Anatomy Scan, Gender Reveal, & More!

This poor blog hasn't been updated in awhile but things have been super exciting over here! :) I just don't like doing the blog unless I am on my laptop because it's easier to type it all but I hardly ever go on my laptop! I will try to be better especially because there is only 15 1/2 weeks left max! 

We are more than halfway to meeting this amazing little blessing and we are all soooo excited! 

February 19th- 19 weeks 4 days

On February 19th, at 19 weeks 4 days, I felt movement for the first time and was 100% sure it was baby movement this time! It was super exciting for me as I have been waiting for this moment. I felt the twins around 15 weeks but I knew with my anterior placenta it would take longer. But once I felt that first movement with this one, I have since felt it daily and it is amazing!!! I absolutely love feeling baby movement as it gives me reassurance that the baby is doing well in there!

On February 26th, at 20 weeks 4 days, I say the maternal fetal medicine doctor for our anatomy scan! The team I saw there was amazing! I was honestly very nervous but yet excited for this appointment. It takes a long time to get everything they need and they check into everything which is great. But with the twins, I got lightheaded and thought I was going to pass out and be sick so I was worried about that. Plus, I went to this alone due to Paul working and was terrified I would get bad news by myself. I made it very clear I wanted to get the gender in an envelope so we could find out together and the ultrasound tech was very good about that. Anytime she needed to even go near that area, she had me look away or close my eyes! The baby was super active and it was the weirdest but coolest thing to be able to feel it and see it on the screen at the same time! Unfortunately, because the baby was so active, we didn't and weren't able to get all the pictures we needed. The baby was breech and looking down the whole time so we couldn't get very good pictures of the face at all. They had me lay on my side to see if that would help but it didn't. And we weren't able to get a picture of all of the baby's fingers! You could see the hand go flying across the screen but it was always too fast! They also weren't able to get all of the heart pictures they wanted or needed. But I am very pleased to share that everything we got looked great!!!! Baby is big and measuring in the 78th percentile at 14 oz! The heartrate also looked good at 148. I also confirmed I do not have polyhydramnios this pregnancy like I did with the twins. I feel that contributed a large amount to me measuring big fast and my body thinking it was baby time way too early so I was very pleased to hear this. I got the gender in a very cute envelope and everyone thought I would look and not say anything but it was a very big deal to me to have all of us find out together. I dropped it off at Save More, a local grocery store, to have them make us 4 long john donuts filled with frosting colored to represent the gender and we would pick them up the next day. I definitely felt relief after this appointment and was happy! 

February 26th- 20 weeks 4 days

February 26th- On my way to the anatomy scan

February 26th- The best face picture the baby would let us get!

The next morning I went and picked up the donuts and we setup my phone to record us all finding out together. We quickly found out that we are having a BOY!!!!!! Bentley was soooo excited, Karley was surprised, and I was totally shocked! I have no idea why, but I truly truly thought this baby was a girl! But no matter what, we are all so excited! 

February 27th- Gender reveal long johns

Blue frosting faces!

Handprints on my belly

Paul and I had 16 boy names we acquired. Picking out names is hard as we don't agree on many but it is important for both of us to agree! We have narrowed it down to 2 names but still haven't been able to decide on those. Time will tell! 

Knowing it will be a boy, I was able to go through the 1 tote of baby boy stuff I kept in the basement. I was honestly pleased and shocked to know how much that tote actually held! I thought I didn't keep much at all but I found the swaddles I thought I had sold and a decent amount of clothes. I was happy about that! I brought everything upstairs into Karley's old room which will become the nursery. I sorted all the clothes into sizes and hung them up. Slowly but surely I have been accumulating things and honestly we are sitting pretty darn good with things! 

February 28th- Organizing the clothes

We decided early on that the nursery theme was going to be The Very Hungry Caterpillar. It is one of my all time favorite books! But I quickly learned and realized things in that print are expensive and/or hard to come by! We didn't really do a theme for the twin's nursery so I was excited to have one this time but plan to keep things pretty minimal. I talked to my grandma who agreed if I got the fabric and elastic that she would make us crib sheets and changing pad sheets. I got 2 different fabrics. I found a pillow that someone just had stashed away that had been homemade but they never used too. I created closet organizers in the theme too! I also bought a garland that we are going to use as a valance. I have a friend making us 3 canvases with the tiny caterpillar with the sun, a bigger caterpillar, and then a butterfly for wall décor. The walls are currently a very bright pink. Eventually Karley will be going back in that room and the 2 boys will share a room so we kept this in mind when choosing the new paint color. We will be doing a bright yellow and let Karley help pick it out. I cannot wait to get it all together and see what it looks like! 

Closet organizers for the closet I made

Gift we received that couldn't be more perfect!

Pillow that I came across!

Paul has been working very hard on finishing our basement. About a year ago we started the very first step in painting the floors. Now we have wooden flooring down and the walls are framed in. He also put in the outlets and ran electricity to them but they aren't live yet. Next, he will put in the insulation and the drywall. We will paint the drywall and then put up a wainscoting. After that it will just need the ceiling and carpet! I cannot wait to have that space finished off. 

