvedly!) again.

This announcement has also been posted at LFCA.

18 Weeks

Well, actually 18w4d!!!

Had an OB appointment last week... we did the AFP testing, which came out normal. We also tested for my TSH (it has been 4 weeks since I stopped my TSH medication)... and fortunately it seems to be stable. It just went up from 0.9 to 1.3 (and not the 3+ that it was at my RE's office).

My 2nd cervix check was Friday and things seem to be stable (so far)... my cervix was measuring 3.4 (like last time)... hopefully it stays the same for weeks to come!

And then... we are barely a week away from our 20w u/s!!! I am nervous, excited and anxious at the same time! It will be one of the big u/s, and if the babies cooperate we will know the genders too! It is scheduled for Nov 25 (a day before Thanksgiving)!

MOD - Prematurity Awareness Month

Every year, 20 million babies are born too soon, too small and very sick ― half a million of them in the United States. November 17 is when we fight!

To support and learn more... March of Dimes - Prematurity Awareness Month!

Cord Blood Cell Banking

Few of our friends have opted to preserve the Cord Blood Cell (CBC) of their babies and this thing has always been on the back of my mind. I spent some time looking up information about CBC banking... mainly, the pros and cons, realistic future usage and the cost associated with it. Below is some of the information I gathered...


This is a comprehensive website about most of the information available on the internet... has references to CBC banking world wide: Parents Guide Cord Blood.


Motivation for banking Cord Blood Cell (CBC).


CBC info on Wiki.


Facts (pros and cons) (mostly WebMD)...
-Cord blood Cells may be used to treat nearly 80 serious diseases (as of now... probably many more treatments possible in the next several years).
-The odds that a child will use his/her own CBC are anywhere between 1 in 27 to 1 in 200,000 (depending upon the source you look at).
-According to the National Marrow Donor Program, properly stored CBC should be good for up to 10-15 years, after that point, the researchers aren't sure how long the cells will last (NOTE: Some banks give you an option to pay straight up for 25 years storage for a discounted price - may be that is not a very wise step).
-Cells from CBC are less mature than a bone marrow, so there are less chances of the cells being rejected during a transplant.
-Saving CBC is painless as compared to a bone marrow donation (plus you have to find a matching donor).
-It is not always possible to use ones own CBC (depending upon the disease), if it can be used for a sibling, there are still just 25% chances that the CBC will be a match.
-CBC's are generally used only for children (as of now), since they are not known to be enough for treatment in adults.
-There is a lot of research going on in this field, and in the future techniques (besides CBC) using embryonic stem cells or stem cells derived from adult tissues might be the way to go!


Here is a table of private bank features and pricing of banks in the US (as of Oct 2009... other countries listed too). As per the list and general listing on the internet, Cord Blood Registry, Cryobank International, Cryo-Cell International and Viacord seem to be some of the older banks (early-mid 1990's), registered with the FDA (AABB accreditation) and reasonably priced.


---

Some more reference articles:

How CBC is collected - video

Donating vs privately banking CBC

Article against CBC banking by American Academy of Pediatrics.

Information about donating CBC


---

Most of the people we have spoken to emphasize on (things to look for) reliability of the bank (longer they have been in the business, more likely that they have their act together and probably will survive in the future), price (in our case - twin discount?), location (stable - away from natural and/or man made calamities), management and correspondence.


This is a very controversial subject and I am not trying to make an argument here, but with IVF treatment, some IFs have frozen embryos. So, I also tried to look for the benefits of preserving embryonic cells (embryos from IVF) "versus" CBC, and there is not much information available. But from general reading it occurs to me that... there has been a lot more research done with CBC and there have been several successful CBC transfers in real life... so even if embryonic cells might become prominent in the future (beyond all the ethical controversies), currently they are not very distinctly used. Hence, there aren't any specific storage facilities for embryonic cells like CBC, other than the fertility clinic storage (which is super expensive).


To me the bottom line is... if I am willing to spend $2,000 on a vacation or go buy some new furniture for my house (materialistic things)... I can also spend the same amount to save the CBC! It may or may not come to use, but you know it is there and it may save a life!


NOTE: All the information I have gathered is just by surfing the web, there is probably a lot more information out there (which I am sure I have missed). Finally, saving (or not saving) CBC is a personal choice! If any body else has any more information about CBC or would like to share their personal experience, please leave me a comment!

17 week Update

Sorry, have been MIA! Things are okay here. I did go see the dietitian last week... it was helpful to confirm what all we already knew about eating well, along with some advice about how many calories (and carbs) I need. Monitoring wise, I think I am doing well... there are occasional spikes in the reading, but I am figuring out what is spiking up the readings... so I know better what to control next time.

We had our first cervix check on Friday too! The heartbeats were at 145 and 151 bpm! Both the babies have grown so much! Cervix looked good too (3.4... they like to see above 3 and anything below 2.5'ish is a concern)! I have my OB appointment on next Tuesday (Nov 10) followed by the next cervix check on Friday (Nov 13).

I think I have felt the babies move in the last couple of weeks (starting @ end of 14w)... it's more and more convincing, since it has repeated so many times and is at the exact same locations. As per the u/s technician, the baby on the left is more superficially located... and that is the baby I have felt move more! :)

GD - Appointment with the Nurse!

Met with the nurse today at the Diabetic Center (I typed "fertility" instead of diabetic and had to correct myself - haha... once an IF, always an IF!)

Before getting to the discussion of how it went... I feel overwhelmed! I have cried my eyes out at least 4 times in the last whole week. I don't know what I am crying for (I am crying for anything and everything)! I know GD is not a super life threatening issue, but I feel like I have lost control over one thing I knew well - how to eat! I am scared to eat any carbs, and that's not how it should be... I need to eat carbs to keep functioning and for the babies to grow well, but I just feel like I don't know how much I need and how much I don't! On a general basis, I would have been able to control what I eat... but in this case, I just don't seem to figure out how much is enough!

Anyways, the appointment went well! It was pretty informative. We went over a few technicalities (the info that is generally found on the web)! I was given a diabetes monitoring kit (Accu-Check Aviva - yay for more poking)... I have to monitor: before breakfast and then 2 hours after breakfast, lunch and dinner (total 4 times a day) and then I have to check for "Ketones" in my morning urine sample! This was the one which startled me a little bit. In the last whole week of not knowing what to eat, I have probably been eating less carbs! When one is deprived of carbs/glucose (instant energy supply), the body acquires the required energy from your fat reserves... fat is broken down, energy is released and the by-product is Ketones. This spills in to the urine... it can also pass through your placenta and reach the baby. It is suspected that excessive Ketones can lead to learning disabilities in babies (though this has not been completely proven either ways)... so they prefer not to feed the babies with Ketones. Typically, if one has not consumed enough Carbs (and does not have a sufficient glucose supply) during dinner... during the long fasting night period, the body will try to access the fat reserve and Ketones will be found in urine the next day (One could be gaining weight, while not consuming enough carbs... and then loosing some of the weight (fat reserve) and releasing Ketones in the system)! When we checked for Ketones at the center... it was detected in my urine sample (almost 1.5 hours after a cheese sandwich breakfast)!

