Hello All!!
So it's been 10 weeks - we are now 30 weeks pregnant!! YAY for the third trimester! We are 3/4 of the way through this pregnancy & having such mized emotions... excited for what the future holds, but also enjoying every single minute of this wonderful experience!
I had my 30 week check up with my OB this morning & he told me I am doing a super job with my weight gain, Aubree's size is fabulous & both our measurements are right on track for 30 weeks! The 15 minute talk/cry I had (about this subject alone) with my OB was very reassuring - after soooo many people had told me that I am "so small" & "lucky to be so small" & other comments, he told me exactly what I needed to hear. Before the appointment, I was beginning to doubt myself & wondering if I was doing something wrong with how I was caring for Aubree already. He is not concerned whatsoever. I could not ask for a better, more caring doctor to take care of me, Richard & Aubree - he truly has all of our best interests at heart & believes in making sure we are all on the same page before we make any decisions!
This past weekend, Richard was thrown a "Daddy Shower" with friends & family - a shower completely devoted to Richard & him becoming a daddy! Lots of people came to support Richard!
Well - I am off! Had the day off & have done nothing around the house!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
ALOT Has Happened!
Im so sorry I haven't updated in FOREVER! So much has happened over the past few months!!
So, to start... we had our FET (Frozen Embryo Transfer) April 9th, transfering 1 "excellent" grade embryo & 2 "good" quality embryo - so yes, 3 embryos & no, we are not crazy :) Both of our moms were able to be in the room with us during transfer, which is a little weird, but they are such big parts of our lives that we wanted to share our miracle with them!
Well, 8 days after transfer, they have you go in for BETA HCG testing (bloodwork that determines how much pregnancy hormone is in your body), which is basically the same thing as an at home pregnancy test, but can detect pregnancy within days of conception. Well, the number that the results come out to need to double every 48-72 hours. ANYWAYS... ours did!!! Which meant at least it was the beginning of a viable pregnancy!
Our next step was an ultrasound at 7 weeks! On May 12th, we went into Idaho Center for Reporductive Medicine & prepared ourselves for what we would see... which was a little beating heart on the screen! Heart rate was 181, and we have NEVER seen something more precious then our baby's heartbeat for the first time; we were both in tears.
Two weeks later, May 26th, we had our 9 week ultrasound at ICRM. It was confirmed that we were indeed pregnant. Dr Slater had told us that our 'Gummy Bear' was perfect & offically was discharged from them - onto the OBGYN to be a regular patient... such a bittersweet day for us. I wish I could stay with them through my entire pregnancy - what a wonderful group of women & Dr Foulk that care SOOO much about every patient! They went through each step with us & such a great support system!
So, we were offically "regular" patients! Our OBGYN (Dr William Madland) could hardly wait to haev us under his care, that he wanted to see us the very next week! On June 3rd, we went to see Dr Madland & once again, saw our baby 'Gummy Bear'. It was wiggling & dancing for us on the screen; it seemed to love showing off how big he/she was getting!
After a much needed vacation, important weddings to attend & seeing family in Oregon, we came back & had an ultrasound apt with Dr Bobrowski - a Perinatologist with St Alphonsus Maternal Fetal Medicine. This apt was to check on baby & make sure everything was developing normally. After our apt, we were cleared to not to be considered a high-risk pregnancy. Although we had this clearing, we were still asked to come back in 7 weeks to check up on baby & monitor the growth.
August 2nd, we have our follow up apt with Dr Bobrowski & are ready to determine what gender the baby is - we are 19 weeks so they should be able to tell us as long at the baby is cooperative. And... ITS A GIRL!! Heartrate was 147, weighing 9 ounces, perfect placement for both baby and placenta!We both were guessing a girl & it felt so great to be right! Later that night, we met our family for dinner. I asked everyone to wear the color of clothing they thought the gender was (no one knew), pink/red for girl & blue for a boy; Richard and I wore green since we already knew! I also ordered a cake that was chocolate with yellow writing on the top that said "It's A...?" with pink or blue frosting in the middle. After dinner, it was cake time!! And, despite the popular vote that it would be a boy, we revealed the pink frosting in the middle!! Such an exciting experience!!
Today - August 12th, I had my 20 week check up with Dr Madland... my first apt since April that Richard was not with me. I was a nervous wreck because he had always been there to hold my hand & keep me positive for appointments. I know he would have loved to be there though! Well, Dr Madland came in with a doppler to listen to the heartbeat and my worst nightmare seemed to be coming true - he could not find the heartbeat. I began to panic, and he told me to stay calm because the doppler battery was just giving out & went to get the ultrasound machine. To our delight, as soon as he put the wand on my belly, there is our baby girl kicking him to get the thing off her! haha we could not help but laugh! Everything was perfect - heartrate of 146 & weighing in at about 11 ounces. Such a relief!!