We ordered new furniture for the living room in January. When I had a C-section with the twins, a recliner was the most comfortable spot for me to sleep. Therefore, I wanted to get one for our living room, as I will be having another C-section, which turned into replacing all of our living room furniture. Trust me, it was needed! So we ordered a couch and recliner and will be getting a love seat and another recliner in the future. When we ordered it they told us it would be in around April/May. Well the last update we got was that it may not be here until August!!!! Needless to say, that won't work for me so we may be borrowing a recliner or using the old one in the basement to get me through! 

I cleaned out the van including taking apart and cleaning car seats. I moved the twins to the very back of the van and wasn't sure how that was going to go. But they love it and say it's like riding in a limo! I stow and go-ed the middle captain chairs and it sure is nice to have all that room. The baby will go in one of the captain chairs. 

Speaking of that, we recently received the baby car seat and stroller travel combo. We went with a Graco. I had a Graco travel combo with the twins too and really liked it. I still actually have the double stroller. But I made sure to get a jogging stroller this time. I like it! 

With covid, we truly don't go anywhere or do anything. On a whim, I asked Paul if we could go and do something this spring break. He was surprised but glad. Our spring break was very early compared to other schools so I hoped that would keep the amount of people down. Plus we would be going during the week too! We looked around and decided on going to Chula Vista in the Dells. We brought most of our food we would need with plans of eating what we didn't bring right at the places in our hotel so we wouldn't have to leave. When we got there we were shocked how empty the parking lot was. When we checked in, I asked at the front desk how many there was and she said about 100. I am not sure if that was 100 people or 100 rooms but still it was minor compared to what a hotel in the Dells would normally be like during spring break. The twins were able to go on every waterslide and ride! They have gotten much more confident to do slides on their own and with their swimming. It was awesome to watch! The most they ever waited in a line was 2 people! And one morning, we were the first people in the whole waterpark and had it all to ourselves! It truly wasn't busy at all and I was super glad we made the decision to go! My mental and emotional healthy needed it and truly I think we all did! We did the arcade too. Overall, it was a great few days of family time away from home! Paul was worried I would get bored because I couldn't go on any of the slides but I wasn't! I enjoyed watching them, taking pictures and videos, and relaxing in the pools. 

March 17th- 23 weeks 2 days and embraced the belly out at the waterpark

After we got back, on March 18th at 23 weeks 3 days, I had a quick ultrasound and cervical check. The baby is still breech but was active and had a heartrate of 152 which is his norm. My cervical measurement was 3.6 which they are happy with. I am glad they are keeping a close eye on me and things! 

Unfortunately, just a few days later, I had some pretty intense low cramping for about 1 1/2 hours and it scared me and spiraled my anxiety. Thankfully I saw my OBGYN the next day and got reassurance from them. They told me because it stopped on it's own, I didn't have any pressure or bleeding that it should all be okay. But if it happens again or any of those things happen, to definitely call back. My OBGYN told me he laughed when he saw my cervical measurement. I was confused but he said "Because it was good and I know you are just waiting for the shoe to drop!" He truly is correct!!! He informed me he knows my personality! :P Baby had a heartrate of 148 and was moving around. He has been measuring my fundal height but I am unsure what it is. Part of me wants to ask and the other part of me doesn't. My fundal height measured wayyyy ahead with the twins and I think that was also part of the reason my water broke early. So for now, I am leaving it a mystery! 

The baby movements continue to get stronger and stronger. Every time I have Paul or the kids try to feel them, he either quits moving, the movements get less intense, or they say they can't feel it which surprises me. At school I had my arms over my belly holding my coffee and his movement literally moved my arm! I was shocked. And on March 24th at 24 weeks 2 days, Paul finally was able to feel him move! But since then he must've moved because the movements aren't as strong so the twins haven't been able to feel him yet.

Paul feeling movement

I am so glad to be 24 weeks as that is when viability is and after my past, that is a huge milestone to me! Truly everyday and every week is! 

March 22nd- 24 weeks!

I feel like I am big and a few people have even commented on it asking me if I am sure I won't need a sub for me this school year, if I am positive there isn't 2 in there, etc. It is kind of annoying!

I have gained more weight thus far than I would've liked but my doctor hasn't said anything about it. I have changed things up and added more fruits and veggies in and also added in more walks. But I still continue to gain. I guess this is just the way things are going to be! And as long as baby and I are healthy, I will take it! 

Yesterday I didn't feel good, had some pains, etc. and it spiraled my mind of course. The day before my water broke with the twins and the day before I gave birth to them, I felt sick so it is a trigger for me. Paul thinks I just overdid it. After sleeping last night, I feel better today! But I am realizing my anxiety is real and I may even have some PTSD from the twin's pregnancy; especially as I near the time frame when my water broke with them! I am going to work on focusing on the positive, embracing each day and week, and also doing things to keep my mind busy! 

Tomorrow bring us to 25 weeks and I am so glad! 

Updates

The baby quickly received a few nicknames that have stuck. One is Uno. This is because when I was pregnant with the twins I told Paul there was dos even before we officially knew! Karley also started calling the baby Sisrbro because the baby is her sis or bro! That one has been the most common one we have used! 

