Post 87: things I don't want to forget about Labor Day

I know I took the time to write about the day Julie was born, but I left out some details that weren't necessarily important, but were special to me. These are for Julie, when she wants to know what happened on the night she was born, and during our hospital stay. These are also reminders for her when she has her first child. Here we go!

1) make sure you eat a good meal on your way to the hospital. We stopped at Burger King for breakfast, and I had my ham, egg, and cheese croissant and some water, and it was my last meal for quite a while. Once we arrived at the hospital, and they decided I had to be induced, I wasn't allowed to eat anything other than clear liquids. When you've been eating every 2-3 hours for months, the thought of not eating using delivery seems pretty long. Once the induction is turned into a c-section, you aren't allowed to eat for 24 hours! I thought I would starve! 

My only food of substance from the time I had breakfast at 6:30AM until the next morning (when I had to beg the nurses for real food) included: yellow jello - I say yellow because I couldn't figure out the flavor, but it definitely wasn't lemon; water and Sprite, and finally, instant chicken broth. After trying their awful chicken broth, and deciding I was better off starving than trying to choke it down, I got approval from the nursing staff to bring in my own food. Around dinner time, Sara was my saving grace! She brought me soup from the Fugiyama Japanese Steak House, and it was the most amazing thing I've ever eaten! 

2) when your water breaks, it will feel like you can pee forever! I literally sat on the toilet with fluids coming out for a good 10 minutes before we left home. I soaked through an overnight pad by the time we made it to the hospital, and left a trail of fluid through the hospital on my way to registration. Once we made it to the triage room, I again peed for a good ten minutes, and continued I do so until they put in my catheter. 

3) with a c-section, you can't leave hospital until you've pooped. Ugh. This is the worst! I'd been taking stool softeners for two weeks before Julie was born, and I wish I'd have been taking a higher dose. 

4) gas pains will make you feel like you're dying. My chest would tighten, making it hard to breathe. At one point during our hospital stay, I was in so much pain I thought I was going to pass out, and I started hyperventilating because of it. I could not catch my breath. My chest was hurting, and they brought Julie in to nurse. She latched on, and I couldn't breathe. Shaun called the nurse twice in a panic because he'd never seen me in so much pain. I was crying, and he had to take Julie so I wouldn't drop her as my body tensed. 

5) listen to your instincts once your baby has arrived. Julie came on her due date, as scheduled, and from the time she was born, she set her own schedule. She came out on a 4 hour schedule. Like clockwork, she would want to eat every 4 hours. One of the night nurses decided I was an inadequate mother because I wouldn't feed juke every two hours, so she brought her to me every two hours to nurse. Julie refused to eat - she wanted to sleep, and do what she pleased. She nursed for a few minutes, and fell right to sleep, and didn't get a full feeding. I told the nurse that she was only eating every four hours, and to bring her back from the nursery when she woke up. Instead, she brought her to me two hours later. After again struggling to nurse because she wasn't hungry, I complained to my nurse about how Julie's nurse was not listening to my wishes. Julie's nurse tried to tell me that she had lost too much weight, that she was jaundiced, that my breasts didn't have enough milk, and that I was an unfit mother. Once I complained to my nurse, Julie got a new nurse. Also, before we were discharged, the head of nursing for the hospital stopped by to see how we were treated during our stay. I explained what had happened, and told her that if I wasn't a parent who was educated and strong headed, that I would have given up on breastfeeding and would have left the hospital thinking I was a terrible mother. Julie's nurse would have caused postpartum depression in many women. So, again, I say - you're the mother, do what you feel is right. 

6) if you have a migraine while in the hospital, tell the nurses, and make a big deal about it. Once Julie was born, I started to hae a mild headache within 24 hours. Two days later, it was a full blown migraine, and I was having problems standing, keeping my eyes open, and functioning. I passed it off as sleep deprivation, and even when I mentioned it to the nurses they didn't make a big deal about it. However, it turned out to be a spinal headache from the anesthesia during my c-section. 

7) kick people out of your room. Everyone will want to see the baby, but you need to rest and recover. Don't feel bad asking people to leave. 

8) on the night you were born, we watched Sister Act and Despicable Me. We sang the Sleepy Song, and talked about how long we waited for you, prayed for you, and how much you were loved. I prayed for you, and thanked God for giving us such a wonderful, beautiful, perfect gift. 

9) everyone made it to the hospital in time for your arrival. When I was taken to the OR to prep for the c-section, I left Shaun in scrubs the triage room, and the only other people at the hospital were Shaun's parents. My parents were on their way, and Sara was coming to visit after Lilly's Thanksgiving performance at preschool. The decision to have a c-section was so quick, that I was afraid everyone would miss your arrival. However, once you were here, and Shaun got to push you down the hallway while I was being stitched up, everyone was in the hallway waiting for you! You had a crowd of loved ones that made it just in time to meet you! You are so loved, and God has perfect timing! 

