Friday, January 29, 2016

Sad news

Our beta results from yesterday were not good as we had hoped they would be. The number dropped from 14 to 12, signaling an early miscarriage. The clinic made the decision to stop my medications. I am now waiting for the miscarriage to begin. This early in the pregnancy, it should be nothing more than a heavy period. K is heartbroken; we both are. I feel like I let them down, even though I know it's not my fault. There is no fault at all. There is always sadness in this, but we are hopeful for our next attempt.

K spoke with the doctor and he boosted her confidence in trying again. Since chromosomal abnormalities are behind most early miscarriages, the doctor suggested that K's future embryos undergo Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis, or PGD. This can insure that the embryos are free from many chromosomal defects which could lead to miscarriage, although it's not perfect and doesn't guarantee a successful pregnancy. There are benefits and risks that  K & J will continue to discuss with the doctor as they make their decisions. In the meantime, K will undergo 2, possibly 3, rounds of egg retrievals in an effort to gather as many healthy embryos as possible. We will attempt another frozen transfer in 2 or 3 months, depending on how K's embryos grow. We should have a more definitive timeline in the coming month.

Until then, I'll be off medications and will be back to life as usual while we wait for K's procedures.

I'll check back in again if and when I get more information.

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

High hopes

We got the results from our beta blood test yesterday afternoon. I'm sorry to say that the number was quite a bit lower than we would want at this point. I wasn't surprised as I had taken a home pregnancy test the day before and it was negative. Our beta number was 14. The expected range is 5-426, so it is a positive result. We are pregnant.

However, our nurse was concerned that this could be a chemical pregnancy (that's really a nicer term for an early stage pregnancy loss). In a chemical pregnancy, the embryo implants but never continues to develop. We are not certain this is our case, and the way to find out is to have another beta on Thursday to see if that HCG will rise. If we have a sustainable pregnancy, our numbers should double (or more) every 72 hours. Our numbers on Thursday will tell us what our next step is. It really could go either way right now.

I will confess that K and I a bit discouraged but not hopeless. I have scoured the internet for encouraging stories regarding low beta numbers and there are many! We are cautiously optimistic and our hope is high. Reproduction is a miracle; we are praying that these little lives are no exception!

As of right now, we are pregnant; our due date is Oct 1, 2016.

Saturday, January 16, 2016

Getting cozy

We had our embryo transfer a couple of days ago as planned. Everything went off without a hitch. The RE remarked that my lining looked great and those embies went! I've been experiencing some minor cramping since shortly after the procedure. I'm hoping those are implantation cramps and that means those babies are getting cozy and making themselves at home. Of course, we won't know for sure until official beta blood test planned for January 25. I might take some home pregnancy tests beforehand -- we'll see. ;)

All in all, the trip was pretty great. We had some slight bumps on the way in: an hour flight delay and getting patted down and having my luggage checked by the TSA.

Yeah, it was kind of like that.

We received the full air travel experience, I suppose. The flight itself was also very bumpy. I'm not the best flyer (in fact, I hate flying), so the bumps and the tipsy descent due to wind conditions peaked my motion sickness. I could not wait to get off that plane!

We were able to meet the parents for the first time at the transfer appointment. That is always such a sweet experience. The parents and my husband were able to be in the room with me during the transfer. I'm glad for that.

Afterwards, we went back to the hotel for some rest. I was told to avoid strict bedrest but to stay off my feet as much as possible and to "keep optional activities to a minimum" for the first 36 hours after transfer. Um, being in a small hotel room kind of makes every activity optional, so it's entirely possible for me to remain nearly completely off my feet. My agency sent me a nice care package to keep me company during the rest:


I especially loved the jelly beans! Between that and the books and movies the hubs and I brought, we were all set. We did leave the hotel for dinner (with permission from the doctor's office of course). It was a good change of scenery for a little bit.

We caught a flight home the next evening, and I've been taking it easy ever since. While we wait for that moment of truth blood test, I'm instructed to reduce activity (walking is ok; jogging is not! - it's fine, I don't jog anyway) and to not lift anything over 15 pounds. I think I can manage that. My husband has been wonderful, allowing me to rest and relax. I could get used to this. ;) I'm off to tackle this whole "take it easy" gig.

If I decide to take a home pregnancy test, you all will be among the firsts to know. Stay tuned, friends!

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

All layered up

Yesterday was our lining check. We -and by "we" I suppose I mean the ultrasound tech - were looking for a thick trilaminar (fancy medical word for having 3 layers) uterine lining. And that is exactly what we got. In fact, my uterine lining measured 19.1 mm. Seriously, ya'll, that's a LOT of lining. Maybe that's why I feel a little puffy when I try to button my pants these days - could be all the Christmas cookies too. In my previous two surrogacies, my lining only measured 12 mm at this point prior to transfer. The thicker the trilaminar lining, the better chances at implantation. This means good things for us, I think.

We will continue our med protocol as planned. Tomorrow will be last dose of the Lupron (yay!). I will begin the bigger Progesterone shots on Friday. Remember those?? Even though I've done this twice already, those big ol' shots are something I never get excited about!

My kiddos are still home from school on their Winter break. They go back tomorrow. I'll be spending time making preparations for travel for next week. We will leave TN on Wednesday, transfer 2 frozen embies on Thursday, and be back home on Friday night. Here's hoping the cold isn't too unbearable in Connecticut. Wishful thinking, perhaps? I'll be sure to pack warmly.