Playing Catchup

For those who are following my blog in real-time, you know that I haven't posted in a while.  I want to apologize, especially to M & S's families because I know this blog is a way to stay connected through the distance.

As most of you know, things have been a little bumpy lately.  On March 20th, at 9 weeks, 2 days pregnant, we had our follow up ultrasound to check on the little nuggets.  Well, things didn't go quite as planned.  I knew right from the instant the scan started that something was wrong.  The first sight I saw on the screen was a big empty sac and my heart immediately sunk.  The doctor quickly moved to the next baby without really saying anything and I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw a squiggly little baby but I couldn't help but worry about the first one.  The scan determined that the first baby we looked at had passed away at about 8 weeks gestation.

I didn't really know what to feel as the doctor continued the ultrasound.  M & S were Skyped in so they were watching everything that was happening and all I wanted to do was hug them at that point.  I couldn't see their reaction or how they were doing because of where the tablet was.  Rushes of guilt and sadness started washing over me.  Was it something I did?  But when the doctor was measuring the living baby and I saw it's arms and legs moving around and heart beating strong, I felt a little peace.

It took me some time to really process everything.  My heart was broken for M & S.  They dreamed of having twins.  We weren't able to talk much after the ultrasound but we did Skype the next morning.  It was hard for me to see the tears in their eyes.  Usually our skype sessions are so light-hearted but this one was different.  I am completely blown away by the strength and optimism that these two people have.  Even with the bad news, they were concerned about how I was doing.  They were ready to morn the loss of their baby and celebrate the life of the one that's still growing.

It's been a few weeks since we found out and I think we have all moved on to the excitement of the baby inside.  M & S have told me a number of times that just having a child at all is a miracle for them.  I'm so honored and so happy to be able to help bring them their miracle.

Another reason for my delay in posting is that I just felt like crap.  There were a couple weeks where I didn't feel like facing the world at all.  Now things are much, much better.  I still have off days but 99% of the time I feel great.  My energy is coming back, I no longer feel like I have to eat constantly, I'm not feeling sick, and my mood is much better.  I am completely done with shots now (YAY!) and today is my last day of suppositories (Double YAY!).  It will be nice to move on to a normal pregnancy with no medications!

I stopped the PIO injections march 27th (10 weeks, 2 days pregnant) and the Delestrogen on March 30th.  Since stopping the medication I've felt a relief in my symptoms.  It may just be a coincidence but things seemed to be much better quickly after stopping them.  I don't know if this was related to the medication or not, but for some reason I had a really hard time looking at any type of screen for a long period of time.  My eyes would start to ache and I would get this burning type headache if I looked at my phone or a computer or a T.V. for more than 15 minutes or so.  Luckily that has gotten much better as well.

So I've been released from the fertility clinic and will see a regular OB on the 16th.  I'm using a different hospital and provider than I did with my children so it will be neat to see how it goes.  I do have some anxiety about this upcoming appointment.  I have no idea what I would do if we received bad news at this one, too, but I'm trying my best to stay positive.  I wish I was far enough along to feel the baby move so i had some reassurance throughout the day that the little bean is doing alright in there.  M & S both have their opinions on what the gender of the baby is and so do I but I don't want to jinx anything.  I'm hoping to get a sneak peak at this next appointment, even though it will be really early for determining gender.

M & S are going to be in town at the end of the month and I really can't wait to see them!  They will e spending 5 days here so we should get some good quality time in.

Thank you to those who have been so supportive throughout this journey and for those who have supported M & S.  This has been such a crazy ride and I know the best is yet to come. <3

P.S- I promise I will be better about updating the blog :)

7 Weeks Pregnant: One Fish, Two Fish

Yep, you read that right! There are TWO babies in my belly!

Symptoms:
I'm still definitely bloated but I swear my belly is getting bigger already.

Napping is still a daily must.  Luckily I have an amazing husband who lets me get a nap in every day, even if it's just 30 minutes.