One morning I was still in bed but awake. Bentley came in by me and Paul was getting ready in the bathroom. Karley came by and told Bentley to get out of my room and leave me alone. Then she stated "Don'tcha know it's hard work making a baby?!" Paul and I had a good laugh out of that one. 

It has been almost a month since my last post and things have gone well. My bump has grown but definitely fluctuates and even fluctuates throughout a single day! Due to my anterior placenta, I haven't felt anything that I can 100% say is movement and we also haven't had success the few times we have tried to use the doppler at home. But this is normal.

January 11th- 14 weeks

January 13th- 1st time Bentley got to use the doppler but we had no success

January 13th- Karley got to try too

My anxiety has been high this pregnancy and besides my past pregnancy, I am unsure why. I just get nervous! I think it also is different because I felt movements at 15 weeks with the twins so I had that reassurance from movements that they were okay but I don't have that yet with this one and I am almost 18 weeks. 

17 weeks with the twins vs. 17 weeks with this one!

I had an appointment with my obgyn on February 2nd at 17 weeks 1 day. I got taken back at my appointment time and the nurse weighed me, took a urine sample, and did my blood pressure. Everything was fine. And then I waited a long time to see my doctor. It was almost an hour after my appointment arrival time that I saw him! He did explain that most patients were having issues and required extra time and other things ordered that he wasn't expecting. He used the doppler to find the baby's heartbeat. It took some time and some maneuvering and pushing but he found it! And just after he found it, the baby gave the doppler a solid kick! It was pretty cool to know it's moving around in there. The heartrate was 151. He then measured my fundal height. I asked a few questions and he was honest with me. He did tell me that unfortunately anyone who gets pregnant via infertility help has a higher risk of bad things happening. I had already known this from some of the things I had read so it wasn't too much of a surprise. He said himself and the maternal fetal medicine doctor will follow me as a high risk pregnancy which is exactly what we did with the twins. 

February 2nd- 17 weeks 1 day

February 2nd- On my way to my doctors appointment

The next appointment is at the end of February with the maternal fetal medicine doctor and is our big anatomy scan!!! If all goes well, we will find out what we are having but since I am the only one who is able to go, I will be getting it in an envelope so we can all find out together. (Hopefully what I have planned will be able to happen!) 

Overall I have been feeling good. My energy level has been low still so I have been lounging around or going to bed early. I have also had some growing pains but nothing major. 

I can't wait to feel movements and find out what we are having!

The First Appointments

Around 5 1/2 weeks, I started having morning sickness. But I am still unsure why it is called morning sickness when I was sick ALL DAY long!!! I was constantly nauseous. I did a lot of gagging and dry heaving and thankfully minimal puking but it was still too much for me. I pretty much laid on the couch all day. We ended up quarantined due to close contact and I was honestly glad to be at home through some of the sickness as I couldn't function. I asked about medications and was told to take a vitamin B6 and Unisom combo. I took the vitamin B6 three times during the day and then took it again at night. (You cut the pills so it was a small percentage.)

Joys of morning sickness; or all day sickness

At 6 1/2 weeks, on November 18th we got to have our first ultrasound. The nurse came in, weighed me, etc. and then took my blood pressure. And then she took it again. I knew something was up but wasn't surprised. She asked me if my blood pressure was usually high and I told her no but that I was very nervous and panicked. She asked me what was going on. I told her I was terrified there was more than one. She told me we would get through it, to take a few deep breaths, and took my blood pressure again and it was better. Now don't get me wrong... I love twins but the pregnancy complications of my water breaking at 26 weeks, hospital bedrest for 5 weeks, and a NICU stay due to one of them coming out not breaking for 4 1/2 weeks is something I would rather avoid! Does it mean with one that I would avoid this again... no not necessarily but multiples definitely increases the chance for it to happen. We proceeded to the ultrasound and I am pleased to say there was only 1 baby!!! I seriously let out a sigh I didn't realize I was holding! The baby measured right on track and had a heartbeat of 124! We were very happy! 

November 18th- Our little peanut... and only 1!

Our gift from the infertility clinic!

