Embryo transfer took place on April 14.
I had some low cramping immediately after the procedure, and for the next couple days, which seemed like normal "we totally just irritated your uterus" aftermath. Then cramping for a couple more days. And then a day off. And then, cramping all over again, feeling increasingly like regular PMS cramps as we headed into our blood draw this past Saturday morning.
During those eleven days between transfer and blood draw, little bits of boob soreness, but nothing major. A day where food made me a little queasy (shortly after one of my co-workers had a nasty stomach bug). A tiny bit of spotting.
Basically, eleven days of symptoms that were all equally as likely to be pregnancy-related, PMS-related, or progesterone-supplement-related.
Also, I had logged into my patient account during the eleven day wait, just to read through the reports following transfer, and learned there that the grade A blastocyst that they thawed and transferred was downgraded to a B once thawed. And also learned that the transfer took a little longer than ideal because the catheter got caught on my c-section scar, and they had to reposition it. And that, because of these things, my prognosis was listed as "fair" where my prognosis after our fresh transfer in the fall was "above average." None of this information made me feel optimistic.
Friday morning, I was convinced that we were out this cycle, and let myself feel the sad feelings, and by Friday night, started bucking up for a new FET. Since my blood draw was up in Rochester, and Matt and I usually try to wrap our IVF pregnancy tests in special, fun activities (so as to cheer up after negatives or celebrate after positives), Sam and Matt and I packed up the car, drove up to Rochester on Friday night, ate huge platefuls of delicious food at HuHot (because...it's so yummy!), and checked into a lovely hotel suite for the night.
Saturday morning, we got up, munched some breakfast, and headed to Mayo. Mayo doesn't schedule routine labs for Saturdays, only special or time-bound ones, and so our little family of three marched into the giant lab waiting room, where both lab techs came out to greet us, and they gave Sam stickers, and I walked right in because I was literally the only person there.
Both lab techs, seeing the lab order for a quantitative HCG, assumed that it was a pregnancy confirmation, not a pregnancy test, so they were asking about and referring to me being pregnant, which made me smile, even though, of course, this test was to SEE WHETHER I WAS PREGNANT OR NOT!
It was a quick and easy draw, and then we headed off to the Quarry Hill Park and Nature Center for a morning of hiking. Sam loved the ducks at the children's pond, and loved finding little streams and waterfalls in the woods, and though it was great when he got to climb over fallen trees along the path. We had a blast. The nature center building has aquariums with fish and turtles and snakes and lizards, and a crazy see-through beehive. I love our little family of three, and I love doing family stuff like this. Despite the fact that I was sure I wasn't pregnant, I was happy to be with my boys.
We went to grab quick lunch before heading home, and stopped at a great gyros joint. I started power-calling the LabCalls line, where they would leave a message for me with my lab results. I called, like, six times a row, with no new messages yet.
And then, just as our food was arriving, I called again, and had a message.
And...well...
80 is a definite POSITIVE.
So we smiled uncontrollably across the table, chowing down our pitas, and on the drive home, couldn't help but start rehashing names and thinking about when to tell family. Of course, it was far too early to feel confident or anything. The risk of loss is still very real, and one good beta does not a successful pregnancy make. But we were so excited that we let ourselves, even for just a little bit, let loose with all of our anticipation and hopes and dreams.
This morning was my repeat beta, where they checked to see if my numbers had doubled. Drove up by myself to Rochester, did the blood draw, treated myself to a Starbucks (decaf) coffee and breakfast sandwich, and then back home.
I got too impatient to wait for a message to show up on the LabCalls line, so I definitely logged into my patient account and looked directly at my lab results...
236 definitely counts as successful doubling! So two good betas means that it is official: I'm pregnant again!
And sure, it's so so so early. And there are no guarantees. But things are off to the right start, at least for these first couple weeks. Two betas down, a zillion more milestones to go.
Confirmation ultrasound is in two weeks, mostly to make sure that there is a sac, and that it is in my uterus, not lodged someplace suspicious (like a tube or my cervix, since I have quite the stupid history of ectopics).
Friends, whatever may come in these next weeks and months...
TODAY, I am pregnant. And that TOTALLY ROCKS.