With the whole insurance issue, we have decided that we are seeing a dietitian outside the diabetic center I went to today. This person works at another diabetic center (catering towards pregnant women, infants and children), but also runs her private practice/service and will cost us almost 1/4th of what we would be paying at the diabetic center I went to today. She seems experienced, knowledgeable and approachable... so hopefully we will be satisfied... and if we are not we can always pay 4 times more and go back to the diabetic center. So the appointment is on Thursday, October 29th! Hopefully this will ease my mind. My DH is accompanying me and hopefully he will grasp everything that I loose by being overwhelmed! Hopefully with all the monitoring and diet control... we should be okay in the long run!

Also, October 30th is my first Cervix check! Hoping and praying that everything looks okay! I will also get to have a quick peak at my babies! :)

GD Results

After some waiting, panicking, crying, waiting and some more waiting... finally I got the results today! I had to call the lab to make them fax the results to the OB, because I was not willing to wait over a week (as of tomorrow) for my results to reach the OB (in mail)... I guess I still expect my RE's fast service and coordination! So here it is...

Fasting (cut-off: 95 mg/dL) = Normal

1 Hour (cut-off: 180 mg/dL) = 118

2 Hour (cut-off: 155 mg/dL) = 190*

3 Hour (cut-off: 140 mg/dL) = 108

If two values are higher than the cut-off value, then the result is a "Gestational Diabetes" (GD). So according to my OB, my results were weird. I was normal all the way up to the 2nd hour test and then I spiked (190*). Since two of my results are not exceeding the cut-off, I am not classified as a GD patient, but when one of the results is abnormal (high), they treat the patient like they would a GD patient. Though, I can choose to start monitoring now... or wait till around 24-28 weeks, perform the 3 hour test again and then go from there. Being the obsessive compulsive IF that I am, we are going to start monitoring NOW! I called a diabetic center that the OB recommended and am waiting to hear back from them about my insurance acceptance et. al. But the idea is, assuming I can go to that center... I will be going in to see a nurse and a dietitian. I will be monitoring my blood glucose 4 times a day and will have to follow a diet recommended by them... and they will be testing me for some other stuff. My OB said, that GD normally does not cause any harmful effect on the baby or mom this early in the pregnancy, so there is nothing to panic about! So, lets see how things shape out from here. Thanks for all your comments and for following up on my results.

About our SUV hunt, we did test drive one and did like it... but we are looking at buying a 1-2 year old certified pre-owned (CPO)... so we need to look out for some good deals. I just don't see a point in buying a brand new car and loosing 5-10k on it as soon as we drive out of the dealers parking lot! So it will be a few months before a car lands in our drive way!

---

Insurance Update:
So, it seems my insurance covers the consultation with the nurse but not the dietitian part! They would have covered it had I been a real diabetic! If I want to pursue this further, I need to appeal to the insurance company... which every one knows is a waste of time... It takes 2-3 weeks for them to acknowledge the receipt of your appeal after which they will move ahead with whatever steps they need to take (with no guarantees). What is the point of an appeal if half the time of the remaining ~20 weeks (hopefully) of this pregnancy are gone in these legal matters? I plan on speaking with my OB and will see if there is a way to work around this. Our other options are to suck it up and pay some $700-800 of the consultation fees with this diabetic center... or seek another cheaper dietitian outside the center... I have spoken to one that I like. We will be making a decision about the dietitian early next week after speaking to the OB and the diabetic center nurse (the appointment is on Monday, October 26th)! I don't wish to take this lightly... diabetes runs in my family and with PCOS, I am at a higher risk of having a proper GD!

Off to a 3 hour Glucose Screening...

My GD results back at the OB's office came back higher than we would have liked it to be (144)! So, I am off to the 3 hour Glucose Tolerance Test tomorrow morning! Not something I had hoped for, but I guess I am willing to check and take every possible step to keep this safe! Wish me luck!

14 Weeks Today!

Yesterday was my second OB appointment at 13W6D. Each passing day makes me a little bit more comfortable with the idea that I am PG... I guess I am just a worrier! Not much has happened in the last 2 weeks, though time sure is flying by!

A summary of the OB visit: NT scan results came back as 1 in 4,200… so the chances of having a baby with DS are pretty low and we won’t be testing any more. My TSH levels have dropped to 0.9 (from 3.6) and the OB decided to redo the b/w to see what is going on. If the levels are still low, I will be stopping my TSH medication (Levothyroxine) and we will be monitoring the levels. I was tested for Gestational Diabetes and am awaiting the results. I hope I don’t have to deal with GD! If the results are negative, I will be tested directly at 28 weeks.

Ultrasounds: I scheduled for the cervical check u/s! The first one will be at 16W1D and will continue thereafter through the pregnancy (every 2 weeks). I am glad that I will get to see the babies so frequently… hopefully that will reduce my anxiety! I also scheduled for our anatomy scan. We will know the sexes a day before Thanksgiving (November 25th at 19W6D)! Besides figuring out a day before the holidays, I am also hoping that I can get some good Thanksgiving deals. I am not very big on sticking to pinks and/or blue, but I would definitely like to have a tinge of it in the decor and clothing. Our spare bedroom is colored blue (by the previous owners)… we might not do anything if it is 2 boys… but it if is 2 girls or a girl/boy combination, we probably will repaint and make it neutral.

I can’t get myself to start shopping yet, but we definitely have been trying to narrow down on the items we need to get. We are planning on test driving a SUV this weekend (I am reluctant to become a minivan driving soccer mom… let’s see how far I can hold up on that! :)), so we can at least make up our mind as to what we want to get. We currently share a 2 door car and that is definitely not going to work (space + safety)… so we have to buy a car before the babies arrive. I have looked at all cars (of course online) of all shapes and sizes and prices over the last 2 years (and have probably mentally owned each one of them), but have kept on delaying on buying one… it was that one thing we wanted to wait till we figured out that we were PG.

We told a few more friends yesterday! And we also told my Grandma! She was on cloud nine after hearing the news… she told my Mom that she felt like dancing (She is almost 80 and has trouble walking!) :) I hope she gets to see her first great grand kids and can spend some memorable time with them as they grow.

Life Before Birth - The Fetal Senses

I came across this article yesterday and thought of sharing it... The Fetal Senses: A Classical View by David B. Chamberlain, Ph.D.


Most of the items discussed in the article we probably already know, but it is interesting to read the timeline and the science behind it. The article describes tasting, smelling, listening, hearing, vision and senses in great detail.

An Update: OB, 12 Weeks, NT Scan…

Yes, I am 12 weeks 2 days today! Every week is a milestone and I am glad to have reached where I have! You girls have been the greatest support in the journey thus far – Thank you so much! This is going to be a pretty looong post. I haven’t quite posted much in the last 2.5 weeks and there is so much I want to say. I am going to try to keep it simple by putting up some bullet points! Here goes…


• I had my first OB appointment at 9W5D. We absolutely loved him (as mentioned before I was planning on changing my OB because my previous OB did not go to the hospital I wanted to go to… with twins, we definitely need access to a hospital with a level III NICU – I hope we never have to use it though). We spent around an hour + at the doctors office discussing our history, current status and all our options. He is very friendly, comforting, and as much as he has firm opinions about certain things, he is very open to listening to your concerns and discussing issues. I am very uncomfortable with doctors who won’t listen to you and will shove their decisions on you…. So far, I think this doctor is wonderful! My next appointment is at 13W5D.

