Heartbeat = check!

Our ultrasound earlier in the week went exactly as we had hoped! The little guy is measuring one day ahead and his heart was beating like a champ at 132bmp. Both P and Z were able to be at the appointment, and I'm so grateful they got to be there to see their little one's heart pumping away.

such a lil' guy!

I am definitely behind on posting this update. All those early pregnancy symptoms that I had just bragged about not quite arriving yet fully arrived about a week ago. The nausea and fatigue wasted no time in taking me out! I think my anemia is playing a role as well as I am experiencing some nasty symptoms: dizziness, even more fatigue, shortness of breath, headaches. Those in particular have really slowed me down! I have my first OB appointment scheduled for early next week; I will definitely be discussing that and managing the anemia.

Ultrasound day was also my birthday, yay! After the appointment, my husband took me - just me, no kids! - to Chattanooga for a quick overnight trip to celebrate. We enjoyed some leisurely walks (with more breaks that I'm used to thanks to the fatigue and the breathlessness) in Coolidge Park, the art museum, the zoo, and Point Park at Lookout Mountain. It was nice to getaway, even if it was for just a quick minute.

We will see the little guy again in about a week. At that appointment, we will discuss the tapering schedule for the medications as I prepare to transition from the fertility clinic to my OB's clinic. That's always an exciting step - no more patches or hip shots!

Thanks for being so patient with me, friends, as I post updates whenever I can find the energy. Hang with me!

All betas are in!

I had two blood draws this week for our final betas. Our numbers are SOARING! My previous beta was 387. Four days later, that number jumped to 1914; 2 days later, we came in at 4478! Beta levels are supposed to double every 2-3 days; our doubling rate is every 1.5 days! That assures us that this pregnancy is a strong one!

I have an ultrasound scheduled for April 25 (also my birthday, yay!) at 9am. Both P and Z will be able to come to the appointment; I can not wait for them to see their little guy's heart beating away! After all that excitement, the husband and I will be off to celebrate my birthday.

I am just over 5 weeks along and have no symptoms to report except for quite a bit of pregnancy fatigue. That's normal for me early in my pregnancies. I have found myself dozing off in the afternoons and going to bed earlier than normal. I have to get all my "stuff" done in the morning or I may run out of energy by the afternoon and be down for the count, ha!

Me...After 1p

That's my life right now. I'm grateful the nausea hasn't made its appearance yet. I'm sure it's coming. Until it does, I'm eating all the runny egg yolks with sausage for breakfast! All bets are off after the morning sickness arrives.

Thanks for following along, friends. I'll check in with you soon!

No surprises here!

While all those pretty positives in my previous post were so fun to see, the beta numbers were even better to hear! My nurse called me a few hours after the draw to let me know that our beta number was 387! Y'ALL -- that is a FANTASTIC number!! We expected a positive number of course, but this is really, really strong. That's a terrific sign as to how strong the pregnancy is so far. For comparison, my previous positive betas at this point were 251 with the twins and 240 with the singleton. I definitely say we are looking good! Needless to say, P is over the moon excited! (Me too!!) Our due date is Dec 13, 2017. I suppose with my history, P could be welcoming a Thanksgiving baby!

To celebrate, we stopped by a local'ish pie shop and grabbed our favorite: Peanut Butter Silk. Actually, we ordered it a week ago in anticipation of the beta results. We figured it'd either be celebratory pie or sympathy pie. Either way: PIE!

I will have two more beta tests next week; the RE will be watching to see if those numbers double as they should. That will also give us an indication of the strength of the little guy growing! We will have an ultrasound the week of the 24th. That's my birthday week so hopefully we'll have something big to celebrate!

It's been a long week...

I was so disappointed when I realized this morning that it was only Wednesday. It feels like transfer was FOREVER ago, and we still have a couple of more days to wait for the beta test. And my week is kind of slow - I don't have much to do to keep busy to pass away the anxiety of waiting. So, I've been taking home pregnancy tests to keep my mind occupied.

ta-da!*

Lookie what we have there...those are positives! All day, every day! (Told you I had a slow week!)
*I took the first test on Saturday morning, which was 4.75 Days Past 5 Day Transfer, and each morning thereafter.

I have let P know each day that I tested; we are both cautiously excited as we know that the blood test will be the only accurate YES or NO. But for now, it's looking very promising!

I have no symptoms yet as it is quite early (I'm only barely 4 weeks today) other than breast tenderness which could be just as much a result of the progesterone as the pregnancy! Progesterone is not a nice drug; the side effects mimic early pregnancy symptoms.

I'm hoping the clinic will be lighting fast in getting the results to us. Depending on the numbers, we'll likely have another beta next week, then prepare for ultrasound very shortly after (possibly only a week or two).

These results definitely make the wait a tiny bit more relaxing. I'll be back very, very soon with Friday's beta numbers!!

😃