And my journey is moving forward. It took me a little bit to be really sure this is still what I wanted. For a while I was feeling like I didn't really "need" surrogacy in the way that I initially thought I did. I also was feeling discouraged from the results of my last two journeys, and wasn't certain I was up for the challenge anymore. Eventually I concluded that it was true my selfish desire for a natural birth has faded substantially, but my other reasons for wanting to carry for another couple have grown. I feel like maybe things in the past have played out the way they did because I wasn't truly ready. I feel more ready now than ever.
We got our contract finalized over the weekend, and we'll be signing any day now. I have an appointment with our clinic tomorrow, and if everything goes well, we should reasonably expect to be starting insems next week! Can't believe its here already! I know for K&J it has seemed like eternity, but time really has gone quickly for me.
I have about 2 dozen questions for the clinic since I haven't done IUIs before, and I'll report back later this week with the results of my appointment. Unti then, I'm keeping my mind occupied so I don't get too worked up about everything that's coming.
Wish us luck!
Showing posts with label getting pregnant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label getting pregnant. Show all posts
Monday, October 3, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
10 DPO
And nothing new to report. Tested this morning and it was negative, but AF hasn't made an appearance either so I'm still in good spirits. Might have just been a tad early. If implantation occurred, we think it would have been on Tuesday because I had a temp dip below cover and a smidge of light spotting. Might just be too soon to tell.
Tentatively planning on testing again Saturday. Ugh, they don't call this the 2ww for nothin! It's brutal!
Tentatively planning on testing again Saturday. Ugh, they don't call this the 2ww for nothin! It's brutal!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
The Deed Is Done
We did insems 3 days in a row, with the last being the day after my O date. I ended up with two days of positive OPKs, which was unusual. Not sure if that means anything.
Not much more to update than that. I didn't get to spend a lot of time with V&S because I was working a lot. I actually had a work trip pop up during my predicited fertile time so they flew into the QC and the next day we headed to Des Moines separately. We did get to have dinner a couple nights and it was nice to catch up. We hadn't really been talking so much since their last visit -- not because I didn't want to of course, we've just all been very busy with work I think.
I got my BFP with Nora at 10DPO, so I think I'll start testing around that time this go around too -- not likely I'll get a positive any earlier and I don't want to make myself crazy with negatives -- so 8 days til testing! Stay tuned.
Not much more to update than that. I didn't get to spend a lot of time with V&S because I was working a lot. I actually had a work trip pop up during my predicited fertile time so they flew into the QC and the next day we headed to Des Moines separately. We did get to have dinner a couple nights and it was nice to catch up. We hadn't really been talking so much since their last visit -- not because I didn't want to of course, we've just all been very busy with work I think.
I got my BFP with Nora at 10DPO, so I think I'll start testing around that time this go around too -- not likely I'll get a positive any earlier and I don't want to make myself crazy with negatives -- so 8 days til testing! Stay tuned.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Right on Schedule
Thursday, March 10, 2011
CD 17
Not fertile. The ferning test yesterday must have been a fluke because today was definitely negative this morning. I even tested it twice. I know I wasn't seeing things yesterday because I was so amused that it was working, I even made C take a look and he saw it too!
Given the timeframe we're shooting for, this is good news. Hopefully it holds out another day or so.
In other news, I've already run 6 miles this week and I'm planning on running again tomorrow! I wasn't a runner when I was pregnant with the Bear so I'm interested to see whether my body allows me to stick with it once it's working overtime growing a little bun. Obviously in the beginning I'll need to take it easy, but after that, pending all is going well, I should be able to continue running. What I don't know is whether I'll continue to improve or if I'll just kind of be stuck in a rut. If there's anything I remember about my last pregnancy it's that I was so.freakin.tired. and I can't imagine that motivation to run will come easily. My hope is that the running will be energizing rather than exhausting...but we'll see how that goes.
Given the timeframe we're shooting for, this is good news. Hopefully it holds out another day or so.
In other news, I've already run 6 miles this week and I'm planning on running again tomorrow! I wasn't a runner when I was pregnant with the Bear so I'm interested to see whether my body allows me to stick with it once it's working overtime growing a little bun. Obviously in the beginning I'll need to take it easy, but after that, pending all is going well, I should be able to continue running. What I don't know is whether I'll continue to improve or if I'll just kind of be stuck in a rut. If there's anything I remember about my last pregnancy it's that I was so.freakin.tired. and I can't imagine that motivation to run will come easily. My hope is that the running will be energizing rather than exhausting...but we'll see how that goes.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Ferning
My OPKs are still pretty light. Stay tuned!
It seems so surreal that it's almost time!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
My New Morning Ritual
Back to to the bathroom to check my ferning patterns in the saliva and read the OPK.
Record temp and test results.
It's not terribly time consuming, but it makes me giggle at how quickly we form routines.
V&S were the ones who suggested the ferning test. I had never heard of it but after some reading, it appears it's effective and often detects ovulation a few days earlier because you have a mid-point, not just a positive or negative. I also decided to keep up with the OPK strips. I like them for the same reason. I've tried the Clear Blue tests where you get a smiley or a circle, and while easy to read, they don't give you any indication ovulation is coming. With the strips, you can watch the line gradually darken indicating ovulation is likely near.
Today is CD 12. A week from tomorrow, V&S are flying in and we'll have three days to hopefully fertilize an egg, and then it's the dreaded 2WW. I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I want so badly for this to just work the first time around so the anticipation and what ifs are all out of the way.
