6 Good Eggs Retrieved

The dr was able to get out 11 eggs yesterday but only 6 of them are usable.  5 are fully mature and 1 was almost mature as of yesterday. It could fully mature outside my body (crazy huh?) so fingers crossed.

We are waiting on the fertilization report today.

Sebastian's cycle we got 8 out with 7 mature and 1 almost mature. Only 3 fertilized last time, so I'm thinking this time the results will be 2-3 if we are lucky.

Waiting for the phone to ring...

--- UPDATE-----

3 fertilized and all of them are grade A. ACK! Going in on Saturday for transfer. I know he's going to want to put them all back in for the highest chances of success but all three are grade A. That makes me really nervous for twins or even triplets!

Day 13 - Trigger Tonight!

Houston we are good to go!  6-7 good sized eggs growing in there so we are triggering tonight. Lining is 6.6 which is better than it ever has been before.

So, Wednesday 9/28 retrieval and Saturday 10/1 transfer.  Yep, 10/1 is the day the moving truck is coming.  Everything all at once!!!!!

I tried to move the truck up a day to Friday but nope. They are all booked up.  So, Mom & Dave will have to manage. We've started lists of things that can stay behind and come up in another shared truck later.

I'm safe to fly on Sunday 10/2 as planned.

Then we wait 2 weeks and I get to figure out how to do the tests up there instead of having to fly back to CA.

2 more shots. I can do this.

Day 9 of Stimulation

Dr apt this morning is showing 5-6 decent sized eggs growing. That's less than last time. Dr thinks trigger will be Monday 9/26 and retrieval Wed 9/28 so possible transfer of any fertilized eggs on 10/1.

10/1 is when the moving truck is coming! Weee for timing.  Thankfully mom & Dave will be here to direct the movers while Nate and I go get pregnant.

I'm nervous for only 5-6 eggs though. With 8 last time, only 3 fertilized.  We'll be lucky if 1-2 fertilize this time and even luckier if one of those sticks and becomes a baby.

Fingers crossed.

In the mean time, I"m exhausted. Trying to pack a box here and there and do as much as I can. Glad we started early and had so much help on Saturday!

Here we go again

Because we don't have enough going on in our lives with raising a 14 month old and moving to Oregon in 2 weeks, we have started stims for baby #2 this morning.  I did the injection myself while Nate wrangled the kiddo. If everything lines up, we'll transfer any embryos 2-3 days before the moving truck comes on 10/1. 

Weeeee!

38 weeks - Almost There!

Baby is the size of a winter melon. I hadn't really heard of this one but here's what Google says it is!

The Mossling is officially fully cooked and probably weighing in at around 7 lbs.  We have a check up on Monday, which should be our last one before the c-section on 7/21. 

I've been having some period like cramps only in the evenings for the last few days. Nothing I would call a contraction and nothing we're able to time.  Acid reflux continues to be a struggle with his head so close to my stomach, but it will soon be all worth it. 

I put together some progression images for fun.  See how the lump on top starts to really protrude in the last couple? Yup, that's a noggin! 

The swelling in my face, hands and feet seem to have finally gone down.  Now, it's all belly!! Well, and some hips and thighs, but I've had those all along :)

Giving Birth ‘Naturally’ Does Not Make You More Of A Woman

This is a hot button for me.  Nate and I couldn't get pregnant 'naturally' and now we need medical science again in order to deliver our baby safely.  100 years ago not only would I never have gotten pregnant, if by some miracle I did, my child and/or I could have serious complications and possibly not survive delivery.

Because we choose to use medical science to help us does not mean we will be bad parents or that our child will be less amazing or natural.  And, giving birth naturally is not a measure of success for being a woman!   I'm not against natural medicine or herbal remedies, but sometimes they are not the only answer and definitely shouldn't be looked at as superior to other options that result in the same end goal.  The end goal here is to have a happy healthy baby, not to prove anything.

This article says it way better than I can.  I'm so tired of people constantly praising women who are able to give birth 'naturally' and attempting to commiserate with those of us who needed assistance. We don't need your condolences because we need medical assistance.  Your well wishes and support are appreciated, however.

Now for an update:

At 37 weeks the Mossling is the size of a large cantaloupe and weighs about 6.5 pounds.

He's still heads up. I can feel his head pushing into my ribcage when he stretches out.  It hurts.  Sleeping is getting harder. Acid reflux is getting worse. 15 more days. I can do this. 

C-section is scheduled for 7/21. Hope we make it that far without having to rush in for an emergency c-section.   We have a dr appointment on 7/13 for an ultrasound again to make sure he's still in breech position. 

36 Weeks and Breech

So good news is Mossling is doing well. He has a strong heartbeat, good amount of fluid around him, and normal size etc.  Bad news is, he's butt down instead of heads down.  GRRRR!

Sigh. So... we have a choice to make. He's pretty tight in there so chances that he'll turn around on his own are pretty slim. The Dr gave me some exercises and positions I can try to help encourage him but our choices are:

1) Try to turn him next week at 37 weeks by doing a version procedure at the hospital. There are minor risks of the bag of waters breaking or the cord getting stuck around his neck, etc. In which case they'd do an emergency c-section on the spot. Dr says the procedure can be pretty painful for me too. There's no guarantee he wont flip back over either. 

OR

2) We can just schedule the c-section for 39 weeks.

Honestly, I'm somewhat relieved because I'm more scared of the idea of pushing him out my vagina vs. having surgery! haha Maybe I have my priorities or fears mixed up. 

Another thing to consider is if we want to have another child, we'll have to go through IVF again and scar tissue from c-sections can complicate implantation. I emailed both Dr Holland and our IVF Dr. Harris to ask their opinions on that. 

We have some decisions to make. Why can't anything be easy?