TTC

Trying To Concieve.
Spent the last two weeks in Salt Lake doing fertility stuff and seeing wonderful family and friends. It was a great time despite all the appointments, procedures, shots, etc. I feel very lucky to have a supportive family. My mom was an absolute trooper watching Rosie and Evie so I could constantly drive the 40 min down to Pleasant Grove to have yet another ultrasound/blood draw. The girls were crazy about being there. No where like grandmas to eat treats and break stuff. I really didn't take many pictures for some reason-- just a few randoms.

This was a much better experience for me for many reasons. Last time I had moderate OHSS (ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome) which caused lots of pain and complications. My ovary got as big as a cantaloup and I needed help going up and down stairs and had to brace myself against the seat and ceiling while in the car because every slight bump was very painful.  The egg retrieval was not fun and I have some foggy, awful memories from it because they don't put you all the way out. I ended up going to the ER in an ambulance the day of transfer because of extreme pain. I  had another severe attack that afternoon which my sister witnessed and said it was like watching someone go through natural childbirth on TLC's A Baby Story.

This time was so different. I am really glad I switched clinics. They were very careful with my medications and I responded more on the slow end of the spectrum instead of too fast. The Egg retrieval was awesome. I was completely out which seems only right for what they are doing. I woke up,  and besides some cramping for a few days,  have been totally fine. Utah Fertility Partners is also really supportive of using acupuncture which was a big help to me, whereas I had to fight tooth and nail at our old clinic to make it happen. My acupuncturist Bea Hammond is incredible.

PLUS (and probably most importantly) I'm just not nearly as stressed as I was last time. Of course I want it to work. I want another baby. I want a sibling for my girls. But I am not as concerned about "when".  I don't want too big of gap between the girls and the next one, but that's my only minor concern. Last time I had the weight of ever being able to have kids weighing on me and obsessed and stressed and worried like crazy. I had a lot of anxiety before we really got started, but once the ball was rolling I was constantly surprised how good and comparatively easy this cycle seemed. The girls keep me so busy that I don't even have the time for all the stewing I did last time.

 I know how blessed I am to have Rosie and Evie and I also know how hard having kids really is...so this time just feels different. I hope I'm not kidding myself and end up in a hole of depression if this doesn't work. But for now, I'm in a good place and am very grateful for a much more pleasant IVF experience and better state of mind. We were able to freeze 8 embryos which is awesome. Not many of those are great quality and will survive the freeze and thaw process but our chances of being able to do a frozen cycle are still really good. Frozen cycles are far less expensive and much easier on your body so that is a huge blessing.

Now we are just playing the waiting game. We only transferred one embryo so we only have about a 30% chance of success but the fear of more multiples was enough for us to chance it.

We are hoping after 41 shots, 9 ultrasounds and blood draws, 8 lbs gained, 6 acupuncture sessions, 2 big procedures, lots of back and forth for Ben from SLC to CO, and about 11k that we will soon have good news.

We are back home in Colorado and Ben's parents fly in this afternoon, followed by most the rest of his family for Thanksgiving. Super fun and a great distraction. So much to be grateful for this year.

Election Night  Party

Here is a run down of the last week just for my own record:
Lupron 10 iui, Follistim 150 iui, Menopur 75 iui
Day 5 of stims: 8 measurable follicles + measuring between 10-12mm E2 191
Day 7 of stims: 8 measurable follicles +measuring between 12-14mm E2 494
Day 9 of stims: 8 measurable follicles + measuring between 14-16mm E2 1,417
Day 10 of stims: 8 measurable follicles + measuring between 16-18mm E2 2,560, Trigger shot
Day 12:  Egg Retrieval, 23 eggs, 18 mature and fertilized
 Progesterone 4 times a day
 Day 3 post ER: 11 embryos at 7-8 cells, 2-3 at 6 cells
Day 5: Embryo Transfer: 1 grade 5 blastocyst, 8 to freeze!
Progesterone, baby aspirin, and estrogen patches