Our IVF Journey Continues…. Part 2
Thank you to so many of you who reached out and were so supportive after I opened up and shared our experience with IVF. Last I wrote, we had gone through 2 cycles that resulted in failed transfers, (you can read about it here http://angiefit.com/our-ivf-journey/) and were just about to begin another cycle. Unfortunately, that cycle resulted with no success either. We went through the entire process and unfortunately were not able to produce any viable embryos to transfer. Back to square one AGAIN.
We really had to take a step back and look at the bigger picture of not just our finances and what my body had been through, but what was happening to our lives. IVF controls every aspect of your life especially your schedule. It consumes you as a couple, and we just weren’t sure if we wanted to live that life anymore. After all, we were happy, healthy, and I have an amazing teenage son. But at the end of the day, my husband and I wanted to have a baby TOGETHER.
Sooooo we decided to do one FINAL cycle and accept the outcome for what it was. We would be okay either way. When we started this final round in August, we knew the routine by then…. injections to grow the eggs, surgery to retrieve the eggs, another surgery to prep my uterus, more injections to prep my body, and genetic testing to determine if the embryos would be able to be a viable pregnancy. We produced 7 embryos, 2 that made it to the development stage, and only one that passed genetic testing.
We had ONE embryo to transfer. Literally our last chance. It was a girl.
I am so happy to share the news that we had success!
That’s right, I AM PREGNANT. I am actually 7 months now, and we still cannot believe it is happening. Getting here has not been easy, and neither has this pregnancy.
After the transfer, we played the 2-week waiting game which goes by so slow. I had the same symptoms as I had for my previous transfers which failed (tender breasts, light cramping) but I’ve learned these can be early symptoms of PMS or pregnancy. I waited about 7 days and decided to take a test at home. Negative. 2 days later, I tested again and thought MAYBE I saw a faint line. Maybe my hope was playing tricks on my eyes. As I tested each day after that though, the line got a little darker each day.
On Day 12, I went into the office and my blood test confirmed a positive pregnancy. The doctor said he wanted to see a number above 100. Mine was 385! I then continued to test every other day for about a week, in hopes the number would continue to rise.
My numbers were as follows:
385
1059
7499
So according to my HCG levels that were continuing to rise, yes my body was saying that I was pregnant and about 4 weeks along. Praise God we were so excited! But of course being all we have gone through, we were still cautious. Then around 5 weeks, I had a bleeding episode when I went to the bathroom. Sheer state of panic. We were able to get into our doctor to do an ultrasound as of course I assumed I was having a miscarriage. The doctor was able to see that the embryo was indeed attached to my uterus, but there was no heart beat activity as it was too early to detect. So still hopeful, but we continued to hold our breath.
More waiting and hoping.
A couple of weeks later we had a heartbeat! But unfortunately, as soon as that was detected, also came with another bleeding episode at weeks 7 and 8. My doctor finally discovered that I had Placenta Previa, which meant my placenta was lying unusually low below the baby in my uterus and close to the cervix vs being above the baby. I had to go on bed rest for a week, because if my placenta started moving out of the cervix, clearly our baby would not survive. I stopped all physical activity and laid low for a week and in that short time, my uterus grew so much that my placenta shifted to where it is supposed to be!
So even though my previa was gone by week 9, I continued to have 2 more bleeding episodes at weeks 12 and 17 which were unexplained. The only possibility was that there was leftover blood from the previa that had to work itself out. I now know that bleeding can be common during pregnancy, but it is also the scariest thing ever. And to be honest, even at 32 weeks there hasn’t been a day that has gone where I don’t check the toilet paper after I go to the bathroom.
As time went on, I slowly started to believe that this baby was really happening. I was just so cautious and scared that something was going to happen. My husband on the other hand-he went all in from the beginning. He has such an awesome perspective. But my anxiety got the best of me and instead of being excited, I went through a phase where I was planning for the worst.
For some odd reason it wasn’t until one day around Christmas time when my husband and I were out shopping and I found this tiny unicorn rocking horse from Pottery Barn. My eyes lit up and my husband told me he had not yet seen me get so excited about something for the baby. I guess I just visualized her rocking on it.
We of course bought the rocking horse in January, our very first purchase for our baby.
I have to say that since then, things started getting smoother. I had your typical first trimester symptoms of exhaustion and food aversions (NO nausea thank goodness!). I continued to exercise and drank Shakeology daily as part of my prenatal plan (you can ask me more about Shakeology if interested). During my second trimester a scan showed I had an extra lobe on my placenta as well as a delicate cord insertion. I wasn’t surprised as I knew nothing would be easy about this pregnancy. But with the support of my husband and my consistent therapy sessions, I developed a more positive mindset and felt less anxious with each week that went by.
Shortly after I celebrated Viability Stage at week 24 (meaning if the baby were to born then she would have a good chance of survival) I also tested positive for Type A flu. All of my symptoms were respiratory, and because everything was already compacted it made it extra difficult to breathe. My doctor said I was risking hospitalization because my oxygen level was so low. Luckily, I was able to bounce back in a few days, then my poor husband got it!
Now that I am well into my third trimester, I am feeling GOOD and planning is underway! We still do not have a name picked out, and we are in the process of doing some construction to prepare her room. I am still trying to work out almost daily but that is getting much more difficult as I am uncomfortable. At this time my induction date is set for May 7th as my doctor does not want me to go past 39 weeks.
Baby girl weighs 6 lbs, has lots of hair, and we cannot wait to hold in her our arms. And for all of the other couples who are going through this journey, we hope that being able to one day say “We beat infertility” will give you hope as well!
XO-Angie
