Our FET Story

Our first, and let's hope only FET is complete!  The transfer took place on Monday at noon.  We had a normal morning and drive to Charleston.  I made a mistake and took both of the Doxycycline pills at breakfast.  I was supposed to take one with breakfast and one with dinner.  I took the Valium one hour before the transfer.  I had just finished my 32 ounces of water before we arrived.  The nurse took some blood work and then we met with our RE.  He told us that our two frozen embryos survived the unfreezing process perfectly.  He said they both looked great.  He even showed us their "placenta parts".  We couldn't really see what he was talking about but whatever, we were still excited!

Josh and I got dressed in our space suits (as Josh calls them) and we headed to the transfer room.  The nurse got us all set up.  She checked my bladder to make sure it was full.  Apparently they can see your uterus on an ultrasound better if you have a full bladder.  The nurse told us that she had a beautiful picture of my uterus because my bladder was very full.  So we waited for the doctor to come in and oh my goodness, he never came in.  Now remember I had to drink 32 ounces right before we arrived.  I could no longer hold it.  And how are you supposed to hold it with your legs in stirrups?!?!  I told Josh that he had to go find the nurse.  The nurse gave me a cup and told me to fill up the whole cup.  Of course I only filled half the cup because I didn't want to risk anything.  That provided some relief!  So we got all set up again and we waited.  Well of course he didn't come in so I told Josh that he had to go find the nurse again or I was going to run to the bathroom without a cup.  She came back and told me to do the same thing.  I just filled half a cup!  So back to the room again, and our RE finally arrives.  He apologized but I could careless what anyone was saying at that point because I was dying to go to the bathroom.  I tried to relax.  I don't remember having to go so badly last time.  It was pretty painful and definitely not something I ever want to go through again.  I felt like everyone was working so slow.  When our RE told the embryologist he was ready for the embryos I thought he was never going to come in with them.  I almost said "HURRY UP!"  Our RE told me that I was 3 to 5 minutes away from a bed pan when he called for the embryologist.  Finally (after months and months of waiting) our two perfect embryos were placed inside of me.  We watched with excitement (and for me, with pain too). 

Josh in his space suit!

Please excuse this picture -- no make up and awful glasses (that's another post)!

The white spots in the center are the fluids that contain the embryos!

I was finally able to relax!  We said a prayer and then we talked about how amazing it is that there are two embryos inside of me.  Everything about those little ones has already been determined.  It's just amazing and we can't wait to see what our future holds.

Josh made me another bed in the back of Murano like two years ago.  He calls it the "Murambulance".  He's too good for me!  He keeps me laughing during stressful times.  I love him to pieces.  I can't imagine going through this experience without him.

 Chilling in the back of the Murambulance!

Frostbite in June

So I was determined to make my shot painless this morning.  I took one of Stella's boo boo ice packs and placed it under the waist line of my shorts.  I left it there for 20 minutes, and actually kinda forgot about it.  I took the ice pack off right before Josh gave me the shot.  We both died laughing because my skin was hard, like you could knock on it.  LOL!  He gave me the shot and for the first time ever I didn't feel a thing.  I was like, YAY, the ice pack worked.

Well, this afternoon I noticed that the injection spot was itching, like really bad.  So I felt and it felt hot and puffy.  OMG!  I have a perfect, bright red, puffy rectangle on my upper back side!!!  It looks scary because I don't have a tan this summer.  So it's really stands out.  I freaked out and started googling ice pack burns, and here's what I found...

"Burns to the skin are usually associated with heat, but severe cold can damage your skin in a similar way. If you have ever used an ice pack to treat muscle strains or sprains, avoid direct exposure of the ice pack on your skin. The freezing temperatures of a cold pack directly on your skin can produce localized areas of tissue damage called ice pack burn, or frostbite. Prevent ice pack burns by placing a towel or cloth between your skin and the ice pack

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/122286-treatments-ice-pack-burn/#ixzz1QFCexkwU

Crazy, huh?  So don't ever make the mistake I made this morning.  LOL!

PIO Shots HURT!

