We're Pregnant!

WE ARE PREGNANT!

At five days post transfer (June 21st) I woke up and thought "It's back!" I was having all the OHSS symptoms from before- severe bloating and belly pain to where even walking would send twinges of pain through my stomach and ribs.   It's very common for those symptoms to return when the pregnancy hormone kicks in so I was very hopeful.  And look at what we got that day?!

I was surprised that we got a positive so early, and especially on a digital because they typically only pick up higher hormone levels.  We were so excited but I was afraid to get my hopes up too high, so we waited five agonizing days until the blood beta pregnancy test.  I was at the lab at 7a.m. on Wednesday, June 26th and by 9:40 my nurse Lisa called to let me know that I was "definitely very, very pregnant!"  I was actually at drug court when I got the call so I had to excuse myself and talk very quietly so everybody wouldn't know all my business!  The blood beta test measures for the amount of hcg (the pregnancy hormone) in your blood.  Normal ranges are generally between 40-120 at 15 dpo.  Mine was 385!!!! 

We called my parents that night on speaker phone and then surprised Michael's parents with a cake...

The most important thing was to wait and see if that number would double within 48 hours. I actually wasn't terribly nervous for the first beta because I knew I was pregnant, but I was practically sick with anxiety waiting for the second.  I showed up at the lab at 7a.m on Friday but hadn't heard anything by the time drug court was over so I gave my nurse a call.  Needless to say, the lab had made an error and ran the wrong test.  So I had to go back over there and give them another sample.  An hour later we got the report....975!  The beta more than doubled!

I keep trying to find words for how I am feeling and there just aren't any. This part of our journey is just as anxiety provoking as IVF....and can I just admit that we were already emotionally exhausted?  Once we finally got that positive I moved out of the very proactive place I was in (shots, medicines, insurance, appointments) and now I have been having to grapple with just waiting.  The stakes have been raised from a very expensive procedure that might not work, to a precious baby that may or may not live. 

We will get our first ultrasound on Friday and if I calculated correctly I will be about 5 weeks 4 days along.  It is unlikely that we will see a heartbeat that soon, but are hoping to see a gestational sack that is measuring the right size.

I am feeling good for now, besides intense strikes of hunger late in the day and being a little tired.  No morning sickness to report yet.  Sometimes it seems like the pregnancy symptoms wax and wane a little bit, but I am trying not to read too much into it since that is supposedly normal.

We are desperately praying for our sweet little light (or lights!) and anxiously waiting for ultrasound.  Thank you for all of your prayers....they worked!

Love,

Juli