1. My progesterone injection shots
2. My fertility clinic and family
3. Crinone/Estrodial (estrogen)
4. Frequent ultrasounds and 3D every time!
Let me give them proper farewell.
PROGESTERONE INJECTIONS
These inconvenient, hip numbing, butt aching, hormone effect rising injections kept my body from miscarrying the first 8-10 weeks of pregnancy. For that I can ignore the previous callouts, and that is also what made it a bitter sweet farewell. For the last 9 weeks, Matt injected me with progesterone--right into my bum. Ginnie filled in 1 night when Matt was out of town. I'm so thankful for Matt and also for Ginnie's fill in.
The first 8-10 weeks of pregnancy the ovaries make hormones until the placenta takes over. Since my ovaries didn't ovulate they didn't know to make progesterone, so this is why I took injections. They keep your body aware that it is pregnant which keeps you from miscarrying. Many thanks to this injection. I was scared to stop them but everything was fine:)
So farewell to these shots! Below is what we accumulated through this process....we added it up and I took or administered over 200 shots between lupron (twice, IVF/FET), menopur, follistem, and the progesterone through this process.
And I am now a champ at having blood drawn. I had that done every visit. Probably a little over 25 times.
These includes all the shots from the IVF/FET process.
Bye bye progesterone
MY FERTILITY CLINIC
I went through everyone I could think of in a post a few back, so I will keep this shorter. Matt and I started going to Dr. Ke at Fertility Associates of Memphis after my normal OBGYN, Dr. Tonkin with Adams Patterson Gynocology, recommended him soon after our ectopic. We went to the clinic for 2 years. Tried clomid again, did a sono-something test (sorry can't remember, but it's when they put saline solution in your uterus and view on ultrasound to be sure nothing is wrong). I also did a few test that measured my follicle count, egg reserve, and egg quality. We passed all these with flying colors so Dr Ke said it was a tubal issue (my final tube), and the only way to bypass the tube to get pregnant was IVF. It took us about a half a year from that news to go back ready to learn all about it. That was February 2014. Then we took a big trip to Europe, and planned to start IVF when we got back. We waited, and waited some more; hoping we'd conceive naturally. Hope is STRONG! Then by September of 2014, we just knew, and began our IVF journey. This clinic was amazing through it all, and saying goodbye to the people who had been there along the way way really tough, but it was bittersweet because it meant we had succeeded! And we will be back. They have our embryos. It's a bit strange for me to think I'll never conceive naturally....even if I could I will not unless we try with all 4 of our embryos and are unsuccessful then happen to conceive naturally. But that's ok. That's how it was meant to be.
So farewell Fertility Associates of Memphis! Thank you for being God's instrument in allowing His miracle to occur. We will see you again, hopefully not too very long from now.
This was my last day.
CRINONE/ESTRODIAL(estrogen).
It's hard for me to call crinone bittersweet. Because it was NASTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But it supplemented my progesterone and allowed me to keep from miscarrying. It maintained a good base of progesterone and I continued it until I hit week 12 (which technically I have ONE more dose, but I'm farewelling it now). Good riddance crinone. You did your job, but you grossed me out, and I will hopefully soon forget all the nastiness about you.
Really looking forward to being a bit normal in that regard.
Estrogen - you were a breeze. A tiny little pill I took twice a day. The hardest part was remembering to take you, but you were like a silent helper in the background; doing your job all along the way without me noticing much. Thank you for that and for giving my baby the best environment to thrive in until the placenta got the memo that it was time for it to take over.
Below is crinone. UGH! I didn't include a picture of estrodial; it was just a tiny little pill, no bigger than a baby aspirin.
FREQUENT ULTRASOUNDS (3D everytime!)
I will miss my weekly checks on the little one. And to date one of the most amazing sights I have seen is a 2 inch baby looking just like a baby. The 3D was amazing. I could see little arms, legs, face, eyes, it was just amazing. I will miss the staff that was completely understanding when I had a bit of cramping and wanted to move my appointment up a day. I have been spoiled.
The good part is with these goodbyes, I say hello to:
1. Dr Tonkin!! (she's amazing) My normal Dr! yay!
2. A life of pregnancy that is 'normal' in terms of drugs; prenatals only...and maybe an occasional stool softener (maybe TMI, but what hasn't been about this blog recently)
3. A more normal Dr visit schedule. Although I did love my frequent checks and getting to see my baby, i think it will be good for Matt and me to be on a normal schedule for the remainder of the pregnancy. From 1/week visits to 1 every 4 weeks.
I'm thrilled to be at this step of my journey. I am 12 weeks in 2 more days, and that's such a huge milestone!
We had the gender test results come back as well as the genetic disorder tests. They ran them just with my blood work and a swab of Matt's cheek. Pretty amazing!
The genetic testing came back low risk which is the best result it can be. We were thankful for that.
We are waiting on the gender testing results (don't want to know for a few more weeks). We plan to reveal to ourselves and family April 11. Soon! But 3 more weeks away. I'll be 15 weeks by then and would have had another appointment with Tonkin and ultrasound, and I think we'll be ready to put a gender association with baby:)
I think girl, Matt things boy. Most family thinks girl, but a few friends have said boy. Girl is outweighing boy. It's fun, but of course we don't truly care. Wanting it to be healthy is not just cliche; it's how you truly feel about the process. A healthy baby is the biggest blessing we can ask for.
That's all for now!
Amanda
This was our latest ultrasound when we went to Dr. Tonkin. A far cry from the 3D, but how cool is that?! Little baby was sleeping until the ultrasound lady woke it up:)
After my successful first visit to my normal dr I splurged on the baby. Got the cutest little bunny and MAP book from Anthropologie. Both items were made for the baby. It was one of those things were I didn't think "oh this would be cute," rather, "I must purchase this, now."
The map book is so cool! And I want to monogram the little bunny's ear; maybe for their first Easter.
I like frozen yogurt lately
And when I'm hungry I devour things very quickly. This was a matter of minutes.
I'm still weird with food. Not really excited about it, but need to eat very often. When I first realize I'm hungry it's as if I was hungry hours ago and starved myself. So, with my new job I have meetings almost constantly. Makes it hard to snack. So, I've resorted to eating during meetings. Sorry peeps. During this meeting we had had a going away party for someone earlier that day and GiGi's cupcakes were there. I was stuffed from half a sandwich at lunch (why does that happen), so I saved it. An hour later I was starving. So, I took my cupcake to a meeting. Maybe that's not weird for some, but it kind of is for the meetings I've attended....maybe unprofessional. I walk into the meeting with other directors and VP's and am like, "what's up I got my cupcake and I'm ready, what we talking about today folks!"
Being pregnant makes you less of a pleaser/conformer and more about your needs. On this day and at this time my need was to eat this cupcake STAT.
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