Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Emergency Trip to the Fertility Clinic

Last night was scary for me. I stayed up late getting some clothes sorted and organized for a consignment shop that I'm doing in August. I started having cramps and pains in my lower abdomen and back. I decided to go to bed but before I could get settled I felt a gush of liquid and started bleeding. The bright red blood and cramps really scared me. I called Dr C and told her what was happening and asked what she wanted me to do. She told me to just go to bed and that she would call the fertility center here and get me in first thing in the morning.
I couldn't sleep. I couldn't get comfortable and my mind was racing. I just kept thinking about how unfair this would be for B and C and how I didn't want to call and tell her this was happening. She's suppose to be here in a few days for our first ultrasound and now everything was turned upside down.
I did end up sending her a text letting her know. I knew her phone would be off and hated the thought of that being the first thing she saw when she turned her phone on in the morning, but I had to tell her.
I got up this morning and the cramping had settled a bit but the bleeding was still there. I got a call from Dr C's office saying my appointment was at 10:15. Thank goodness I didn't have to wait too long to go. The waiting was killing me.
When I got up on the table I said a few silent prayers. Dr K came in and started the ultrasound. I couldn't make out anything right away but it didn't take long for me to see the flutters of a tiny heartbeat! He took measurements and they were spot on, 7 weeks. Heart rate was 136.  As he is moving things around I asked, "Just one?" He looks at me and says... "In sac number two"... Yep, 2nd baby had a perfect 137 heart rate and measured 6 weeks 6 days.
Both babies are perfectly fine. The bleeding is coming from a blood clot in the middle of the two sacs. Dr K said it's like a bruise and should correct itself over time. The only advice... no sex or nipple stimulation and followup with Dr C.
I kept constant communication with B through the visit and was thrilled to give her the good news. I'm so relieved that everything is okay and hope that this darn blood clot dissolves (or whatever it's suppose to do) soon!

TWINS! :) 

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Do It Yourself.

I took Casey to the airport this morning for his flight to Zurich where he will be working for the next two weeks. I knew this day was coming for a while so I've had time to prepare, not only for being without him but for having to figure out another way to get my progesterone shots.
My friend offered to help and even enlisted her husband, he gave her shots when she was pregnant. While it was kind of her to offer I thought it would be a tad strange and maybe even inconvenient for everyone.
I thought I could always get Venus or Sequel to do it. Sure it would mortify them just having to look at my butt and send them into complete shock having to jab a needle into me... but it was an idea!?
In the end I decided to do it on my own. Why not? I watched a few videos on youtube (some of them were quite freaky) and figured if they could do it, so could I. So this evening I got all my stuff ready and headed to the couch. I searched my leg a few times to make sure I was indeed aiming at a muscle and I thought about how I needed to do this is one swift motion. I thought about it some more... and a little more. Finally I SLOWLY pushed the needle into my thigh. Ouch! I pulled back to make sure there wasn't any blood and there wasn't but I thought it'd be best to check again. Still no blood. I began pressing down on the plunger and OH MY GOSH! the pain shot down my leg and up my thigh. I can't even begin to explain what it felt like. I got up to walk and the pain was more intense. I ended up putting a heating pad on it in hopes that the pain would subside. It hasn't. I sure hope I can walk tomorrow.
I'm starting to have second thoughts about doing this myself and wonder if traumatizing my kids would be a better idea? :)
Only 34 more days of shots to go... 

Monday, July 11, 2011

I Feel Like....

I feel like someone implanted two embryos into my uterus that resulted in a pregnancy that in turn has caused an overload of hormones to take over my body. Of course I'm sure it doesn't help that in addition to the "normal" hormones being produced I'm also pumping my body full of additional estrogen and progesterone.
For over a month now I have felt like I gained a ton of weight. I knew it was a side effect of the meds so I have refused to get on a scale... until last night. I have to say I was surprised to see that I've gained less than 10lbs despite my feeling like I gained 20+.
I feel pregnant. I'm bloated. My boobs are the size of grapefruits and probably weigh as much as one. I have blemishes that keep coming and going from the same spot over and over again.
I have morning, noon, and night time sickness. I have to pee a million times in a 24 hour period and my weakened immune system has left me vulnerable to the latest round of stomach bugs going through my house. Oh and to top it all of I already have heartburn and some serious food aversions that have left me hating some of my favorite foods. :(

Tomorrow I will be 5 weeks. I can only hope that things subside in 7 more weeks and I get a little break before the craziness picks back up in the third trimester.

Ultrasound appointment has been scheduled for 2:15 on Friday the 29th. B is coming up to go with me! I think she's anxious to see how many babies are in there. I'm hoping and praying it's 2 or less.

Friday, July 8, 2011

2nd Beta Results Are In!