• The doctor performed an u/s, but his machine was very old. Nevertheless, it was an u/s, we saw the babies and heard strong heartbeats! The doctor does not perform actual high def u/s at his clinic; I will be going to the hospital for u/s.

• I will be tested for gestational diabetes (GD) at my next OB appointment. My insulin has been at the higher end of normal range (PCOS!) and I was put on Metformin during the fertility treatment. Hopefully, I will pass the test. Depending upon how things go, I may be monitored more frequently.

• The OB discussed about vaginal vs. c-section deliveries for twins. Vaginal deliveries are possible for twins but things can change at last minute (as last minute as – one baby is out and the other baby moves and is in an unfavorable position). As much as I would love a natural birth, I think 95% we are going for a c-section!

• After my “scared” post – my cold lasted for around a week (reducing day by day)… I did not get any fever and the sore throat was very intermittent… fortunately, drinking warm water helped, I did not end up taking any other medications. Though, after the scare, speaking with my OB and going through several medical websites, I decided on taking the flu vaccine! And I will be getting vaccinated for H1N1 as well!

• With all the twin PG blogs I am following, most seem to have issues with their “cervix”. That is incompetent cervix is very common and most gals end up with a cerclage and bed rest. I was given an option (by the OB) to monitor the cervix every two weeks starting at 16W. I have to tell the OB if I choose to monitor - and of course my answer is yes! It also means that I will get to see the babies every two weeks starting at 16W.

• I had my NT Scan yesterday (12W1D)!!! From 9W5D to 12W1D was a very long haul! The last few days, I was very anxious and a complete nervous wreck… it was around 4 weeks since a proper u/s (last one at the RE) and I was praying hard that all readings would come out with in the normal range. But, I was a happy gal by the end of it! Things looked great, the babies measured 12W3D and 12W4D, with a heartbeat of 160 and 162. The NT measurements were below 1.4. Honestly, the technician was going so very fast that I lost track of the exact readings! The technician could not see any source of new bleeding. The babies were pretty active and we could see a few punches too! I hope the (associated) b/w results come out normal!

• I almost jumped with joy after the scan and my DH had to calm me down! We also did our first baby shopping on the same day! I have been so nervous all this while, that I needed to do something to overcome this immense fear and believe that this is really happening! We went and bought our first pair of baby clothes from Macy's. It is a Carter’s Newborn Fleece Sleeper (cute little yellow ducklings). I also shed some (happy) tears after coming home while looking at our purchase - it was just overwhelming! I am starting to e-window shop for all the stuff that I would like to buy/have. I hope I am not starting to get over confident!

• We informed both sets of parents at around 6W. They are very excited! A few of my very close friends know about the PG, but we are still tight lipped over all! We will be telling a few more friends in the next couple of weeks, but overall… we are going to keep it undercover for as long as we can. I am not sure how to handle the congratulations and the PG talks! This still feels surreal and I still feel like anything can happen any time!

• I feel fat (5 lbs IVF + 7 lbs PG = 12 lbs)! But, after looking at all the other preggo (singleton/twin) bellies (around 12 weeks), I think I am starting to accept the fact that what I am seeing is not just fat - it’s a bump! :) We still haven’t taken any belly shots yet! (Though, I did mentioned to my DH that we should probably start taking belly shots and he was like "Baileys Shot?!" ...Men!) Staying undercover might not work for very long! But we will see!

• I realized that I haven't mentioned anything about my symptoms till now! I haven't thrown up even once! I have had intermittent nausea... but nothing extra ordinary! Though, I just can not stand any kind of meat! I am trying to load up on protein through milk, eggs and nuts! I am constantly hungry... I gained 7 lbs in the begining, but in the last 3 weeks, no matter how much I eat... I don't seem to put on any weight! Not gaining weight has never been an issue for me! :P I am constantly thirsty and consume any where between 3-5L of water in 24 hours! Out of which approx 2L is consumed at night (during the 3-5 pee breaks I have to get up for)! People talk about PG glow, I think I am going to be one of those who get "acne". Acne has been a problem for me (thanks to PCOS) previously, and it just doesn't seem to subside!

Know What to Do About the Flu - Flu.gov

Know What to Do About the Flu Webcast Archive (Flu.gov)
Pregnant Women and New Moms

http://www.flu.gov/news/knowwhattodo.html#082709

Guests in the Video:

•Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, HHS
•Tina Chin, White House Council on Women
•Rear Admiral Anne Schuchat, CDC
•Dr. Tony Fauci, National Institutes of Health/NIAD
•Dr. Laura Riley, OB/GYN - Mass General Hospital
•Tina Johnson, American College of Midwives

Scared!

I had my first OB appointment today... the appointment went well and the OB's office had a very basic u/s machine where we saw the babies. Things looked good... and I felt like things were finally settling in, but right now I am SCARED! Amy and Eileen had a m/c recently after seeing beautiful heartbeats after subchorionic bleeding! Eileen also had flu! I can't describe how much it hurts to hear about this and my heart cries about their losses! Since yesterday, I am having a sore throat, nasal congestion and head ache! I am trying to drink some warm water, but refraining from taking any medication as yet. I am so freakin' scared... I am trying to stay positive.... There are so many gals out there who have had subchorionic bleeding and are doing great with their pregnancy! I can't even think of getting in to describing how the OB visit went!

H1N1 Influenza Vaccine?

CDC 2009 H1N1 Influenza Vaccine information is available here! Almost half of all pregnant women say they will refuse to be vaccinated against H1N1/swine flu once the jab is available, suggesting there is widespread concern about its safety, a poll has revealed (guardian.co.uk).

Do you plan on getting vaccinated? What has your RE/OB recommended? Typically pregnant women are recommended not to get vaccinated in the first trimester and women trying to get pregnant are asked to wait around a month after most vaccinations before TTC.

---

Thimerosal (mercury based preservative) free injectable flu (and H1N1) shots are available at most places. Even though studies show that shots containing Thimerosal are not harmful to pregnant ladies and the babies, it is probably a better idea to look for Thimerosal-free shots!

Thimerosal flu shots available at Walgreens

Here is the CDC info on Thimerosal.

Spotting and Graduation Update

Just an update…

After the event last weekend, there has been no major bleeding so far (and I hope it stays that way)… though I have had some brown spotting (and I guess brown is not as bad as red!) The more active I am, the more the spotting, so I am trying to rest as much as possible. Thank you for all your comments and information!!

