We spent the rest of the weekend in Traverse City and Lovells. We went to the Cherry Festival Air Show featuring the Blue Angels on Saturday. We watched it on the roof of Debbie’s work building downtown with her, her husband, and Paul’s parents. Debbie and I shared in our pregnancy experiences. It’s like I finally got to join the club! It is cool that she is due only 3 months ahead of me. All weekend, I kept dwelling on my boss’ chilly reception to my work restrictions. It shocked me but did not quite pop my balloon of delight on Friday. But the more I thought about it over the weekend, the more I became incensed at her lack of respect for my and my baby’s health. Since she still had me scheduled to do the testing that I was restricted from, I felt my only way to be listened to was to send an email to her, her boss, my other supervisors, the doctor who wrote the note, and human resources. Their response was that the doctor’s orders had to be obeyed no matter what and in the end; I was put on the proper restrictions. I felt bad that I had to go over her head but I had no other option. Now I am under the microscope as I have upset the balance of power.
This week I was supposed to get my hair cut and highlighted but I cancelled the appointment. I keep reading contradicting things on whether coloring your hair is bad for the baby or not. Most things I have read cannot come to a conclusion and therefore recommend waiting until at least the first trimester is over to get it done since this period is so critical to baby’s development. I know that it is selfish to be concerned about my hair but I hate the grays!
Overall, I have been a little less tired this week but still pretty bad. I can’t believe that two months have passed. It hasn’t been all that long, though, considering that you spend the first month clueless about the pregnancy!
News from the womb…
The pituitary gland, trachea, larynx, bronchi, external ear, upper lip, facial muscles, tooth buds, gonads, nipples, eyelids, and diaphragm have begun to form. The intestines have begun to form in the umbilical cord because of shortage of space in the baby’s gut due to its massive liver and all the sets of kidneys. The palate continued its development. The eyes look pigmented even though the color won’t be established until after birth. The baby’s head is much larger than the trunk and is bent over a bump of tissue that contains the developing heart. Now the neck and trunk have begun to straighten and the hand plates have developed ridges indicating where the fingers and thumbs will be. The eye muscles have completed their development. The trunk of the pulmonary artery has separated from the trunk of the aorta in the heart. The kidneys have begun to produce urine as they start their ascent to their final position near the small of the back. The arms are now at their proper location and proportional in size for this stage in development. The cartilage that first appeared during week 5 has begun to harden into bone. The lower limbs have developed foot plates and indentations have formed where the knees and ankles will eventually develop. Near the beginning of the week, the baby was 8-11mm long, having doubled in length in just eight days and could fit within the perimeter of a dime. By the end of the week, the baby was 11-14mm long and could fit within a peanut shell and weigh less than the whole peanut in that shell. The growth rate is so fast that if my baby grew as fast right after birth as it is right now, it would be 15 feet tall by the time it was one month old!
Friday, August 22, 2008
7 Weeks Along (Friday, 7/4/08)
I thought that I was going to burst in anticipation before my ultrasound on Thursday but I made it. We still hadn’t decided how to present the whole thing to Rachel so we found ourselves in the waiting room of Reproductive Endocrinology at 7:15 a.m. with her completely clueless! When I checked in the clerk saw my family sit down and asked if my daughter was excited about becoming a big sister. I had to admit to her that Rachel had no idea because we still hadn’t figured out how to tell her yet. I had both of them come into the exam room with me. As I sat on the paper in my gown with the ultrasound machine next to me waiting for the ultrasound tech, I finally said to Rachel, “so, you’re probably wondering what we are doing here…” and told her. She was really excited. All she could talk about all day was how she wanted to help name the baby, take care of the baby, and most importantly help decorate the nursery. The ultrasound went well. There was only one baby in there. Paul was thankful for that. It was attached right in the perfect spot which relieved my fears greatly. I had been having a few side pains isolated on my left side so I was paranoid that the baby was ectopic. The best part was that we got to hear the baby’s heartbeat. It was so fast! I was so glad to hear it because I read that once you can hear the baby’s heartbeat, the risk for miscarriage drops significantly. I got some pictures with a little blob and an arrow pointing to it that said “baby”. I called my mom and told her to spread the word but she said that it was up to me. She shares in my excitement that everything is going well. When I got back to work I was so-o ready to spill the beans. I told Lois first, then Kim, Cate, and the rest of the gang. Everyone was really happy for me, even my coworkers who seem like they wouldn’t give a hoot. The only damper on the day was that before I told my coworkers, I handed my boss the doctor’s note about my pregnancy-related restrictions and she told me that I could do the testing without risk even though the note said otherwise. What a nice way to say congratulations. I called and set up my first OB appointment for 7/30/08. When we got home from work, I called my best friend, Amy, to share my news then we packed our bags and headed up to Paul’s parents’ house. We didn’t get there until after midnight. When we saw them the next morning we joyfully shared the news of the pregnancy with them. Having told the most important people, I then went on to their internet (dial up by the way, painfully slow!) and composed an email to all the other important people in my life sharing the news. Then we went on up to Mackinac Island where I immediately called my grandma then got flooded with congratulatory phone calls. Apparently my mom received a lot of them too. It was a little difficult to do our traditional 8 mile bike ride around the perimeter of the island with my fatigue and my phone ringing constantly. It was a joyous day spent at one of our favorite places on earth.