I get this weird sick feeling my first trimester that I don't know how to explain.  I'm not nauseous, but I just feel... off.  I feel groggy and my head gets this strange sick feeling.  The only time I've ever felt this way is during my first trimester of pregnancy.  It's quite strange and not very enjoyable.  This feeling has really started kicking in the last couple days but I've found that eating almost constantly and staying hydrated really helps to ward it off.

My acne seems to be dying down a bit, which is awesome.

I am eating just about all day. Like I mentioned before, I start to feel yucky when my stomach empties (which seems to happen fairly quickly).  I'm trying really hard to munch on healthy snacks but I've had a major junk tooth lately.  I know I can tame the beast, though.

I've never thrown up for pregnancy related reasons.  I got the stomach flu during my first trimester my last pregnancy, which was horrible, but I've never had "morning" sickness.  Well, last night I woke up around midnight feeling queasy.  I laid there for a while thinking "man, am I going to throw up?" as the nausea built.  I ended up running to the bathroom and throwing up.  It was the most gentle puke session I've ever had, though haha and I immediately felt better.  I have no idea if that was pregnancy related or maybe I ate something bad but I guess we'll wait and see if it happens again.

Cravings:
My usual first trimester carb cravings have set in.  I swear I lived off mashed potatoes and gravy for three weeks my last pregnancy. Mmmmm that sounds really good right now haha.  I haven't really had any cravings lately, but just the sight of food makes my mouth water.  It's like I'm a bottomless pit.

Workouts:
I've had a rough time, again, making it into the gym this week.  I just feel so crappy during the day.  I feel great in the morning, yucky in the afternoon, then good again after I nap.  Usually I go to the gym during the time I've been feeling bad so hopefully it passes soon or I can start going at different times.

Pants:
Hair ties are still attached to all pants I own and I don't see them coming off any time soon.

Medication:
After my appointment on Monday, I was able to drop my PIO dose down to 0.5 ml/night!  Woo hoo! I'm barely sore after injections now but I am still trying to work out some lingering lumps.

Ultrasound Results: TWINS!
As I said before, the ultrasound showed TWO healthy little babies in there!  I was COMPLETELY shocked.  I was 100% convinced there was just one baby in there.  Sometimes BETA levels can point towards singleton or twins by how high they are and how fast they double.  Well, my levels totally looked like singleton levels.  They were doubling at a normal rate and the numbers weren't super high at all.  I guess I'm proof that BETA levels aren't always indicative of the number of babies!

The ultrasound was so awesome to do while M & S skyped.  They got to see the babies and hear their heartbeats, which I'm so happy about.  As soon as the screen popped up I immediately saw who sacs and screamed "NO WAY!" in shock and disbelief followed by "What is that?!". Haha the doctor was like.. "That's two babies!".  I wish I could have seem M & S's reaction but the screen was out of my view.  I could hear them saying "Oh, yes!" and "Woo!".  I can't even begin to explain how happy I am for them.  I started crying happy tears laying there watching these two beings inside me.  We all know that things are still early and anything can happen but right now we are all so happy and excited.

After the initial shock wore off (I couldn't stop giggling for about 5 hours after I left the clinic) I begin to realize that I'm pregnant with TWINS.  There are a lot more complications that can arise from twin pregnancies and I'll admit that I'm having to process that out.  I just really don't want anything to happen to these sweet babies.  I know that preterm labor is much more common with multiples but I really trust that my body can cook these babies to at least 38 weeks and to great birth weights.  I've been thinking about the labor and delivery aspect of twins.  I really want to avoid a c-section.  I'm going to search long and hard for an excellent OB who is supportive of vaginal twin deliveries.  I have been given some great recommendations so I'll be setting up appointments soon.

I am a bit intimidated knowing that there are twins in there but I really have a great trust and love for my body.  I'm confident I will rock this pregnancy and everything will work out perfectly.