 After trying the vitamin B6 and unison combo, I still got no relief. I dealt with it after awhile but I couldn't eat, was forcing myself to drink, and still was miserable. When I called in they asked about what I had done (trust me... I tried the peppermint, mints, ginger candies and gum, eating small meals, etc. and it didn't help) and she asked me if I took anything during my first pregnancy and I informed her I did take Zofran with the twins. But seriously... I do not remember being this sick with the twins!!! She prescribed it to me and I was thankful. I picked up my prescription and within 40 minutes of taking the first dose I felt relief and I was sooo glad. It didn't eliminate it completely but it was enough that I could function. I still had many moments of nausea, gagging, dry heaving, and even a few puking episodes but I could eat a little. I noticed I needed to eat every few hours or I would get nauseous. And of course the last thing you want to do when you feel that way is eat but it helped. I hated any and all meats and anything with spaghetti sauce but could handle pizza. And holy aversions to smells. I gagged every time I had to open our fridge... something in their smelled... not bad... just smelled! Of course no one else in my family could smell it! Lol Peanut butter was something else I could not stand. It truly was rough. The kids started saying I had covid symptoms and I was terrified they would tell others and then people would freak out. So we decided to tell them sooner than I would have liked. They were soooo excited and still are! We had them open a box with a balloon that said baby, they each got a shirt that said boys 1 and girls 1 and then their was a baby onesie that said tiebreaker coming July 2021, and a new baby book. It was awesome to experience it with them. Once we were done with quarantine (after Thanksgiving break) we all headed back to school. I was seriously unsure how I was going to make it through the workdays but I managed. There were some trips of running to the bathroom which were thankfully close to the classrooms I work in! But I made it through each day... some barely! :P The kids did not tell a single person for a whole week but I finally told them they could tell people at school and they wore their shirts. It was great to let them spill the beans! At this point all parents, grandparents, and siblings knew too! 

Shirts to tell the kids

November 26th- The kids were sooo excited to find out

At 11 1/2 weeks I started to feel some relief from the morning sickness and scaled back on taking the Zofran and then went to taking none at all. I still have an occasional smell that gets to me or gag but overall I think I have passed the stage of morning sickness. 

The exhaustion is real... I seriously was going to bed at like 6 P.M. most nights. But it was a toss up of sleep or be sick so I slept! I thankfully never woke up sick throughout the night! There are still somedays I struggle with the exhaustion but it is better. I am starting to feel more human again and I am thankful!

At 13 weeks, on January 4th, I had my first appointment with my OBGYN. I am seeing the same doctor as I did with the twins and I am super excited about that. Our appointments are an hour one way but in my opinion, it is worth it. This doctor was with me through everything my last pregnancy, knows my history, and has a NICU right there if we were to need it again. I met the nurse who weighed me in, took a urine sample, did my vitals, and got some information from me. And then I got to see the doctor. Now mind you, I had the twins 7 years ago to the day and haven't seen this doctor since. He remembered me, asked how the twins were, remembered what Paul's job was when we had the twins, remembered what my stepdad does, and remembered that he did my mom's surgery shortly after that twins were born! I don't feel like just a name with him... he remembers and cares. He did tell me some things about my pregnancy with the twins that I didn't know such as I had high blood sugar but yet passed the gestational diabetes test. He also informed me that the day I delivered, I had labored for awhile but no one believed me and not a single contraction was traced until I was being wheeled out for my C-section. But when the doctor finally came and checked me (the on call doctor as it was a weekend), her eyes got huge and I knew I was quite far dilated already. I learned that when I was checked, I was already 6 cm!!! I also knew I had to have progressed pretty far as I remember telling them and feeling the need to push as I was being wheeled out for my C-section! It was interesting to learn. With that being said, he said it is hard to determine if preterm labor or pprom came first for me. I did come in with a water break and no contractions so I think pprom came at 26 weeks and preterm labor came at 30 weeks 6 days when I delivered the kids. Either way, I had both. He said the question is now do we do something different with this pregnancy and if so, what? We have no idea what caused my pprom. It could have been many things. But because it has already happened to me, I have a mark against me for it to happen again. But that isn't to say it will! I could go full term with this baby. You just never know!!! We did decide that I would do my anatomy scan with the maternal fetal medicine doctor (high risk doctor) so that we can check out everything and see if he notices anything. I saw this doctor a few times with the twins and actually saw him 2 days before my water broke! There was nothing that was found during that ultrasound that indicated my water was going to break early. After all the discussion and planning, my doctor did a quick ultrasound in which I got to see the baby! It is growing right on track still. I got to hear the heartbeat this time and it was at 158 bpm. He printed off some pictures for us since Paul is not allowed to come to these appointments. We got a close up of the face and you can see the nose, eyes, and other facial features. I was a happy camper that all was still well! I did learn I have an anterior placenta which means the placenta is in front of the uterus. This is not a big deal at all except that I may not feel movements until later on compared to normal. I had to schedule all of my appointments up until deliver before I left. I am going every 4 weeks, then every 2 weeks, and then every week. We are scheduled right up through the beginning of July which was surreal to me. I may have even nervously laughed as last time, we did not schedule appointments like this and I didn't make it through 1/3 of my pregnancy!!! 

January 4th- 13 weeks

13 week baby!

We decided to do a Facebook announcement after this ultrasound and the response was overwhelming in a good way! We got a ton of comments, likes, messages, phone calls, and more! It truly was amazing!!! We are very blessed!!! 

