All is well

HK and I got to see Uno again today! The ultrasound showed Uno measuring about 4 mm long, inside a one-inch diameter gestational sac, with a yolk sac also in the gest. sac, right next to and connected to Uno. Eventually, the stuff in the yolk sac somehow ends up inside Uno. Weird. And get this -- we heard the heartbeat!!! Uno is the size of a pea, so the heart is, obviously, really small, and it's just beating away, at 120 beats per minute. Unbelievable. Hearing that made this more real to me than ever.

We got to ask all of our questions to Dr. D, and we go back in two weeks for a repeat. Right now, everything is measuring normally. I am six weeks along, and my due date is November 23rd. Other than feeling fatigued most of the time, I feel fine. Must go lay on the couch now...

We're not messing around here

Finally got my results from the second beta test yesterday - 1491! It almost tripled! I feel like Uno wants everyone to know s/he means business and is serious about sticking around. It's wonderful to be in this place, where the messages my body is sending are strong, clear and positive, rather than wishy-washy. I am very grateful.

They tested my progesterone level, too, but I don't know the results yet. If it's really high (like 200), I can stop the nightly shots. That would be nice, but I don't mind them if I need them. My hiney can take it.

So, I don't have to go back to the doctor for almost two weeks! On Monday the 31st we get to go see the doctor and have an ultrasound to get a peek at Uno. Can't wait for that!!!

What a happy St. Patrick's Day!

Worth the wait

I'm pregnant!!

HK and I are very excited and very happy! Sorry to keep you waiting on the news, but we waited until he got home from work and called our parents together, then we celebrated by going out to dinner. I took a home pregnancy test this morning, which was positive, and then went in for the blood test, and Nurse Honey called late this afternoon with the results. My beta was 502. I will go back in two days for another blood test, to make sure the beta number goes up like it should (ideally, it should double). Then, in a couple weeks, I'll have an ultrasound.

We know that there are no guarantees of how this pregnancy will go, but we are thrilled to be pregnant for the first time after almost 2 years of trying, and we are super proud of Uno!!

Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers! We are grateful for this blessing, and we are thanking God again and again.

The waiting is the hardest part...

Thanks, all of you who have been checking in and asking for updates. So far, nothing to report. I told the acupuncturist, "I don't feel pregnant," and he said, "Have you ever been pregnant?" "No." "Then how do you know how it feels?" Hm. As HK says, he ran circles around me logically. And today my haircut lady said she went months without knowing she was pregnant (you can see, I talk about this with LOTS of people). So, I am trying to believe that I am pregnant until proven otherwise. But it sure would be nice to feel something.

Thursday the 6th was my last day at work, until I start my new job April 1st. Mostly since then I have been indulging myself with resting, working on my quilt, acupuncture, haircut, foot massage, shopping, eating out, seeing friends, etc.

On Sunday I had a belated birthday brunch with girlfriends whom I have known since high school, at the Grand Lux Cafe. Yum. It was good to catch up and focus on things besides fertility for a few hours. Thanks again, y'all! On Monday, I lunched with Kaaron. That's the first time I met someone from the internet in real life, and I really enjoyed spending that time with her. We go to the same clinic and live not far from each other. She just found out she is pregnant after IVF and is going in for her first ultrasound tomorrow - congratulations, Kaaron!

I am not sleeping that well, so Tuesday I rested a lot, in the gorgeous weather, but yesterday I shopped with my Mom and had dinner with her and Dad. Today I am trying to transition from a "vacation" mindset to a more productive one, since my sister and her family arrive Wednesday for a long stay. Must get our taxes done before that! Poor HK has been working a lot, so I am hoping to spend most of the weekend with him. Then comes Monday...

Allow me to introduce you...

Everyone, meet Uno: a Day 3, Grade 4, 7-cell embryo, currently residing in...me!

The transfer today went really well. When I got there, Dr. D was kind enough to spend some time with me, answering questions and talking about how the retrieval had gone. He shared our disappointment that we didn't get more good eggs, but was pleased to tell me what a great egg we got.

He said he called the lab an hour before my transfer to check on the status of Uno. If the embryo looked poor, he would have put the transfer on hold for two more days, to make sure it was going to keep growing. I appreciated this bit of common sense. If the embryo wasn't developing like it should and didn't make it to day 5, it would save us two weeks of anticipation and extra hormones just to hear some bad news. But our Uno is doing just what it is supposed to do. By day three, they like to see 6 to 8 cells, and we have 7. You can count them in the picture.

Also, if you look closely, you can see just a shadow of a border around the cells. If any fragmentation of this "shell" were visible, that would indicate a lesser quality embryo. This embryo got a grade of 4 out of 5, with 5 apparently being pretty rare. Way to go, Uno!

So, with everything looking so good, we went ahead with the transfer, and as Kaaron said, I am now "with embryo"! Closest I have been so far to being pregnant, and it is pretty darn exciting.

After the transfer was over and I was alone in my little changing room, I laid there a while, praying and crying a few tears of gratitude.

On the drive over, I had been thinking of each person I knew who was praying and hoping for this embryo to be a baby in our arms, 9 months from now. From HK and me, thanks for being our cheering crowd, for helping us carry this burden, and for sitting with us while we wait.

Now, bear with me for one more thought: Look at the picture again, and think about how that could be a photograph of YOU a jillion days ago. We ALL started out like that. It totally boggles my mind. What a frickin' miracle.

Looking out for numero Uno

Since we have one precious embryo (we are calling it "Uno") and don't have to choose the best from the group, Dr. D is having us do a 3-day transfer instead of a 5-day transfer. There is one school of thought that says if an embryo does not make to the blastocyst stage (day 5), then it would not make a viable pregnancy anyway, but the other school of thought says my uterus is a much better place for Uno than a petri dish. We are trusting Dr. D on this one.

HK did my first PIO shot last night (in the handy circle the nurse drew on my upper hiney with a Sharpie), and he is a straight shooter. It didn't hurt at all. I was super proud of him. We iced it down first (my hiney), and I asked for the Progesterone In Oil made with ethyl oleate instead of sesame oil. It's not as thick, so you can use a 25 gauge needle instead of 22. Those 22s look HUGE in comparison! So, I am a bit sore in that area today, but I am not dreading the nighly PIO ritual now that I have one behind me, so to speak.

We are very excited about the transfer tomorrow, 12:30 pm. Hang in there Uno!

The lab called

we have one embryo. please pray for our one. thank you. thank you, God, for one.