Friday, April 29, 2011

*1st BETA - 1000*

The nurse just called and our 1st BETA at 12 days past  transfer is 1000 hcg!!!!!!!

Those of you that have twins and triplets - what was your first beta?!?!

There was a part of me that was very nervous that somehow it wouldn't be a very high number despite all the symptoms I've been having and feeling very pregnant....  I guess I just can't believe we are finally going to be mommies!!!   I go back to the doctor for the next Beta on Monday.  Keep us in your prayers please.

~Wren

Monday, April 25, 2011

Cast your vote

I emailed our nurse and she sent back a big Congratulations!

We go to the doc for our first beta this Friday and then will have another one next Monday and Wednesday.
Nurse Elizabeth said we would return one week after our 3rd Beta for an ultrasound - that would be on May 11th!!! (Gotta love the number 11!  is that a hint that 1+1=2?!?

Finch and I are taking bets on whether we will be having 1 baby or twins...... cast your vote NOW! :)

Happy Monday everyone!
~Wren

Saturday, April 23, 2011

WE ARE PREGNANT !!!!!!!!!

 
YES WE ARE!!!!!

WE ARE PREGNANT!!!!
WREN ON LEFT, FINCH ON RIGHT

OMG! FINALLY!!!!

FINCH, "WILL IT BE ONE BABY?"

OR TWO?!?!?  YIKES!!!

TO BE CONTINUED........................

Friday, April 22, 2011

TWW is killing us

Oh the dreaded two week wait....It is day 5 and  our beta test is next Friday. 
My headache has left and I haven't been feeling nauseated anymore but continue to have light cramping in my belly.  **did any of you test from home before your beta and if so on what day after the transfer??**
I would like to test but am nervous about it and not sure.... Finch says she is 100% sure I am pregnant and 80% sure we are having twins....my confidence level is not nearly as high as hers!  I think my only saving grace between now and next Friday is I have a Federal Grant to write for my job that needs to mail next Thursday. I will be typing through the weekend and next week to get it all done.  I guess I need to be thankful for the distraction but the first thing I think of when I get up is....to test...or not to test and would like your opinion!  ~Wren

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Frosties and Feeling Weird

Our nurse called today and 6 embryos made it to the blast stage and were frozen!!!  We can't believe we have 6 "frosties" - wow!   Very excited!!

I have had a headache since Monday night that just go away...it started out dull then was really bad yesterday and was in bed nauseated for half the day....this morning I woke up and it was still there...a dull headache and still nauseated...I went back to work today too.  I felt much better mid-day today but started feeling blah again about a hour ago... my nurse said these were great signs but I'm not feeling so hot at the moment - speaking of "hot" - I charted my BBT for over a year and a half as we tried from home with IUI's in the beginning.  My BBT temperature never went over 98 degrees - this morning I took it before I got out of bed and it was 98.5 - I have been hot all day.  I have been doing my deep breathing throughout the day because this is the strangest I have felt since I can't remember when..... did any of  you have early onset headaches, heat waves and nausea so early on?  ~Wren

Monday, April 18, 2011

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Transfer Complete

The transfer went very well today and we transferred two Grade 1-AA Blasts!  We had a total of 4 blasts today and all had good ratings. The doc said we had a high success with only transferring one but we were nervous to have come this far and only transfer one blast. Our regular doc did not do the procedure but the one that did said our chance of twins is 46% and chance of triplets is 2% - we like those odds and would be more than happy with one healthy baby! 

The acupuncture treatment went very well prior to the transfer and immediately afterwards - I highly recommend incorporating it into your IVF treatment!  46% of women who receive acupuncture have a successful implantation versus 28% success for those that do not use it - the investment of a couple treatments is well worth it and melts away the stress!  We will post a picture of the kids soon! I am on bed rest for the next 24 hours and my wonderful wife just ran to the store to get the ingredients to make homemade potato soup... can't wait!  We go back on April 29th for blood work to confirm our pregnancy. Keep us in your prayers and send sticky vibes our way!!

Friday, April 15, 2011

*19* Grade 1 Embryos

OMG!!!!!  The doc called us a little while ago and said today we have 19 Grade 1 embryos which she said were all A+   She said we have a 60-65% success rate if we transfer one and a 60-65% success rate if we transfer "2" but also a 50% chance of twins.... Finch and I talked and have decided to transfer 2 blastocysts.
We have not come this far after this long to risk only transferring one...that's our thoughts.   Doc said we would have several left to freeze so who knows what the future will bring with more babies :)

Transfer date has been set for Sunday, April 17th.
Acupuncture is scheduled at 11:15am prior to Transfer.
Transfer at 12:30pm.
Then Acupuncture again immediately after Transfer.
Bed rest for the next 24 hours.

This all feels surreal - we are so close to our dream.   Come on Sunday!
We just watched this couple from North Carolina that implanted 2 and have 2 sets of identical twins!!!! Um ....I don't know if we are prepared for all of that - one or two would be just perfect!

