About Us

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After an 8 year battle with infertility and countless struggles, our family is finally complete. This blog chronicles the journey it took for us to start and build the family we always wanted. Background on the blog (started in 2012, just days before I found out the embryo transfer for our son worked).... I decided to start a blog after realizing I have only been able to make it through my TWW's (two week waits) with the help of Google and with the openness of other women suffering from infertility sharing their own stories and giving others hope. I have time and time again found my exact symptoms on other women's blogs and felt an overwhelming sense of calmness they provided me. I thought it was time to pay it forward and hopefully provide this same thing to other women on their own journeys.

Monday, June 29, 2015

FET #5, transfer #7, in less than 48 hours

Nothing crazy to post just needed a place to let out my anxiety!   So I decided to do the claritin and pepcid - what could it hurt, right?  I am doing just ONE extra medrol (instead of DAYS worth like last try in March).  Haven't decided about ibuprofen pre-transfer yet, but this article is making me sway towards doing it.  

I have acupuncture tomorrow (Tuesday) at 9:30 and then a uterine/general massage at 2:30.   I also have a pre and post transfer acupuncture on Wednesday.  I have thrown everything possible at this cylce (and a ton of $$$).  Please, if you are reading this, and are someone who prays, I beg you to take just 20 seconds right now, before you finish reading this post, to say a quick prayer for Mike and I.  It would mean the world to us!!!!

I am officially on 6 days of stay-cation starting today!  I begged Mike to help me stay as stress free as humanly possible in those days.  It will be 5dpo through 9dpo that I'm off.  PRIME PRIME PRIME implantation window so I want my core as stress free as possible!


Friday, June 26, 2015

FET Efforts

Just wanted to document things I've done this cycle (in case it works) as this will be my new go to list for future FETs (if we were ever blessed with "left over" frozen embryos after having 2 babies, of course I'd try to convince Mike to let me transfer them)....  in no particular order...
  • Weekly acupuncture
  • Acupuncture pre and post transfer
  • Weekly uterine massage with castor oil CDs 5-14
  • Fertilitea
  • Lots of water
  • TSH under 1.0
  • 20k steps a day until CD 14, then down to 15k steps a day
  • Pineapple core smoothies starting night before transfer for 5 days
  • Follow clinic's medrol instructions (don't go rogue like FET #4) (added ONE extra day)
  • No caffeine for many months
  • No alcohol for many months
  • No sex (sorry Mike) transfer cycle
  • Scratch cycle before (tho started AF only 3 days after, 5 days full flow after)
  • 10mg claritin/day (SP) starting 2 days before transfer
  • 20mg pepcid AM/PM (SP) starting 2 days before transfer
  • 1dp and 2dp modified bedrest
  • 1.5 valium 1 hour before transfer, added 0.5 valium 30 minutes before
  • Zita West pre transfer, post transfer, TWW guided visualizations

Things I'm still up in the air whether I should do them....(didn't end up doing either)
  • Lovenox starting night of transfer
  • 200 ibuprofen 90 minutes before transfer


Thursday, June 25, 2015

Lining check take 2

8:30 AM:  Lining was 9.8-9.9 today. I thought for sure it would have grown a little more but I'm okay with ~10mm. I am a tiny bit worried (okay, a lot worried) that my triple stripe lining didn't look as apparent today as it did two days ago. I have no follicular action to make me think there is any corpus luteum action going on. The sonographer said she'll be reporting it as triple stripe to the clinic. I am 99% sure I'll get the green light today even though I didn't technically hit their 10mm requirement. I always read 10mm was perfect so I'm happy with 9.9.

3:40 PM UPDATE:  There is no update.  My clinic loves to torture me and never call me!

4:30 PM UPDATE:  Given the green light to start progesterone injections tonight.  Transfer on 7/1!!


Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Lining check take 1

Lining was 9.06 mm this morning.  Just waiting to hear from Cleveland but I think we will get a green light to start progesterone any day!

UPDATE:   Cleveland called and they wanted it to be 10mm.  I am going to repeat the check this Thursday at 8:00am (2 days from first check).  If good, I'll start progesterone that night!


Friday, June 12, 2015

FET #5 Underway

Period came super early.  Let's get this party started!  Hopefully my scratch had time to work since it was only 3 days ago.  :(

Update....I think I got 5 days of scratch effect in as my period didn't flow flow until 2 days after it "started".  Now, TMI, it won't freaking stop!

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Apologies

Sorry I have been a horrible blogger the last few months.  It get's REALLY hard putting all of my hopes and dreams on display, falling in love with my little embryo photos, and such just to have it all come crashing down.   This will be our SEVENTH EMBRYO TRANSFER.  Can you believe it?  It will be embryos #12 and #13.   To date we have transferred 11 embryos.  Here's a little recap to detail why I am so war-torn and bitter these days....

Embryo #s:

01, 02 = Failure
....03 = Chemical pregnancy 
04, 05 = Praise the Lord our miracle baby
06, 07 = Failure
08, 09 = Miscarriage
10, 11 = Failure
12, 13 = ????

(14, 15, 16, 17 = Still on ice)