10) you got to come home on Thanksgiving Day! That morning, we watched the Today Show, and the Macy's Day Parade. I still had a migraine, and was having a hard time keeping food down. 

11) don't make decisions while taking pain medication. The drugs I was taking after delivery put me to sleep, so at some point Shaun had left the room, and the pediatrician stopped by to check on you. I remember her being there, but I have no idea what she said. A few minutes later, the newborn photographer came in to schedule an appointment for photos. Apparently, I set up the appointment, because when Shaun arrived back to the room, the photographer said she'd see us the next day. Shaun tried to ask me who she was, and what I'd scheduled, and I had no idea! All I remember is trying to focus on each person that came in the room, and my eyes just kept rolling back in my head. 

12) don't let people scare you about breastfeeding. I was so afraid it was going to hurt to nurse you, but I had no pain at all. A month later, I still had very little pain. The only pain I had with breastfeeding was when you'd first latch on, and it was over as soon as it started.

13) you have an amazing latch. This is a blessing and a curse! You're an expert breastfeeder, but you also suck the crap out of my nipples, and cover me in baby hickeys when you miss. 

14) you passed your hearing test, but it took a few tries. You do not have hearing problems, but you did have such a strong latch that they couldn't get accurate results. They test hearing by having babies suck on a paci. Your suckle was so strong that they had to perform the test without a paci to get results. 

15) you snore. It's adorable, and you've snored since the day you were born. This is how I know you're really asleep. Little baby snores. Aww!

16) your dad and I both cried the first time we saw you. You were perfect - our beautiful baby girl! I have never felt such emotion, so seen so much love in one place. The nurses had you on the warming table, doing your APGAR test, and your dad just couldn't hide his excitement. He got to cut your umbilical cord, and then the nurses put you in his arms. I was still being operated on, and I watched in slow motion, thanking God for a healthy baby, and asking to keep me safe during the rest of the c-section and recovery. Once you were in your daddy's arms, he brought you over so I could see you up close for the first time. It's a moment I'll never forget. I'd never been so happy! 

Post 86: D-Day!

As expected, at 40 weeks, Julia Rose decided to make her grande appearance! After a whirlwind day, our baby girl arrived. Here's a recap!

I was bound and determined that Julie was going to be born on her due date, as scheduled, since she had a deadline, and Hudsons do not miss deadlines. So, after our 39 week, 2 day appointment, when I was told I was not dilated at all, and my cervix was high and closed, I decided to do whatever I could to help the process along. I went grocery shopping, cleaned the house, scrubbed floors, ate spicy foods, and bought a bouncy ball to sit on. By Sunday evening, I'd given up hope that we were going to have a baby on Monday, our due date. I wasn't having any contractions, didn't feel any different, and had no signs of labor. Little did I know, Julie had plans of her own.

I went to sleep Sunday night on the couch since it was more comfortable than our bed, and was easier to get up from to go to the bathroom. I'd been wearing panty liners for a few weeks from all the extra mucous and fluid that comes out in the weeks leading up to delivery. I'd noticed each time I got up to pee during the night that I was changing my panty liner, which was abnormal, but I didn't think anything of it. When I woke up at 5:00AM, I didn't really have to pee yet, so I laid on the couch with Ani by my side, and wondered what the day had in store. My in-laws were expected to arrive for Thanksgivings, I had dance class on regular schedule, and I was trying not to think about it being my due date. 

Around 5:30AM, I decided it was time to pee. I stood up from the couch, and the flood gates opened! If you've never had your water break at home, be glad! I will forever be scarred by this experience!i left a trail of fluid from the couch, down the hallway, into the bathroom. I originally thought I'd peed on myself, until I sat on the toilet and realized my bladder was still full. I yelled for Shaun, but he didn't hear me. 

When the fluid stopped flowing freely, I decided to maneuver to the bedroom to wake Shaun up. As a word of advice, if your water breaks at home, and you're walking barefoot on laminate flooring, be careful! I slipped in the hallway, and almost busted my butt. I caught myself, and headed to get Shaun. I shook his arm and said, "Either I just peed all over the house, or my water just broke!" He jumped out of bed, like a kid on Christmas morning! I went back to the toilet since I had fluid dripping down my legs, and he was helping me determine if the fluid was pee or not. As we'd learned in our prenatal classes, he collected some fluid on a piece of toilet paper and decided it was definitely not pee since it didn't have a smell or color, and it was slick to touch, similar to oil. 

