Donor Retrieval & Fertilization Report

Happy Monday!  I am still in shock by how quickly this cycle is flying by!  I remember just a short few weeks ago I had so much worry that we may not even by cycling this month, now we are just a few hours away from leaving for Georgia! 

On Wednesday at Amy’s monitoring appointment Dr. Servy gave Amy the option to retrieve Friday or Saturday with Saturday being the better day & giving us a better chance of retrieving more mature eggs than we would on Friday.  Amy is a nurse and has a very set schedule & does not get paid if she has to call in.  She had used most of her vacation time for her family trip they had taken right before our cycle and Friday was her scheduled day off so we were really hoping to get her in on Friday.  She made the decision to have the retrieval on Saturday & had to call in to work and miss a day of pay.  Bless her heart!

So Saturday morning she was to be at the doctor’s office by 8:15 to meet with anesthesia and prep for surgery.  She was constantly updating me & if you’ve been through IVF then you know that retrieval only takes about 20 minutes total so I had heard back from her pretty quickly that they had retrieved TEN eggs!  I was very happy with this number.  My hope was 12, but I know that it’s quality over quantity and was totally satisfied with this number.  Amy said that she was feeling good and was going to take it easy the rest of the afternoon.  I was happy that her part of this cycle was over & she could finally relax and recover from the stims & the retrieval.  It’s so much to put your body through, especially for another person!  Thank you Amy!

The day after retrieval is considered day 1 and that’s usually the day you receive your fertilization report.  I was pretty anxious in the morning while I awaited the call, but I was also recovering from a slight hangover from my birthday party the night before.  We had about 30 people over Saturday night to celebrate my big 3-0 and it was such a blast!  It was a Happy Camper themed party and it turned out so cute & we had such a blast!  Thank you to everyone who came to help me ring in this new decade & to my best friend & husband who organized it all!

By noon I was starving and I still hadn’t heard from the doctor so Joe and I jumped on the bike and took a nice ride and went for lunch.  I was still pretty anxious that I hadn’t heard but I figured, every clinic is different, maybe they don’t make Sunday calls, maybe it’s different with donor eggs, etc. etc. trying to come up with reasons as to why I hadn’t heard.  Before we got back on the bike to head home I sent an email to my IVF nurse coordinator asking her for an update if she had one.  I hated to bother her on a Sunday, but I figured it was the only way I’d be able to find out. 

We got home & relaxed and watched movies the rest of the evening.  I was getting texts from lots of people asking for an update and I was as clueless as they were at that point & figured it’s a Sunday, there is nothing I can do.  Joe and I had just headed to bed & were getting ready to do my PIO injection for the night when I got an email back from my nurse saying that EIGHT of our TEN had fertilized and were doing great!  I was thrilled!  This is definitely the best fert report we have ever received. 

We will get another update on Tuesday with transfer on Thursday!  Our flight leaves Wednesday bright and early at 6am so we will be heading for Chicago around 2am.  I’m very excited to spend a few days down in Georgia with Amy and her family.  We have dinner plans & I booked a hotel with an outdoor pool so that my day of “bed rest” I can at least work on my tan!  Most importantly we will have another baby on board and we hope that this one finally decides to stick around.  At this point we are set on transferring one embryo, but that could of course change depending on how many we end up with by Thursday.  I am very confident we will have around 5 or so blastocysts by Thursday which leaves us plenty of siblings to freeze for now.  As always I appreciate the continued support that we have received from everyone as we navigate this new journey.  Continuing with the positive thoughts and vibes that our embryos continue to grow and thrive!

THIRTY

Today is my 30^th birthday.  If you would’ve asked me 10 years ago what I thought about 30, I would’ve probably said that 30 is old, but today, I know that it isn’t.  I remember thinking that 30 was such an adult age and that I’d probably be married, have kids, have a job, have a house, etc. and I do have most of those things so I guess I’m on the right track, not that there is a “right” track, but on what I thought my track would be.