I had some low cramping immediately after the procedure, and for the next couple days, which seemed like normal "we totally just irritated your uterus" aftermath. Then cramping for a couple more days. And then a day off. And then, cramping all over again, feeling increasingly like regular PMS cramps as we headed into our blood draw this past Saturday morning.
During those eleven days between transfer and blood draw, little bits of boob soreness, but nothing major. A day where food made me a little queasy (shortly after one of my co-workers had a nasty stomach bug). A tiny bit of spotting.
Basically, eleven days of symptoms that were all equally as likely to be pregnancy-related, PMS-related, or progesterone-supplement-related.
Also, I had logged into my patient account during the eleven day wait, just to read through the reports following transfer, and learned there that the grade A blastocyst that they thawed and transferred was downgraded to a B once thawed. And also learned that the transfer took a little longer than ideal because the catheter got caught on my c-section scar, and they had to reposition it. And that, because of these things, my prognosis was listed as "fair" where my prognosis after our fresh transfer in the fall was "above average." None of this information made me feel optimistic.
Friday morning, I was convinced that we were out this cycle, and let myself feel the sad feelings, and by Friday night, started bucking up for a new FET. Since my blood draw was up in Rochester, and Matt and I usually try to wrap our IVF pregnancy tests in special, fun activities (so as to cheer up after negatives or celebrate after positives), Sam and Matt and I packed up the car, drove up to Rochester on Friday night, ate huge platefuls of delicious food at HuHot (because...it's so yummy!), and checked into a lovely hotel suite for the night.
Saturday morning, we got up, munched some breakfast, and headed to Mayo. Mayo doesn't schedule routine labs for Saturdays, only special or time-bound ones, and so our little family of three marched into the giant lab waiting room, where both lab techs came out to greet us, and they gave Sam stickers, and I walked right in because I was literally the only person there.
Both lab techs, seeing the lab order for a quantitative HCG, assumed that it was a pregnancy confirmation, not a pregnancy test, so they were asking about and referring to me being pregnant, which made me smile, even though, of course, this test was to SEE WHETHER I WAS PREGNANT OR NOT!
It was a quick and easy draw, and then we headed off to the Quarry Hill Park and Nature Center for a morning of hiking. Sam loved the ducks at the children's pond, and loved finding little streams and waterfalls in the woods, and though it was great when he got to climb over fallen trees along the path. We had a blast. The nature center building has aquariums with fish and turtles and snakes and lizards, and a crazy see-through beehive. I love our little family of three, and I love doing family stuff like this. Despite the fact that I was sure I wasn't pregnant, I was happy to be with my boys.
We went to grab quick lunch before heading home, and stopped at a great gyros joint. I started power-calling the LabCalls line, where they would leave a message for me with my lab results. I called, like, six times a row, with no new messages yet.
And then, just as our food was arriving, I called again, and had a message.
And...well...
80 is a definite POSITIVE.
So we smiled uncontrollably across the table, chowing down our pitas, and on the drive home, couldn't help but start rehashing names and thinking about when to tell family. Of course, it was far too early to feel confident or anything. The risk of loss is still very real, and one good beta does not a successful pregnancy make. But we were so excited that we let ourselves, even for just a little bit, let loose with all of our anticipation and hopes and dreams.
This morning was my repeat beta, where they checked to see if my numbers had doubled. Drove up by myself to Rochester, did the blood draw, treated myself to a Starbucks (decaf) coffee and breakfast sandwich, and then back home.
I got too impatient to wait for a message to show up on the LabCalls line, so I definitely logged into my patient account and looked directly at my lab results...
236 definitely counts as successful doubling! So two good betas means that it is official: I'm pregnant again!
And sure, it's so so so early. And there are no guarantees. But things are off to the right start, at least for these first couple weeks. Two betas down, a zillion more milestones to go.
Confirmation ultrasound is in two weeks, mostly to make sure that there is a sac, and that it is in my uterus, not lodged someplace suspicious (like a tube or my cervix, since I have quite the stupid history of ectopics).
Friends, whatever may come in these next weeks and months...
TODAY, I am pregnant. And that TOTALLY ROCKS.
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