I have listened to the doc very well and don't have any symptoms of OHSS, thank you God.

We are waiting on a friend to come till our little flower and herb garden out back so we can work on redesigning it this spring....then we are off to dinner. I haven't felt like leaving the house since Tuesday so will be happy for a change of scenery.   Have a great weekend everyone!
 

Thursday, April 14, 2011

*Day 5 Transfer*

Our nurse just called and the report is in....  Day 5 Transfer it is!

She said all 23 are continuing to grow...
We have 15 that are 4-cell, 3 that are 5-cell, 3 that are 3-cell and 2 that are 2-cell.  She said we will have our 5-day transfer on Sunday!!!!!  Wow!!!

She said that the ones they would be watching are the 15, 4-cell ones for transfer. 

I am feeling much better today - just a little cramping thank goodness.
One of the medicines is making me dizzy and nauseous though. 

Finch is home with me all day today so I am very happy.  She made me a blueberry waffle this morning with scrambled eggs which was really nice.... I
am going to try and get some work done since I will be off on Monday with bed rest again after the transfer.

Here's hoping for lots of "sticky vibes" on Sunday.  We will have acupuncture immediately before and after the transfer which is supposed to help with implantation.  Fingers and toes crossed we will be joining the "mommies-to-be" club very soon! 
 

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

23 fertilized - hooray!

First of all, thank you so much for all the positive comments everyone has left on our blog! :)
I called to talk to my nurse today to make sure that everything would be ok with my right ovary and she
reassured me that the antibiotics would take care of it - I'm not on any meds for OHSS...I have been drinking tons of Gatorade and eating protein with every meal though. Have been in bed most of today too with a heating pad.  Our nurse said that 23 of the eggs fertilized!!!!  We had the ICSI procedure done to fertilize them.  She said she would call tomorrow with the fertilization report and determine if we will be a 3-day of 5-day transfer. She said she was 99% sure it would be a 5 day transfer so we will see....that would be Sunday!  Our dogs are absolutely loving having me home all day and have napped with me the past two days....they are too cute.  We will keep you posted and hope to have at least 2 great ones to transfer and to freeze the rest for later...that's our plan for now.  Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

32 eggs

The doc retrieved 32 eggs today - we will know tomorrow how many actually fertilized though.... 
The doc accidentally poked my right ovary with the needle during the procedure though so he put me on antibiotics for the next 5 days to prevent infection. Hopefully it didn't damage it or cause any long term consequences.  I started the Estradiol tonight and will start the Endometrium (Progesterone) tomorrow 3 x  a day.  Have been in bed the rest of the day with a heat pack and taking some pain medicine.....drinking Gatorade and eating protein....will report more tomorrow - thanks for all the wishes!!!! :)

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Retrieval Day

We triggered tonight with Lupron at 10:15pm and the Retrieval is scheduled for 10:15am on Tuesday  morning!!!!!! Hooray!!!!!!!!!!    I numbed my hip with a big steak from the freezer and Finch came home from work at 10pm to give me the shot - I didn't even feel it - Thank you God. We were both a little nervous with the trigger shot.    My estrogen level is at 4046 today so definitely high risk for OHSS but keeping our fingers crossed that the Gatorade and high protein diet will do the trick!  

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Estrogen....New Blinds and a theme for our nursery!

So here is our update...we were coasting along quite nicely and the doc seemed to have reduced my dose and I did great for 2-3 days then "today" my bloodwork showed my Estrogen almost doubled overnight from 1808 to 3317 !!!  I have 33 follicles and she measured 13 of them that ranged from 12-15mm in size (they need to be at 18 to be mature).... I have read everything I can get my hands on about IVF and realize that anytime your Estrogen is over 3000 you are at high risk for OHSS - the doc called me personally this afternoon (which is never a good sign) and said that she is switching my trigger shot from HCG to Lupron so the chance of OHSS will be much less.  I asked her what I could do to lessen my change of OHSS and she said not to drink water...to drink Gatorade or V-8 juice only and to have protein with every meal.  The nurse just called me to go over the med instructions for tonight and they have decreased the Gonal F and Menopur to 75u and I return at 9am to the main office for ultrasound and bloodwork.  She said I will likely trigger tomorrow night with retrieval set for Tuesday.  I am more than a little anxious now - I asked the doc if she would cancel my cycle and she said no chance that we just needed to keep the E at the level it is at and change the trigger. Obviously my body responded like crazy to all the meds but hoping and praying it is not too much and will put it over the top for implantation to occur.....   did any of you guys use a Lupron trigger? 