By this point, it was 5:45AM. I sent David a message letting him know my water broke, and decided to take a shower while I waited for his response with further instruftions. When I got out of the shower, he responded, "Get here, now!" We were out of the house by 6:15AM, and were on our way to have a baby! 

We called our parents on the way to let them know we were headed to the hospital. We stopped in Bluefield at Burger King for breakfast, and made it to Beckley by 7:30AM. I was having contractions about every 6-8 minutes by this point. They checked me into OB triage to make sure my water broke. I leaked brought an overnight pad in 90 minutes, and when I sat on the toilet in triage, I peed for a good 5 minutes. When they got me into a gown and laying in bed, they hooked up two monitors - once for Julie's heartbeat, and the other to monitor contractions. The nurse didn't believe that my water had broken, and decided to do a paper test. They stick a piece of paper up your vagina to collect fluid, and if it turns the right color, your water has broken. She couldn't decide if my paper was the right color or not, so she called a midwife to check for dilation, which would also show if my water had broken. We watched the Today Show while we waited for the midwife, and learned how to cook a Thanksgiving turkey in a pillow case!

Around 9:00AM, when the midwife arrived, she looked at the contraction strip, and I wasn't contracting at all. However, when she checked me, she told the nurse that my water had definitely broken! I was 3cm dilated, and 80% effaced, so I got to stay at the hospital! Since I wasn't having contractions, and my water had broken, already, they decided I would need an induction. Once your water breaks, you only have 24 hours to deliver the baby due to the risk of infection. They started pitocin around 9:30AM. 

About the same time, Shaun's parents arrived. Once the pitocin was started, I began having contractions. Pitocin stimulates labor, and the dosage would automatically increase every 30 minutes until Julie was born. My nurse monitored me regularly, and though I was having contractions, they weren't consistent. Around 1:00PM, the nurse and midwife came into my room, and I knew something was wrong. I'd been watching the monitor and noticed that Julie's heartbeat had started in the 160s and had started to drop, and was now in the 130s. The nurse said, "We're going to unhook the pitocin for a little while. Your baby didn't seem to like it, so we're going to give her a little break a while." About 5 minutes later, David came to see us. He explained that as the dosage of pitocin got higher, Julie's heart rate got lower. This, combined with inconsistent labor, was not a great combination. He recommended that we do a non-emergent c-section later in the afternoon. He said we could continue the pitocin for a few more hours, but that if her heart rate continued to drop, I could end up with an emergency c-section. We decided that a c-section was the best decision, and signed all the consent papers for the operation. 

David had said the c-section would be later on the afternoon, so I was expecting to have some time to process what was going on. However, by 1:20PM, I was calling my parents to let them know what was happening, Shaun was suiting up in scrubs, and I was on my way to the OR for a spinal tap. Once I was medicated and draped, around 1:30PM, David started the surgery. They brought Shaun into the room by 1:35PM, and Julia Rose Noonan was born at 1:42PM! 

Post 85: Week 36

Post 85: Week 36

Week 36

-Baby is the Size of: a cabbage patch kid doll

-Weight Gain: 17 pounds and holding steady 

-Stretch Marks: none new to report 

-Sleep: pregnant women sleep? Between waking up to eat and pee, I'm averaging about three hours of sleep each night. I feel slightly like a zombie, and struggle to keep my eyes open. 

-Movement: Julie is definitely on a schedule! She moves like crazy throughout the day, but major movement happens at 9PM, 4AM, 11AM, and 4PM. It also happens any time I eat, or when I drink something ice cold. Julie's movements are a lot stronger now, and are beginning to hurt as she's running out of room, but I wouldn't trade this feeling for anything, and it's the one part of pregnancy I will really miss. 

-Favorite or Funny Moment: Three words: Hope and Larry! We completed prepared childbirth classes from weeks 33-35 of pregnancy, at Bluefield Regional Medical Center. There was only one other couple in our class - Hope and Larry. We could not have been more different, and the nurse leading the class did a wonderful job of balancing our differences. For starters, we met Hope and Larry in the parking lot. Hope was smoking, and her first words were, "Y'all here for them breathin' classes?" We said yes, that we were there to learn about giving birth, and that breathing was probably going to be covered. 

-Sickness: I've not actually been sick in a few weeks now, but I'm still nauseous most days, especially if I go more than 2-3 hours without eating. 

-Feeling: tired and achy. I've been having contractions occasionally, and they take a lot of energy. I'm definitely slowing down, but I think it's more due to the lack of sleep than pregnancy. 