Upcoming Appointments:
We have another ultrasound on Friday March 20th to check the growth of the babies and, if everything looks great, I'll be released from ORM shortly after that.  Which means NO MORE MEDS.  That will be wonderful :)

In the next day or so, I'll make an appointment to be seem by an OB.

Overall:
I'm working through some anxiety over the delivery of twins but I know I have a long time and I will have the best birth team with me.  Mostly, I am just SO excited for M & S.  You could just see the joy beaming through that screen during the ultrasound.  I'm beyond honored to be a part of this journey to giving them babies.

___________________________________

Medication:

Days on Prenatal Vitamins: 113
Baby aspirin: 68

Delestrogen Injections: 14

PIO Injections: 38

Doxycycline: 32 (first round finished 1/7, second round finished 2/2)

Medrol: 7 (finished 2/2)

Active Birth Control Pills: 46 (finished 1/2)

Lupron injections: 29 (finished 1/29)

Procedures:

Acupuncture Sessions: 10
Vials of Blood Drawn: 19
Embryo Transfer: 1
Vaginal Exams: 2
SIS: 1
Mock Transfer: 1
Internal Ultrasound: 3

Weight:
4 weeks- 164.2 

5 weeks- 165.4

6 weeks- 166.6

7 weeks- 167.2

6 Weeks Pregnant: Vertigooooo

Today I'm 6 weeks, 5 days pregnant and we have our first ultrasound today! Ahhh! 

Symptoms: 

I'm still super tired and bloated (as the above picture shows) but my if fest complaint right now is vertigo! I am sooo dizzy sometimes I feel like I can't function. I've also been getting hungry really frequently and start to feel queezy if I don't eat every 3 hours or so. My bedtime is stil getting earlier and earlier and I'm still needing naps midday. I wake up with a new zit on my face every day but my nails are growing super fast so that's a plus! 

Cravings:

I've only had one craving so far and that was for Wendy's chicken nuggets haha 

I've had a lot of food adversions lately. There were a couple days where anything cooked or greasy sounded absolutely disgusting so I lived off cold/raw food. 

Workouts: 

This past week was not that great in the workout realm. But it's a new week and I'm going to kick some ass! 

Pants:

My jeans are still too tight to button, well, I could but I'd have a giant muffin top and it would be really uncomfortable. 

Medication:

Meds have been going pretty well. I need to stop waiting until right before bed time to do my shots, though. I get so grumpy and exhausted in the evening which gives me a bad attitude towards the shots. I need to do them before my tiredness sets in. 

Today's the Day! 

In just a few hours we will be doing our firs ultrasound to take a look at that's growing in there! The guys are sooo excited and I'm very happy that we're able to Skype during the ultrasound. I have a gut feeling on how many babies are growing in there and I'll be very shocked if it's different but we'll find out soon! 

Overall:

I'm feeling more and more pregnant each day. 

___________________________________

Medication:

Days on Prenatal Vitamins: 109
Baby aspirin: 64

Delestrogen Injections: 13

PIO Injections: 34

Doxycycline: 32 (first round finished 1/7, second round finished 2/2)

Medrol: 7 (finished 2/2)

Active Birth Control Pills: 46 (finished 1/2)

Lupron injections: 29 (finished 1/29)

Procedures:

Acupuncture Sessions: 10
Vials of Blood Drawn: 18
Embryo Transfer: 1
Vaginal Exams: 2
SIS: 1
Mock Transfer: 1
Internal Ultrasound: 2

Weight:
4 weeks- 164.2 

5 weeks- 165.4

6 weeks- 166.6

5 Weeks Pregnant: So sleepy!

I'm super excited to start making weekly updates on the pregnancy! Even though I won't have a real baby bump for quite some time, I think it's still fun to document the changes my body will endure. I promise my bump pictures won't always be in selfies in front of a dirty mirror haha 

Symptoms:

I am SO tired.  I have to nap at least once a day and sometimes I need a couple quick cat naps in between.  I feel like a walking zombie.  This is pretty typical of my early pregnancies, though.