I had an u/s on Friday, September 04, 2009 at 8W1D. The babies measured on target and the heartbeats were in 160’s! I spoke to my RE about the bleeding and he didn’t seem (much) worried since the babies were doing fine. He said it (subchorionic bleeding) is common and normally doesn’t cause any major issues with the pregnancy. So I am trying to trust him, just like I have so far. And I guess I didn’t mention this earlier but September 01, 2009 was my last day of PIO and my progesterone still looked good on the Friday b/w… so that is good to know!

Friday was also my last day at the RE’s! I have officially graduated to an OB. My first OB appointment is September 15… and I am very anxious with this whole waiting period! I feel like if something were to happen I have nowhere to go. On the other hand, the last day at the RE was bitter sweet! I hope I never ever have to go back to them (cause I WANT to be blessed with healthy twins 7 months from now)... but they helped us achieve something we couldn’t do on our own and I can’t thank them enough! This is a milestone amongst the several milestones we need to cross in the next 6-7 months! (Note: If you live in the northeast/tri-state area and are looking for a good IF clinic, I would definitely (highly) recommend the one I have been too... drop me an email (listed on the sidebar) for more details!)

Labor Day weekend is a staycation for us and I am enjoying chilling out at home and hanging out with friends. I can’t believe summer is over! Time sure does fly!

2 ER Visits in 2 Days!!!

Let me start off with saying that (so far) the twins are doing fine and so am I! I am directly going to get to the story… since I am a little tired and (still) a bit startled!

The week following my first heartbeat u/s was progressing well and then the Thursday (before the second heartbeat u/s)… late in the afternoon I started having this weird feeling. Fortunately I was home… I started having blurred vision and a headache… I attributed that to “low” sugar and decided to have a berry milkshake and eat a sandwich! While prepping the food, I realized that my left foot started tingling… that sensation moved on to my left hand (mainly palm), followed by left side of my lips, tongue and gums! That sure did freak me out. All the tingling eventually turned in to numbness and a headache! Ever since getting PG, I have had tingling and numbness once in a while… but one sided and also mouth - never! I called my nurse and she said that I should go the ER if it continues or if I am uncomfortable – and yes, one sided tingling and numbness is not normal (sometimes associated with a stroke). My DH came home early and we decided to go to the ER. I felt generally okay but we did not want to take any chances! At the ER they did a bunch of b/w… everything seemed normal (HCG had gone up). I was offered a CAT scan, but was told that it was totally up to me if I wanted to do it since I was PG. We decided to not do the scan (if things repeated we would probably go for it is what we thought). We also didn’t do the u/s since I was going to the RE the following morning. We came back home after mid-night… this visit was may be an overkill… but I guess it is better to be safe than sorry.

The following morning (Friday, 08/28), we went for our regular u/s and b/w to the RE’s (at 7W1D). The doctor recommended seeing a neurologist if these symptoms show up again. The u/s went well… we saw our two little peanuts, they had grown a lot and had a strong heartbeat (~140’s)! The b/w results reconfirmed what we saw at the ER (HCG levels had climbed up and Progesterone was greater than 40)!

So… everything seemed to be going well. I was kind of convinced that everything was going well with this pregnancy, we had seen the heartbeat the second time, the measurements were good… I even ordered two pregnancy books (Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy and When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads: Proven Guidelines for a Healthy Multiple Pregnancy …both have great reviews on Amazon.com)! Saturday was very relaxing (off late we have been keeping a low profile in our social life… as in we are trying to stay home and relax as much as possible and not tire myself out even more than I already get by just sitting on my ass)! We got up late, had a good lunch, lazed around and then went to do some groceries. Picked up some “healthy” food for me… came home had dinner and then settled in to watch a movie!

…And then (TMI warning)! I realized that I felt a little wet down there, so I decided to go check on myself. As soon as I sat down (to pee) there was a HUGE gush of blood (at around 1000 pm - the blood was red and not dark brown or pink). I freaked out and called out for my DH! I held my pee and then emptied my bladder in cups so that I could collect any kind of tissues etc that would come out! I immediately called the RE (nurse), she “calmly” mentioned that it is normal during the pregnancy and I could come in the following morning. However, if I use more than a pad in an hour, I should rush to the ER! Well, I used up a pad in 20 minutes. I was still gushing out blood once in a while (I had no control over the flow and even stained our couch)… we decided to head over to the ER again! After our relaxing dinner, I had some darn watermelon and oh my gosh, that filled up my freakin’ bladder so much! I was afraid to go pee at the hospital since I was afraid I would pass something in the loo. Finally after speaking with the doctor they gave me a pan to pee in to. I passed one small thin clot which they collected (I couldn’t quite empty my bladder completely though). I was then rushed to the u/s room! Oh what a relief, there were the 2 heartbeats! I started stabilizing mentally. However, the first u/s was abdominal… and I had to try to empty my bladder more for the vaginal u/s! So I went again with a pan! I passed a 2 inch oval chunky dark red clot… I skipped a heartbeat seeing that… I had just seen 2 beautiful heartbeats 5 minutes ago… what was this! I went back in for the vaginal u/s…. and there were still those 2 beautiful heartbeats! The clot was collected, the u/s technician wasn’t sure if it was going to be analyzed (since it wasn’t technically fetal matter). She mentioned that this is probably Subchorionic Hematoma. And I could bleed again and pass out more clots. The bleeding stopped (was minimal) after I passed the clot. After the u/s they did some b/w… HCG was still rising everything else looked okay. We came back home at around 0330-0400 in the morning and were supposed to leave for my RE’s at around 0630 am… so we took a “nap” and went to the RE’s. The doctor who was doing the monitoring for the weekend is a dick head! I love all the doctors at the clinic except for this a$$! He has zero bed side manners… he came in and started doing his job, I was a little concerned if he even knew why I had come in. I asked and he was like, yes I know! He wouldn’t discuss anything… just showed us the (good) heartbeats and did some measurements. I offered to show him the ER report and he said he didn’t want to see it since they normally don’t say anything. He also went on to say that more than likely this will happen again! Oh how great! Though he ended our meeting by saying that typically after seeing heartbeats the chances of miscarriage reduces drastically!

So here I am now… hoping to speak with a different nurse tomorrow (my nurse is on vacation until after Labor Day weekend) and somehow reach my RE so that I feel more convinced. I am supposed to be graduating to an OB on Friday (09/04 at 8W1D) and my OB appointment is on 09/15. I really don’t know if I am going to be able to stay sane during the no u/s phase! Reading about Subchorionic Hematoma has not helped… and I can’t wait for tomorrow! All the posibilities that went through my mind since the bleeding started is all together a different story! I am so glad we went to the ER, or else I would have been miserable throughout the night and that dick would have made my life even more miserable today!

If anybody knows anything about Subchorionic Hematoma or has experienced it, please leave me a message. Thanks for all your support!

---

Update: I have been bedresting the whole day today and intend on doing that for a few more days! I spoke to a nurse today and my RE is supposed to call tomorrow. I am just hoping to get a few questions answered when I speak to him. All your comments and information have been a great help - Thank you so much! I also came across this forum on Pregnancy-info.net about Subchorionic Bleeding... and that has been pretty reassuring too!