-Symptoms: Nausea, soreness, extreme indigestion, achy abdomen, contractions, sleeplessness, and increased appetite.

-Cravings: Corn Pops cereal, pasta, and Halloween candy! 

-Aversions: not many at this point. I've avoided spicy foods for a long time, but have started eating them again now that labor is close and safe. 

-Purchases: We finished purchasing items from our registry this month. After a few hours in Target, we ended up with a carload of diapers, wipes, clothing, a humidifier, swisher, breast pump, and the Mamaroo swing! Ani loves the swing, and may fight Julie for it. He sleeps in it almost every night, and loves to have it rock and play music while he naps. 

-Photos or videos; 

Photos from our shower at the farm;

Belly Photos:

Post 84: Week 32

Post 84: Week 32

Week 32

-Baby is the Size of: a head of lettuce 

-Weight Gain: 15 pounds and counting 

-Stretch Marks: still on my butt cheeks 

-Sleep: what's that? Haven't slept in weeks! Between Julie and Ani battling it out each night, and horrible indigestion causing me to get sick each night, sleep is not easy to come by. 

-Movement: Crazy movement! I fell asleep holding on to Shaun this week, and when I woke up the next morning, he said he got beaten up! He finally got to feel a ton of movement, for a long period of time. Julie is still flipping, and had added some pretty strong punches and kicks lately. 

-Favorite or Funny Moment: We had our first baby shower this week! It was wonderful to celebrate Julie with my home church. As I already said, Ani and Julie have been interacting each night. Ani must know that there's a baby in my belly. He now sleeps as close to my stomach as possible. He purrs, and Julie punches. We also had maternity photos taken last week, at 31 weeks! They turned out awesome, and I can't wait to order a few for our home!

-Sickness: I got about a two week break from being sick, but it's started back with a vengeance! I believe I actually pulled a muscle in my back from throwing up so hard. 

-Feeling: Extremely pregnant. Every day tasks are becoming more of a challenge. Laundry is going to be the death of me - every time I drop a sock out of the dryer I contemplate whether I really need to pick it up. 

-Symptoms: Nausea, vomiting, horrible indigestion, achy muscles, hip pain. 

-Cravings: Frosted Rice Krispy cereal with bananas. Cereal and milk with an ice cube. Sharp cheddar cheese sticks. 

-Aversions: Almost all foods. Everything gives me indigestion at this point, so I've pretty much stopped eating anything with flavor or spice. 

-Purchases: Haven't purchased much this month - a few outfits or small items, diapers, etc. We received quite a few gifts from our shower though, including clothes, diapers, crib bedding, a playmat, and the rock and play sleeper!

-Photos or Videos: 

Post 83: Week 28

Week 28

-Baby is the Size of: a head of cauliflower 

-Weight Gain: 10 pounds, maybe a few more! Eek!

-Stretch Marks: still only on my butt cheeks, and starting on the underside of my chest.

-Sleep: very interrupted. I'm up 2-3 times a night either to pee or eat!

-Movement: All the time! Shaun finally got to feel hiccups this week! 

-Favorite or Funny Moment: Dance classes started back, and one of our students asked if the baby was going to fall out when I did a plié! I also failed my one hour glucose test, and will be doing a jelly bean test in the next few weeks to see if I pass the second time. It requires eating 52 jelly beans, and having my blood sugar checked every hour for three hours. Hopefully I pass the test, and don't throw up the jelly beans!

-Sickness: Yep. Hasn't gone away yet.

-Feeling: Very pregnant. My stomach has grown quite a bit, and Julie is running out of room quickly. The tightening is a new feeling, and is quite uncomfortable. 

-Symptoms: Exhaustion, nesting, hungry, nausea, and peeling like crazy!

-Cravings: Bacon, egg, and cheese biscuits from McDonalds with a round egg. They're sooooo good right now!

-Aversions: Spicy foods. I can't even smell spicy foods without getting indigestion. Oh how I miss buffalo wings!

-Purchases: Disper bag, coming home outfit, clothes, travel high chair, and bathtub. 

-Photos or Videos: 

Post 82: Week 24

Week 24

-Baby is the Size of: an ear of corn

-Weight Gain: 8 pounds, but Julie weighs 1.5 pounds, so really only 6.5 in my opinion

-Stretch Marks: starting to go away on my chest as I use my belly butter cream, but I have one stretch mark on my right butt cheek, and all of my shot spots from the progesterone injections have magically reappeared!

-Sleep: not great. I'll fall asleep pretty easily, but can't seem to stay asleep. Most nights I'm waking up around 3AM to eat, but eating wakes up Julie, then it's a dance party in my belly!

-Movement: all the time! Julie never stops kicking, flipping, and squirming, which is awesome to feel, but makes me a little nauseous. 