I am pretty bloated and just overall puffy.  I can tell I'm retaining a lot of water, which could be because of the medication, but I'm usually really bloated until 9-10 weeks anyways.  

My face is breaking out like crazy.  It's quite annoying.  I don't start to "glow" until well into the second trimester.  Until then, I look like a teenage boy. 

Cravings:

None yet.

Work Outs:

I've been able to make it to the gym 4-5 times a week still.  I have several girls that I go to yoga with a couple times a week, which helps me stay accountable.  It's getting harder to force myself into the gym each day because of my exhaustion but every time, without fail, I feel so much better and have a boost of energy afterwards.  

Pants:

I'm already not fitting comfortably into my jeans and even had to bust out the ole hairband trick yesterday.  I found myself getting discouraged but had to quickly remind myself that it's just the bloating from the medication and early pregnancy.  Hopefully I can go a lot longer without having to pull my maternity pants out of the closet! 

A Little Scare:

I had a little incident of bleeding over the weekend.  After I went to the restroom and inserted my suppository, I had some pink discharge followed by some cramping.  I wasn't too concerned about it because, apparently, it's very common for bleeding to occur in IVF pregnancies, for whatever reason.  I didn't have any additional bleeding and the cramping was minor and only lasted a little while so I think it was some sort of fluke.  I may have irritated my cervix when inserting the suppository or something.  I made sure to take it easy the rest of that day, though.  

Overall:

Other than being sick with a hellish cold the past week, I'm feeling really good.  The exhaustion is getting a little rough and I know it's only going to get worse in the next couple weeks but I'm feeling positive and happy.  When I have energy, I often forget that I'm pregnant because I feel so good.  I'm super relieved that the shots are MUCH more manageable and way less painful. 

Upcoming Appointments:

We have the long awaited ultrasound next Monday, 3/2.  Everyone is very anxious and excited!  We'll finally get to see how many babies are cooking in there and hopefully see the heartbeats.  I'll be 6 weeks, 5 days pregnant at the point so we should be able to.  

___________________________________

Medication:

Days on Prenatal Vitamins: 102
Baby aspirin: 57

Delestrogen Injections: 11

PIO Injections: 27

Doxycycline: 32 (first round finished 1/7, second round finished 2/2)

Medrol: 7 (finished 2/2)

Active Birth Control Pills: 46 (finished 1/2)

Lupron injections: 29 (finished 1/29)

Procedures:

Acupuncture Sessions: 10
Vials of Blood Drawn: 18
Embryo Transfer: 1
Vaginal Exams: 2
SIS: 1
Mock Transfer: 1
Internal Ultrasound: 2

Weight:
4 weeks- 164.2 

5 weeks- 165.4

Weeks 7&8 of Medication

I've fallen a little behind on the updates so I'm going to catch up real quick.

Weeks 7& 8: Relief! 

As I mentioned previously, I had my second BETA, which looked good, so I was able to decrease my PIO dosage from 2ml/day to 1ml/day.  What. A. Difference.  My bum is so happy!  It's actually able to heal up a bit before having to inject it again, besides the days I have to do two injections.  I've also been a lot better about moving around for 20-30 minutes after injecting which I think has really helped to disperse the medication and prevent knots. I'm so happy to have some relief because I was starting to dread the rest of the process if it was going to be that intense the whole time.

I went in for a third BETA on Monday. 2/16 (14dp5dt) to make sure things were still progressing properly and my BETA was up to 598. Perfect! We were hoping for something in the 500's and that's what we got.

 Just a little recap on my BETAs: 9dp5dt- 102.6, 11dp5dt- 195.5, 14dp5dt- 598.

After the third BETA, we scheduled our first ultrasound for March 2nd!  This is to confirm pregnancy and see how many little beans are growing in there.  We all can't wait!  M & S will be able to skype in for the ultrasound so that will be a special experience.  I wish they could actually be there but skyping is better than nothing!