So far, I have been craving gas station deli dogs (which are better then the regular hot dogs) & have not been gaining too much weight. I started having morning sickness aroudn 9 weeks, but all was better at about 15 weeks! I don't have my regular energy, constantly tired, but definetly worth all of this!!
I'm off to go help the husband with dinner then clean house! If you have any questions, just ask! I know I left out a lot, but not on purpose!!
Loves to all!
So, to start... we had our FET (Frozen Embryo Transfer) April 9th, transfering 1 "excellent" grade embryo & 2 "good" quality embryo - so yes, 3 embryos & no, we are not crazy :) Both of our moms were able to be in the room with us during transfer, which is a little weird, but they are such big parts of our lives that we wanted to share our miracle with them!
Well, 8 days after transfer, they have you go in for BETA HCG testing (bloodwork that determines how much pregnancy hormone is in your body), which is basically the same thing as an at home pregnancy test, but can detect pregnancy within days of conception. Well, the number that the results come out to need to double every 48-72 hours. ANYWAYS... ours did!!! Which meant at least it was the beginning of a viable pregnancy!
Our next step was an ultrasound at 7 weeks! On May 12th, we went into Idaho Center for Reporductive Medicine & prepared ourselves for what we would see... which was a little beating heart on the screen! Heart rate was 181, and we have NEVER seen something more precious then our baby's heartbeat for the first time; we were both in tears.
Two weeks later, May 26th, we had our 9 week ultrasound at ICRM. It was confirmed that we were indeed pregnant. Dr Slater had told us that our 'Gummy Bear' was perfect & offically was discharged from them - onto the OBGYN to be a regular patient... such a bittersweet day for us. I wish I could stay with them through my entire pregnancy - what a wonderful group of women & Dr Foulk that care SOOO much about every patient! They went through each step with us & such a great support system!
So, we were offically "regular" patients! Our OBGYN (Dr William Madland) could hardly wait to haev us under his care, that he wanted to see us the very next week! On June 3rd, we went to see Dr Madland & once again, saw our baby 'Gummy Bear'. It was wiggling & dancing for us on the screen; it seemed to love showing off how big he/she was getting!
After a much needed vacation, important weddings to attend & seeing family in Oregon, we came back & had an ultrasound apt with Dr Bobrowski - a Perinatologist with St Alphonsus Maternal Fetal Medicine. This apt was to check on baby & make sure everything was developing normally. After our apt, we were cleared to not to be considered a high-risk pregnancy. Although we had this clearing, we were still asked to come back in 7 weeks to check up on baby & monitor the growth.
August 2nd, we have our follow up apt with Dr Bobrowski & are ready to determine what gender the baby is - we are 19 weeks so they should be able to tell us as long at the baby is cooperative. And... ITS A GIRL!! Heartrate was 147, weighing 9 ounces, perfect placement for both baby and placenta!We both were guessing a girl & it felt so great to be right! Later that night, we met our family for dinner. I asked everyone to wear the color of clothing they thought the gender was (no one knew), pink/red for girl & blue for a boy; Richard and I wore green since we already knew! I also ordered a cake that was chocolate with yellow writing on the top that said "It's A...?" with pink or blue frosting in the middle. After dinner, it was cake time!! And, despite the popular vote that it would be a boy, we revealed the pink frosting in the middle!! Such an exciting experience!!
Today - August 12th, I had my 20 week check up with Dr Madland... my first apt since April that Richard was not with me. I was a nervous wreck because he had always been there to hold my hand & keep me positive for appointments. I know he would have loved to be there though! Well, Dr Madland came in with a doppler to listen to the heartbeat and my worst nightmare seemed to be coming true - he could not find the heartbeat. I began to panic, and he told me to stay calm because the doppler battery was just giving out & went to get the ultrasound machine. To our delight, as soon as he put the wand on my belly, there is our baby girl kicking him to get the thing off her! haha we could not help but laugh! Everything was perfect - heartrate of 146 & weighing in at about 11 ounces. Such a relief!!
So far, I have been craving gas station deli dogs (which are better then the regular hot dogs) & have not been gaining too much weight. I started having morning sickness aroudn 9 weeks, but all was better at about 15 weeks! I don't have my regular energy, constantly tired, but definetly worth all of this!!
I'm off to go help the husband with dinner then clean house! If you have any questions, just ask! I know I left out a lot, but not on purpose!!