Part of our announcement

October 2020 Last IUI Try

I had my thyroid checked again in early October and found out it was at 2.6 and was bummed. I called the nurse to let them know and received a call back. I was unable to answer as I was at work but checked the voicemail and it said to proceed taking the same meds for 90 days and we can test again after that or upon pregnancy. I was very confused because we were checking my levels so we could do our last IUI try. I was able to call back and talk to someone and she told me we were okay to proceed forward but I questioned her as my levels were 2.6 and needed to be at 2.5 or less and when they were at 2.56 we couldn’t proceed. She said she would double check for me but explained to me that they now knew I was negative for some other test which essentially meant my body was not attacking itself so therefore she thought we were okayed to proceed with my levels where they were at. And that same afternoon, October 5^th, I got my period. I tried calling them again as I never got a call back but it was after hours. I left a message and a nurse called me back. She was incredible with explaining things to me so I got it and listening to everything I had to say. She told me she guessed I would be okay to go but could double check in the morning when she got to the office. She said to plan to proceed and she would call me with the plan once she got into the office after 8 A.M. I received a call back and she asked me if I would be able to come in on October 8^th (Day 4) for my baseline ultrasound at 7:15 A.M.! I agreed and quickly put a plan in place to make this happen as it is a 3-hour drive one way! 

After school on October 7^th I ate supper with my family and then drove down and stayed at my in-laws. They were not home so the house was completely and empty and quiet. It was weird as that never happens. Paul stayed with the kids and got them up and to school the next morning by himself which he hasn’t had to do since they switched to MHLT but it went well. My ultrasound was quick and easy. They said everything looked great and that I would be scheduled to come in for my midcycle ultrasound on October 16^th (Day 12). I scheduled that for 10:30 A.M so I could still drop the kids off and pick them up at school as I have Fridays off so I wouldn’t need to miss any work! After the baseline ultrasound, the clinic put in orders through a mail order pharmacy for my HCG Trigger Shot and my Progesterone suppositories. Then I turned and burned and made it back to work at 10:25 A.M. 

October 7th- On my way to the infertility clinic to start the process for our last and final try

The rest of the week went well. I took letrozole at the lowest possible dose for 5 days starting on Day 4 and ending on Day 8. I definitely was moodier and more easily crabby! I was also quite tired. But otherwise I was fine. I did what I needed for the mail order pharmacy and they shipped the meds to me and they came on October 14^th. 

On October 16^th we woke up to snow! I was shocked. We got the kids to school and away we went. I asked Paul if he would want to come with and he agreed but was nervous we wouldn’t make it back in time to pick up the kids from school. I was not worried about that! I was thankful he came with for support and to drive even though he wasn’t not allowed to come in at all due to covid. On our way we saw 2 cars that had rollover accidents and marks where someone went into the ditch! It made me nervous but our travels were fine and we made it safely. 

October 16th- On our way to my appointment

I went to my appointment and got to see Dr. Whitmaak for the first time since I was there pregnant with the twins! He said let’s hope there are good follicles and I told him yes but not too many because I have had that problem in the past! 😊 He said my uterus looked amazing and everything looked great. I had no follicles on my right and 2 follicles on my left! I couldn’t have been happier to hear this! 2 is amazing and we can definitely work with that. I was relieved! One of them measured 32 and the other measured 35. Then we made the plan… I was to trigger shot that night at 9 P.M. and return for IUI on October 18^th (Day 14) at 9 A.M. The nurse came in and gave me a refresher on doing the trigger shot as it had been so long. She also drew a circle on me so we knew right where it went. I felt much better about everything. We made a plan for his parents to watch the kids Saturday afternoon until Sunday. This allowed me to go down to his parents on Saturday and stay the night and go to the appointment on Sunday morning. Unfortunately, Paul has to work on Sunday. Paul and I stopped in Wausau on the way to kill some time as we had extra time! We got the kids from school and told them they would be going to the cabin the next day and of course they were thrilled. We did not tell them anything about any of this as they don’t know how to keep it to themselves and this whole process is hard because it takes away the surprise element and telling people. The only people that know are Paul, his parents, and my good friend Jo. Saturday, we woke up to snow and more of this time! I was kind of nervous about so Paul took the kids to the cabin for me so that I could cut down my driving a little bit. I left around lunch time and stopped in Wausau. I go myself a diamond art kit of a heart to help pass some time at his parents. I have heard great things and wanted one and had a gift card so I did it. Then I got Texas Roadhouse to go but was disappointed. They forgot to give me my drink and I didn’t realize it in time. The loaded mashed potatoes were cold and the burgers and bun were hard and cold. They also did not give me any utensils! I made it to Paul’s parents and spent the evening working on my first diamond art. I loved it! It definitely is tedious though. I wasn’t hungry for supper so ate a few more rolls from Texas Roadhouse. I sat in a bath and then went to bed but it was hard to get solid sleep! 

Texas Roadhouse Rolls

My first ever diamond art

On Sunday, October 18^th (Day 14) I arrived through the main entrance of the hospital as the other entrance is closed on weekends. I knew were to go but got to the one and only elevator in the hospital that goes to the infertility clinic and it said it was out of order! I had no idea where to go from there so I went back to the main desk and informed her. She helped me get to the right stairs to get to the infertility clinic. But this made me even more anxious and nervous and I didn’t need that! I was taken back and all went very well. There was no struggle with the catheter and I had little to no uncomfortableness. The nurse told me I could lay there for 5-10 minutes or as long as I wanted. I had always laid for 20 minutes so decided that was going to be what I was going to do. Just as I was getting dressed she knocked and asked if I was okay and I informed her I was and had just finished getting dressed. As I walked out, I saw the doctor in his jacket and all ready to go! Oh well! I walked to my car, reclined my seat, and sat out in the parking lot for another 15ish minutes. Then I drove back home. I got home about 10 minutes before my in-laws pulled in with the kids! I tried to lay low the rest of the day.