Two Heartbeats!!

2 Heartbeats at 6W1D!!
Beta at 29DPO (24DP5DT) is 37,553
TSH is 3.6 (up from 1.9 during diagnostic in 2008)
Progesterone is > 40
PIO to be reduced to 0.5 ml (from 1 ml)

Sorry, I have been MIA! I have been so freakin’ nervous and scared the past whole week… all this seems surreal, too good to be true! There is a long way to go and there is a lot that can happen in the interim, but for now… this is real! For now, I have been super tired, feel a little dazed at times, am always hungry (I snack in the middle of the night as well once in a while), have gaged a couple of times (no major nausea as of now), get headaches once in a while!

Yesterday, I had some spotting, and that scared the shit out of me! Not very much, just a little bit when I wiped (sorry, TMI)… but I was a super nervous wreck since then till we saw the heartbeats this morning! I probably slept for 4-5 hours last night!

When we went in this morning, it was one of the RE’s I had during the ER. He is new to the clinic but he is super cute! :) Pretty friendly and open for discussions. As soon as I saw him, I mentioned about the spotting. He said it is normal but we will take a look. As soon as the wand went in, we saw the first sac! Beautiful… there was a heartbeat (Baby A)! The embryo measured on track! Then we started looking for the second one… the second sac is located a little higher up in the uterus and was a little hard to get to today (my bladder was full, and I am not sure if that had anything to do with the visualization of my uterus and ovaries*). At first the RE thought that the sac was empty, he said it looked a little collapsed (vanishing twin)… I was a little disappointed. But then he decided to look at again and there it was. Second beautiful heartbeat (Baby B)! So, yes… we still have two in there and I hope it stays that way. We love our babies! On a side note, my ovaries are shrinking back to “normal”… they were still pretty big last week… and as usual my right ovary* was hard to get to!

The call from my nurse about the b/w results didn’t come in till very late. I was still a nervous wreck… hoping that the HCG was looking okay and the spotting was not going to cause any issues! Finally the call came and I was at peace. The nurse said everything looked fine and spotting is more common with twins. However, she mentioned that my Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) levels have gone up! They like to see TSH value to be less than 2.5 during pregnancy (non pregnant women normal is less than 4.5) and mine had gone up to 3.6 (it was 1.9 during diagnostic less than a year ago). I am going to have to start some medication (Levothyroxine). So ladies… has anyone been through this situation? Is it normal for the TSH to go up during pregnancy and have you gotten onto any kind of TSH medication? Any remarks/comments about this will be greatly appreciated!

I am also being weaned off of PIO. The dosage is getting reduced to half. I was advised to make an appointment with my OB. As mentioned before, I am trying to change my OB… so I called this new OB, but it was too late in the day to speak with anyone, so I left a message and I am hoping to get through by Monday. I am supposed to make an appointment with in 3 weeks from today. I am just hoping that I can make an appointment with this new OB (and not have to start all over again the process of short listing). He was recommended by my clinic, has good reviews, is associated with the hospital (which has a good NICU) I want to go to and is also the husband of one the RE’s at my clinic... in the interim, I go back in for my next u/s and b/w on Friday, August 28, 2009.

And now… the Babies…

The Moment of Truth - TWINS!!

Today was the first u/s at 5w1d and it is TWINS!! There are two miracles in there with yolk sacs (My little babies, keep growing strong)! We will be going in next Friday, August 21, 2009 for the next u/s to see the heartbeats! I will post the u/s scanned pictures shortly! I am super excited!!! :)

Yes I Will Be A Better Mother!

I have realized (and will admit) that when I come across new blogs, I don't always completely go through their months of archives (I look out for the ICLW/summary posts and read the latest entries)... back when I had just started blogging in March, I came across this beautiful poem (that I had posted back then)... so thought that I should repost it/share it (if you haven't come across it already)...

---


There are women that become mothers without effort, without thought, without patience or loss and though they are good mothers and love their children, I know that I will be better. I will be better not because of genetics, or money or that I have read more books but because I have struggled and toiled for this child.

I have longed and waited.
I have cried and prayed.
I have endured and planned over and over again.
Like most things in life, the people who truly have appreciation are those who have struggled to attain their dreams.
I will notice everything about my child.
I will take time to watch my child sleep, explore and discover.
I will marvel at this miracle every day for the rest of my life.
I will be happy when I wake in the middle of the night to the sound of my child, knowing that I can comfort, hold and feed him and that I am not waking to take another temperature, pop another pill, take another shot or cry tears of a broken dream.
My dream will be crying for me.
I count myself lucky in this sense that God has given me this insight, this special vision with which I will look upon my child that my friends will not see.
Whether I parent a child I actually give birth to or a child that God leads me to, I will not be careless with my love.
I will be a better mother for all that I have endured.
I am a better wife, a better aunt, a better daughter, neighbor, friend and sister because I have known pain.
I know disillusionment as I have been betrayed by my own body.
I have been tried by fire and hell many never face, yet given time, I stood tall.
I have prevailed. I have succeeded. I have won.
So now, when others hurt around me, I do not run from their pain in order to save myself discomfort.
I see it, mourn it, and join them in theirs. I listen. And even though I cannot make it better, I can make it less lonely.
I have learned the immense power of another hand holding tight to mine, of other eyes that moisten as they learn to accept the harsh truth and when life is beyond hard.
I have learned a compassion that only comes with walking in those shoes.
I have learned to appreciate life.Yes, I will be a wonderful mother!

~Author Unknown

Taking a deep breath...

Starting with the IF treatment I had imagined that having twins would be great... so that we won't have to go through the emotional, physical and financial stress of needles and probing and protocols again! We still don't know if it is a singleton or twins, but with a higher probability of multiples, it is just hitting me. Over the past several months and years, pregnancy seemed very distant, fertility treatment was more like a mission... so once that mission turned in to reality it just hit me hard. I guess I am just anxious and reading too much in to this (including my previous post). I realize that this reality could end any minute, but right now... I am there and this is real... and I am living it! I just don't know what to expect! Last night I was up for 2-3 hours wondering what it would be like if it is twins?! I have always dreamt of babies, but never really pictured us with twins (note that the above reference of me imagining twins was only for the sake of IF treatment). It just occurred to me that starting with high risk pregnancy to smaller (hopefully healthy) babies to enough supply of breast milk (exclusive BF'ing has been my dream) to financial stability to domestic help to travelling to... it will all be different! I just need to take a deep breath and loosen up... let go of my anxiety and live these moments, and be thankful for what we have! There is a long way to go and we will get there... just like we have thus far! Thank you for listening and being there!

Beta # 2

Beta # 2 is 499. As per Betamed.com, the rise is 147% and the values for beta # 1 and beta # 2 are higher than the high for a singleton pregnancy. According to the Betabase.info, beta # 2 is well above the median for twin pregnancy. I wonder what is going on in there! I was looking at Americanpregnancy.org, and it seems high HCG is attributed to multiples (quite obvious) or a molar pregnancy! There are several posts online which direct high HCG levels (with a singleton) to Downs Syndrome! I hope I am just reading way too much in to it and hope everything is healthy in there. IF just doesn’t let you stop worrying! We are keeping our fingers crossed!