-Favorite or Funny Moment: People are finally seeing my belly at this point, and I had one person who commented that I'm progressing nicely. Not the funniest thing to have happened, but it's nice to finally have a baby "bump" and no longer just look chubby. We also set up our registries this month, and had a ball looking at and comparing every baby item known to man. We registered at a huge Babies R Us in Knoxville, and also at target. It was overwhelming, but a lot of fun. I think my favorite moment was buying our stroller! Babies R Us had our travel system for $450, and Target put it on clearance for $199. Target was sold out, but Babies R Us price matched the deal, and we walked out of the store with a higher model than what we'd looked at originally! They weren't supposed to price match the travel system since it was on clearance, but the manager was super nice, and helped us out. It was a great day! Or crib is finally painted and assembled too! It's been a very productive month! 

-Sickness: still sick, and it seems to be getting worse. I'll be ok for a day or two, then I'm throwing up for 3-4 nights. I have a feeling of nauseousness that never goes away, which really stinks!

-Feeling: Exhausted and sleep deprived, but I have random bursts of energy, which are nice. 

-Symptoms: tired, short tempered, sick, happy

-Cravings: strawberries, red meat, cutie oranges, raisin bran with cranberries 

-Aversions: spicy foods, raw meat

-Purchases: clothes, crib sheet, swaddles, Britax Be Safe 35/Be Agile stroller and car seat travel system! 

-Photos or Videos: We went for our final 3D ultrasound with Love at First Sight Sonography at 23 weeks, and got the cutest move of Julie! She yawned, and found her thumb. I've never been so in love, and I watch the movie daily. I can't wait until she is here, and I can hold her in my arms. It made me realize that our dreams are really coming true. We're going to be parents! 

Post 81: Week 20

Week 20

-Baby is the Size of: an avocado

-Weight Gain: 4 pounds - I officially have a baby bump, and no longer look chubby - however, it depends on what I'm wearing, and I can still hide my pregnancy if I want to. There's a photo below of me at 18 versus 19 weeks - it's a huge change! 

-Stretch Marks: only on my chest

-Sleep: Like a log! Summer camp is draining the life out of me. I'm asleep each day by 7PM.

-Movement: Finally feeling movement! It's not consistent, but definitely noticeable when it happens. 

-Favorite or Funny Moment: Camper walked by me and said, "Hey...you're pregnant! Hmm."

-Sickness: still sick every 2-3 nights, seems to be getting worse instead of better

-Feeling: Exhausted, but I think it's just from camp and summer heat

-Symptoms: grumpy, over heat quickly, dehydration, nausea, car sickness 

-Cravings: Breakfast foods, lemon chicken, steak

-Aversions: spicy foods (sigh)

-Purchases: rockaroo swing, dresser, diapers

-Photos or Videos: Had our anatomy scan this week, and confirmed that we're officially having a girl! The ultrasound tech said everything looks great, and Julie looks healthy. She refused to stretch out, so they couldn't get a measurement for her length, but she weighed approximately 12 ounces, and had a great time chewing on her toes. Here's our gender announcement photo from Facebook, and a few other photos from this week!

Post 80: Week 16

Week 16

-Baby is the Size of: an avocado

-Weight Gain: 

-Stretch Marks: none yet! 

-Sleep: Slept in bed all week, which is a huge improvement over sleeping on the couch last week! 

-Movement: no movements yet :-(

-Favorite or Funny Moment: Throwing up so hard that I peed on myself a little. Oops! 

-Sickness: still sick every 2-3 nights 

-Feeling: Like I'm starting to get my energy back, but I could still use a daily nap!

-Symptoms: congestion, peeing a lot, cats are stuck to my side like white on rice, starving all day, sick all night 

-Cravings: Raisin Bran Cereal with Cranberries - I've seriously eaten an entire box in 4 days, steak, ice water in a styrofoam cup from Food City! 

-Aversions: body odor, raw chicken

-Purchases: two packs of swaddles and a boba wrap from a yard sale!

-Photos or Videos: finally got our doppler out and running, and found Julie's heartbeat this morning! It's so reassuring that things are going well when I hear her little heart chugging along. 

Post 79: Team Pink!