The decade spanning my twenties consisted of SO MUCH!  When I think back on it I am very thankful that I am not where I was when I was 20 because I was a hot mess on the verge of probably jail or death.  Luckily by 21 I was a renewed soul with a renewed purpose in a healthy relationship with a strong man & had rebuilt other important relationships and closed doors on the toxic people, places, things that were dragging me down into an abyss of dangerous behaviors and habits. 

I’ve learned an absolute infinite amount about love, life, relationships, myself, my job, health, and so much more these last 10 years.  There have been some truly blissful and amazing moments and memories, and there have been some terrible, horrible, no good very bad moments and memories too, but they have helped shape me into the person I am today, that is a person I LOVE.  Yes, I can 100% say that I love myself for who I am, I believe in my authenticity & I accept that not everyone in the world will.  I have my own set of convictions that are the foundation for who I am.  I am not perfect in any way, shape, or form.  I have flaws, I have imperfections, & things I wish I did or liked or what have you, but I accept all of those things and believe that they make me, me. 

I am a VERY strong Type A, I love having control over everything, a very tidy house, desk, car, etc., I am a realist, and usually I am the voice of reason.  It’s not something I do intentionally, it is who I am.  Sometimes my anxiety gets the best of me about situations, but I also do know how to let loose and have a good time.  I have some street-cred that stems from some life choices that I was making that I am not proud of, but also that I do not regret.  I am who I am today because of the things I did yesterday.  At the same time, I do not live in the past, I forgive very easily (sometimes too easily) and I just want to get along with and love everyone.  I understand now (after a lot of learning about this) that there are many people that aren’t like this.  I don’t hold a grudge for more than like 5 seconds.  I have a ton of energy but I can also easily rope it in and be relaxed and lazy.  I consider myself to be very eclectic, I don’t identify with or as a single group (like a hippy or a nerd) I fall into many categories and I think it’s pretty amazing.  I’m a raver and an old school rapper at heart, but I am also very professional and take my job very seriously.  I like to take care of people, my husband especially, and he truly does appreciate the things that I do for him & vice versa.  I still turn to my mom for answers to pretty much everything, and probably always will! 

I love my home, like I’m obsessed with it, it’s so beautiful & I’m so proud to say that WE built that house & made it what it is.  I love to camp, I love being on the back of the Harley with my husband even if it’s only for 10 minutes to go down the street, it’s one of my favorite places in the world.  I love jewelry, especially turquoise and any kind of quartz or agate, I have a slight obsession.  I am constantly messing with my nails and my cuticles and my fingers are just awful, I love a fountain cherry Coke, I would eat pizza every day or a Reese’s peanut butter cup (which I actually do).  I am very reliable and ALWAYS on time (except when I’m with my husband or Jessica then we are always late).  I love wine and beer.  I give good advice and people vent to me a lot.  I’m always freezing.  I communicate better through written word than spoken word.  And really, there is so much more…

When I was 20 the most important things were drastically different than they are now.  At 30, it’s family, friends, health, a job, and HAPPINESS.  I’ve learned that family is a term that is defined by each person in their own way.  I consider my best friends to be part of my family too, because they have been there for me at my worst & seen me at my most vulnerable, that’s what I consider to be family.  I’ve learned that EVERY family has dysfunction to some degree, some more than others, but EVERYONE has it. 

Happiness and health are more valuable than anything that money can buy.  With so many people suffering from depression, committing suicide, being diagnosed with cancer and other life threatening or debilitating diseases, having true happiness and good health is something I am thankful for every single day.  Yes, I suffer from infertility, but that pales in comparison to the suffering that I have seen in my life time.  No price can be put on either of those things.

I know how important it is to count my blessings on a regular basis.  When we are in our early twenties we take many things for granted and believe we are invincible, but the older we get the older we realize how lucky we are to have the things we do, everyday things like a meal on the table or a cup of coffee, clean drinking water, a roof over our heads, to big things like our freedom.  It’s being grateful and thankful for these things that make us truly place value on the precious gift of life that we have been given.

