First Trimester Screen

As we can't go more than a few days without a doctor's visit, we went to the maternal and fetal medicine specialists last week for what is known as the First Trimester Screen. This is a fairly new (noninvasive) test that combines a blood screening test with an ultrasound evaluation to identify risk for specific chromosomal abnormalities. While we haven't got any official results, the doctor said that everythng looked great on the ultrasound. As the evaluation takes a fair amount of time, we got plenty of good pictures of baby Miller.

I've pasted the best ones below...

Legs (Although I wouldn't have known this if they didn't label it!)

Arm (Again, don't think I would have picked this out!)

Head (probably would have gotten that one...)

Everything else is going pretty well in the Miller household. Steve is almost healed and my cold is slowly going away. I went to the doctor today to see if there was anything to do about the asthma that has cropped up since I got pregnant and he gave me some new medicine. Hopefully we'll be in good shape by Christmas!

More pictures ...

I am happy to report that everyone in the Miller family is doing well. Steve is going a bit stir crazy but is keeping busy wrapping Christmas presents!

I was finally able to stop the progesterone shots and it is amazing how much my energy has increased. While I am not exactly doing cartwheels, I can actually get through a day without a nap. I have been officially released from my fertility doctor and while it's sad to leave everyone there, it is nice being considered just a normal OB patient.

Take a look at the newest pictures of baby Miller. (I have another one from the OB last week, but I haven't had a chance to scan it yet.) These pictures are from my last fertility appointment two weeks ago ... the baby was measuring 3.32 cm with a heartbeat of 160.

Steve's Thanksgiving Adventure

First of all, apologies for not posting in so long but it has been a crazy couple weeks. While the baby and I are just fine, Steve has had a rough couple weeks. He was admitted to the hospital on Sunday the 22nd for what turned out to be a bad case cellulits (i.e. a nasty skin infection caused by some type of bacteria) and ended up having surgery to remove all the infected tissue. After a week long stay in the hospital, he was released last weekend and has a nurse coming twice a day for dressing changes. He is definitely feeling better but is already going stir crazy, especially at the prospect of being laid up for a few more weeks.

As I had to reschedule my OB appointment, my doctor at REACH was kind enough to squeeze me in late last week for a visit. The baby is doing great with a strong heartbeat and lots of movement. I'll post the details and pictures tomorrow but wanted everyone to know that even in the midst of total chaos, the baby seems to be thriving.

Keep up those prayers for baby Miller, but add in a couple for Steve too.

8 Weeks

As there's not a lot going on here, except for the never ending progesterone shots, I thought I'd share a little tidbit I read today:

Baby's now the size of a raspberry!Baby is growing like mad, putting on about a millimeter every day and continuing to straighten out in the trunk. Though you can't feel it yet, baby is moving those little arms, legs, and (now only slightly) webbed fingers and toes like crazy.

The good news is that we have our first appointment scheduled with my OB on Monday. While it will be sad to leave everyone at REACH, this is a great step and means that this is now considered a normal pregnancy.

Wish us luck on Monday!!

One Strong Heartbeat!!

While it seemed like an endless few weeks to see the baby, it was worth the wait! We were able to see one gestational sac, one yolk sac, and one beautiful little baby. The baby measured 0.9 cm, which is just what it should be, and were able to hear an amazingly strong heartbeat. The heartbeat was 135 beats per minute which, according to the nurse, is above average. Clearly our child is already gifted!

For those of you unfamilar with the yolk sac, it is the first element seen during pregnancy and is a critical landmark, identifying a true gestational sac. Later in pregnancy, it shrinks and its job is taken over by the placenta. (This is why, it is really only seen by us IVF girls who get very early ultrasounds!)

Check out the pictures below!!!

First Baby Picture!



Close up of Baby, Gestational Sac, and Yolk Sac



Heartbeat- 135 BPM

Exhausted!

I haven't posted in a while, because there's not a whole lot to report and frankly, I've been napping during much of my free time!! I am completely exhausted (apparently this is very common in early pregnancy) so have found that the mid-day nap is key to accomplishing anything in the afternoon. Now that I've been on the progesterone shots for a month, the oil is starting to build up and I am definitely getting sore. Thankfully, these are all just side effects of the pregnancy (and sustaining it) so I can't complain at all. Steve is going out of town for a few days so I'll resume my daily visits to the doctor's office for shots. While this is a bit of an inconvenience, it will help pass the time until the ultrasound on Thursday!!

Fantastic 3rd beta results!

I just got the results from this morning's bloodtest and they are great. My HCG level is 844, up from 228 on Monday which means it is more than doubling each time. I know it's still early, but am certainly breathing another sigh of relief! My first ultrasound is scheduled for November 12th so we now need to wait another two weeks for the next update. It will definitely be another long wait but will be worth it when we get to see a heartbeat!!

