Round 2

Yep, the first In Vitro process didn't turn out as we hoped, but luckily I'm healthy. I recovered from my pain within a week after my procedure except my injection sites. It's been over a month since my last shot in the bum and the area still mildly hurts on both cheeks! It is especially uncomfortable when I run. Hopefully it is temporary nerve damage and not permanent. :) So everything feels fine except those two areas. My stomach went back down. I thought it might stay bloated with fluids in my abdomen forever!

So the doctor told me that my pain and stomach would get worse if I became pregnant. I started to get better every day after the transfer so I was sure that it was going to be a no. I had to wait a couple weeks for the first blood test to measure my HCG levels. The sat. before my test I felt a little sad that I was feeling so much better so I thought to myself, "I am not going to have them tell me that it is a no. I want to find out myself first". So I took a dollar pregnancy test and it showed negative. I was really sad that day. I didn't want to tell tyler because I didn't want him to be sad as well so I tried to help him get prepared, but he ended up telling me I was being negative :) so I stopped that strategy.

I had my blood test and that day they called me, had me on speaker phone (because one of the girls that work there knows tyler well) and told me that our numbers were high (a 79 when they wanted around 80). They told me that they couldn't say the "p" word (pregnant) until my first ultrasound. We were sooo excited! I was so sure that the coordinator was lying. She reminded me of the announcer on The Amazing Race who tells you good news in a negative tone "I'm sorry Tyler and Ashley, but you have high levels!". I still kept getting better.

I was able to go pick up some cream that day so I could stop my shots. I was so excited to stop the shots that I didn't read the directions on when my next blood test would be. I thought my next visit was an ultrasound in a couple of weeks so I scheduled it. A week and a half later I had a message on my phone saying I missed my appointment for a blood test and that I would have to schedule my ultrasound a week after I planned IF my levels were high again. I came in the next day for the bloodtest and they ended up calling me in the middle of work the next day to tell me that my levels had dropped to 15, so I wasn't pregnant. :( They said it was probably a chemical pregnancy. The doctor later told me that with my high numbers at the begining, about 95% of patients stay pregnant for the second test so I was the lucky 5%. I had started to look at those pregnancy sites to see how far a long the baby(s) was so it was sad to let that hope go. Luckily they told me at work because I was forced not to cry.

So It didn't work the first time (which I hear happens a lot). Luckily there was one more egg that studied hard and turned into a grade A egg. We ended up freezing 4 eggs (one A egg and 3 B eggs). So wow, we are very blessed to have those four and not have to start all over again. Next time I will only have to get the transfer so I won't need all of the hyper-stimulation causing medication. It will be so much easier for my body and the procedure is really easy. :)

It really stinks to wait to get going again. I wish I could have just started it again the next week, but they want you to wait a couple cycles to let your body recover. So I have been on hormones again and it's a little different this time. The actual transfer won't be until the middle of June. SO FAR AWAY, URGH! is what I tell myself sometimes, but I know Heavenly Father wants it to happen at a certain time and I am willing to wait. I know it will be worth it! I have high hopes for the second try. Luckily we only have to pay for the meds (around $3,800) this time since we payed for two transfers originally.

Thanks again for everyone's prayers and fasting for us. It has given us a ton of strength. We wonder if I would have been in the hospital if I continued to be pregnant or maybe we wouldn't get the "Quads" we wanted-haha j/k. We would be super happy with twins or one baby. I know of so many girls who are trying to get pregnant. It is fun to hope for them and pray for them so I think less of my waiting. Happy Mother's day this Sunday everyone! Sheri Dew has this great short little book called "Aren't we all mothers?" I think so. :)