2 Week Wait: Day 2

Today's pregnancy test result: positive. This is still due to the HCG shot, and we are waiting for it to leave her system. Not much else to report on today, until tomorrow..

2 Week Wait: Day 1

So here we are again in a two week wait, I've decided this go-round to blog every day during the two week wait for two reasons. One, to keep sanity. And two, to document how we plan on keeping sanity by taking a pregnancy test every day. More on that later.

Yesterday was our second insemination day. We got a little bit of a late start in the morning because I insisted on pre-ordering the iphone 4s before leaving for the doctor. Oops! The "swimmers" were a higher count than the day before so that was working in our favor, but the nurse had a problem getting the catheter past Marisa's cervix. Apparently it had moved from the day before? Some things I didn't even know were possible. Anyway, the nurse was awesome and navigated her way through and everything worked out. This was the 6th insemination and the 3rd cycle of trying, and I am convinced that this is it. This is the cycle we get pregnant.

Back to the sanity part of this post. We have decided to take a pregnancy test every day of the two week wait in order to have some kind of idea as to what is going on. The first couple of tests will come out positive because of the Ovidrel shot that Marisa had to take to ensure that she ovulated. Then we will get negative tests once that is out of her system, and then hopefully positive tests again (when we are actually pregnant!!!!!!). While this isn't a fail safe plan it does give us something to look forward to and will keep us feeling a little less helpless during these two weeks. Everyday I will be posting the update on the results of the pregnancy tests so that we can keep track of it as well as continue to fill you in on this little journey we are on. So day 1 pregnancy test result: positive.

In other news our friends gave birth to a little boy today and we couldn't be happier for them! We can't wait to meet him!

IUI - Round 1

just got back from the first insemination.  not too much to share, it was pretty routine.  however, we had a resident doing the insemination this time while the doctor assisted.  this is maybe like the 4th person who we have had doing our IUIs.  since none of the other IUIs have worked thus far, maybe this resident is "the one" who will get us pregnant!  andrea and i were joking about how whoever gets us pregnant will "win" a bottle of champagne and a cigar!  :)

anyway, i'll be back in there tomorrow!  then the dreaded 2ww!!

let's do this! :)

ok, so here's the rundown of the past few days.  On Monday, I went in for an ultrasound.  I had three follicles that were 13mm, 14mm, and 15mm... too small!  BUT, we were excited that there were three!!  so i went out and bought four yams, and ate them all in two days!  yams are supposed to make follicles grow, not sure if that's true or not, but why chance it?!  i had to wait until today (wednesday) to go in for another ultrasound.  well, today I have one follicle which was 21mm.  so it was definitely big enough, but we were disappointed that only one follicle matured on 100mg of clomid.  this was especially disappointing because, if you remember, on our first cycle, I made a 19mm follicle with no drugs.  so i'm questioning whether or not clomid actually works for me.

however, we're staying positive this month!  and in the spirit of staying positive, we thought of all the things that I have been doing to prepare my uterus, fallopian tubes, etc (like the castor oil packs, fertility yoga, fertility self massage, eating wheat and dairy free, and the list goes on).  we figured that follicles are only a fraction of this process.  having a healthy, happy, inviting uterus is just as important, if not more!  and my uterus is definitely healthy, happy, and inviting!  lol!  plus, our chance of conceiving is already higher since this is our third try!  so we'll be inseminating on thursday and friday.

so, here we go again!  i think we're still just as excited as we were when we tried the first time.  now we just have to stay positive, hopeful, and stress free during the impending 2ww!  :)

Day 1!

so today is day 1 of the next cycle!  wooooot!  so excited!  i have a good feeling about this cycle!  i think we're just so pumped to be able to try again after a month off.  day 3 is this saturday so we'll be back in for the ultrasound and blood work to check my thyroid.  we'll also be picking up my prescription for 100mg of clomid.  days 12, 13, and 14 will be on october 3, 4, and 5, so i'll be taking three half days at school so that we can do this cycle.  hope no one asks me anything.  ;)  i'm also starting the herbal regimen that i purchased and charting my temps.