October 18th- IUI Day!

Per orders, Paul and I had sex that night and the next night. The 2-week wait to wait and find out is the worst! Every little cramp, twinge, etc. sends your brain wondering! 

On October 24^th, I had some minor cramping and some pretty intensive but short lived tingling in my left boob. 

On October 26^th, I woke up and went to the bathroom and had some very minor pink spotting. That afternoon I had my progesterone labs done. I looked at the results online that evening and saw they were 3.2. With a quick google search, I quickly found out that this was NOT a good result. I was pretty disappointed but tried to tell myself to wait until the infertility clinic called the next day. I waited until around 10 A.M. and never received a call so I called them and informed them I had labs done and would like to talk to a nurse about them. They said they would leave a message. They called me back right around 2:00 P.M. and I was able to talk to them. The nurse stated that I ovulated but when I got my period would really explain a lot. I told her this was our last try. She then told me she knew that and she was very sorry. She stated that my labs were uncharacteristically low. I asked her about the progesterone suppositories I had already and she said at this point, it really wouldn’t even matter. I called Jo and started crying to her. I was absolutely devastated. I came home and cried to Paul. I sobbed so much and so hard I could not catch my breath. The way things looked, it was over for us. Jo continued to message me on and off and never lost hope. Unfortunately. I think the worst and that was no different with this situation. 

I thought our last chance was another failed attempt thanks to my lab results

Tuesday, October 27^th, the kids and I got in the car to head to school and Karley said to me “Mom remember when you laid the seat back when you tried to get a baby? Don’t you have 1 or 2 more tries?” I started crying and couldn’t help but tell the kids that we did our last try and it didn’t look like it was going to work. Bentley started crying with me and was very upset stating “I wanted a girl baby so we could name it Auntie Gloria and we could have another Auntie Gloria and Grandma Gracie could have another sister again.” It was so hard. But they were so loving and understanding. \

On Wednesday, October 28^th, I used the bathroom and again had a small amount of pink spotting. Throughout the week the kids were very sweet. Karley continuously put stickers on my belly. She never lost hope through all of it. 

My mom called me the evening of Thursday, October 29^th and I started crying to her and explained everything. She cried with me but it was a good talk. 

We were going to the cabin on the weekend and I was supposed to test on Sunday morning. The cabin has no running water or electricity so I would be testing in an outhouse via my phone flashlight… plus some of Paul’s family would be there. I decided, with Paul’s thoughts, to test Friday morning. So on October 30^th, I tested and waited. And then the digital clear blue pregnancy stated “pregnant!” To say I was shocked would be an understatement. I called Paul and told him and he was like wait… what?! I felt the same way. I messaged Jo and she was ecstatic. I asked if at this point it could be a false positive and she said no. I called the infertility clinic and let them know. They stated I tested early and were about as shocked as I was. I informed them why I tested early. The got orders for me to get labs done for my hcg and progesterone locally. I went and did them in the morning. On the way to the cabin, I had a full, uncomfortable feeling and some minor cramping. I stayed up that evening to see my results online. My HCG was 47 which meant I was for sure pregnant. My progesterone was at 19.9. I wasn’t sure what it should be at but I was very pleased to see it had risen so much. We enjoyed the weekend at the cabin. 

The very first pregnancy test I have ever taken that was positive!
(I never took one with the twins as we did a blood test instead!)

On Sunday, November 1^st, I attempted to take the 2^nd pregnancy test just because I had bought a pack of 2. But it errored out! Thankfully we already knew! 

Monday the infertility clinic with my lab results. They said that they want my progesterone to be at 15 and were pleased with my labs. They said my HCG looked good and asked me to repeat it that day. 

Monday, November 2^nd, I did my 2^nd labs for my HCG. That evening I got the results of 318 and I was pleased but panicked. We know for sure I am pregnant and things look good but with a large increase like that, I am afraid we will have multiples again. Now don’t get me wrong, I love the twins and would do multiples again in a heartbeat but the pregnancy wasn’t all that great. I can’t even imagine hospital bedrest now with 2 kids at home. Then add in covid and they wouldn’t even be allowed in the hospital so I wouldn’t get to see them! And then the NICU stay again and the rollercoaster of that. So if someone could promise me an almost full term pregnancy with no hospital bedrest and NICU stay, I would do multiples again but we all know that no one can promise that. So I am nervous! 

My mom called that evening and asked for the results of our pregnancy test and I told her. She almost didn’t believe me at first! We had a nice talk and she was happy. 

Since all our parents except for my dad knew, I called him on Tuesday, October 3^rd and let him know the news. He was very excited. 

Wednesday, October 4^th I went and my 3^rd labs for my HCG. They came back at 995 which is another large increase. But with each day that passed, I did get more excited and let myself enjoy it more. 