Loves to all!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Live, Laugh, Love
I realized I have not updated this blog in quite sometime...
ALOT has happened since October!
We were referred to Dr Foulk (Idaho Center for Reproductive Medicine) to try & figure out what exactly was causing my ectopic pregnancies. After one visit with Dr Foulk, I was told that my left tube is almost completely closed with scar tissue of some sort & my left ovary do not release my eggs that it should. "Plumbing problem, not product problem" is what Dr Foulk says every time he sees me.
With my history of ectopic pregnancies, Dr Foulk told Richard & me that in order for me get pregnant & be able physically have a baby, basically, our only option would be InVitro Fertilization (IVF).
So with this news, Rich & I jumped into this world of infertility with all our fingers crossed for the best. Richard has amazing insurance that covers 90% of all infertility.
Beginning late October/early November, I began to take hormone medication to start the "baby making process". This involved me giving my own shots in my stomach daily, crazy pregnancy cravings (from the medication) & the roller coaster mood swings! It certainly was difficult to go through all this, but I knew that it would all be worth it in the end. With Richard's help, I kept on focus for what all this was for... to have our family.
OK, skip to November 21, 2009. I went in to the doctor to have all my eggs removed. For this procedure they put me completely under general anesthesia. I had told the doc & ultrasound technicians before that I felt like my "vagina is falling out!" & they just giggled. When I woke up, Dr Foulk sat down & apologized for snickering about how I was physically feeling.... when he went to retrieve the eggs he realized why exactly I was feeling this way; I had 33 eggs harvested ("typical" egg retrieval is 9-16 eggs). He had seen them through the ultrasounds days prior to the retrieval, but never believed that they would have that many to pull from my ovaries!
November 23rd, Richard & I went in to the office for implantation. This was SO exciting to watch & know exactly when our baby(s) would be conceived. An hour after the implantation, we left the office & then started a week long "bed rest" session; consisting of me making a permanent butt print in my couch!
Two weeks later I had blood tests to show my pregnancy hormone levels going up & up & up (they look for your hcg hormone level to double every 48 hours). It was going great!
On December 23rd, we went in for our first ultrasound. I was a nervous wreck! So excited to see our baby(s)! As I was on the ultrasound table, I watched Linda's face (the ultrasound technician). I knew it could not be good news... and it wasn't. There was no heartbeat for the baby. We saw two perfect sacs (a gestational & yolk sac) where the baby should be, but nothing.
I made a follow up ultrasound for 7 days later... still no heartbeat, and the gestational sac had only 1 day growth in 7 days time. Natalie (our favorite Nurse/ultrasound tech) was not convinced with her results. She went to get Linda; Linda still found nothing. Linda then went to get Kara; still nothing. So here is Rich, Natalie, Linda & myself all in this room... crying... it was something none of us were expecting. And we were all in a state of denial.
We talked about the options.
1. Wait it out, but not too long. We did not want to risk infection..
2. D&C - out of the question because of my personal beliefs.
3. Take a medication called Cytotec to induce a miscarriage.
Our ultimate decision was to wait it out. I waited 14 days, and nothing was happening. I went in for an ultrasound & nothing had changed. Dr Foulk said it was time to take action because he did not want me to get an infection & risk more harm to myself. I decided to take the Cytotec. It certainly was a harsh medication; Cytotec induces a miscarriage at such an early stage, but is given to induce labor when further along. I had extremely bad cramping, lethargic most of the day & contractions! Probably the hardest physical thing I've ever had to go through.
The doctors office (both ICRM & St Als Women's Health) were amazing. Both offices were calling almost daily to get updates on how I was doing/feeling & make sure everything was going as good as it could be, considering the situation.
New Year, New Life! Late January/Early February 2010:
After much discussion with the doctor, we decided to look into doing a Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET). We are currently signed up for April 9th to do the FET! Currently, I am taking an estrogen supplement twice a week/ On April 6th, I will begin a high dose of progesterone oil daily!
I believe that Richard & I are much more prepared for the events this time. I am looking into doing acupuncture (recommended by Dr Foulk) to help reduce stress/pain that comes along with FET.
Through all of this, I have learned that nothing is more important in life then to LIVE your life, LAUGH as often as possible, & LOVE those who mean something in your life. Too often I take my life for granted & get caught up in it. I need to take more time to just sit back & be grateful for what I have & patient for what is to come!
I wanted to update this & let everyone know what exactly was going on with our "family situation". I am sorry if parts of it was TMI for some... If you have any questions/recommendations, please let me know! I am very open about it all & want everyone to know what we are going through!