I've never had a problem with any of the shots I've taken for fertility treatments.  They have never really hurt.  But OMG, PIO shots hurt!  I'm reminded of them every minute of every day because I'm sooo sore...like seriously sore!  I feel it when I bend down, sit down, walk up stairs and sometimes when I just walk.  We've done the ice thing and that definately helps with the needle, but what helps with the soreness?

Not only does the soreness remind me of the PIO shots, but it also reminds me of what we have to do to get pregnant.  It's just not fair!

Transfer Date

Josh and I went to Charleston for our monitoring appointment this morning.  The ultrasound was first.  My lining was 9.3!  The ultrasound tech said that was just perfect.  When I saw and heard the good news, my fears went away and hope rushed in.  My blood work was next and then we met with our favorite nurse.  She talked to the doctor and set the date and time for our transfer: Monday, June 27th at noon!  We are so excited.  It feels SO good to actually think I could be pregnant soon. 

My Mom is coming down to take care of Stella.  We are so lucky!  Stella is lucky too.  She loves her Granna. 

So this time next week I will be 2 days past a 5 day transfer.  I got my first BFP with Stella at 4 days past a 5 day transfer.  Say a prayer!

Oh and guess what?  I started my PIO shots tonight.  Josh and I were nervous wrecks.  I'm not sure why because we've done many shots together in the past.  But it's been awhile...two years!  After about an hour of reviewing instructions, debating and watching youtube videos on PIO injections, we did it!  It didn't hurt that bad.  It's a little sore.  I'll take two shots a day until the transfer.  Then I'll take one shot in the morning and a suppository at night until I'm 9 weeks pregnant!  Crazy, huh?  I didn't have to take PIO shots with Stella.  I just did the suppositories.  Whatever!  I can handle it because it's worth it.

Please send congrats to Erin at Hoping for our own Peanut!  She just got two BFPs tonight.  I am SO excited for her.  We've been in touch lately because we are both doing FETs this month.  We conceived our first babes through IVF in 2009.  She has given me hope!

Correct Protocol

I deleted that last post because I so had my escalating Estrace protocol messed up.  Here's the correct version (if you are going through a FET and are interested):

CD 1 through 4 - Estrace 1 mg in AM and PM
CD 5 through 9 - Estrace 2 mg in AM and PM
CD 10 through 12 - Estrace 2 mg in AM, mid day and PM

I'm on CD 10 and these days are going by so slow.  I'm ready for Wednesday's monitoring appointment.  I'm also getting really nervous because omg, what if it doesn't work?

BTW I'll be 27 tomorrow!!!  Crazy!!!

Stella's First Birthday Party

I want to share a few pictures from Stella's first birthday party.  I love getting party ideas from Mommies that blog.  We did a barn yard/farm animal theme.  Josh was really excited about the idea when I first mentioned it to him.  So that's one reason we went with it.  I thought it would be fun for girls and boys. 

The party was everything we wanted for Stella.  It was fun celebrating her first year with our friends and family.  I am already looking forward to her second birthday party.

"The finish is a masterpiece!"

Yay!  I made it through three weeks of bc pills.  The weeks went by quickly which was nice.  Now we must wait for me to start a new cycle.  Hopefully a cycle that gives us another child and gives Stella a sibling!

Josh and I had all the papers signed, notarized and sent in last week.  We made the big payment this morning.  Ugh!  So let's just hope all goes as planned.  It does make me sick to my stomach to think about that amount of money going down the drain if we do not get pregnant.  But like Josh reminded me, "Yes, it sucks but this is way the have to do it.  The finish is a masterpiece!"

Josh and I celebrated our five year anniversary last Friday night.  It was special.  We went out to dinner at Carrabbas.  We ended our night with a walk on the beach.  I love Josh so very much!  I couldn't have a better husband and best friend.  We've been through a lot together and it's only made us stronger and more in love with each other.  We are blessed.

Baby in a Box, Again!

