It worked! We made the next and biggest hurdle and I am currently 4.5 weeks pregnant! I know that sounds very confusing since I had my implantation less than two weeks ago, but I'll attempt to explain that in a bit. I am SO excited for my IP's and this strong little peanut I'm growing! Hooray!!
Backing up to Saturday July 8th - my parents had taken the kids for the night so we could have a date night and Mike could take me to the transfer in the morning. It was a pretty normal morning but right before it was time for me to take my Valium and leave for the clinic I definitely got very nervous. Not about the procedure itself, but more about the embryo sticking. Luckily my meds kicked it right about the time we got to the clinic and I started to relax. Although I was freezing beyond belief in the room and the nice nurses ran to get me heated blankets. I got settled in, met with the embryologist, another nurse and the doctor that was going to be doing the actual transfer. Sadly my doctor was out for a week at a conference but the doctor that did the transfer was just as wonderful. She explained the process - which was basically consisted of a catheter they would insert to do a test run and then the embryologist brought in the catheter with the embryo in it and then placed in right inside of my uterus. Which was being pushed flat by my very full bladder, oy! We got to watch the whole thing on a screen and even though the embryo was so teeny we only really could see the dark speck, which was more the fluid it was in to get it out of the catheter, it was still pretty incredible to watch. Then, that was it! I was allowed to get up and go to the bathroom and head home to sleep off my Valium (which I did and it was glorious!!) I was just told to take it easy so I eventually pulled myself out of bed and hung with the family for the rest of the night.
Come Monday I poured my morning cup of coffee, started to drink it and actually ended up dumping it out. Yup. Me. Not wanting coffee! That has only happened when I've been pregnant. That night I came home exhausted and head-achy so went to bed early. Next day was a repeat but with some added nausea. Next day was a repeat but now with getting up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Then Thursday I woke up with almost unbearable hip joint pain - which is something I had very early on with Charlie. At that point I knew it couldn't just be my mind playing tricks on me and that I had to be pregnant. Luckily we had a little weekend getaway with my parents and brothers family so I was able to take my mind off things until we got back and I took my blood test on Monday.
Monday morning came and I was up bright and early so I could get to the clinic as soon as it opened. They check the hCG (Human chorionic gonadotropin) level to know if the embryo has in fact implanted. I got a call about 1pm that it was about 220, which was fantastic for only being 8 days post transfer. Bring on the happy tears!!! I spoke with my IM that afternoon and we shared our excitement with each other, knowing it's still REALLY early but being unable to control the happiness. I was told to come back Wednesday for a second blood test, where they were looking for the hCG level to double. Well this baby is a strong one because my level was 600 yesterday! Keep it up little peanut! The clinic sent me a short explanation of how they calculate the due date which I'm just going to copy and paste (which is still a bit confusing since I had an natural cycle but I'm going with it) - Your due date is calculated from your last menstrual period but since we have altered your cycle, we use the date that is 2 weeks before your retrieval or insemination as the first day of your cycle. So…that means at the time of your last pregnancy test, you are considered one month pregnant! It’s 40 weeks from last menstrual period, 38 weeks from date of conception. Your due date is March 26, 2018.
Example of a 5 day blastocyst (embryo)
Backing up to Saturday July 8th - my parents had taken the kids for the night so we could have a date night and Mike could take me to the transfer in the morning. It was a pretty normal morning but right before it was time for me to take my Valium and leave for the clinic I definitely got very nervous. Not about the procedure itself, but more about the embryo sticking. Luckily my meds kicked it right about the time we got to the clinic and I started to relax. Although I was freezing beyond belief in the room and the nice nurses ran to get me heated blankets. I got settled in, met with the embryologist, another nurse and the doctor that was going to be doing the actual transfer. Sadly my doctor was out for a week at a conference but the doctor that did the transfer was just as wonderful. She explained the process - which was basically consisted of a catheter they would insert to do a test run and then the embryologist brought in the catheter with the embryo in it and then placed in right inside of my uterus. Which was being pushed flat by my very full bladder, oy! We got to watch the whole thing on a screen and even though the embryo was so teeny we only really could see the dark speck, which was more the fluid it was in to get it out of the catheter, it was still pretty incredible to watch. Then, that was it! I was allowed to get up and go to the bathroom and head home to sleep off my Valium (which I did and it was glorious!!) I was just told to take it easy so I eventually pulled myself out of bed and hung with the family for the rest of the night.
Come Monday I poured my morning cup of coffee, started to drink it and actually ended up dumping it out. Yup. Me. Not wanting coffee! That has only happened when I've been pregnant. That night I came home exhausted and head-achy so went to bed early. Next day was a repeat but with some added nausea. Next day was a repeat but now with getting up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Then Thursday I woke up with almost unbearable hip joint pain - which is something I had very early on with Charlie. At that point I knew it couldn't just be my mind playing tricks on me and that I had to be pregnant. Luckily we had a little weekend getaway with my parents and brothers family so I was able to take my mind off things until we got back and I took my blood test on Monday.
Monday morning came and I was up bright and early so I could get to the clinic as soon as it opened. They check the hCG (Human chorionic gonadotropin) level to know if the embryo has in fact implanted. I got a call about 1pm that it was about 220, which was fantastic for only being 8 days post transfer. Bring on the happy tears!!! I spoke with my IM that afternoon and we shared our excitement with each other, knowing it's still REALLY early but being unable to control the happiness. I was told to come back Wednesday for a second blood test, where they were looking for the hCG level to double. Well this baby is a strong one because my level was 600 yesterday! Keep it up little peanut! The clinic sent me a short explanation of how they calculate the due date which I'm just going to copy and paste (which is still a bit confusing since I had an natural cycle but I'm going with it) - Your due date is calculated from your last menstrual period but since we have altered your cycle, we use the date that is 2 weeks before your retrieval or insemination as the first day of your cycle. So…that means at the time of your last pregnancy test, you are considered one month pregnant! It’s 40 weeks from last menstrual period, 38 weeks from date of conception. Your due date is March 26, 2018.
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