An Update is Here!

I have had a couple of requests to update my blog and I know I've been slacking so here it goes. I was supposed to have my ultrasound at 7 weeks. Time was going so slow to wait that 2 weeks from the bloodwork appointment until the 1st ultrasound. I was anxious, scared and nervous but tried not to think about it. The weekend before my ultrasound I started to have a little bit of spotting. I got extremely nervous so I called my doctor and they said everything was fine, but if I wanted peace of mind for the weekend I could come in, so I did. I was only 6 weeks and 1 day so we weren't sure if we would be able to see the heartbeat and I knew I wouldn't rest till I could so I prayed that God would allow us to be able to see the hearbeat. We went in and not only did we see one heartbeat but we saw two! They were so strong we able to hear them both (95 beats a minute, a tiny bit low but then again most can't hear it that early). We were so excited and I was relieved.

Although we were happy it seemed that we both should have been more ecstatic than we seemed, we both had our guard up. It was still early and we have had our heartbreak before so it was hard to get too excited. We told our family that we were having twins but decided to wait after our scheduled ultrasound to share with everyone else.

My uncle died that following Monday. My whole family came back to Iowa that week. It was a tough week but it was nice to see all the extended family. My mom and sisters were able to go with me to my 2nd ultrasound. Before I went I prayed and asked God that their heartbeats would be a lot stronger then the week before. I was a little worried about it so I asked Him that they would be at least 120 BPM. Once again we saw two babies heartbeats. At that time they were the size of a grain of rice but had a heartbeat, isn't that amazing? Once again not only could we hear them but they were strong heartbeats. Baby A's was 122 and Baby B's was 145. It was neat to be able to have my sisters and my mom with me and I think they were very excited too.

My next ultrasound was scheduled for 2 weeks later. Again I started spotting a week later and naturally worried again. I knew in my head everything was fine and they told me with twins I would probably have more cramping and spotting as my uterus would grow more than average, but of course I needed peace of mind. This brings us to last Friday I went in again for another ultrasound at 8 weeks 1 day. They were so much bigger and had strong heartbeats. Baby A's was 170 BPM and Baby B's was 168 BPM. We were supposed to have another ultrasound next week but the doctor said we are ready to graduate to an OB doctor now. God is so good and I am so thankful. I make it a point to pray to Him everyday and thank him for blessing us with two babies.

Not only are the babies doing well but I am doing good as well. Both Erik and I are more at peace and more excited everyday. We've talked about names and Erik even texts me how the babies were growing this week. ha I haven't had any morning sickness which God probably knew is my weakness and may keep me from work and well, no work no pay. But in return my face is a mess with red dots but I will take that over nausea. :) I have been craving fruity chewy candy pretty bad. Chewy Jolly Ranchers are hitting the spot pretty well. Starburst are good too! I've been a little more tired then usual but not anything horrible (I went to bed at 7:15 one day this week).

I am so thankful for all of you and your prayers. Please continue to pray for a healthy pregnancy and healthy babies. Also pray that I am able to carry to term and they are big enough to where they won't have to stay in the hospital long. I know many times twins come early so I am really praying that I can carry them as long as possible no matter how uncomfortable I get. :)

Waiting...

I am almost 6 weeks along and will have my ultrasound next week. I am very excited and anxious. This morning I was having one of those anxious times. I am close to the time I had my miscarriage a year and a half ago and I couldn't get it off my mind. So I went upstairs and prayed and God gave me such a peace. I am feeling so much better.
I've been feeling pretty good so far. Last night I was able to stay up till 9:00. I had been going to bed between 7:00 and 8:00. Sunday I felt queasy all day but other then that for the most part been feeling pretty good.
I still thank God everyday for this blessing He has given to us. I am so so thankful to Him. I am also so thankful for those of you who are still praying. I ask that you still pray just as hard for a healthy pregnancy and that I will continue to feel peace. I would really appreciate that. Also pray that the ultrasound next week goes well and everything looks good.
God is good!

He is a rewarder if them that diligently seek Him.

I know alot of you have been anxiously awaiting an update. God has answered our prayers and I am pregnant. I went in on Sunday to have labs done. They like to see anything over 100 and mine was 535. Which is good. Then I went back in today to make sure they were going up and they were 1500. Dr. Cooper called me to let me know and congratulated me.
We are very excited. I have been praying and thanking God ever since. He has been so evident through all of this. I have never seen Him so clearly.
Thank you all so much for praying. I know that is the reason this worked and went smoothly. This whole infertility thing is very hard to go through and I can't imagine how people do it without a faith in God.
I ask that you continue to pray just as hard for a healthy full term baby (or babies). I have an ultrasound scheduled for Nov. 4th to make sure everything is still good and to see how many are in there. :) Please don't forget to pray. I am so excited but still cautious.
Again I cannot thank you all enough for your prayers. You will never know how much we appreciate it. Like I've said many times it feels as if the pressure wasn't all on my shoulders and I had other people talking to God for me.
I will keep you updated after the ultrasound to see what that says. Did I mention I'm pregnant?!?! God is so good!