We will be going for the 3rd beta and 1st u/s on Friday, August 14, 2009. I will be continuing with my acupuncture once a week (as of now). PIO continues and the Metformin has stopped (as of now)! I have been POAS at least every other day and can’t seem to stop myself from doing it!


Thank you all for the kind words and for all the well wishes! Oh yes, and thank you to MiraclesDHappen, Queen D and Katie for the One Lovely Blog Award again! :) MiraclesDHappen and Queen D are working towards their dream and Katie just figured out that they are having twins! Do stop by their blogs and wish them luck!

Beta Result...

"202"


OMG… I really don’t know where to start! Yes, I caved and POAS two days ago (7DP5DT)… and it was a faint positive… of course I tested again yesterday (8DP5DT) and it was a darker line! I have barely been able to sleep with anxiety for the past two nights! Besides never ever seeing a 2nd line on the pee stick (not even on OPK since I don’t ovulate with my PCOS), I also had some bitter taste of beta during the May IUI (#3)… my HCG started out at 8 and plateaued at 25 (before going down)! I could not believe myself till I had the beta results (today at 9DP5DT)! I was hoping to see at least something between a 75 and 100 (since it was being detected by the pee stick)! And here it is 202! My nurse said it is in between a singleton and twin pregnancy, but of course nothing can be said for sure at this point of time. And now, I have been finding myself thinking a few months ahead and then shooting myself down. “No BB… you are only allowed to think a few days ahead!” I go in again on Saturday (August 8, 2009) for the 2nd beta and then a week from Saturday (or more like Friday) will be the 3rd beta and 1st u/s (it is too early to see a heart beat at 5 weeks)! Okay, I am going to stop at that! I can’t think of anything beyond a week! I am so happy and excited, yet so freakin’ nervous, scared and cautious!!!

I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for all the support and encouragement! I wouldn’t have survived without it! This is the farthest I have been in this process and I can’t thank the Almighty enough for giving me this opportunity and for the 5 snow babies!! My DH is a sweetheart and I love him to death for supporting me through this and bearing with my tantrums! There is a very long way to go, and I am hoping and praying that this “P” progresses! Good luck to all my fellow IF buddies… I am praying for you to get your BFP real soon! And all you pregger gals out there, you give me a lot of hope and inspiration and I am praying for a healthy pregnancy for you all!

Paid Maternity Leave Petition...

Mrs. Hammer at Expect Miracles posted information about a petition by MomsRising.org. The goal of the petition is to expand and strengthen Paid Family Leave program in the US. For more information please visit MomsRising website or Mrs. Hammer's post. The petition can be found here.

One Lovely Blog Award!

My first blog award came my way this weekend… followed by another one. I received two “One Lovely Blog Awards” from Kelli at Life, Love, and TTC Mysteries and Melissa at What? IF?! . Thank you Kelli and Melissa! Kelli and Melissa are both preparing for an IVF cycle after an ectopic pregnancy! Please stop by and wish them good luck!

The rules of the "One Lovely Blog Award" are:
Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

And now the award goes to… (Most of them are the blogs I came across during recent ICLWs or while networking via ICLW)

Clio at Dancing with Gaia
Flower at With God, All Things Are Possible

Hope in Virginia
Jess at Life in the White House
JB at Of Cabbages and Kings
Kim at our Infertility Journey
Kerri at Will Not Work For A Baby
Lisa at How Babies Are Really Made
Mrs. Hammer at Expect Miracles
Michelle at All in Gods Time
Nina at Ninapintasantamaria’ Blog
Simple at Unconventional Journey
Shelli at Bag Momma
S at Misconception about Conception
Scrambled Egg at Eggcetera

4DP5DT… and the PIO tickle!

Yay… I finally get to type it! ;) I know it’s already 4DP5DT, but I have been trying to keep a low profile. The more I think about it the more I want to consult Dr. Google and so on and so forth. I can’t wait for the next 5 days to pass by! I keep telling DH that I want to POAS… but he keeps reminding me that my job right now is to take it easy and make a cozy home for the embies and not kill myself with anxiety! It probably is way too early to POAS anyways… but I want to know what’s happening in there. I have a few things going on in my system, which I would like to believe are super high side effects of PIO. During the IUI’s I have been on Progesterone suppositories… so yes, I have never had progesterone in my blood as high as it is right now (with PIO). I have had a few cramps & twinges here and there, feel like AF is on the way, I am peeing a lot (but then I am guzzling down gallons of water because I am parched every few minutes), my bo.obs are sore as hell, I feel weak and tired all the time and can sleep forever! I know all too well that my mind can play a fabulous game, so back to keeping a low profile and not being very verbose or animated about it! At the same time, I am trying to cherish the idea that I am PUPO!

Oh… I have been wanting to ask about one thing! My PIO shots have been going well. Besides the soreness at the site, nothing extraordinary… however, I am getting tickled! Yes, that’s right! When the juice starts going into my bum, I get a ticklish sensation and I have to think of something serious so that I don’t burst out laughing and hurt myself with a broken/stuck needle! Has anyone experienced this feeling before or am I just weird!? May be I should just be happy that there is at least some source of entertainment for me in this process! :P

2 Embie Babies in Me!

My appointment for ET was scheduled for 0215 pm on Tuesday, July 28! (It looks like it is our clinics policy to not update the patients about the embryos till the very end if everything is in control - I didn't get to hear about our embies till I saw the RE). I was asked to empty my bladder and start drinking water (around 4 to 5 cups) at my scheduled appointment time. While loading up my bladder I had my pre-transfer acupuncture. My clinic provides laser acupuncture, which is very quick! I normally go to a different acupuncturist, but this was just going to be convenient (since it was right at the clinic)… so I decided to go with this one for the IVF. I was called in to the OR at around 0300 pm. After doing some paper work and speaking with the nurse I sat around for my RE. In the interim, I had to partially empty my bladder since it was too full (in the abdominal u/s scan).

The RE came in and handed over the picture of our sweet little babies (2 blastocysts). They looked perfect to me (I don't feel like blurting out the grade - I feel like I am comparing my babies - all I will say is one was a little larger than the other). As of yesterday we had 7 more growing… hopefully at least some of them will go in to the freezer for our future babies (I am supposed to hear from my nurse in the next 2 days)! The OR had a large TV, so I could see our babies journey from the petri-dish in to my womb. After resting for around half an hour (during which I had my post-transfer acupuncture), I was released. Overall I was pretty calm through out the process! We are glad to bring our emby babies home. I am praying that they snuggle in well for the next 9 months and we get some good news next week.