I started Progesterone Suppositories twice a day on the 12th, which started out not too bad but has become pretty gross.  When I first received my medications, I was only given a week supply of the suppositories so I had a new shipment of medication sent to me (I was running low on other medications as well) and the new shipment came with a different type of suppository.

The first kind I got was a pretty large, uncased pill that I inserted with a little plastic device, similar to a tampon.  These ones weren't super gross like I heard they would be.  I had a little bit of leaking for 1-2 hours after inserting but that was about it.  Not bad at all.  Well, the new suppositories are capsules that I insert with my finger and they are GROSS.  I won't get into specific details but I'll just leave you with one word; cottage cheese. >.< Needless to say, I may ask if I can get the other kind back the next time I go in haha

My medication will pretty much stay the same until we start weaning in about 6 weeks.  Here's what it's at right now:

Daily:

• 1ml PIO injection
• Prenatal Vitamins
• Baby Aspirin
• Vaginal Suppositories 2x a day

Monday & Friday:

• 0.3 ml Delestrogen injections

At the ultrasound on 3/2 I'll get more blood work done to check my Estrogen and Progesterone levels. Depending on those results, my medication may be tweaked a bit.  

Things have been going pretty great lately.  I think this will be the last update on medication as I will be doing weekly pregnancy posts.  I'll just include the medication in those posts.  

I'm so excited that everything is going so smoothly and I can't wait for the ultrasound!

<3

___________________________________

Medication:

Days on Prenatal Vitamins: 102
Baby aspirin: 57

Delestrogen Injections: 11

PIO Injections: 27

Doxycycline: 32 (first round finished 1/7, second round finished 2/2)

Medrol: 7 (finished 2/2)

Active Birth Control Pills: 46 (finished 1/2)

Lupron injections: 29 (finished 1/29)

Procedures:

Acupuncture Sessions: 10
Vials of Blood Drawn: 18
Embryo Transfer: 1
Vaginal Exams: 2
SIS: 1
Mock Transfer: 1
Internal Ultrasound: 2

Weight:

Start of medication: 162.6

1 week of Meds: 163.4

2 weeks of Meds: 159.2

3 weeks of Meds: 161.6

4 weeks of Meds: 163.6 

5 weeks of Meds: 161.4
6 weeks of Meds: 163.4 

7 weeks of Meds: 164.6 (4 weeks, 4 days pregnant)

8 weeks of Meds: 165.4 (5 weeks, 4 days pregnant)

Total weight gain from start of medication to pregnancy: 0.8 lbs.

         

There's something growing in there...

I've been given the "go-ahead" from M & S to announce that WE ARE PREGNANT! HOOORRAYYYYY! Here's how everything went down :) 

As I talked about in my previous post, I took a test (3 actually) on Saturday morning, 4.75 days after the transfer, while we all skyped. I was taking the tests when the call was made (Mark answered) and I brought them out with me when I was done, without looking. We all chatted for 5-10 minutes and then I just HAD to look at them. I was happy to announce that all three tests were POSITIVE! Very faint, but positive. :) That was a really special moment to see M & S find out the news. Of course we all understood that it was very early and the test could be negative. Also, that even if it was positive, things could still happen. The guys couldn't see the double lines on the test through our skype session because the lines were so faint (or the camera quality bad) so I took pictures to send to them. 

Quite the squinter, eh? Super light, but definitely there. 

Being the POAS-aholic (pee-on-a-stick-aholic) that I am, I continued taking tests to see the second line darken. This indicates an increase in HCG (pregnancy hormone) which indicates a healthy pregnancy. Here are more of the tests I took.

The Mumba Jumba written on the tests stands for "# days past 5 day transfer". A "5 day transfer" means that the eggs were able to develope for 5 days before being transferred. 

It was fun to send them a new pregnancy test photo in the mornings! 

Last Wednesday, 2/11, I went in for my first blood pregnancy test, called a BETA test, at 9dp5dt. It detects the amount of HCG in my bloodstream and puts a numerical value to it. The clinic wants to see anything above 50 and mine was a 102.6! Pretty good number if you ask me! 