For now, we wait.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Preparing for Pregnancy
I said in my last post that despite my lack of posts, I have still been preparing for pregnancy. So what does getting ready for pregnancy entail?
Charting. Temping every morning at 6 a.m., even when I'd rather snooze my alarm and get an extra 30 minutes of shut eye.
Vitamins. I stand by a good OTC prenatal -- no need for a prescription. During pregnancy, and going into it, you need increased folic acid, vitamins A and D, as well as calcium. I have always had to supplement and plan my diet to keep my iron up, so I also look for a prental with some added iron. Since my leutal phase was lingering on the shorter side of normal, I also started taking B6 at the beginning of my cycle this month to hopefully lengthen it a day or so.
Today is CD 9. Ten days to insems!
Charting. Temping every morning at 6 a.m., even when I'd rather snooze my alarm and get an extra 30 minutes of shut eye.
Vitamins. I stand by a good OTC prenatal -- no need for a prescription. During pregnancy, and going into it, you need increased folic acid, vitamins A and D, as well as calcium. I have always had to supplement and plan my diet to keep my iron up, so I also look for a prental with some added iron. Since my leutal phase was lingering on the shorter side of normal, I also started taking B6 at the beginning of my cycle this month to hopefully lengthen it a day or so. Getting fit. I've been in a good gym routine for about 6 months now. I run 2-3 days a week (currently just about 2 miles per run and I work to increase my time in order to get in a good cardio workout), I do yoga twice a week and I lift weights or do circut training at least twice a week. I feel great and have been working hard to keep my routine so once pregnancy occurs I can continue to be active. I also notice that when I excercise, I eat better because I crave healthier foods.
Belly pics! I'm excited to document this journey, and what better way to start than with a before picture so V&S can watch their baby grow as we go? Plus, I'm pretty proud of how my hard work (see above!) has paid off so here's my last chance to show it off ;)
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Getting Ready
Today is cycle day 1 of our first month of trying. Based on my charts, we can expect our first insem to be 19-22 days from now!
My cycles have not been as consistent as they were before my pregnancy with Bear, and they have gotten longer by about a week but they are regular and predictable. I've been charting since October and only my first chart was way off from the others, which is completely normal after not havin a period for two years.
I don't think the reality has completely set in for me yet. I'm ready, it just doesn't seem real that we've reached this point already. I still need to get a couple tests done, I haven't met the potential midwife yet and I need to get my test results sent off to V&S this week. Now that it's settling in that it's really almost time, I guess I need to get the ball rolling!
Here's hoping for first cycle luck!
My cycles have not been as consistent as they were before my pregnancy with Bear, and they have gotten longer by about a week but they are regular and predictable. I've been charting since October and only my first chart was way off from the others, which is completely normal after not havin a period for two years.
I don't think the reality has completely set in for me yet. I'm ready, it just doesn't seem real that we've reached this point already. I still need to get a couple tests done, I haven't met the potential midwife yet and I need to get my test results sent off to V&S this week. Now that it's settling in that it's really almost time, I guess I need to get the ball rolling!
Here's hoping for first cycle luck!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
The News
I didn't think my day was really deserving of a "good news" or "bad news" title... disappointing, but not a show stopper.
Beginning with the good, I was greeted by Aunt Flo this a.m. which means I ovulated! This is great news, and good progress I think.
Then I went to my appointment with the endocrinologist. Without seeing any recent blood work, he couldn't really comment on much but he did a checkup. We discussed surrogacy, but he was not familiar with the standards for pregnancy clearance. He said his gut feeling was that he would have a hard time recommending me as a "great" candidate because my condition can hinder fertility. Obviously, I know this. I asked if it mattered that with my past pregnancies I always got pregnant on the first try -- while on prolactin suppressants but on the first try never-the-less. He indidcated that would be a consideration but that he needed to speak to his colleagues before he could give me an answer on how many regular cycles I would need before he'd be willing to write the recommendation.
Then he suggested I come back in 3 months... when I began to protest, he simply said he was really busy and I'd be lucky to get in that soon. So I left it at that.
I shared the news with my IF, and we concluded that the best way to overcome this is by going to an OB for clearance. I'm going to start charting again so that by the time I meet with the OB I can take proof that I am in fact ovulating and that really, nothing is preventing me from achieving pregnancy. Crossing my fingers that does it. Appointment scheduled for Nov. 10.
And now we wait some more.
Beginning with the good, I was greeted by Aunt Flo this a.m. which means I ovulated! This is great news, and good progress I think.
Then I went to my appointment with the endocrinologist. Without seeing any recent blood work, he couldn't really comment on much but he did a checkup. We discussed surrogacy, but he was not familiar with the standards for pregnancy clearance. He said his gut feeling was that he would have a hard time recommending me as a "great" candidate because my condition can hinder fertility. Obviously, I know this. I asked if it mattered that with my past pregnancies I always got pregnant on the first try -- while on prolactin suppressants but on the first try never-the-less. He indidcated that would be a consideration but that he needed to speak to his colleagues before he could give me an answer on how many regular cycles I would need before he'd be willing to write the recommendation.
Then he suggested I come back in 3 months... when I began to protest, he simply said he was really busy and I'd be lucky to get in that soon. So I left it at that.
I shared the news with my IF, and we concluded that the best way to overcome this is by going to an OB for clearance. I'm going to start charting again so that by the time I meet with the OB I can take proof that I am in fact ovulating and that really, nothing is preventing me from achieving pregnancy. Crossing my fingers that does it. Appointment scheduled for Nov. 10.
And now we wait some more.
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