I think... I will be POAS before the beta! I don’t think I will be able to hold the suspense until I get the call from my nurse. I would like to know the results on my own terms and be able to handle it on my own. Though, I am hoping to test only a day before the beta… lets see how far I can succeed with that! :) Right now I am just resting on my couch and have been too lazy to even type up anything (hence the delay in posting - Sorry to keep you waiting)! ...Thanks for all your support girls! {HUGS}

IVF # 1 ET on Tuesday

We got up early in the morning (0700 am is super early for it being Sunday :P) and got ready... and then waited for the *call* (we were supposed to leave as soon as they called)... I was just telling DH, that watch... they said they would call around 0800 am and they probably wouldn't call us until like 1000 am! And there goes the phone... the clinic called sharp at 0800 am. The nurse mentioned that our ET has been pushed to Tuesday (July 28, 2009) and I will be getting a call from them between 0900 to 1100 am (on Tuesday). I enquired about our Embie babies! The nurse mentioned that they do not update us about it right now and since the ET has been pushed to Tuesday it means that everything is going well (so far). So now we wait for two more days! :) Constantly praying that our babies are doing well and are growing strong... and we have some beauties for Tuesday (and hopefully a few to freeze)!

The ER Story (and the after effects)

It all started off with me getting up to gulp down tons of water at around 1145 the night before. I am normally a water guzzler, and living without water for 12+ hours sounded awful to me. Fortunately the extra hydration I was working on from 2 days prior helped me not get dehydrated. Honestly, I cheated a little bit… at around 0230 am and 0630 am I had two sips! It wasn’t like I was going to retain that 1-2 ounce of water for the next 6+ hours for the anesthesia to act up. Anyways, I did feel guilty later on… but fortunately my water consumption didn’t cause a problem!

We reached the clinic at around 0826 am, our appointment was for 0900 am. There were two couples in the waiting room. One of the female was freaking out and the other one seemed cool (from what I overheard later on, both were first timers)… I guess I was somewhere in the middle. The more I thought about the whole process the more I panicked, and that has been the case all the way through… so I am trying not to think or over analyze things! I was the third female to be called in at around 0900 am. The guys had to go to Andrology department to do their job before they could join us. By the time I went in to the Recovery Room, one of the female was ready to go in to the OR and the other one was getting her pep talk. It felt like an eternity before my DH showed up and the nurse came to us with all the pep talk and the information. However, I had already overheard all the instructions that the lady besides me had received… so it wasn’t anything new when the nurse came to my section! Things moved pretty fast after that. To hook up to the IV, I had to squeeze a giant sperm… that was fun ;) and the nurse liked joking about it too! The IV didn’t hurt much, however it started trickling after some time… so they had to re-hook it onto me again! The doctors showed up right about then and introduced themselves… followed by me having to go pee, which was a waste, because I had already pee’ed out all the water consumed by now (by going to the loo at least 3-4 times the night before)! Also, pee’ing with the IV on was interesting, I was walked to the OR soon after… everything after that is a blur!

There were at least 5-7 people in there. I was strapped on to various monitors and before I knew I was asleep! As per my DH, I was in the OR for around 20 minutes and was completely awake 15 minutes after coming out! I was dazed when I woke up and had an oxygen mask on my mouth/nose! The nurse took the mask out and asked how high my pain level on a scale of 1 to 10 was. My answer: around 7-8. She said I should be okay with a Tylenol, though I demanded for some stronger medicine. I just realized how much of a wus I was… I have always dreamt of me doing a natural birth (when I get there)… and avoiding Epidural et al… but after this, I am not sure!:P I think, I was more afraid that something was abnormal more than the pain bothering me… a pain killer was of course not the answer to abnormality… but anyways, they injected something in to my IV and I was okay in around 10-15 minutes. After which, they offered me a choice of 3 beverages and 3 snack items… I chose apple juice and graham crackers! I dislike salty stuff and didn’t want to experiment with saltines. They also gave me Tylenol and Tylenol with Codeine… Once I felt stable, I had to go pee and then we were let go. By the time we left (at around 0130 pm), I was almost pain free (I better be right, after all the drugs)! We had a Ruby Tuesday lunch (to go) and after that I slept for around 2-3 hours on our couch while DH worked (from home)! Rest of the day was pretty uneventful, I guess actually the whole ER was not as dramatic as I had imagined!

At home, I realized I couldn’t get up on my own, my abdominal area was very sore; my DH literally had to pick me up. Unfortunately I had to pee a lot and it wasn’t fun getting up every now and then. By the end of the day I was very bloated and uncomfortable… I somehow fell asleep, though had to get up at least 4-5 times in the night to pee. Problem was that I was drinking a lot of water and on top of it my bladder got (partially) full only to pressurize my ovaries and hurt. That has been the case ever since I got home (…up until now). I hate having to pee or do the other job (forget sex, which they say is okay before ET). I have noticed that the bloating is at minimal in the morning and my abdominal area is hard as rock by the end of the day. However, I have managed to stay Tylenol free after coming home… I just feel like I shouldn’t be pounding on pain killers (unless absolutely necessary) since I have tons of medications in my system anyways and under ideal situation I would have liked my body to be as “organic” as possible during the baby making process!

I feel like my ovaries are slowly moving back to their original position (from the center location covering my uterus during the last u/s)… cause whatever pain I have is on the sides and no longer in the center. I started with Medrol and Doxycycline the day of ER and started the PIO yesterday. I am a little sore from PIO, but it really didn’t hurt as much as Follistim and Lupron while taking it. May be the ice made my rear numb! :)

I got the scare of my life today (Saturday – two days post retrieval). We were not supposed to receive any calls today! We were lazing around in the bed and my phone starts ringing… it was my clinic! No, I was not supposed to hear from them. We have 13 of our embies in the incubator… at least some of them have to grow into healthy babies; we should not be getting any news from them today! I picked up the phone… the reason they were calling was: They were not sure if our transfer was going to happen tomorrow (3DT on Sunday), but they just wanted to let us know that they would be starting the ET very early tomorrow morning and we should expect a call from them at around 0730-0800 am and we would have to be at the clinic by around 0900 am if the transfer is scheduled for tomorrow (in the weekdays the ET is supposed to happen in the afternoon)! Oh what a relief!

So here we stand today, hopefully one step closer to our baby. I am grateful that we have reached where we are today. I hope this cycle turns in to a BFP, but if not, hopefully we will learn a thing or two from it for our future cycles. Your support means a lot to me. Handful of people around us know about this journey, and I would have probably gone insane by now if I didn’t have you gals with me! I hope and pray that we all fulfill our baby dreams in the very near future!

Fertilization Report

OMG... you girls are awesome... I received the most comments ever in the shortest time ever... you touch my heart... I am humbled! Thank you for all the good wishes! The nurse called back and 13 out of the 27 fertilized. I asked as to why only 27 were retrieved from the 50-60 follicles that were visible during the prior u/s... the nurse mentioned that not all of the follicles have eggs, so in spite of them having cleared out all the follicles, we got the number that we did. I am just glad things have gone well so far and am praying that our embie babies keep growing! I won't hear back from them until Sunday. So we wont know if it is a Sunday or Tuesday transfer till Sunday! I am doing much better today... it is painful only when I have to pee... and pee I have to often (with the water being consumed)... feel a little weak, but otherwise okay! I will definitely be posting my ER story soon!

IVF # 1 ER Done!