We had our first appointment of our second trimester today! Cleatus had a strong heartbeat, and David said things look good, and to come back in five weeks for another check up. Since we were already in Beckley, we decided to visit Love at First Sight Sonography, an independent ultrasound practice. Since we didn't have an ultrasound with David today, and don't have one until the anatomy scan between 20-22 weeks, we decided to do a private ultrasound to check on Cleatus and learn the gender. Though they can't say with 100% positivity, they were certain that we're having a girl! Cleatus is officially Julia Rose, and we are thrilled! She measured exactly with our IVF dates, and the ultrasound tech said she looks extremely healthy. Throughout the ultrasound she kept waving, talking, and playing with her mouth. It was adorable! We had a great heart rate of 160, and she looked perfect! We'll go back for another private ultrasound at our next appointment on July to double check that it's still a girl, but the tech said he'd be extremely shocked if he was wrong, and with over 20 years experience, I trust his word. It was so wonderful to see a healthy, growing, wiggling baby girl, and I can't wait until November when I get to hold her in my arms. Let the countdown begin! 

Post 78: Playing Catch Up

It's been a while since my last post, but it's been a crazy few weeks! After a rocky start, our pregnancy was deemed viable and healthy! I went to my first ultrasound with my parents, to see if the pregnancy was ectopic. My dad stayed in the car, and my mom went into the office with me. We waited for what felt like forever, before it was finally my turn. I walked into the room, terrified of what they’d find. Though I’d held onto hope, part of me was expecting for them to find the pregnancy was ectopic, and receive a shot of hormones to terminate the pregnancy. Instead, they found a strong, healthy heartbeat, in the uterus, where it was supposed to be! Cleatus the Fetus measured exactly on target at multiple appointments, and on April 15th, we were released from Wake Forest, and I got to stop my daily shots! 

I've been extremely sick, and even with medication (diclegis) I still throw up around 2-3 times a day. However, I've never been so happy to be sick. I haven't had many cravings since stopping the progesterone shots, but I do really enjoy pickles, cereal, green apples, and Gouda cheese. Taco Bell makes me sick, and Italian and Mexican food give me horrible indigestion. I'm napping every day, and fall asleep around 8PM every night. I love the fact that I'm finally pregnant, but I'm completely over being sick, and I'm hopeful that I'll start to feel better soon! 

Post 77: numb

I'm back to playing the waiting game, and this is probably the most excruciating wait of my life. We had our second beta test today, and the results were not what we had hoped for. Our original HCG on Monday was 112, so with a healthy pregnancy, it should have doubled by today, and been at least 224. Unfortunately, our HCG was only 166. It's only doubling at half the speed it should be. According to our doctors, there's two scenarios for what's to come. The first is that my numbers will continue to rise and we had a set of twins, and are losing one of them while the other is still hanging on. The second is that my numbers will begin to go down, and I will have lost the entire pregnancy. We test again on Friday, and are praying that the numbers continue to rise. 

Post 76: beta day!

Today was the first time I've ever been excited for bloodwork! I had my first beta, and it's official! We're pregnant! YAY!! We woke up (Monday, March 16th) early, I got my progesterone shot, and we were at the hospital a little before 8AM. Registration took forever! When we arrived at the hospital, we were given a buzzer and told to wait in the waiting room until they called our number. Our wonderful hospital only had one person working at registration, and it took 45 minutes to get registered. I'd never seen such slow service. There were only three people in line in front of me. It was ridiculous! Once we were finally registered, we headed to the lab. About 20 minutes later they had drawn my blood, and we were on our way out the door for breakfast. It takes an hour to get the results, so Shaun and I headed to the mall to set up the studio, dropped off my car at the shop to get fixed since someone hit me in the Verizon parking lot last week, then we headed back to get the results.

I knew that the result should have been positive, but I was still completely terrified as we waited at the window for medical records to give us the piece of paper than could forever change our lives. Shaun and I held hands the entire time, and finally she gave me the results. I saw the number immediately! My HCG was 112! Our doctor wanted any number over 50, so we were off to an awesome start! We started walking down the hallway of the hospital, still holding hands, and Shaun asked if I was going to let him see the results. I handed him the paper, and in the middle of the hospital, he started cheering, and kept repeating, "It's not zero! It's not zero!" It was the sweetest response I could have asked for! 

We go back on Wednesday for more bloodwork to make sure that my numbers are doubling correctly, so, from now until then I am cautiously exited about being pregnant! Ahhh! I never thought I'd get to use that word to describe myself! I'm pregnant! 

Post 75: freaking out

Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh! OH MY GOSH!!!!! After 34 cycles, something happened yesterday that I was NOT expecting!! I went to work at the YMCA, and when I got home, I decided to take a pregnancy test. There was no reason to take one - I really was just double checking that I was going to be disappointed at my blood draw on Monday. However, that's not what happened! I peed on the cheap, Amazon special pregnancy test at 2PM. I sat on the toilet and stared at it for about 30 seconds and when nothing popped up, I put it down, and wiped. Unfortunately, I had pink spotting when I wiped, so I was sure that the test was negative. To my surprise, around the 90 second mark, I thought I started to see something. I stared down the test, and was in shock as I began seeing a second line! I could NOT believe what I was seeing! I've never seen a second line on a test, and I was sure that it was probably just a fluke. 