I went in again on Friday, 2/13, for a second beta to make sure my HCG levels are rising correctly. In a healthy pregnancy, HCG levels should double every 48-72 hours at this point in the pregnancy. My second beta, at 11dp5dt, was right on track at 195.5. So far so good! 

Man, to finally have reassurance that this process worked/is working and to be able to tell M & S that everything us going perfectly so far is just... Ahhhhh indescribable. I can't believe I'm doing this. I'm actually on track to help another couple have a family. This all is just so amazing. God really is good. 

I go in tomorrow morning for a 3rd and final beta and then we will schedule an ultrasound to see how many little ones decided to stick around. I'm so excited to find out! 

So right now I'm 4 weeks, 5 days pregnant! I am so excited for M & S! And their families, too! They are all so deserving of this. I'm going to do my best to keep whatever is growing in there safe. We all know that it is still very early in the pregnancy and anything can happen but I'm feeling very hopeful. I think sighs of relief will be had after the ultrasound, assuming everything goes well. :) 

I want to thank everyone who has been so supportive of this adventure. Although there are people who have expressed negative feelings about this, for the most part all of you have been so sweet and so encouraging. I especially couldn't do this without my lovely husband, Mark. He is taking on a lot by allowing me to pursue my dream of being a surrogate. I don't know how to thank him enough. <3 

Four weeks pregnant! (Nothing to show but bloat and flub ;)) 

<3

Week 6 of Medication: The Dreaded Wait

Last Week: I'm late getting this out but this past week has been very emotional, to say the least.  The medication has been getting to me and the unknown of the transfer has been rough.

As you know, I had my embryo transfer last Monday followed by two days of bed rest.  Everything went really well with that, as my previous post explains, but once I was off bed rest I started to really stress about everything.  I so desperately wanted it to work.  We planned to take a pregnancy test on Saturday as we Skyped with the guys so we could all find out at the same time, which I was so excited about.  Saturday morning would be almost 5 days past the transfer and women usually get their earliest positive home pregnancy test results around 5-7 days past transfer- so we would be testing a little early.  The time between Wednesday and Saturday was close to mental torture.  I began stressing about everything; running every scenario through my head.

Did I do everything correctly?  Am I placing the injection in the right place?  Is it actually getting down into the muscle?  What was that twinge?  Oh god, I'm crampy... Wait, that's a good thing.  But what if it's not?  What if it doesn't work?  Are the guys going to blame me?  Will they hate me?  How will I feel?  Was that a flutter?  Why am I peeing so often?  I'm bloated... Is that because of the meds or could that be a pregnancy sign? Mark, come over here and feel this area to make sure it's good for the injection.  What will I say if the pregnancy test is negative during our skype?  Is Saturday too early to test?  Oh god, maybe we shouldn't do it Saturday.  Maybe we should wait.  If it's negative on Saturday, will it be positive on Sunday?  How will everyone look at me if this doesn't work?  I've been so open about this process, should I have been more reserved?  Will I be supported or seen as a failure?  Well, this girl who transferred the same day as me already has a faint positive test, should I test before Saturday? FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, PLEASE WORK!

My mind. wouldn't. stop. Mark had to pull me down from my stress cloud several times during that period.  I just wanted to know.  I just wanted my body to work and these babies to stick.  For everyone involved.  I've been through the "two week wait" before with my own children but this was way more stressful.  I had people counting on me.  All I could do was take care of myself the best I could and pray.  Lots of prayer.  I prayed that whatever the outcome, it would be God's will.  I prayed that He would lead me down the path he wants me to follow.  That He wouldn't allow anything to happen that he didn't approve of.  I prayed for M & S, that they would have peace during this wait and that they would accept the outcome, whatever it may be.  I prayed for peace.