On Thursday October 5^th the infertility called and said my HCG numbers are increasing very nicely and look good. She said the next step was an ultrasound to check viability of the heartbeat and we would do a progesterone lab. I asked if Paul could come with as he hasn’t been allowed at an of our other appointments and she said yes; 1 healthy adult was allowed. I scheduled our 1^st ultrasound for Wednesday, November 18^th.

July 2020 IUI Update

Whelp… things happened and we put off using our last and final try. And then we decided to again and things happened and we put it off again. I feel like this last try has been hanging over us for a very long time! Just think… we bought this last try vial back in May 2013! And once I was ready to use it, Paul wasn’t so sure he wanted to anymore. He is pretty content with our 2 amazing children. They are growing up, becoming independent, and with them in school full time, Paul gets days to himself. After some long talks and thinking, we decided to proceed forward with the last and final trying knowing that whatever the outcome is, we are done. So, I did an online consultant with Dr. Whitmaak from Aurora Infertility in Green Bay where we got pregnant with the twins. He remembered us and was glad things were going well. We made a plan which was very similar to when we got pregnant with Karley and Bentley! I went and got my tests done and so did Paul. Everything came back fine except for my thyroid levels. They came back at 2.56 and they need to be at 2.5 or under for infertility purposes. I was extremely bummed. They told me they were going to increase my dosage and we could do the blood test again in a month. Unfortunately, that meant we would not be able to proceed with that cycle. The next month I had my levels checked and they came back at 3.68. I will admit… I was under a lot of stress which I know plays a factor. So, we decided to wait.

March 2018 IUI Update

I have taken the last months to focus on me. I have lost weight and feel good! Paul and I talked and with only 1 vial left, we are heading back to the infertility clinic in Green Bay where we got pregnant with Karley and Bentley. We had our consultation there and it went well. It truly was like a refresher as we know the process. The doctor wanted to kind of steer us to IVF but we won’t ever be going that route. He asked us, if this last one doesn’t work. I told him we would look into adoption. He then said that answered his question and we would proceed with an IUI. During my cycle next month I will have bloodwork and give a urine sample. Paul will also have bloodwork. Then the following month we will try for one last time to get pregnant. As we were on the way home I was doing the math and we will have a January due date if I get pregnant. I couldn’t help but laugh. Paul laughed too and said hey at this point, the next one may as well share my birthday too! Here’s to hoping the testing comes back good and we can proceed for the last try in April.