Below is my #'s just for my recordkeeping and historical data...
4/6 - Gonal F 112u, Menopur 225u - E=1169, added Ganirelix
4/7 - Ganirelix in the am, then Gonal F 112 u and Menopur 225u.... E=1534
4/8 - Ganirelix in am, Gonal F 112u and Menopur 225u  E=1808....27 follicles
4/9 - Ganirelix in am - Estrogren shot up to 3317 overnight - holy crap!  the ultrasound showed 17 follicles on one side and 16 on the other for a total of 33!  They are ranging in size from 13-16 today

Moving on to more exciting news - we have picked a theme for our nursery....Woodland creatures!
I painted the white enamel trim and Finch painted the room green this week..... we picked out a set of bamboo blinds we like and brought one home to try out today - in the process of taking it out of the packaging with a set of scissors - I CUT the string on the blind!!! ugh! yikes!  we put the blinds up and realized they don't have a backing to them and let in way too much light.  We are going back tomorrow to pick out the other set that is dark wood but has a backing which will keep out the light and ensure privacy.
We are also searching for modern curtains with a leaf or fern print on them - if you have any ideas of where to find them - let us know :)  

The doc said I will trigger tomorrow night likely with a retrieval on Tuesday - will keep you posted! 
Happy Saturday!  

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Day 6 of Stim for IVF

It has been a long week and it is only Wednesday...I thought I would be going every other day for monitoring but my Estrogen shot up quickly so I have had to leave the house at 6am the past 3 days to drive to MD for monitoring.   Here is an update on my numbers so far...
On 3/28  I went for blood work and u/s and my baseline Estrogen was = 53
4/1  - started Gonal F 225u and Menopur 150u, continued same dose on 4/2 and 4/3
4/4 Monday - returned for blood work and us - E=451 (this was quite and unexpected jump and my body responded very quickly to the med...doc decreased Gonal F to 150u and Menopur stayed at 150u.) 
4/5 Tues - returned for blood work and u/s E = 662 med levels remained the same...ultrasound showed approximately 26 follicles!!! hooray!
4/6 Wed - returned for blood work and u/s E = 1169  Gonal F decreased to 112u, Menopur increased to 225u and Ganirelix shot added tonight.  The 9 follies she measured today were all 11, 12 and 13mm. looking good little follies!  I take another Ganirelix shot in the am and return to the doc at 7:15am for more blood work and u/s

Does anyone have any feedback on these numbers or know how they compared to your IVF cycle(s)??

Retrieval day should be on Sunday/Monday depending on how the rest of the week goes - I have been really, really tired the past few days.  I wonder if it is from the increased hormone levels? I come home and I am spent.    On a different note, I called the massage/acupuncture clinic in my doctors office and I will be able to get acupuncture immediately prior to our transfer and immediately after it is completed.  All of the data I have read says it increased your success rates by at least 42% so we figure it is a good investment to have it done while we are there.  I  have been going for acupuncture in VA over the past 2-3 months so hopefully this will also make a difference and bring us the success we have been patiently been waiting for... I didn't want to go to drive to MD for the transfer and then have to drive to VA for the acupuncture treatment so it should all work out very well.  Fingers crossed.

Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers and send positive thoughts/energy our way!
Hugs, Wren

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Weekend Adventures

Finch and I took off on Friday to go surprise my Grandma for her 87th birthday - I told her that UPS would be delivering a package around 4pm for her birthday - we drove 3 hours and showed up with roses and balloons at 4pm wearing UPS hats that my uncle gave us (he retired from UPS) and Finch caught the whole thing on video!   She was so surprised and excited.  We spent the night with her and had to come back on Saturday since my wife had to work in the evening.... it was priceless seeing my grandma's face!  While we were there we had a little scare...OK, a BIG SCARE - I took the first round of Gonal/Menopur on Friday night - on Sat at 630am I wake up and am bleeding - my heart sank and i thought there was something seriously wrong.   My grandma lives in the mountains in WV and there is no cell service.  I had to wait until we were leaving to call the emergency line at our doctor's office - the nurse called me right back and I explained about the meds and that I was cramping and bleeding - she said, "oh yeah,  you will have a period after you are off the birth control pills...." I'm sorry we must have forgotten to tell you"  My heart came back up from my stomach and I told her I had been a wreck all morning thinking something was seriously wrong and that no one had told me I would have a period!!!  Of course we were relieved but I was a mess all morning thinking that our cycle would have to be cancelled and that one of the medicines had caused me to start bleeding.  Ugh - what a relief that everything is ok and I have continued with the meds...  the gonal f doesn't hurt a bit but the menopur shots sting my belly.  I go back in the morning at 715am for more bloodwork and another u/s....  fingers crossed that all will look good - we are supposed to have the retrieval around April 11th - only about a week away - ahh!! yikes - I feel like I have been waiting for the past 10 years to be pregnant and become a mom.  It is only days away from our transfer and it all feels surreal.  Finch worked last night til midnight so I worked on painting the trim in the nursery, a white high-gloss enamel - I finished all of the trim this evening.  We picked out the main color for the room and have a gallon of paint ready and waiting...it is called "gentle landscape" and is light green.   We have been looking on the computer for decals with trees, birds, owls, and flowers....we have narrowed it down to 2 so far.  Here's to hoping this week flies by - I have noticed I have been on edge and more moody the last couple of days - thank God I have a patient and understanding wife.....it has also helped that she has worked the past two evenings and hasn't had to deal with my grouchiness. haha.