It's very different going through a pregnancy as a surrogate. It's still very new to me and understanding what my body and mind are going through is foreign to me. I found myself looking for someone to give me answers after the last beta results; 458. I kept hearing the nurse say she was concerned about twins and thinking that the numbers weren't really that high. She was wrong. Right?
There are not a lot of support groups or forums on the web for surrogates and the ones I did find were old and inactive. I ended up finding one through another page I found during my search. 
It's a strange set up and is taking some getting used to but it's nice to be able to say 5dp10dt and everyone know that that means! I introduced myself to all the other surrogates and told them about my first beta results. They all said twins too. When I asked how and why they explained that beta numbers from a "regular" pregnancy are not read the same as they are with an IVF pregnancy. The numbers tend to be higher. Something along the lines of 400+ for doubles at 10 days post transfer. Okay? Okay. I think. 
So even after reading all their comments I'm still skeptical. It's barely over 400. 
This morning I got up ready for my last beta test. I'm expecting it to double. Nurse C calls this afternoon and my levels have not doubled... they more than tripled. 1670!
So... I go to update the surrogate ladies and I'm told, if you doubted it before... there is no doubt now. Those are multiple numbers! 
Here are a list of surrogate Betas to give you guys an idea.  
Beta Numbers for 10 days after a 5 day transfer:                                                          Singleton: 35, 35, 42.2, 49, 54, 67.7, 68, 87, 
105, 106, 112, 127, 129, 163, 171, 181, 196, 217, 226, 227, 230, 388
Twins: 141, 145, 152, 157, 160, 171, 174, 193, 222, 252, 257, 282, 283, 284, 286, 294, 297, 339, 357, 365, 365, 371, 377, 378.6, 393, 406, 421, 510, 594, 611, 636, 707, 804, 969
Trips: 471, 617
Quads: 503



Beta Numbers for 12 days after a 5 day transfer:
Singleton: 46, 58, 72, 89, 97, 126, 161, 223, 226, 252, 298, 300, 342, 351, 376, 416, 423, 430, 505, 526, 580, 699
Twins: 389, 408, 428, 451, 653, 741, 774, 766, 971, 1045, 1149, 1155, 1250, 1507, 1554, 1663, 1709, 1685, 2065, 2408, 2783
Trips: 333, 473, 746, 801, 1017, 1129, 2085, 3028





My first ultrasound is scheduled for July 29th with the local fertility clinic followed by another one a couple of weeks later with my regular doctor. I can't wait! 

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

The Numbers Are In!!

Are you ready for this?
I woke up this morning and took another pregnancy test, just to make sure. One can never take too many tests. Of course it was still positive and I could tell the lines were much darker than the last test.
So I finished getting ready and headed to the lab at 7am. I wanted to make sure I was there early enough for same day (and fast) results.
I've been waiting all day for these numbers to come in. It doesn't matter how many tests I've taken or what I know... all that matters are these numbers and I was hoping and praying that they were over 50 mIU/ml.
It took a while to get the results because the lab ran the wrong tests... but I finally got the call a few minutes ago and guess what?!?
My HCG levels are......... 458!!!!!

Monday, July 4, 2011

Home Testing Day Has Arrived!

The wait has been awful. I spent my first two days home surfing the web looking for answers to all my questions. Why did I feel so bloated, was it because of the procedure? Have my boobs been this full and tender this whole time, or is this new? Shouldn't I feel tired? Do I really feel nauseous or is it in my head? Why am I cramping? That can't be a good sign.   
It ended up just driving me crazy and stressing me out! I couldn't tell what symptoms I had because of all the drugs or what symptoms were new. I also read forums where other surrogates posted about what they experienced the following days and thought it I wasn't feeling the same, it must not have worked. It really was a whirl wind of emotions and very difficult for me.
Something I did find interesting was how soon others had tested after a transfer. The average was 5 days post a 3 day or 5 day transfer. So... I decided I would test Friday just to see what happened totally expecting to see a negative.
Friday morning I couldn't sleep. I kept having dreams about taking a pregnancy test and it being positive. So I got up at 3am and took the test. Sadly there wasn't a + sign. I didn't tell anyone I tested and just decided (after reading more forums) that it was too soon and I'd wait until today, July 4th. 
I woke up around 6 this morning and took the test. I sat there waiting for the lines to appeared and begged for it to show more than one line. I begged it to show a + sign. I think I even said "please" out loud hoping that it would help. When the control area changed I knew I wasn't going to get my wish... It was probably seconds instead of minutes and I just closed my eyes saying one last prayer. Please...



When I opened my eyes I thought I saw a + sign starting to appear. It was really faint but it was there. I held it up to the light and changed angles just to make sure it wasn't my eyes playing tricks on me. They weren't! It was POSITIVE! B and C are going to have a baby... or two? 
I called B right after the test but she didn't answer so I sent her a text. She called me back a few minutes later. I told her that I had taken a test and asked her if she wanted to know the results. She paused to think about it but ended up saying yes. I told her it was positive. She started saying, "OMG are you serious?" She was so excited! It made me so happy to hear the excitement in her voice. Even better she was spending the 4th with her family so it was the perfect time to share the news with them too! I'm thrilled for them!! So happy that they are getting the baby (or two) that they have been dreaming about!

I'm still going for blood work to check my levels on Wednesday and Friday. I'm not too nervous about it. I figure we've made it this far, everything is going to be just fine. I am a little anxious to hear the numbers. I wonder if they both took? Could there be two in there? I can't wait to find out!!