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Saturday, February 18, 2017

FET #4...

This is what my calendar looks like for the month. It gets pretty intense with meds the week of transfer and I actually took one of my doses wrong on Tuesday but it all worked out and was not a big deal. 


I started these old friends (PIO) Progesterone in oil again last Sunday. Probably my least favorite, but I have been icing my buns before hand and it has seemed to help, also I take them in the morning rather than evening and I think that has actually helped it get disbursed more and not have as big of medicine knots. I do these every single morning. I also started  on Sunday a progesterone suppository  ( in my hooha) every night. 


These were my last labs on Monday before transfer. 


We went to Butte Tuesday- Thursday for Neal's job and brought his mom with us. It was so relaxing and we had fun. We went to Fairmont Hot Springs one night. So fun to soak under the stars. 

And this is an IVF Hack...didn't have a ziploc for little man's sandwich when we travelling back from Butte so I used one of my syringe bags. 


So yesterday 02/17/17 was the big TRANSFER day and we were reunited with one of our embryos.
That morning I had Neal give me a blessing of comfort to ease my anxiety and we dropped off Grayson and our dog to my parents where my sisters and them helped watch him and headed down to Utah for the transfer.

Our check in time was 4:30PM for a 5PM transfer.

We went to eat at The Pie.... Neal's favorite Buffalo chicken pizza is there. Then headed to IKEA. I started drinking some water at 3:30 so my bladder would be nice and full for transfer and around 3:45 we drove the rest of the way to Pleasant Grove.

We checked in, they had me take my valium and 10 min later I felt it kick in. Man I felt out of it but was still with it.  It's really weird.

I had to pee so bad by then I asked if I could relieve some and they said I could. I didn't want to over do it so I was cautious.

Then they took us back to the room told me to undress from the waist down and cover up with drape. I still had intense pee pressure and made Neal peak his head out and ask if I could relieve myself more (I really didn't want to pee on the doctor.) So I bunched the drape​ and waddled to the bathroom across the hall. I felt way better and like I wouldn't dribble on the doctor now.

We waited a few minutes before they came in to prep me. They had me stirrup up and lay down. Put the abdominal u/s on my belly so they could see where to place the catheter in uterus.  Having a full bladder helps with that too. Dr. Conway came in showed us a picture out if our embryo. Said it looked beautiful and was hatching . This is our 5 day blastocyst (embryo)
Prepped my cervix put the catheter in and the embryologist came in took the straw that goes in the catheter--took it to the attached  room and sucked our embryo up into it. Brought it back out and handed it to Dr. Conway who then inserted the straw in the catheter and pushed our sweet embryo back where it belongs in my uterus.  

The big black section is my full bladder the little white bubble inside the heart is our embaby. 
The embryologist checked the straw and said all clear. They had me stay laying down for 20 minutes listening to the supposed to be relaxing sounds but the birds chirping were just kind of unrealistic and funny.  Neal videoed the transfer so I'm sure we will post that soon. I was able to pee again after the 20 minute wait ( I mean look at that full bladder)

We headed right back home as soon as it was done and made it home by 10:30PM and went straight to bed. That valium knocks you out! 

This experience was so much different than my previous clinic, not in a good or bad way just different. I felt like Dr. Conway is way more relaxed and spent a few minutes with us afterwards talking and letting us ask questions. I'm really hopeful that these new meds she's having me try are the key to a healthy full term pregnancy. 

Here are just a few differences and what my last clinic did:
-Neal couldn't be in the room watching  (which is one thing I really loved about the new clinic--that he could be in there with me)
-I had to wear a wrist band with my name and DOB on it for them to verify it was me and that they were putting the right embryo in the right patient (the embryologist would come check my wrist band then show me my name and DOB on the embryo dish on the screen from adjacent room)
-I had to get in a hospital gown completely undressed and wear a hair cap. 
-They had a screen in the embryologist room where they showed my name and DOB to verify it was me and then zoomed into the embryo for me to see. (this clinic usually does that they said but the room the were using the scope wasn't working so we didn't get to see that part)
-I was in a completely sterilized room...like had to walk on sticky mats before getting on the bed
-Gave us movie tickets for us to use during the two week wait I mean we did just give you thousands of dollars the least you could do is give us something... :)  (take note Utah Fertility Center haha)



I don't think either clinic is right or wrong in how they do their transfers and every clinic has different protocol but the only thing that really had me somewhat question was that we didn't verify the embryo and that it was ours they were putting in me (I'm sure it was only because the scope and video part wasn't working in the room we were in otherwise we probably would have seen it really was ours) but if this baby comes out black....we'll know a mistake was made haha.


Now we enter the TWW (two week wait) until we find out if this embaby stuck and implanted. So far I've had 100% success in this area, it's the next few weeks after that  that have me all scared. But I saw this on Instagram and it's how I"m choosing to feel. I have no control and I am leaving this in God's hands. Whatever the outcome I will trust His plan for us. 



We so appreciate all your kind words, messages, and especially prayers as we go though our infertility journey.  It has touched our hearts and continues to keep us so very humbled. Wishing we could hug everyone of you. Love love love to you all. <3




Friday, February 10, 2017

Labs, u/s and polyp biopsy update...


My polyp biopsy came back normal. :)

Here is the box of some of my meds for my FET 2/17/17.
I started baby aspirin on 1/19.
Last birth control pill was 1/23 the. Period was 1/26-2/1.
I started plaquenil 1/26 (an autoimmune drug) in hopes to prevent miscarriage in case my body is attacking the baby thinking it's something it isn't.

I started the estrodial valerate 0.15 (estrogen) shots on 1/27 I do these every Tuesday and Friday night.
I  had my baseline u/s and labs 1/25 which was all normal and good. Lining was thin like it should be, no cysts on ovaries.
2/2 LABS they also drew some labs to recheck hormone levels and blood type and disease panel since the last I had done was in 2014.
My prolactin levels came back high 44 so they had me recheck it the next day (2/3) fasting and no intercourse the night before. It was still high at 47 and they like it 24 or lower. So they began me on parlodel a medicine to lower it. I take 1/2 pill a day and will recheck my levels in a month. They said it shouldn't affect my transfer but high levels of prolactin can sometimes cause miscarriage. So maybe this is one more thing that'll keep my babe in me.
2/6 had more labs and u/s  and they  came back good. My lining is 11.2mm they like it above 8 so lining is good and ready for transfer next Friday. I just can't believe it's come so fast. I'm kind of glad it's been a crazy couple months to keep me from going down a dark anxious road. I'm still so anxious and stressed about another loss but I also trust that I've done everything I can and I have no other option but to leave it in God's hands. So come what may I'll still trust Him and His plan for my family.
I have one more lab draw Monday 2/13 before transfer next Friday and start the thick progesterone in oil shots Sunday(2/12) with a progesterone suppository--- I'll get to do those both daily.

Then I start z-pack 2/13 and medrol 2/14 and day of transfer I'll begin the lovenox (blood thinner) in case I have some clotting thing not picked up on other labs I had drawn.

So T-minus 7 days until one of our little embaby's are reunited with us. Praying the embryologist chooses a good eggy and that he/she sticks good and is in it for the long haul!

Oh and we moved into our new home 1/23. WE are loving having our own space and are grateful we feel settled and mostly unpacked for out transfer 2/17/17.



If you want to follow a little more closer on our IVF journey and FET #4 follow us on my Instagram account @the_making_of_our_family