I know I got deep with this, and that 30 really is just a number.  I talk to my 87 year old grandma and she says she’s going into her 90’s but feels like she’s in her 30’s still, but it is a pretty big milestone & I felt compelled to document this, if for no one else but myself.  My twenties were a time I will never forget, but I am so happy to be moving into this next phase of my life.  I am constantly evolving, finding new things I like, things I want to try, places I want to go, people I want to meet, and becoming more and more myself each day.  I don’t believe there is ever a stopping point to becoming WHO we are. 

I am very thankful to be spending another amazing birthday on this planet.  I am so thankful for my wonderful husband and our marriage, going on 5 years of wedded bliss and there is no one else I’d rather spend this life with.  My family and friends, I have so much love and support from all of you and I consider myself pretty lucky to be so close my family and to Joe’s family.  My fur-baby Frank who seriously makes my heart just burst with love on a daily basis (and I guess my cat too).  All of my TTC sisters and the amazing community of love and support that we are able to share, I couldn’t ask to be a part of anything better. My amazing donor (who I also consider a friend) who deserves her very own shout-out because she is giving us the most precious gift, the gift of life!  Amy, you rock!  I am so blessed & have seriously the BEST TRIBE of people in my life that I choose to surround myself with and I am so thankful for all of you for you all breathe life into me every single day.   

Oh & P.S., I chopped my hair...

Donor Started STIMS!!!

Well, a lot of things have happened since my last post & they’ve happened VERY quickly!  If you missed it, a week or so ago we were in a bit of a panic as my donor had some mid-cycle ovulation bleeding and we weren’t sure if her period was going to come as scheduled.  We are always at the mercy of our bodies and have no control over what goes on in there.  I was really beginning to think the universe was telling me that I am not mean to be a parent, plus I was on my dot at the time so emotions were just really running rampant.

 

On Thursday the IVF nurse coordinator emailed Amy & told her that she would need to come in for a blood draw ASAP to test for pregnancy and see what was going on, she was still going to be on her vacation until Saturday so I told her to plan on going in Tuesday for blood work.  On Saturday she texted me to tell me she was cramping and spotting, great signs!  By Sunday it was a full flow & all of our excitement came back as we knew we’d be able to keep our plan for a June cycle.  I felt a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders. 

 

Amy emailed our nurse to tell her her period had come & they already had her starting stims yesterday!  I couldn’t believe how fast things were moving along!  I got an email from the nurse telling me to start my meds as well as of today.  I am on 2 Estradiol pills x day, 1 prenatal, and 1 baby aspirin.  Amy is on 100iu of Gonal and 75iu of Menopur 1x day for now.  She also starts baby aspirin and was monitored today with 11 & 12 follicles already.  She will continue on the 100 Gonal/75 Menopur & goes back for her next monitoring appointment on Sunday with expected retrieval FRIDAY the 10^TH!  I expect my transfer to be in exactly 2 weeks!  AHHHHH!!!

 

Things are happening so quickly I can’t even really wrap my head around it yet.  We have lots of arrangements to make like flights, hotels, rental vehicles; arrangements for our animals have been made which is one big thing to check off the list!  We have a garage sale to get through this weekend and next weekend is my big DIRTY THIRTY birthday party, although we will be cutting it majorly close to our day of travel so hopefully that all works out OK.  With Amy’s retrieval being set for Friday, we will more than likely be leaving on Monday the 13^th.  A 5-day transfer would be the 15^th so that is exactly 2 weeks from TODAY!

 

I really appreciate sticking around for the long haul and following us on this journey, it was never the path I ever dreamed of taking, but we are here and we are so thankful to be where we are today.  Things are very quickly falling into place and we have such a great feeling about this chapter of our lives!  I will continue to update as we find things out.