Updated blog theme

I was meaning to come up with a header for this blog so today I found the time. I think it looks much more appropriate!

Day 18 test

The day passed fairly quickly. My Mum and Dad who had been staying with us for a week went home around 2, so I was left with an empty house but a warm one. Our gas heater needed to be certified by a plumber and he came out in the morning and now we are so toasty. Autumn is surely here now and Winter is knocking on the door slowly.

Having time on my hands I was looking around the web (as you do) at pregnancy levels and wondering what today's results would bring. I was also reading up on breast feeding and how I can do it (maybe) by tricking my body and inducing it. It involves a lot of drugs and herbs and breast pumps etc...I am getting way ahead of myself!

V called around 2.30pm to say that her hCG was 287 and progesterone was 117. Now the news was good, the levels are rising...but when you look at the 'averages' on the web then our little munchkin has slowed down a bit in the 5 days. Should we be worried? Could this be the first sign of something wrong?

After some further research it seems that IVF implants generally register lower hCG levels in early pregnancy as it takes longer for the body to register the pregnancy. In fact a 3 day implant has much higher levels than a 5 day implant..so essentially we are a 5 day old implant and if that is true then why were our levels off the scale in the first few tests and not now? Could it have just settled down a little??

Both V and I separately in our searches came to similar conclusions and are concerned. How could we not be when armed with this information but do we need to be or is Google the true enemy here?!!

The concern we have at the moment is the rate it is rising. Averages say it doubles in 48-72 hours and we are now above that average. I found this quote today which helps me a little:

"If normal hCG levels double every 2-3 days, what does it mean if hCG levels are slow to rise?

You have to keep in mind that hCG levels are just estimates and each pregnancy is different. The actual numbers are not indicators of the probability of pregnancy complications but rather, the direction the numbers are going."

The clinic didn't seem too worried about it. V still has her Tuesday bloods so surely if there was a problem they would have suggested a test earlier??

I must say that I am trying to control my emotions. As excited as we were to find out we were pregnant there was always a big hesitation.. nothing is certain and we have been through the enough to know sometimes things don't work the way you want.. in fact for us that has been more than most.

I am all over the place. Please little embie.. be happy and healthy and stay with us.

It seems we hold our breath for the next 4 more days not 8 weeks!

Today's graph...

The call we had been waiting for...Happy Easter!

The Wednesday tests were very positive. V's Progesterone was at 90 odd and her hCG was 30.5 which technically means PREGNANT!! The test on Sat is to confirm if the levels are rising along with a growing and happy pregnant.

Soooooo

Sat morning V, D, and their two beautiful children dropped in on us on their way to MIL's for Easter. The results for the bloods were available at 12pm today as it's a long weekend so we called at 12 and of course the phone was engaged (as always at this time of the day)! Finally the receptionist picked up BUT she can't give results and the nurse was unavailable, so we left a message for the nurse to call on my mobile.

Killing time outside blowing bubbles with the kids we missed the call back, so I called again. Jenny the nurse was finally available and the news was wonderful. It is confirmed we a healthy embie growing very well indeed in V's amazing oven!!! V's Progesterone was at 170 odd (she is still taking supplements), but the big thing was her hCG was at 117!!! Generally it doubles ever 48-72 hours but this little munchkin is barrelling through. We expected it may be at 90 with this test!

Getting the news with all of us together was so important now that I look at it. V and I tried to hold back the tears but HOW EXCITING!!! We are pregnant!!! After all the tests, drugs, bloods, scans, interviews, paperwork and waiting rooms it has all been worth it.

For now we hold our breath for the next 8 weeks :)

Baby due 1.1.2012...

This is somthing I found on the web.. a calculator or sorts with averages etc showing where we are.

What day are we on?

I think we are on day 11 after ovulation but the embie was 5 days when thawed and implanted on day 6 but V's day 7... so does that make us day 12? Ahhhhhh!!!!

I got a cute message from V this morning asking me if I wanted her to do my head in. I am already doing my own head in so of course I want to know what's gong on in her mind.. and her body!

She said this morning she fet sick, as in 'breath through the feeling' kind of sickness! So many things run through your head. Could it be the progesterone she had last night? Could it still be the Overdril in her system? (surely not by now!). Is it just Psychosomatic because we want this so much? Doing our heads in is right!!

After telling me about the sickness V then told me because it was doing her head in she did a pregnancy test...and then a second one... both were positive!?? Is that left over HCG from Overdril????? Or are we actually positive??

V said tomorrow morning she will do another test just to see if it is real and then have the bloods done at the clinic. 2pm we find out the results.. although on transfer day we were told she still may get a false positive on Wednesday? Surely the hCG would be out of her system by now!?

I can't let myself think ahead just yet so Dr Google has been counting out most of what I was thinking... but it's still all just speculation though isn't it. In any case we are so much further along than we were even a month ago and it's sooooooo exciting!

Keep happy little embie... GROW, GROW, GROWWWWWWWWWWW!

First bloods

I came home on Sat evening to give V and her husband some time. I must say I missed my tribe of animals and especially my gorgeous husband :) Home sweet home...

First blood test today. On Friday the Progesterone test came back at 71 after the additional pessary before the transfer. They didn't think V needed any additional Progesteron over the weekend and asked her to go in on Monday to check on the levels again. Today they were at 41 which is the low end of average so V is getting some help with drugs to support the embie. Really nothing to report at this stage...

Wednesday is the next bloods to see if the levels have changed at all and if so moved in the positive way we want...UP UP UP!!!

Fingers and everything crossed!

1st Transfer - 15 April

It's done... OMG!!

We were called in at 7.30am and given paperwork to check. Then in a short 5 mins our healthy little embie was implanted!! By 7.55am this morning we were back in the waiting room all done. Bloods were then taken and we have to call at 2 to see if V needs to take progesterone over the next week or not. It's all very surreal to he honest. Waiting so long for something so quick... Wow. V and I were left looking at each other as if 'is that it?'

On Wednesday V has a blood test and that may read positive because of the ovulation drugs. Then next Saturday another blood test will confirm if there are more hormones or none. We don't even have to have the 2WW! Btw we want HORMONES!!!

Find that perfect little spot little embie and Grow, grow, grow!

Thinking sticky thoughts right now!!!!

Finally a date!!

So we finally got a date for the transfer!! V has been going to the clinic for bloods and ultrasounds and on Friday was given the Overdrel injection for ovulation. They mentioned it might be Friday next week, then there was silence...I hate silence! So yesterday afternoon I called the clinic to confirm the next steps.. we didn't want to wait anymore.. it's all set for Friday at 10am. Yayyyyy!!

Another phone call brought some more exciting news this afternoon. Dr D called to say the embryo they chose had survived the thaw and was all ready! Double, triple yay!! Funny I had not really thought about when it would be defrosted but I guess I thought it would be in the morning.

Of course nothing goes smoothly and in the final hour the transfer time was changed to 7.30am so we had to come up with plan B for the kids. Thank goodness for V's quick thinking. It was sorted before we knew it! 

I have been staying with V and her two beautiful children this week and it's been great spending quality time with them. I am of course still in awe she is doing this for us. OMG it's just hit me... It's tomorrow!!!!

I hope we get some slept tonight!

The call we were waiting for...

This is where I was standing when we got the news. Funny how things become etched in your mind.. This is one for me. Jenny from CFC said all was approved and the paperwork is being sent out as we speak!

WE GOT APPROVED!!!!!!! YAYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!