Beta #3…

…was 2476 on Saturday, up from 1195 on Thursday and 438 on Tuesday. The nurse sounded very excited on the phone to deliver the news. It still felt like an out-of-body experience because I’m used to listening to the soft, gentle, apologetic voice of the nurse telling me my cycle hadn’t worked. The numbers have been climbing like a champ and that has been very comforting so far.

A lot of times, I feel like I’m still walking on eggshells every day, heaving a sigh of relief every time I go to pee and everything is clear. But, in my heart of hearts I know that God is in control of this whole pregnancy. There’s a plan behind all this…a plan that is best for me. I pray over my stomach and embryo every day and try my best to keep proclaiming God’s promises, even in the face of doubts and worries.

My first OB-GYN scan (I don’t know if I heard that right but, I think that’s what the nurse called it) or let’s just say sonogram/ultrasound with my RE is on Wednesday, 2 April. I’m praying everything goes well. This is the first time I’m meeting my RE after I found out I’m pregnant. I’m so excited and can’t wait to see him. But, we’re trying to shift the scan to Friday since the husband travels all week and gets back only on Fridays. I tried asking for Saturday but, it turns out that another doctor is on duty this weekend. I’m really hoping I can get Friday so that both the husband and I can see our very first pregnancy sonogram together!

Today, I actually had a little scare and I’m still sitting at the edge of my seat. When I went to pee in the afternoon, I had a light pink spot on the tissue after I wiped. I got so nervous and immediately went and lay down in bed. I told the husband and he reassured me that God’s working on it, so we don’t have to worry. That did very little to stop me from worrying though. We had to take our fur-baby to the vet to get her nails trimmed, so I went along with my husband since he’s never been to the grooming salon. I’m avoiding as many situations that involve me holding our munchkin’s leash because she’s a very strong girl (who weighs about 77 pounds) and tugs me around at times even with the gentle leader. And that’s why I had the husband come along with me to hold our pet. After we came back, I went to the loo again and everything was clear. I was relieved but still very worried. A little later this evening, I had some more light pink discharge and then nothing after. So, I’ve been huddled in bed ever since, trying to avoid as much activity as I can. I plan to call the clinic tomorrow and check with the nurses if everything is ok.

Other than that, I’ve had very few symptoms so far. No morning sickness (yet), only very slight bouts of nausea once in a rare while, that goes away if I pop a minty chewing gum in my mouth. But, though I don’t have any cravings or aversions towards any kind of food, I’ve lost my appetite completely. Nothing seems interesting or appetizing so I eat just to keep my stomach filled. I also get sudden cramps that last all of 5 seconds once in a while. It’s not an ongoing one, but, something that just comes up suddenly. I checked with the nurse about this yesterday and she said that is totally normal. I do feel extremely bloated though…my pants feel very uncomfortable and my stomach feels like it’s about to burst all the time (the way you feel after you pig out on a very large meal). I’ve not had very sore boobs, they just hurt once in a while. I also have heartburn very often. OH! I forgot the main thing…I get tired VERY easily. For instance, this morning, I drove to Church and back for a youth class (that I lead with another person) and regular service, and I was pooped by the time I got home. I napped for a good 2 hours after that. I can’t stay on my feet too long. I need to sit down very often. This is the first thing that hit me and is still my worst symptom, so far.

I’m praying really hard that everything goes well at every juncture and that I have a smooth-sailing pregnancy with the teeniest ever amount (or none at all) of worries or scares.

Now the wait continues to my first sonogram!

Letrozole Round 2 – hCG Trigger

I had my last sonogram yesterday to monitor the growing follicle. According to my RE, it was a nice and juicy follicle (in his own words – I love how funny he is) measuring at 22mm. So, I was asked to have my hCG trigger last night and then Thursday night, Friday and Saturday were going to be our special days to get really cozy in bed. Since I was scheduled for a night trigger, the husband was supposed to give me the shot when he got home around midnight.

Sounds simple enough but, when do things ever go according to plan with me? Well, it eventually worked out…only after an evening of scares, though. I get a text from the husband at around 7pm that said he may not make his flight back due to bad weather. So, he decided to book another direct flight here that would put him home earlier than the other. Down side was this would come out of our pockets. He was all set for the direct flight and they were ready for take-off, but they were sent back to the gate at the last minute for technical issues. This did not happen just once, but THREE times! A flight that was supposed to take off at 8:30 eventually only took off at 11:45.

During that whole period, I was a wreck thinking that this cycle was over…my husband would get in only by noon the next day and it’ll be too late for anything. Again, no rational thinking thanks to all the hormones. Thankfully, the flight got here by 1:10 and the husband was home by about 1:40.

Time for the trigger. So nervous! This was the first time we were doing the trigger on our own. The first time, the nurse did it for me and explained the whole process so we could do it in the future. It would’ve been fine if the shot came all prepped and ready to be given. But, no, there was mixing and crap involved. I was so scared I wouldn’t get the measurements right or I would get too many air bubbles or I wouldn’t be able to draw all the liquid out. OH MY! It was intense. With shaky hands, I managed to get it done though, I think it ended up being a teensy bit less than 2ml. Whatever.

The next panic attack was giving the husband instructions on how to give me the shot. The nurse told me it has to be done like darts…push it in with one swift motion instead of slowly pushing the needle in. She even marked out a spot on my hip with a marker for me. The husband was more nervous than me though! After a few minutes of hyperventilating, both of us managed to pull it together and he gave me the shot. Turns out, he did really well. Phew.

So, we’re now to have fun and make as much love as we can to possibly make a baby in the process. Fingers crossed.

I will start the nightmare Progesterone pills (I got a nasty itch down there the last time) again on Tuesday, Dec 10 and then go in for my blood pregnancy test on Dec 21. The timing is insane….I am either going to have one of the best Christmases ever or one of my most depressing.