 ahhhhhh!  this is it!  it's going to work this time!!!  =P

quick update...

so i've been continuing all the "prep" stuff that i explained in the last post.  i'm using the castor oil packs with the massage just about everyday, taking the appropriate pills and herbs, eating wheat and dairy free, eating healthy foods only, exercising moderately, mixing and drinking the ultragreens, drinking red raspberry tea, wearing rose quartz bracelets, and now i've added the "bend, breathe, and conceive" dvd.  also, andrea and i are going to start an 8-week tai chi class tomorrow to help with stress, among other things.  this weekend is our one-year wedding anniversary, so... the diet is on hiatus for the weekend!

anyways, that's your 1-minute update... more information to come, once we hit the next cycle!!  :)

skipping this cycle

we're skipping this cycle, but we've been spending the time doing everything in our power to make sure that the next cycle works!  i've been a bit obsessed with finding out about special diets, massages, and other things that can help you get pregnant.  so i ordered the books "the fertility diet" and "the fertile kitchen cookbook" to make sure i'm eating foods that will boost my fertility.  i also ordered the "fertility self massage" dvd, which guides you through of series of abdomen massages and acupressure and reflexology points that increase fertility.

then i researched herbs and supplements.  I started taking an "ultragreens" supplement, which is basically all kinds of dark green leafy vegetables and fruits that are in a powder form.  you can mix the powder with any drink.  the drink is to ensure that i have plenty of green vegetables in my diet.  it's definitely an acquired taste since the particles don't really dissolve, but i know it's good for me, so i drink it everyday.  I also started drinking 2 cups of red raspberry leaf tea, which is supposed to help prepare your body for conception.  I also ordered an herbal regimen off this website that i found.  the regimen is supposed to be good for people taking clomid.  since i will be taking 100mg of clomid this time, these herbs will not interfere with it.  the herbs are alfalfa leaf, red raspberry leaf, evening primrose oil, b6, folic acid, and flax seed oil.  in addition to taking pre-natal vitamins!  each of these herbs has a specific range of days when i have to take it.  i did a little of my own research on each herb to make sure that they were all okay to take.  I made a few slight adjustments, and so now i'm ready to go with the herbs once i hit day 1 of my next cycle.

I also ordered 30 pregnancy test!  don't worry they only cost $28 total!  what a steal!  our plan is that after the insemination, we are going to test everyday.  initially they will be positive from the hcg in the ovidrel shot.  then we will get a negative probably around day 10, which tells us that the ovidrel is out of my system.  if i get a positive after that, it means that we are pregnant.  i'm going to be charting my temperature as well so i purchased 2 digital thermometers.  right now i'm taking my temperature every morning, but not really charting it.  just trying to get in the habit of waking up every morning.

my most recent order includes castor oil and a flannel pack to be used with the castor oil as well as a heating pad.  on my fertility self massage dvd, she explains that it's good to use a castor oil pack before doing the fertility self massage.  first you have to put the castor oil on the flannel, lay it across your lower abdomen, place the heating pad on top if it, and then cover it with a towel.  you just lay there for about 30 minutes, and then start the massage.  the massage and the castor oil and supposed to help prepare your uterus for conception.  I also ordered a yoga dvd called "bend, breathe, and conceive".  so i'm pretty exited about that!  and i just ordered more ultragreens so i don't run out.

so i think it's safe to say that with all these things and the 100mg of clomid, that we have a pretty good shot for the next cycle.  we tried to increase the clomid to 150mg to increase our chances of producing multiple follicles, but the nurse said it was too risky to jump from 50mg to 150 mg without trying 100mg in between.  however, she also mentioned that if we are not happy with the results of the 100mg of clomid (not enough follicles), then we can cancel the iui and try 150mg for the next cycle.  andrea and i have decided that if i still only have one follicle then we are going to cancel.  if i have two follicles, they would have to both be over 17mm for us to try.  if the follicle are too small, then they are not considered "viable".  if we have 3 or more viable follicles, then we will be thrilled!

so we shall see what happens.  but i know we're doing everything possible (that i can afford!) to prepare for conception!  :)