Implanted

Ok this won't be long because I am sick and want to go back to bed but I thought I'd update everyone since I haven't been keeping up.
Out of the 6 eggs that were fertilized only 3 made it to Tuesday, the day of my transfer. The 2 they put back in they said looked great and were "text book" embryos. It took literally 3 minutes to put back in then I had to lay there for a half hour.
The nurse had warned me that my bloating could get worse after this. And yes it did! I look like I'm 3 months pregnant and on top of that I am so nauseated. I haven't been sleeping well at night because I am so uncomfortable and sick. Last night though was a little better and the nurse prescribed me some nausea medicine that seems to help a tad.
They say to get the bloating down I am supposed to drink lots and lots of gatorade. Which I am but it's hard to eat or drink in large amounts when you feel so bloated and that nothing will fit into your stomach. But like I said I am feeling a little better today and am so thankful for that.
Please pray that this will work and these 2 babies are growing inside of me. Also pray that I feel a little better. I don't handle nausea well and the bloating is very uncomfortable. I know in the end it will all be worth it. :)

Fertilized Eggs

I got a call today and out of the 25 eggs, 16 were able to be injected and only 6 were fertilized. At first I was a bit disappointed but I think I was getting a bit greedy. I had alot more eggs then normal and because of that I expected to have all these eggs fertilized. Having 6 eggs is actually average and a good thing. We only need one to take. We will go in on Tuesday to have the transferred. Please pray this takes the first try. God has worked everything out perfectly thus far and I know he will continue to be there.
Tonight I start my progesterone shots. These, I hear, are not fun. They go in my hip/butt and are intramuscular (longer needle). They have to be done at the same time each day which makes it hard because of Erik's work schedule.
Well that's all I have for today. I will keep you updated. Please pray that all 6 eggs do well and continue to do well.

Eggs are out! :)

So we went in to the clinic at 7:45 to have my eggs removed. Of course upon arrival I got to get in the cute outfit of a gown, feet covers and the stylish hair net. Then they did the usual, blood pressure, temperature, and an IV to give me fluids. Then they gave me the first round of sedation and expected me to walk to the room where the procedure would be done. That was probably entertaining...I couldn't walk straight. ha After I was in the room they gave me another round of sedation and they got started. I can sort of remember a little bit of a pinching feeling throughout the procedure but not much else.
After I got back to the recovery room (which I cannot remember at all), I noticed I was in a bit of pain. So she gave me some pain meds in my IV and sent Erik to Walgreens to pick up some more pain meds. I felt ok while laying down but the minute I had to get up to get dressed it hurt quite a bit. Luckily, the pain meds kicked in on the way home.
Good news is they got 30 eggs and I think 25 they were going to try to fertilize. The other 5 weren't ready. They will call tomorrow to let us know how many were fertilized and I will go in on Tuesday for them to be put back in. So far this is good news.
Bad news, I start the progesterone shots tomorrow which go in my hip/butt and they are the long needles. I'm very very scared. They have to be given the same time everyday so with Erik's work schedule we need to come up with a plan.
We are near the end and I need your prayers more then ever. I know this has all gone as smooth as it can because of your prayers. I really feel like I am not alone and like I've said before it feels like I don't have to carry this load alone. You will never know how much I am thankful.

God is good (quick update)

So a quick update. I went in to get labs done today to check my levels. I was praying that they would go down a little bit to show progress. I was fully expecting to do another round of the acetate injection to keep lowering my levels.
I think they knew I was really anxious about it so I got a call an hour and a half after my lab draw this morning letting me know my numbers were good and we could go ahead and trigger tonight. I know that was all God. I prayed in my room for an hour yesterday and I know more people were too. I am so thankful to have a God who answers prayer.
So we will do 2 trigger injections at 9:00 tonight and I will stop all other drugs except baby aspirin. Then tomorrow start the antibiotics again and then go in Thursday morning to retrieve my eggs.
Please continue to pray everything goes well and we get alot of eggs fertilized on Thursday. Good news is that I have alot of follicles (around 20 in just one ovary). I again appreciate all the prayers.