Steve is in Minneapolis but sent flowers yesterday so I'm pretty sure they had something to do with these great results :)

Keep those fingers and toes crossed!!

Great 2nd beta!

We had another exciting day today, full of appointments and good news! My blood test results came back this afternoon and they are perfect :) My HCG is 228 (the goal was for it to double the original 72) and my estrogen level is up to 140 which is just where it should be. Steve and I are thrilled that everything is progressing as it should and are able to breathe another sigh of relief with each positive step. I am continuing on the estrogen patches, and of course, the lovely progesterone shots, and I go back on Thursday for another blood test. All the prayers and positive thoughts are obviously working so keep it up!!

The results are in...

And they are POSITIVE!

(Or as they say in the fertility game, BFP - Big Fat Positive!)

Since Steve has to go out of town on Monday, he suggested I call the doctor to see if I could come in early for my blood test. As Friday was 10 days after the transfer, my wonderful nurse said I could come in that morning. I went in promptly at 7:30 and the nurse called to give me the good news a few hours later.

While I am officially pregnant (HCG was 72) my estrogen is pretty low, which causes some concern. The doctor prescribed estrogen patches and I am going back on Monday for another blood test. Steve and I are beyond thrilled but know this is just another of the many hurdles to overcome. Now that we know at least one of the babies is hanging in there, we are praying those patches do their job!

Cross your fingers for some more positive results on Monday!!!

Still cookin'

Well, I am finally off bedrest and have had a pretty uneventful few days. Mom drove down on Thursday to fill in for Steve while he was out of town and it's been great having her here! Now it's back to work for the week and patiently waiting for my results on the 26th.

THREE embryos transferred!

Quick update on a very exciting day. Right before the transfer, the doctor came in and said we had 3 viable embyros ...one was a little smaller so he said if we wanted to transfer two, he would choose the two larger ones. BUT, if we were willing to transfer 3, they were all good candidates. There is obviously a slight risk of triplets but it also increases our odds of a pregnancy. Given all we've been through, this was an easy decision and we told him to go ahead with all three.

After the transfer, we had to stay in the office while I 'cooked' and then it was straight home to begin bed rest. Steve is doing a great job taking care of me and Jack loves having someone to lay in bed with all day.

Thanks for all the positive thoughts and prayers. Keep them coming :)

Check out the first official pictures!!

Transfer Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the big day! The nurse called yesterday to provide an update on our embryos. We had one 4-cell, two 8-cells, and one-9 cell. The ideal at day 3 is between 6 and 8 cells so with the exception of the 4 cell, we are looking good! (The 4-cell could also still catch up.) We are planning to transfer the two best embryos and freeze the other two. (We won't know if they can be frozen for a few days.) The transfer is scheduled for 11:30 tomorrow morning and should only take about an hour. After that, it's home for a few days of bed rest. Luckily, I am very good at resting and Steve is an expert on taking care of me!

First Progesterone Shot!

We had a great day today and successfully completed the first progesterone shot tonight! Steve was so proud of himself that he wanted me to post a picture of the scary syringe! Fortunately, I have a bit of padding so it wasn't nearly as traumatic as I was anticipating.

This morning's appointment confirmed that I have no extra fluid which means that we are on track for a fresh embryo transfer early next week. (Excess fluid could lead to ovarian hyperstimulation which would create the need to freeze the embryos until resolved.) Tomorrow we find out the status of the embryos and hopefully schedule the transfer.

4 eggs fertilized!!

The doctor's office called today and told us that of the 5 eggs, 4 of them have fertilized. So we officially have four little embryos growing!! I am still very sore so have been resting all day and will likely take it easy all weekend. The doctor had to drain some fluid yesterday so I am going back in tomorrow morning to have it checked out. We won't hear anything more about our eggs until Sunday so keep your fingers crossed that they're growing big and strong!

7 Eggs

It was another early morning for us and we were at the clinic by 8:15. The process was pretty easy and the only traumatic part for me was getting the IV. The procedure lasted about 30 minutes and the doctor was able to retrieve 7 eggs. Of those, 5 were mature so that's how many will be fertilized. As the doctor typically hopes to have at least 6 eggs, we contemplated freezing the 5 eggs and banking them for the next time, but decided to move forward with the ones we have. We get the fertilization report tommorow so need lots of good thoughts and prayers for those 5 eggs!! I'm still exhausted from the anesthesia and pain medicine so am heading to bed.

Retreival at 9:30am tomorrow!

Had a great day without shots and have been hydrating all day in preparation for tomorrow. We go in at 8:30 for a 9:30 retrieval so should have a report by tomorrow afternoon. While we won't know how many fertilized, we'll know how many eggs were retrieved!! Off to bed to rest up for the big day!!

Egg Retrieval Scheduled for Thursday!!