Once I was absolutely sure that the test really was positive, and my eyes weren't just playing tricks on me, I called Shaun. He had told me not to test, but to wait for my bloodwork on Monday. So when I called him, I started with, "So, I just went to the bathroom, and I'm spotting." His response was, "Ok, it's probably just the drugs, maybe you should call Roxy." I then followed up with, "but I took a pregnancy test, and I swear there's a second line." I believe he was in shock. He was with a customer, so he again said, "Call Roxy." 

I knew that calling Roxy on a weekend wouldn't be practical, so I sent her an email. I confessed that I took a test even though IVF patients are supposed to refrain due to false readings, and asked her about tr spotting. About ab hour later, she responded and said that it sounds like implantation bleeding, and not to worry. Well, I believe she was right. I took a test four hours later, and it was positive again!!! I was in complete disbelief. And, again, when I wiped, I had spotting. This time, it was definitely red blood though. So, I sent David a text message informing him of my positive test and the spotting. He reassured me that it was normal, even when I told him it had gotten worse, and the blood was darker. Having David confirm that the darker spotting was still normal definitely made me relax. 

I decided to test again right before bed. I made Shaun watch since he'd missed the first two tests. He was definitely shocked that a second line was there, but said that it was so faint he wasn't sure if it counted. I don't see a faint line - I see a definite line - but, boys will be boys. I also know that he doesn't want me to be too excited since it's still really early, and a lot could go wrong. 

I had Shaun pick up digital pregnancy tests on his way home from work yesterday for me to take this morning. He said that if I got a "pregnant" on the test, then he would be happy with me. Otherwise, we needed to wait until Monday to celebrate. Well, I took both the digital test and a cheap test, and again the results were in our favor! My cheap test line is continuing to get darker, and the digital test officially says "pregnant." I am over the moon, in shock, and am so excited for my bloodwork tomorrow!

Post 74: cravings and maybe a symptom

Progesterone is my worse enemy! Not only do I have to get shot in the butt each day, but it causes cravings and an increased appetite, so I eat like it's going out of style and pack on a few pounds of babyless baby weight. My cravings this time have included macaroni and cheese, and Japanese ginger salad dressing. I've also been living off of peanutbutter chocolate chip cookies, and peanutbutter and jelly sandwiches, which they do not sell at Subway, in case you were wondering. I believe that I officially have the diet of a toddler, but after following such a strict diet last time, and being faced with negative results, I figure this time, I'll just enjoy the ride, and eat what I want. It's definitely reduced my stress levels as I'm not forcing myself to eat avocados and nuts each day. I eat fairly healthily as it is, plus take a pre-natal vitamin, iron supplement, and probiotic each day. I think that should be enough!

As far as symptoms go, I have almost none. I have crazy cravings, but I know they're directly related to the progesterone. However, I do have one new symptom that I've never had as long as we've been trying. I've been cramping since the day we transferred the embryos. I'm really hopeful that it may be the embryo implanting, but I know it could also be my body rejecting what it sees as a foreign body. I'm 6 days past a 5 day transfer, and am still cramping. It comes and goes throughout the day, and is worse when I do something physical. I'm not doing much besides watching tv, but when I walk, or carry something light, I can feel a pulling in my uterus. It feels like my period is right around the corner, but since it's been going on for six days, I know it's not the case. I'm praying this is a good sign, and that we will get the best news of our lives on Monday. Only three days until we learn our fate as parents. It's a day that I'm both dreading and excited to arrive. Only positive thoughts until then! 

Post 73: transfer day!!

Another day, another transfer! We just left the doctor's office, and for the second time in my life, I am pregnant with twins! They didn't give me a quality rating, but everyone seemed a lot more positive today. The embryos weren't fragmented, and had clear margins. This was a huge improvement from last time. 

Even Dr. Shu, the embryologist, only had positive things to say today. We also have all five remaining embryos being watched until tomorrow to decide if they're high enough quality to freeze. One of them looks really fragmented, but the other four look really good.

I'm so much more hopeful after seeing the embryos and talking with the doctors. It's amazing how a little positive energy from them can make a world of difference in our attitude. Fingers crossed, and prayers greatly appreciated, for these babies to stick! We are so ready to be parents, and believe wholeheartedly that this will work! 