Love to all!
Jessica McDonley
ALOT has happened since October!
We were referred to Dr Foulk (Idaho Center for Reproductive Medicine) to try & figure out what exactly was causing my ectopic pregnancies. After one visit with Dr Foulk, I was told that my left tube is almost completely closed with scar tissue of some sort & my left ovary do not release my eggs that it should. "Plumbing problem, not product problem" is what Dr Foulk says every time he sees me.
With my history of ectopic pregnancies, Dr Foulk told Richard & me that in order for me get pregnant & be able physically have a baby, basically, our only option would be InVitro Fertilization (IVF).
So with this news, Rich & I jumped into this world of infertility with all our fingers crossed for the best. Richard has amazing insurance that covers 90% of all infertility.
Beginning late October/early November, I began to take hormone medication to start the "baby making process". This involved me giving my own shots in my stomach daily, crazy pregnancy cravings (from the medication) & the roller coaster mood swings! It certainly was difficult to go through all this, but I knew that it would all be worth it in the end. With Richard's help, I kept on focus for what all this was for... to have our family.
OK, skip to November 21, 2009. I went in to the doctor to have all my eggs removed. For this procedure they put me completely under general anesthesia. I had told the doc & ultrasound technicians before that I felt like my "vagina is falling out!" & they just giggled. When I woke up, Dr Foulk sat down & apologized for snickering about how I was physically feeling.... when he went to retrieve the eggs he realized why exactly I was feeling this way; I had 33 eggs harvested ("typical" egg retrieval is 9-16 eggs). He had seen them through the ultrasounds days prior to the retrieval, but never believed that they would have that many to pull from my ovaries!
November 23rd, Richard & I went in to the office for implantation. This was SO exciting to watch & know exactly when our baby(s) would be conceived. An hour after the implantation, we left the office & then started a week long "bed rest" session; consisting of me making a permanent butt print in my couch!
Two weeks later I had blood tests to show my pregnancy hormone levels going up & up & up (they look for your hcg hormone level to double every 48 hours). It was going great!
On December 23rd, we went in for our first ultrasound. I was a nervous wreck! So excited to see our baby(s)! As I was on the ultrasound table, I watched Linda's face (the ultrasound technician). I knew it could not be good news... and it wasn't. There was no heartbeat for the baby. We saw two perfect sacs (a gestational & yolk sac) where the baby should be, but nothing.
I made a follow up ultrasound for 7 days later... still no heartbeat, and the gestational sac had only 1 day growth in 7 days time. Natalie (our favorite Nurse/ultrasound tech) was not convinced with her results. She went to get Linda; Linda still found nothing. Linda then went to get Kara; still nothing. So here is Rich, Natalie, Linda & myself all in this room... crying... it was something none of us were expecting. And we were all in a state of denial.
We talked about the options.
1. Wait it out, but not too long. We did not want to risk infection..
2. D&C - out of the question because of my personal beliefs.
3. Take a medication called Cytotec to induce a miscarriage.
Our ultimate decision was to wait it out. I waited 14 days, and nothing was happening. I went in for an ultrasound & nothing had changed. Dr Foulk said it was time to take action because he did not want me to get an infection & risk more harm to myself. I decided to take the Cytotec. It certainly was a harsh medication; Cytotec induces a miscarriage at such an early stage, but is given to induce labor when further along. I had extremely bad cramping, lethargic most of the day & contractions! Probably the hardest physical thing I've ever had to go through.
The doctors office (both ICRM & St Als Women's Health) were amazing. Both offices were calling almost daily to get updates on how I was doing/feeling & make sure everything was going as good as it could be, considering the situation.
New Year, New Life! Late January/Early February 2010:
After much discussion with the doctor, we decided to look into doing a Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET). We are currently signed up for April 9th to do the FET! Currently, I am taking an estrogen supplement twice a week/ On April 6th, I will begin a high dose of progesterone oil daily!
I believe that Richard & I are much more prepared for the events this time. I am looking into doing acupuncture (recommended by Dr Foulk) to help reduce stress/pain that comes along with FET.
Through all of this, I have learned that nothing is more important in life then to LIVE your life, LAUGH as often as possible, & LOVE those who mean something in your life. Too often I take my life for granted & get caught up in it. I need to take more time to just sit back & be grateful for what I have & patient for what is to come!
I wanted to update this & let everyone know what exactly was going on with our "family situation". I am sorry if parts of it was TMI for some... If you have any questions/recommendations, please let me know! I am very open about it all & want everyone to know what we are going through!
Love to all!
Jessica McDonley
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