Got done with the ER this morning... retreived 27 eggs... not as many as they were counting in the u/s till now (may be they were counting the same follicles multiple times :P ... or may be the eggs popped before I got to ER? :( )! When I woke up, I was in a lot of pain, but I think the drugs they gave me helped and are probably still there in my system. I am okay so far! :) My nurse is supposed to call back with an update tomorrow (fertilization count). Still on schedule for ET on Sunday/Tuesday. Will update in detail later. Thank you for all the comments and good wishes!

Final U/S & B/W before IVF # 1 ER

Triggered last night (with Ovidrel) and had another scan this morning. I think the follicles have now maxed out (in number)... the largest one is measuring 21 mm... I guess they will still keep growing in size until the ER. My ovaries are touching each other and were covering the uterus during the u/s.

The nurse called back in the afternoon to update me on the b/w results… my E2 is 6400. Tomorrow’s ER is definitely no longer tentative. It’s happening… it really is. I can’t believe it! I am grateful that we have reached thus far and my ovaries did decide to respond... a little too much! On the back of my mind, I feel guilty to be able to produce so many follicles when some of my fellow IFs have very few. I hope I am not coming out as an arrogant bitch bragging about my follicles. I am fully aware that having 60'ish (big-small combined) follicles doesn’t guarantee me a baby in my hand 9 months from now. I am aware that not all follicles will be mature; and not all eggs will fertilize; and not all embryos will survive (I could even be left with none)! Quality matters over quantity! The chemical pregnancy in May has taught me that it is too early to celebrate till I have a healthy baby (or two) in hand! The biggest concern I have right now is OHSS (with the gazillion follicles that I have) and how it is going to affect this possible PG! I have read that too high (above 4000) of an E2 value hampers implantation. I am not sure if we will even be doing an ET… it will be a last minute call based on how I am doing (we might end up with FET... assuming we have embies to freeze). My nurse mentioned that they will be clearing out tiniest of the tiny follicle… which hopefully will reduce the chances of (severe) OHSS.

Thank you all for the support and tips. I feel optimistic, yet highly cautious! And yes, I am definitely looking forward to a shot free evening (today). I hope 2 weeks from now I will have some happy news to share!

Thursday it is! ...ER for IVF # 1

Just heard from my nurse – the retrieval is Thursday (and not Friday). My E2 is screaming high and they do not want it to blow the roof off… it is 4680 (ICLW’ers: please read my previous posts for my follicle scan/count story)! I will be triggering tonight (with just 1 syringe of Ovidrel – I guess normally it is 2) and have to go in again (tomorrow morning) for b/w and u/s.

The dates so far for IVF # 1 are as follows...

• Egg Retrieval (ER): Thursday, July 23, 2009
• Egg Transfer (ET): Sunday, July 26, 2009 or Tuesday, July 28, 2009
• Beta: Thursday, August 6, 2009
• Tentative WTF appointment: Thursday, August 13, 2009… this is something I asked for! No, I don’t want to have that meeting, but just in case things don’t work out in our favor, I am not willing to sit on my ass till September mid/end wondering what went wrong. It is very difficult to get an appointment with my RE and on top of it he is supposed to go out on vacation around end of August... hence the tentative appointment!

I have already started loading up on Gatorade and drinking tons of water. As you might have already figured, I am shit scared of OHSS with the big team that I am carrying. I just ran the last batch of errands before my IVF break. I am trying to ease my DH’s woes in case I turn in to a zombie! I hope I look back and laugh at how much I prep’ed being worried that I would be knocked out with OHSS. Any tips about how to deal with it are greatly appreciated.

ICLW- July 2009

Welcome ICLW'ers! I am currently stimulating for my IVF # 1. The ER is tentatively scheduled for this Friday (July 24) and I need all your prayers and warm wishes. You can go through my IF history on the side bar. Sticky vibes to all of us! Thanks for stopping by and for your support! {HUGS}

My Jackfruits - IVF # 1 B/W & U/S Update

I stopped counting after my RE went above 25 follicles on each ovary. There probably are around 60 or more follicles in there. It sounds unbelievable to me and even to type this up, I feel like I am bluffing! My ovary dimensions are ~ 50 x 70 mm. The ovaries don’t look anything like they normally do… they look like a big-ass pomegranate… or may be more like Jackfruit (commonly found in Asia). Surprisingly I feel less discomfort than I have even felt during IUI stimulation (with 1 to 5-6 follicles with Follistim)… maybe it’s the Lupron! However, I am becoming an emotional wreck... I can start crying for any reason… I haven’t shed too many tears as yet, but I am at the verge of bursting out for anything out of the normal. I am so scared that this is abnormal and will result into not so healthy eggs and the cycle will be doomed!

When the RE just glanced at the ovaries, he was sure we would be triggering tonight, but after the measurements he realized that there were quite a few at around 15 mm, and he wanted them to grow more… so most likely we will be stimulating for one more night and will be triggering tomorrow for a Friday retrieval. Oh and it took him around 10 minutes to count and measure my package! Of course I do not have the blood results as yet… so will know for sure this afternoon. I also asked my RE if it would take longer for the ER for me since I have so many follicles, he mentioned that it will be a few minutes more than it normally does. He also confirmed what I have feared… since I have so many follicles, I will have a lot more discomfort after the ER and they will prescribe some pain medication. At my RE’s clinic, it seems that they clear out each and every follicle (even if they are less than 10 mm) during the ER… which reduces the chances of (severe) OHSS… I am not sure if this is the norm or this is something specific to my clinic.

5th b/w and u/s today (July 21, 2009 – after 8 days if stims).

• Follicle count: ~50+ eggs (both ovaries combined) measuring 11 to 18 mm
• E2: 4680
• Ovidrel Triger tonight
• Uterus Lining: 11mm (Type 3)
• Next appointment: Wednesday, July 22, 2009
  

---

4th b/w and u/s (July 20, 2009 – after 7 days if stims).

• Follicle count: 30+ eggs (both ovaries combined) measuring 11 to 16 mm
• E2: 2619
• Follistim: Reduced to 75 IU
• Lupron: 10 units
• Uterus Lining: 11mm (Type 3)
• Next appointment: Tuesday, July 21, 2009

---

3rd b/w and u/s (July 18, 2009 - after 5 days of stims).

• Follicle count: 8 between 11 to 13 mm (several between 5 to 10 mm)
• E2: 900
• Follistim: Reduced to 150 IU (from 225 IU)
• Lupron: 10 units
• Uterus lining: Type 3, 8 mm
• Next appointment: Monday, July 20, 2009
  

---

2nd b/w and u/s (July 16, 2009 - after 3 days of stim).

• Follicle count: 20-30 follicles in each ovary... all less than 10 mm
• E2: 500
• Follistim: Reduced to 225 IU (from 300 IU)
• Lupron: 10 units (stays same)
• Uterus lining: Type 2, 5 mm
• Next appointment: Saturday, July 18, 2009
  

---

1st b/w and u/s (July 13, 2009 – no stims).

• E2: 67
• Follistim: 300 IU
• Lupron: 10 units