My comedy act for the day included not peeing on my doctor during the transfer! With a transfer, you have to have a full bladder. This typically includes arriving at the office, emptying your bladder, drinking 20 ounces of water, waiting 20 minutes, then moving ahead with the procedure. We arrived early, and since it was a Saturday, the actual building isn't really open - only certain offices. Therefore, only a single stall bathroom was available, and being polite, I let my mom use it first. As soon as she went into the bathroom, I got called back for my consultation. I expected to have a chance to use the bathroom before the procedure, but it didn't happen. They told me I could pee a little, but I knew that if I tried, j would fail, so we went ahead and started with an extremely full bladder. The transfer procedure includes pushing on your abdomen with an ultrasound wand while the embryos are inserted through a catheter. It's over in about 20 minutes, then there's a 20 minute timespan where you lay with your feet propped up. It probably wouldn't have phased me if we didn't start talking about the weather, which led to a conversation about flooding. For future reference, never talk about flooding on a full bladder! Mid conversation Dr. Johnston asked me to relax my legs - I swear I willed my pee to stay put. I don't think I've come that close to having an accident since I was a toddler! Luckily, no pee left my body, and I got a good apology for having to discuss water instead of thinking dry thoughts! 

Post 72: indigestion is the devil

Ugh...I have never had such bad indigestion. It's been coming and goin for the past few days, but it's been constant since around midnight, and is so severe that I can't sleep. I keep burping, and feel like I could hurl at a moment's notice. I sent my coordinator an email, but I don't expect a response for a few hours since its only 5AM. Otherwise, I'm feeling ok from the retrieval. I'm bloated and really sore, but it's to be expected. It also really hurts to pee, but with a catheter and 27 puncture wounds, the related pain makes perfect sense. I think I may have mild OHSS. My estrogen level three days ago was 1905, which isn't nearly as high as last time, but is still pretty high in general. Hopefully, I'll get a response quickly for how to alleviate some of the pain.  

Post 71: Egg Retrieval

Today was our second egg retrieval! Everything was so much smoother than last time. We checked in quickly, the clinic was not busy at all, and I didn't black out! Woohoo! 

We had 13 mature eggs retrieved, out of 27 follicles. We were hoping for more, but the couple beside us only had 4, and it put into perspective how blessed we are. I'll get a call tomorrow morning with an update on fertilization, and we're schedule for a day 5 transfer on Saturday if all goes well. Our prayer right now is for multiple, high quality embryos. We know this is our last egg retrieval for the time being, so the more the merrier! 

Post #70 Another Great Report

We had our last monitoring appointment today for our second IVF cycle, and things are looking great! We again have 27 follicles, and Dr. Johnston is expecting around 18 eggs at the retrieval Monday. My estrogen level is still high, at 1905, but it's significantly lower than last time, when it hit 3500! They're starting me on a new medication tonight which helps prevent hyper stimulation, so hopefully the swelling will stop or level out. My hands are so swollen that I can no longer wear my wedding rings, and my winter coat won't zip over my stomach! 

Post 69: Here We Go Again!

As of yesterday, we have officially started our second round of IVF! We met with our doctor at Wake Forest, and had my baseline ultrasound and bloodwork. I had 19 follicles to begin with, so we're off to a great start! I forgot how badly stimulation drugs burn, and was not prepared for searing pain when Shaun shot me last night. I guess our minds block out the bad parts, and help us focus on the end goal. I'm currently taking gonal f, menopur, doxycycline, probiotics, and my prenatal vitamins. I'll add in Ganirelix soon. I go back to the doctor on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, with my retrieval planned for the following Monday. 

Post 68: Great Dad

I cannot wait until the time that we are parents. After watching Shaun with my niece Lilly, it strengthens my desire to have a child. He will be an amazing father. 

Our annual family cruise vacation was ok. They cancelled a port of call due to weather, all dinner conversations were financially driven, and I was constantly reminded that Sara's having a baby. I did really well, and kept my emotions in check except for one day, where I went straight to bed after dinner. I claimed I was tired, which was true, but a few comments were made at dinner about babies, and Sara sang "put the lime in the coconut" and I'd had enough. No one knew that the comments were hurtful, and had probably forgotten that we'd planned on announcing our pregnancy on the cruise by using the song. Rather than making a big deal of it, I just went to bed. 

Lilly's birthday was celebrated twice, and she was so excited to turn three. She does not like green eggs and ham, or Dr. Seuss characters for that matter, but her presence made the cruise so much more enjoyable, and allowed me to see what it's like to be a parent. 

Shaun and I loved every minute pretending to be parents. It made me realize that we both have impressive patience, and I know that we will be the type of parents that help our kids explore, learn, and play. We will not take a moment of parenthood for granted, and are ready and waiting on God to bless us with a family.