I had another exciting visit to the doctor today. One more follicle popped up since yesterday so I now have 7 on each side. They're all a good size (15-25 mm) and the doctor said I was more than ready. (No wonder I feel like I have a bowling ball in my stomach!) The nurse called today to confirm that my estrogen level (+2800) indicated that we were ready to trigger ovulation. We did the trigger shot tonight (Ovidrel) which needs to be exactly 36 hours before the retrieval. Steve was particularly impressed with the pre-filled syringes...he called them 'fancy!'

Tomorrow I go in again for yet another blood test (I really don't know if I have any blood left) and my pre-op instructions. The goal for tomorrow is to drink as much water as possible so I won't be dehydrated when when they're trying to put in the IV on Thursday morning! While I look like some kind of drug addict from all the shots and bloodwork, we're in the home stretch and excited for the big day.

Second Follicle Check

It's late so I'll make this short. I had a great appointment today and the ultrasound showed 6 follicles on the left and 7 on the right. They said I will probably continue stimulation for another two days but am looking good for a Thursday retrieval. Yay!!! Now we just need to mentally prepare for the big IM shot!!

First Follicle Check

We had a very busy weekend starting with our early morning visit to REACH yesterday. While we were there for 3 hours, we were at least able to get some good news. Caroline was in town so got accompany me for this visit!) I had approximately 8 follicles which is a little low, but within the normal range. Apparently, the optimim number is anything between 6 and 20 follicles, so it means that I am responding to the medicine. (In case you were wondering, follicles are the fluid-filled sacs in which your egg grows.) At this point, my egg retrieval will probably not be until Thursday or Friday of this week and I will continue with my 5 shots a day until further notice. I have another apointment tomorrow morning so am hoping for more good news!

Right on track

I went in for another test today and it looks like everything is coming along as it should. I get to add another shot tomorrow (Saizen) which is a growth hormone so will give my eggs yet another boost. On Saturday morning (7am!) I'll go in for an ultrasound to see how everything looks and they'll be able to give me a better idea of when to expect the egg retrieval. At this point, it will be anywhere between Tuesday and Sunday. So now we wait...

6 down...

Well we did it...two shots yesterday and four today! 6 down, and who knows how many more to go! This is a big hurdle for us as I have been worried about this for months. I do find it slightly cruel that you need to do these for the first time in the morning without coffee. It took me about 20 minutes to figure out how to clean, prep, and load the 'easy to use' follistim pen!!

Oh well, I think we'll make it through the next few days with no problem and I'm ready for my appointment on Thursday to see what's next.

Tests and Transfers and Shots, Oh My!

It's been an eventful couple weeks so thought it was time for an update.

We received a HUGE box of medicine, needles, and syringes last Tuesday. Fortunately, Steve was ready for it and we have a nice dedicated spot in the refrigerator for all of our new goodies. We read the instructions and watched the videos but were still amazed at the complexity of it all. It really is shocking that it all shows up in a box and they trust you to figure it out!

On Monday, we went in for another very long visit where the doctor did a trial transfer, which is essentially a practice run for the real embryo transfer. This lets the doctor determine the direction and length of the uterus and minimizes trauma to during the actual transfer. Fortunately it went well, and they have a good road map to use in a couple weeks.

Today, I went in for a final blood test and ultrasound before officially beginning the 'stimulation phase.' Based on the results of the tests, I was told to begin Lupron tomorrow (20 units twice a day) and Follistim on Sunday (300 iui twice a day). While I had been expecting shots, I wasn't really prepared for FOUR shots a day. We filled up the syringes with water and Steve practiced on an orange tonight, so we should be all set for the morning!

That's all for now...wish us luck tomorrow!!!

And so it begins...

A blog, really? We already communicate through facebook, e-mail, chat, and texts...do we really yet need another method to correspond? I'm thinking we do! While we are blessed with many family and friends, all offering love and support, we know we will have a hard time relaying the details of our IVF journey to each one of you. It is our hope that this approach will give us a more time to focus on our day to day lives, our jobs, and most importantly each other. As it is often heard in our home, each challenge is simply the next chapter. While we are both nervous and excited, we are grateful to have such a strong support system and look forward to sharing this chapter of our lives with all of you.

Our official 'cycle day 1' was on Monday (9/1), so I thought I'd start there...

Monday 9/1 - Last minute visit to REACH (Reproductive Endocronlogy of Charlotte) before I leave for Nashville. Ultrasound to get a baseline of my ovaries, and blood work to measure hormone levels. While everything looks good, there is a cyst blocking the view to my left ovary. This is most likely and 'ovulation cyst' and will disappear in the next two weeks.

Tuesday 9/2 - Birth control pills begin. No, I have not lost my mind! The goal of IVF is to harvest as many eggs as possible. If I ovulate, eggs will be released before we are ready to retrieve them. Taking birth control pills will prevent this for the next 3 weeks.

So there it is...update number one. Hope you found it helpful!!!