October 2017 IUI Try

Taking the month off was one of the best decisions I could have made! I felt relief and way less pressure. Because of life, we took another month off as well. We started to try again in October. I called to see if we could do a half of 25 mg of clomid cycle but they told me that wasn’t possible. The nurse asked me if we ever tried anything else besides clomid and I said no. She mentioned letrozole and we decided to try it. It essentially does the same thing as clomid but some people react differently to one over the other. She prescribed me the lowest dose of letrozole. Then we played the waiting game until I got my period which of course was a few days late! I called in on day 3 and they scheduled me for a follicular ultrasound on day 10. Usually they schedule me for day 12 and I was glad it was sooner this time! I took 2.5 mg of letrozole from days 3-7. I went in on day 10 for my follicular ultrasound and could see the screen the whole time which never happens. I had 14 follicles on my right side but they only measured 5. I had 15 follicles on my left side but they again only measured 5. It was by far the most painful ultrasound I have had! I had to wait to get the phone call from my doctor’s nurse to see how many of those follicles were truly mature. We were hoping for 3-4! The call came and the first thing the nurse said was “You have a lot of follicles again” and my heart just dropped. But then came the but…! She spoke with my doctor and I had 3 follicles measuring 12, 1 follicle measuring 13, and 1 follicle measuring 14. The goal for follicles for IUI is 16. Typically follicles grow 1 mm everyday. They said if we do the IUI in 2 days then 2 should be mature and the other 3 should not be ready yet. The IUI was scheduled for 2 days later, day 12, at 4:30 P.M. The nurse also asked me if I have ever had my estradiol levels checked which I never have. She told me she was going to ask about having them done and give me a call back. Minutes later she asked if I could go get my blood drawn today because if my levels were lower than 150 I would need to start a medication that day. I went and had my blood drawn. The twins had gymnastics that night and on the way Karley says “Mom, we have to think of a name for the baby.” I asked her what she thought we should name the baby and she replied “Gorgock.” I then asked Bentley and before he could answer Karley said “Rudolph!” Quite the names if you ask me! I had to trigger shot on day 11 at 4:30 A.M. Of course I didn’t sleep much that night and then again after the shot. I had a totally different feeling with everything this time. I was pumped and excited but of course a little nervous. I never received a phone call with my bloodwork results so I called them. They got a nurse to call me back and informed me that my estradiol levels came back at 99.2 and I needed to start the medication asap. I went and picked it up and took my first dose. I take them every 8 hours which meant, because of when I took the first one, I had to get up at 2:00 A.M. to take the other dose! Wednesday afternoon right before we left for my appointment I had some cramping going on which I am hoping and thinking was my eggs releasing! We then drove 80 minutes as a family and went through the procedure. My doctor informed me that everything went well and there was no bleeding! Usually he has a hard time with placement with me and that wasn’t the case this time. Paul and I were intimate too which we haven’t done any other time except for when I got pregnant with the twins. I have had some minor spotting, leaking, and cramping and am a little tired but otherwise I am doing fine. When I got up this morning Karley came in by me and asked “Mom, do you have a baby in your belly?” I told her I wasn’t sure yet. She then replied “Yeah… I think you do!” Then Karley went into Bentley’s room and was talking with him. All the sudden I hear Bentley praying “Dear God, thank you for giving mom a baby in her belly and letting dad go to the cabin.” Cue the tears!!! Karley even helped me take the clothes I had picked out off the hangers for me and was proud of herself for helping me! 3 days after the IUI, day 15, I woke up with cramping but it stopped after a little while. 4 days after IUI, day 16, I had some minor cramping too. I went with my neighbor, her friend, and her friend’s mom to a Bad Mom’s brunch. We met one of my daycare mommies their too. It was a blast! We had brunch, they had drinks, and we watched the movie while pigging out on popcorn. We were on the way home when one of the girls said “We should go to the mall!” So we headed to Wausau and did some shopping, had supper, and then came home. I was tired by the time we got home but it was so much fun and something we need to do more often. The Bad Moms Brunch made the news and so did we!!! J 6 days after IUI, day 18, I was seriously exhausted and had no reason to be! Getting dressed I bumped myself and realized my chest hurts! 7 days after IUI, day 19, my boobs feel heavier and fuller. I want this to happen so bad and am so hopeful this time that part of me wonders if these things are truly happening or not! That night I woke up in the middle of the night sweating. We are halfway through the 2 week wait! 8 days after the IUI, day 20, I am full of energy and feeling good. 9 days after the IUI, day 21, I have quite the headache but it was a crazy day with kids! I am ready for bed!!! 12 days after IUI, day 24, I woke up and ate. I then didn’t feel well and used the bathroom. I also have quite the headache. I had called to schedule my HCG level bloodwork but the orders weren’t in the computer. They told me they would just schedule it as soon as they saw the orders come in. I called my OB and they put them in. I called today, 11-13-17, just to make sure they scheduled it only to find out the local clinic doesn’t do it. They called the next closest clinic, 40 minutes, and told me they don’t do it either. The next option is 90 minutes away! I called the OB and they called back to find out they do the labs but need to send them out to get the results. So in just 2 days we will be driving 40 minutes for my HCG levels bloodwork to determine if I am pregnant or not! I am full of lots of different emotions. 13 days after IUI, day 25, I started feeling period like cramps in the evening. Early the next morning I was woken up from cramps. 14 days after IUI, day 26, I got Karley and I ready to leave for our bloodwork. I was a mess of stress which caused a fight between Paul and I right before we left. I cried majority of the 40 minute drive to the clinic. Karley went first and was a trooper again. It seriously brings tears to my eyes watching her get her blood taken as she doesn’t cry… heck she doesn’t even flinch! Then it was my turn. They informed me that the courier doesn’t come until 5 P.M. so I wouldn’t know my results until the next day. Hey I have waited 14 days to find out, why not wait another?! I honestly feel like it is going to be another negative but I truly hope I am wrong! I took Karley to Dunkin Donuts and we each got a donut and shared a non coffee drink. I tried calling the OB office before we left for our music class to get the results but all receptionists were busy. They called me as we were walking in to music class and I missed it. I stepped out to call them back and the nurse was with a patient so they would call me back. They called around 10:40 A.M. and the nurse said “So do you know?” and I told her I didn’t. She informed me it came back negative. I went into the bathroom to cry and freshen up as I had to go back to music class. My neighbor was there too and as soon as I walked in you could tell and she hugged me and I lost it again. I sat by the wall and cried but tried to pull myself together. Karley came and sat in my lap and hugged me. I was able to make it through the rest of the music class but it was tough. There was a brand new 2 week old baby there that Karley and Bentley were smitten with and a pregnant mom. Of course I am happy for them but it hurts…. I want that SOOOOO bad! I told Karley and Bentley on the way home that I didn’t have a baby in my belly. They of course asked me why and Bentley told me to try again. I had to text Paul to tell him as he is at the cabin with little to no service. Once he texted me back I cried again. I am upset, mad, scared, worried, angry, and so many more emotions. We have ONE more vial left of our donor. That means we can try only ONE more time. The rest of the day I was kind of numb. My neighbor came and took Karley and Bentley so I could have some time. I had one daycare kiddo left and his mom came and chatted with me for quite some time. She is an amazing lady who truly gets infertility!!! I went to my neighbors to find out she took my kids to Wal-Mart and let them put together a gift bag with items for me. I honestly was overwhelmed. Karley and Bentley have been through every step of this with us and to have her think about this, go out of her way, and include them was so meaningful. They were so excited to give it to me and tell me all about it and which things they picked out. I was able to call and actually talk with Paul and that helped me a ton. We are going to take a few months off, enjoy the holidays, and I am going to go back to focusing on me!

Gift I received