I'll discuss the outcome of the Saturday test and tests after in another post.  I just had my blood test (called a BETA test) with ORM done two hours ago and we are waiting for the official results.  I don't know when M & S will be comfortable with me posting the outcome on the blog but I want to give them time to process everything and tell their family and friends before I say anything on here. If any of my friends/family would like to know what's going on, you can reach me privately, otherwise, I'll update when I can.

Besides the mental turmoil, the injections have also been getting a little rough.  I had a couple day period where I couldn't figure out which side to inject because both were so sore.  I will admit, these injections aren't that fun.  It's not the shot itself that is difficult, it's the soreness/lumps after.  If I am indeed pregnant, I will be able to reduce my dose of PIO from 2ml/day to 1ml/day after my second blood test on Friday, which should help tremendously.  Every time I start to complain about the injections, I have to remind myself that this is SO MINOR in comparison to what we are trying to do here.  Giving a deserving couple a baby/ies is totally worth all the pain.

Right now I feel pretty good.  With the home tests we've done, I have a pretty good idea if it worked or not.  Of course, there could always be a surprise with the blood test but I'm pretty certain I know.  It's nice to know.  I feel relieved.  Now I know what to do to prepare myself for the future and keep myself as healthy as possible.

Next Week: Or this week, rather, since we're already half way through it lol.

If today's BETA test come back positive, I will start Micronized Progesterone Suppositories twice a day.  These are vaginal suppositories that is just another way of putting progesterone in my body, decreasing my chance of miscarriage.  I've heard horror stories about these little boogers so stay tuned to hear how gross they may or may not be Haha.

If today's BETA is positive and Friday's BETA looks good, I'll decrease my PIO down to 1ml/day, which would be AMAZING.  Right now I feel like my bum doesn't have a chance to heal up in time for the next shot so hopefully decreasing the amount will help with everything healing in time.

Of course I'm still taking my prenatals and aspirin every day.

I've been making sure to go to the gym regularly, not only to keep my body healthy, but to keep my mind healthy as well.  I feel so much better when I'm exercising.  I'm going to keep tabs on my workouts for the week as we continue the process.  If I'm pregnant, especially if it's twins, I want to continue working out as much as my body can handle because everyone will benefit.

I've been doing a lot of research on healthy pregnancies and have found some really great, interesting stuff on the direct influence a woman's health has on the baby she's carrying.  If you are a woman who is or will ever be pregnant (or if you are just interested in sciency stuff), I highly suggest researching Epigenetics.  Origins by Annie Murphy Paul is a GREAT place to start.  Research is finding more and more evidence that links our lifetime health to the environment we are exposed to in the womb.  Things like heart disease, obesity, temperament, allergies, diabetes, anxiety, stress capacity, and so much more can be linked to the health of the mother, both physical and mental, during pregnancy.  If there is any time in your life that you are going to be healthy, please let be when you are trying to conceive and throughout your pregnancy. Anyways.. I could go on about this stuff forever.  That's just the doula in me.  If anyone has any questions or would like more resources on Epigenetics or maintaining a healthy pregnancy, please let me know and I'd be happy to help point you in the right direction.

Finger crossed for a good result on today's BETA.

<3

___________________________________

Medication:

Days on Prenatal Vitamins: 90
Baby aspirin: 45

Delestrogen Injections: 8

PIO Injections: 16

Doxycycline: 32 (first round finished 1/7, second round finished 2/2)

Medrol: 7 (finished 2/2)

Active Birth Control Pills: 46 (finished 1/2)

Lupron injections: 29 (finished 1/29)

Procedures:

Acupuncture Sessions: 10
Vials of Blood Drawn: 16
Embryo Transfer: 1
Vaginal Exams: 2
SIS: 1
Mock Transfer: 1
Internal Ultrasound: 2

Weight:

Start of medication: 162.6

1 week of Meds: 163.4

2 weeks of Meds: 159.2

3 weeks of Meds: 161.6

4 weeks of Meds: 163.6 

5 weeks of Meds: 161.4
6 weeks of meds: 163.4