1/28/2017 0 Comments Egg retrieval"A new baby is like the beginning of all things: WONDER, HOPE & THE DREAM OF POSSIBILITIES" -Eda J Le Shan Things are escalating fast!!
So far, as you know, I've been taking two daily injections and an additional pre-natal with a hormone supplement. Well that was just the beginning! Because my follicles were measured friday and they had grown so increasingly, my doctor put me on an additional shot that stops ovulation. Unfortunately, this shot is itchy, stings like ant bites and the needle is longer... BUT at the same time, it means we are close to the egg retrieval!! When the egg retrieval happens, they will take as many mature and viable eggs from my ovaries as they can. This is a very technical and uncomfortable procedure, so I will be under anesthesia. At this point, sperm and egg meet in the petry dish. So guess what guys!? Within one week my eggs will meet their daddy and the doctor will decide which embryo looks both healthiest and strongest. I'll give you an update then of how many get fertilized and what my doctor decides but I still have a question for you all: If you knew that you could select the gender of your only biological child, a once in a lifetime with your husband, would you do it? I REALLY want a girl... but I also want the healthiest embryo so that we don't have to drop another 25K on this. Im really considering telling him-put a girl in me! Some may not agree but we have the science and I have a super faithful, cutting edge doctor who will do it... a tough choice for sure! Lots have said to put it in Gods hands. Okay, but God did give us science and he did give me this amazing doctor, plus free will so is it definitively wrong? Subjective, yes. I'd like opinions from all because I have about 10-12 days until that baby gets shot up into my uterus! So excited!
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1/25/2017 0 Comments Eggs are growing!After almost one week of injections, I'm now getting to see the eggs growing in my ovaries! It will probably take about 2 more weeks for them to mature and then I go under anesthesia for egg retrieval!!
Finally seeing something on the ultrasound and seeing how compassionate my doctors have been so far is so liberating! One of these eggs will be my baby! I CANT WAIT! And a a big shout out to my husband who has been patient with me, under the pressure of all the hormonal changes/mood swings! This is quite the journey! 1/17/2017 5 Comments Ivf- go big or go home"If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?" -john wooden Today I went in for my baseline ultrasound, baseline bloodwork (all perfect again!) and my "teaching course", which goes through exactly HOW to use each medication, WHEN to use each medication and WHY you use each medication. Joe went with me, and needless to say... our heads were spinning! Not only are there serious precautions to take and a STRICT calendar to abide by, most of the elixirs you have to concoct yourself! Joe was hilarious, playing with each gadget like Legos and he has a serious phobia of needles but in the end, we walked away feeling pretty confident about what we needed to do. We start this week and basically, these medicines prepare the body for conception by stimulating the ovaries, giving the follicles extra support as they grow and in one scenario, actually preventing ovulation from actually taking place because you don't want to naturally ovulate after working so hard to nurture those eggs! These injections will last anywhere from 8-12 days and so I'm scheduled to go under anesthesia and retrieve my eggs on Feb 1st. At the end of it all, did you know that I have to take one final injection EXACTLY 34.5 hours before the embryo transfer? I'm most nervous about that! It really feels like it's easy to screw this up, but at the same time, the doctor will literally see me every other day, running various tests and measuring the follicles to ensure our success! In the meantime, I am doing smoothies every day and taking prenatals every day, as well. I put everything and anything in the smoothies from fruit, to veggies, to yogurt, to collard greens, flax seeds, chia seeds, turmeric and also ginger. They're loaded with nutritious goodness! As you can see from the picture below, those are my smoothie supplies from just 2 days ago! And that is why this blog is called, GO BIG OR GO HOME! With all of this commitment, financial investment, discomfort and physical changes, you better be sure you are up for the challenge and have the time to commit! Luckily, I work from home since we own our own business and WE are totally ready for this experience! Once the egg retrieval happens, I'll follow up to let you know what the amazing scientists are doing in the lab, how many embryos are viable, and the date of transfer! So excited! This comes at a cost but it's an inspiration and a blessing to be able to do this! Below are also all of the medications I received at my door. They were hand delivered and opening them up was like opening a present on Christmas Day! You can see the needles to the left. My tummy will be pretty bruised for a while but who cares, right!? It will be full of baby soon anyway. 1/5/2017 12 Comments Ivf...OMG!!!Hey all!
I am so excited to announce that the process of IVF has officially begun! For a month now I have been taking birth control and hormone pills to increase my progesterone. This morning, I had surgery to eliminate all possible negative outcomes of ivf, as an extra precaution. My doctor removed some scar tissue, widened my uterus to give it a more inhabitable shape for implantation, and he removed my right Fallopian tube to avoid any more ectopic surgeries! I'm so glad, too because that has been life threatening for me and it's the most common cause of pregnancy related deaths. Fortunately, this is a pretty routine procedure so I only need a few days rest, unlike more invasive surgeries, and then I'm back on my feet! My follow up is on Monday, and I am just so excited! It's a big investment but worth every penny, knowing that my uterus is healthy and my egg reserve is good! And I can never have another ectopic pregnancy again! It was a little scary, though! When they wheeled me into the O.R, I could feel my heart pounding! They put me on the table, strapped my arm down and then put the huge overhead light over me. I realized.. this is happening! My life is about to change! And for the better 😊 After that, I completely passed out, of course. They put a tube down my throat and opened me up. At this point, it's such a relief because it's over and my doc gave us the thumbs up! If there was anything at all to find, he would have found it by now. Please follow me on this journey! Not many people talk about their experience with this but I'm hoping it will shed light on new possibilities for couples trying to conceive and it's also inspiration to see just how far along science has come! Did you know I can pick the gender? Not sure what I want to do regarding that but please comment your thoughts below! I only want one child, because I have 4 amazing "step" (hate that word!) children but it is compelling to think about... what to do? What would you do! Thanks for reading and wish me luck! Ill keep you all updated soon! |
AuthorWith the divorce rate at 50%, that means many blended marriages and "step" children to follow..Someone needs to voice this! It's tough! Nitty gritty! Hardcore and without exception of blame! This blog is to not just inform but solidify how difficult, awkward and how severe the power struggle can be as a "step-parent" Archives
April 2018
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