News from the womb…
Thirty-eight pairs of somites (what forms the bones and muscles of the head and trunk) have formed by now. The brain has differentiated into the forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain with the cerebral hemispheres well marked. Rapid brain and head growth continue throughout the week. The hypothalamus, mouth, larynx, jaw, mammary tissue, spleen, cerebellum, palate, and muscles that control the eye have begun to form. A primitive version of the mouth is now present and the trachea and esophagus have separated. Nerves and muscles have started growing in the arms and legs. The arms, then the legs, begin to look less like flippers and more like paddles. The hand plates have appeared and the elbow and wrist regions of the arm are identifiable. The third and final set of kidneys has formed and will begin to function in about a week. Near the beginning of the week, the baby was 5-7mm long, about the size of a small coffee bean. That is 15,000 times bigger than at conception in only thirty days. Quite a fast growth rate! Near the end of the week, the baby grew to 7-9mm long. Now my baby weights about 0.001g which is about as heavy as an eyelash from my lower lid. Amazing that something that tiny is so functional!
6 Weeks Along (Friday, 6/27/08)
This week I visited with many friends and family. It was so hard not to tell anyone but we still want to keep the news to ourselves until we have the ultrasound and confirm that everything is okay with the baby.
Tuesday I could no longer contain myself in waiting for my 6.5 week ultrasound. I pathetically begged one of the OB nurses at Brighton for an early ultrasound but she said that I am already getting one as early as possible to see or hear anything. Darn! I was still tired this week but not as bad as last week. I attribute that to Paul and me exercising for an hour every day. I am very proud of us. Instead of eggs, I now crave Chinese food. I experienced some pain when laying down in bed and stretching to the side but then I read in one of my books that it is just round ligament pain and is normal but usually occurs in the second trimester.
News from the womb…
This week the baby’s aorta, intestines, gall bladder, stomach, pancreas, tongue, nasal pits, lymphatic system, eyes, and lungs all are beginning to form. The thyroid is still developing. The liver has formed. The top of the tube that protects the spinal cord is closing and the heart has begun to beat. Limb buds for the arms are legs are now present with the arm buds becoming more prominent and looking like flippers. The first two of three sets of kidneys have appeared but never becomes functional. The baby is now 3-5mm long and can fit on the eraser end of a standard lead pencil.
Tuesday I could no longer contain myself in waiting for my 6.5 week ultrasound. I pathetically begged one of the OB nurses at Brighton for an early ultrasound but she said that I am already getting one as early as possible to see or hear anything. Darn! I was still tired this week but not as bad as last week. I attribute that to Paul and me exercising for an hour every day. I am very proud of us. Instead of eggs, I now crave Chinese food. I experienced some pain when laying down in bed and stretching to the side but then I read in one of my books that it is just round ligament pain and is normal but usually occurs in the second trimester.
News from the womb…
This week the baby’s aorta, intestines, gall bladder, stomach, pancreas, tongue, nasal pits, lymphatic system, eyes, and lungs all are beginning to form. The thyroid is still developing. The liver has formed. The top of the tube that protects the spinal cord is closing and the heart has begun to beat. Limb buds for the arms are legs are now present with the arm buds becoming more prominent and looking like flippers. The first two of three sets of kidneys have appeared but never becomes functional. The baby is now 3-5mm long and can fit on the eraser end of a standard lead pencil.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
5 Weeks Along (Friday, 6/20/08)
Monday at work I called my Reproductive Endocrinologist’s office to tell them the good news. I was glad to be able to share it with someone. They ordered a confirmatory HcG blood test. I went and had my blood drawn as soon as I could get away at 10:30 then checked Careweb every few minutes for the results. Finally at 12:15 they were up. 25 mIU/mL and higher is positive for pregnancy. Mine was 292. Yeah! The nurse called me later in the day to congratulate me again. She said that we would repeat the test on Wednesday to confirm that the numbers are rising as they should. Then I will have an ultrasound at 6.5 weeks and if everything is okay, they will release me to the care of a regular OB. My due date is 2/24/09.
Wednesday I had my second HcG blood draw today at 10:18. Wade totally guessed that I was pregnant since I kept sneaking off to have blood draws. I didn’t want to lie so I told him to keep it hush hush. I am not quite good at this secret thing after all. The results were up at 11:49 and my levels have risen to 575 mIU/mL. Yeah! The nurse said that my HcG levels were good so we didn’t need to repeat the test anymore. I shared with her my concerns about exposure to Methacholine and having to do DLCO carbon monoxide testing on myself at work. She talked to one of the doctors and agreed that I should not be doing those things. They wrote a letter to my supervisors and faxed it to me. I think I will wait until I absolutely have to give it to them since they are not receptive to limitations or any happy news in general.
Paul is hoping we only have one baby in me but I am not so secretly hoping it is twins. There is a good likelihood for twins since I had two good eggs release for the insemination. Maybe a boy and a girl but I will really settle for anything as long as the baby is healthy. I still don’t feel pregnant but I sure am tired. I went to bed early every day this week and have been craving eggs like mad.
News from the womb…
The baby has turned from a flat embryonic disc into three distinct layers of tissue. The endoderm will eventually form the glands, lining of the lungs, tongue, tonsils, urethra and associated glands, bladder, and digestive tract. The mesoderm will eventually form the muscles, bones, lymphatic tissue, spleen, blood cells, heart, lungs, and reproductive and excretory systems. The ectoderm will eventually form the skin, nails, hair, lens of the eye, lining of the internal and external ear, nose, and sinuses; tongue, mouth, anus, tooth enamel, pituitary gland, mammary glands, and all parts of the nervous system. This week the top cells of the ectoderm form a thickened area called the neural plate that will form the baby’s head. The rest of the ectoderm has compressed to form a groove called the notochord that will give rise to the vertebrae. The cells on the periphery of the notochord have begun to fold inward to create the baby’s central nervous system. The primitive version of the baby’s heart has been forming all week and by the end of the week it will have divided into all four chambers and will have begun circulating blood cells throughout the baby’s body. As the circulatory system forms, the mesoderm on either side of the spinal column divides into blocks of cells called somites which will eventually form the bones and muscles of the baby’s head and body. About eight pairs of somites have formed this week and the neural tube (later called the spinal cord) has begun to form between them. The thyroid gland has begun to form as well. The baby’s growth this week is quite rapid. At the beginning of the week, the baby was 0.4mm long and two or three babies the size of mine could fit into the space occupied by a printed period. By midweek, the baby was 1.0-1.5mm long and was tiny enough to rest on the point of a ballpoint pen. By the end of the week, the baby was 1.5-2.5mm long and was about the size of a sesame seed.
Wednesday I had my second HcG blood draw today at 10:18. Wade totally guessed that I was pregnant since I kept sneaking off to have blood draws. I didn’t want to lie so I told him to keep it hush hush. I am not quite good at this secret thing after all. The results were up at 11:49 and my levels have risen to 575 mIU/mL. Yeah! The nurse said that my HcG levels were good so we didn’t need to repeat the test anymore. I shared with her my concerns about exposure to Methacholine and having to do DLCO carbon monoxide testing on myself at work. She talked to one of the doctors and agreed that I should not be doing those things. They wrote a letter to my supervisors and faxed it to me. I think I will wait until I absolutely have to give it to them since they are not receptive to limitations or any happy news in general.
Paul is hoping we only have one baby in me but I am not so secretly hoping it is twins. There is a good likelihood for twins since I had two good eggs release for the insemination. Maybe a boy and a girl but I will really settle for anything as long as the baby is healthy. I still don’t feel pregnant but I sure am tired. I went to bed early every day this week and have been craving eggs like mad.
News from the womb…
The baby has turned from a flat embryonic disc into three distinct layers of tissue. The endoderm will eventually form the glands, lining of the lungs, tongue, tonsils, urethra and associated glands, bladder, and digestive tract. The mesoderm will eventually form the muscles, bones, lymphatic tissue, spleen, blood cells, heart, lungs, and reproductive and excretory systems. The ectoderm will eventually form the skin, nails, hair, lens of the eye, lining of the internal and external ear, nose, and sinuses; tongue, mouth, anus, tooth enamel, pituitary gland, mammary glands, and all parts of the nervous system. This week the top cells of the ectoderm form a thickened area called the neural plate that will form the baby’s head. The rest of the ectoderm has compressed to form a groove called the notochord that will give rise to the vertebrae. The cells on the periphery of the notochord have begun to fold inward to create the baby’s central nervous system. The primitive version of the baby’s heart has been forming all week and by the end of the week it will have divided into all four chambers and will have begun circulating blood cells throughout the baby’s body. As the circulatory system forms, the mesoderm on either side of the spinal column divides into blocks of cells called somites which will eventually form the bones and muscles of the baby’s head and body. About eight pairs of somites have formed this week and the neural tube (later called the spinal cord) has begun to form between them. The thyroid gland has begun to form as well. The baby’s growth this week is quite rapid. At the beginning of the week, the baby was 0.4mm long and two or three babies the size of mine could fit into the space occupied by a printed period. By midweek, the baby was 1.0-1.5mm long and was tiny enough to rest on the point of a ballpoint pen. By the end of the week, the baby was 1.5-2.5mm long and was about the size of a sesame seed.
How I found Out
I expected my period on Friday, June 13 but it never came. I was anxious and excited but I didn't want to get my hopes up as I had faced disappointment so many times before. Plus, I messed up on my meds and took 2.5 mg Femara instead of 5 mg on days 5-8 and corrected myself on day 9. I completely didn't expect this IUI to work. I was still too chicken to take the test on Saturday. Plus I thought I had cramps and/or a UTI so my hopes were not high. On Sunday (Father's Day), I finally got up my courage and peed on a stick. It was positive! I was pregnant! I was completely dumbfounded. I believe what I said to Paul was, “Oh my God, It’s positive”. What a great Father’s Day present! We spent the day cleaning the house before my parents came for Father’s Day dinner but I snuck out to the store for another test and a last minute present for my dad. When they arrived, I was taking the second (different brand) test in the bathroom and it was positive too. I kept the secret until I had my dad open his last gift which was a bib that said ‘I love Grandpa’. He looked thoroughly confused until I shouted “I’m pregnant!” My mom then burst into tears and there were a lot of hugs. I told them that it was very early and that we should keep it to ourselves for the time being. Although I wanted to shout it on the rooftops, I also wanted to confirm with my doctor that it was real.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
What I've Been Through
Last pill 8/9/06
1) 8/26/06 (25)
2) 9/7/06 (10)
3) 9/18/06 (32)
4) 10/21/06 (30)
5) 11/21/06 (26)
6) 12/17/06 (26)
7) 1/12/07 (26)
8) 2/7/07 (31)
9) 3/10/07 (25) first consult with reproductive endocrinologist 3/20/07
10) 4/4/07 (30) Clomid 100
11) 5/4/07 (32) Clomid 50
12) 6/5/07 (24) Clomid 50
13) 6/29/07 (32) Clomid 50
14) 7/31/07 (31) Clomid 50
15) 8/31/07 (28) Clomid 100, IUI #1
16) 9/28/08 (26) hybrid (5/75), IUI cancelled due to high risk of multiples
17) 10/24/07 (25) Femara only, no IUI or Gonal-F due to 17 mm ovarian cyst
18) 11/18/07 (23) hybrid (5/33), IUI #2
19) 12/11/07 treatment break begins
20) approx 1/1/08
21) approx 1/29/08
22) approx 2/26/08
23) 3/24/08 (28)
24) 4/21/08 (26)5/17/08, hybrid (2.5/75), Ovidrel 5/28/08, IUI 5/30/08 SUCCESS!!!!!
1) 8/26/06 (25)
2) 9/7/06 (10)
3) 9/18/06 (32)
4) 10/21/06 (30)
5) 11/21/06 (26)
6) 12/17/06 (26)
7) 1/12/07 (26)
8) 2/7/07 (31)
9) 3/10/07 (25) first consult with reproductive endocrinologist 3/20/07
10) 4/4/07 (30) Clomid 100
11) 5/4/07 (32) Clomid 50
12) 6/5/07 (24) Clomid 50
13) 6/29/07 (32) Clomid 50
14) 7/31/07 (31) Clomid 50
15) 8/31/07 (28) Clomid 100, IUI #1
16) 9/28/08 (26) hybrid (5/75), IUI cancelled due to high risk of multiples
17) 10/24/07 (25) Femara only, no IUI or Gonal-F due to 17 mm ovarian cyst
18) 11/18/07 (23) hybrid (5/33), IUI #2
19) 12/11/07 treatment break begins
20) approx 1/1/08
21) approx 1/29/08
22) approx 2/26/08
23) 3/24/08 (28)
24) 4/21/08 (26)5/17/08, hybrid (2.5/75), Ovidrel 5/28/08, IUI 5/30/08 SUCCESS!!!!!
The Sweet (and Slightly Nauseating) Smell of Success
Hi! I know it has been a long time since I have posted and for those of you who know me, you know that my infertility journey has finally led to pregnancy. We are overjoyed every day in saying those words. "I'm pregnant. Pregnant. Pregnant. Pregnant". Now that all of the proper people have been informed and the craziness of the summer has started to die down, I will begin updating my blog with entries from my personal pregnancy journal.
Warning: It may take me a while to catch up.
Warning: It may take me a while to catch up.
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