My box of meds arrived for baby number two yesterday!  When Josh walked in with the package, I thought, what's in that box?  I haven't ordered anything.  So we opened it up to find all this fun stuff:

It's amazing how different this journey has been compared to our first IVF experience.  Two years ago I would have known exactly when that package was supposed to arrive and what it supposed to look like.  It's nice having a more relaxing experience this time around.  My life with Stella keeps me so busy that I do not have time to worry, plan everything just perfectly, etc.

So in the box, I found a million of these needles:

Scary but whatever, I can handle it.  They are for the progesterone in oil shots.  I didn't have to take those with Stella.  I just took the suppositories.  But the suppositories are in there too.  So I guess I'm taking both this time? 

Hysteroscopy News

My hysteroscopy was last Wednesday.  It was a breeze!  I was terrified of the procedure after reading horror stories online.  The night before my hysteroscopy I woke up at 2 and couldn't go back to sleep.  I was shaking on the table before the doctor came in.  But once again, my RE was right...no pain. Seriously!  I just had a few very mild cramps.  The procedure took less than a minute.  So if you have to get a hysteroscopy with no pain meds or numbing meds, don't worry!  Especially if Dr. Sc.nor.r at South.easte.rn Fer.tilit.y Cent.er in Charleston, SC does your procedure.  I did feel a little faint afterwards but I'm sure it was from being so worked up.  It's also not a good idea to look at the instruments they use.  Scary!

Oh and the most important part, my uterus looked perfect.  He said it was in A+ condition.  It was neat to see pictures.  It's tiny!  I saw the little openings to my fallopian tubes.  So if it's so perfect, why can't we get pregnant on our own?

I've got one week of BC pills left.  Josh and I have to sign a few forms and have them notarized.  Yay!  We're EXCITED!

Let's Get It Started!

My third month of Clomid ended with several BFNs.  Boo!  I know, it sucks.  Why did I get my hopes up?  A little bit of Clomid just doesn't seem to do the trick for us.  It didn't work before Stella and it didn't work after Stella!

The consult with our RE was a couple weeks ago.  We walked in and instantly felt at home.  I thought we would feel sad or upset when we walked through those doors.  We felt comfortable and almost giddy!  We were once again taking the steps to have another baby.  How could we not be super excited?  The room was filled with so many cute young couples.  I wanted to give them hope by telling them about Stella and how she was conceived there.  It was sooo good to see familiar faces when we met with our RE.  He did an ultrasound to check my ovaries and uterus.  Everything looked good except for a tiny spot on my uterus. It's most likely a result of the retained placenta and D&C from last summer.  He wants to do a "quick" hysteroscopy to take a better look at that spot.  If he needs to remove any scar tissue he can do it during the procedure.  He acted like it wasn't a big deal.  I'm still nervous.  I'll be completely awake during the procedure.  If it's too painful then I can come back to have it done until anaesthesia. 

So, omg, has any one had a hysteroscopy while they were awake?  If so, please share!

After the ultrasound we talked numbers.  We have 5 frozen embryos (2 are frozen together, and 3 are frozen together).  All are very good quality -- the same quality as Stella when she was put inside of me.  I want to say 4AA or something?  I can't remember exactly.  Our RE recommended thawing 2 and putting in both if they both survive the process, or if just 1 survives, then put in 1.  He recommended saving the other 3 for another cycle, if needed.  We've got a 40% chance of having 1 baby if we put 2 embryos inside me.  We've got a 25% chance of having 1 baby if we put 1 embryo inside of me.  We are not sure what we are going do yet.  I'll keep you posted!

Any advice on frozen IVF cycles?

I started BC pills today.  I'll be taking them for 3 weeks.  My hysteroscopy is scheduled for next Wednesday.  Say a prayer!  I think I start estrogen and progesterone after I finish the pills and start my period.  And then I'm thinking the transfer will be around my birthday, June 21st.

I've debated on whether or not I want to document our journey to baby # 2 but I think I've decided that I'm going to do it because I did it with Stella.  I love being able to look back at our journey to her.  I'm still reading blogs so if I used to comment on your blog often and I've stopped, that doesn't mean that I'm not still following you.  I am still following your stories.

Now the best part of this post, pictures of Miss Stella Grace: