We had our 15 week appointment at the hospital here today. Since the doctor was unable to distiguish 2 different heartbeats on the monitor, we scored another ultrasound!
Unlike the previous scans that we have had, Baby A was dancing up a storm while Baby B refused to uncurl for measurement. However, both babies had strong heartbeats and looked great!
T had been having a lot of leg cramping in her right leg and the doctor sent her down for an emergency ultrasound of her leg to rule out blood clots. Luckily everything came out fine, and T just learned that there are new pains that come with being pregnant (especially with twins!).
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Our Journey Begins...
Ben and I got married in May 2006. We both knew we wanted to have a big family, but wanted to wait until our lives were a little settled to start. Our first year of marriage involved two moves and a deployment, and we knew that we wanted to wait until Ben would have more time at home before starting a family. After two years of graduate school in Atlanta, Ben and I packed up and moved to NY for Ben to teach for a calm three years. Our goal: to have two kids before we left NY and headed on to his next duty assignment... :-) We were finally ready to start building our family!
We weren't naive enough to believe that starting a family would necessarily be easy... we were told early in our marriage that I had fibroid tumors and most likely endometreosis... but we still did not anticipate the challenges that we would face over the past two years of trying to conceive either. After almost a year of trying on our own (a year marked by OPKs, temping, and numerous over the counter tests), our hospital was finally ready to run tests to determine what the problem might be. I had an Hsg and an endometrial biopsy. Having had friends who had had hsgs before and gotten pregnant afterwards, we hoped for the best. But a few months later (last fall), with the tests inconclusive, and no positive results, we finally recieved a referral for a fertility specialist.
We had been warned by friends that the fertility specialist we were seeing could be overwhelming at first, and that he would want to do an exam/start treatment immediately, Ben and I were once again encouraged and excited about our meeting with him. We knew that besides initial testing that our insurance would not cover the cost and we went in ready to do whatever we could to start a family. We had our first appointment in October of 2010 and went prepared for some answers.
Our appointment in October was both encouraging and discouraging at the same time. I was examined and then we sat down with the doctor who went through our mounds of paperwork (tests run by the hospital, cds of scans, and our charting from the previous six months). He was impressed with all the things we had tried and warned that based on his exam, it looked like I had low ovarian reserve. He explained the difference between IUI and IVF, laid out the costs for both and told us that based on the cost of each, he recommended IVF. He said the rate of success would be higher for us, and that if we ended up doing three rounds of IUI, IVF would end up being cheaper. In short, drugs for either would run $2K a month, IUI would be $600 each try, and IVF would run $12K. Ben immediately agreed with the doctor that IVF was the way he wanted to go. After a short discussion explaining my concerns with jumping to the drastic measures, Ben agreed that we would try two cycles of IUI first, and see how things turned out.
By some stroke of luck, our insurance ended up picking up the meds because of the simultaneous testing the clinic was doing on us, so we ended up only paying $600 out of pocket for the first two cycles. Daily shots begain in mid-November and Ben helped me keep a strict schedule of shots every evening (ranging from 1-4 shots a night for two weeks). In mid-December, we found out that our first cycle didn't work. We started our second cycle in mid-January. Our third and final attempt at IUI was in May 2011. This cycle began the day I recieved my doctorate from Liberty University and ended with our fifth wedding anniversary. We both had no doubt that this was the cycle that we were going to finally be parents!
Ben was scheduled to attend a conference in Hawaii the week we were supposed to get our results... and he wanted me to go with him; so we packed up and took our test kits with us (we are never patient enough to wait for the doctor's results). On June 8th (only 10 days after the IUI), we had a positive test and realized that our dreams were finally coming true. Over the remaining days of our vacation, I took three more tests to make sure the results didn't change! :-) Then I flew home and headed into the clinic on the way home from the airport for the "official" word!
This was the first time I walked into the clinic with such a positive attitude. I sat down in the chair to have blood drawn and said this is the month! I said, someone will be calling me with great news this afternoon! The nurse said, oh did you take a test already? I said, yes, I did, four of them!!! They called that afternoon and said that my hcg levels were 839 and from previous cycles I KNEW that was good!
Ben was still in Hawaii, and although we were both excited, we were not ready to share our news. I had the hardest time keeping it from my sister-in-law for the first week I was home since she was spending the summer with us. But Ben and I both agreed that we wanted to wait until we had our first ultrasound. My second appointment was scheduled for 4 days later, at 5 weeks (June 17). Because I was in pain and having a lot of cramping, the doctor decided to go ahead and do an ultrasound. There were TWO sacs. The doctor explained that it was way too early to tell, and that often one or the other would not develop fully, but Ben and I left the office with a picture of our two little "beans." We decided that we couldn't keep it from Beka, so we went home and put the picture on the fridge and waited until she saw it :-). My hcg at this appointment was 2948, and since everything looked good the doctor didn't want to see us for another 5 days!
Here is a summary of my first trimester:
June 22- hcg was 18, 094
June 27- hcg was over 50000 so they stop tracking it. An ultrasound showed 3 sacs, but only 2 fetal poles and 2 heartbeats. Baby A was measuring 5wks5days, 104bpm; and Baby B was measuring 5 wks6days, with 99bpm. The doctor warned us that baby b's heartbeat should have been higher at this point, but that we would wait and see how things progressed. Ben and I remained optimistic though because statistics are good for babies that have heartbeats.
By the last week of June morning sickness was starting to set in... ALL DAY. Again, Ben and I rejoiced (while I ran back and forth to the bathroom) because this was another good sign we were praying for!
July 5th- Our third ultrasound showed Baby A measuring 7wks1day with a heartbeat of 145. Baby B was measuring 7wks1day with a heartbeat of 148! The specialist said that he would continue to see us through the first trimester, but was optimistic about both babies continuing to grow. He warned that I would most likely end up on bedrest, and that we should go ahead and schedule an appointment with an OB doc!!
July 6th- Was my first appointment at Keller. The nurse met with me and sent me for bloodwork (they needed proof I was pregnant before I could see a doc... and the three ultrasounds weren't enough!). They explained I needed a referal from a general practitioner... ugh! They also said that I would be seen by a maternal/fetal medicine doctor through the remainder of the pregnancy due to past fertility history and the multiples! Ben and I were pleased with this news because it meant lots of ultrasounds and reassurances that everything was going well!
July 18th- We went back to the fertility specialist and were pleased to see that both babies were still thriving. They both measured 9wks1day (+/-3days) and had strong heartbeats of 180bpm. In their individual pictures we were able to make out the beginnings of their arms and legs
. Baby B looked quite wiggly on the ultrasound screen.
July 20th- Fifth ultrasound, first appointment with the OB doc at Keller. The doctor had difficulty getting both babies on the screen together. She went through the importance of seeing the specialist and explaining the options for delivery. All in all it was not a very informative appt but it was good to see 2 babies with strong heartbeats on the screen!
August 1st- Sixth ultrasound. Emergency appointment because I was having a lot of cramping and pain. Both babies had strong heartbeats and looked fine! Baby b was once again bouncing off the walls and Baby A was relaxed and appeared to be sucking his/her thumb!
August 10th- Seventh ultrasound. First appointment with the perinatologist. My mom was there for the ultrasound and appointment. It was wonderful to have her there to see our 2 little ones dancing across the screen.
The ultrasound tech ran the nuchal transluency test on both babies (where they measure the backs of their necks to determine whether they are currently in the normal range- a test for Down's syndrome and other chromosome abnormalities). Baby A was as usual not moving around a lot, while Baby B was moving around like crazy. After much poking and proding by the technician, Baby A gave us a wonderful photograph of her/his hands pushing against the outside of T! All blood tests and screenings came back completely normal! And at 13 weeks we were ready to share our news with our family and friends!
And that is where this blog begins... to keep our family up to date on the progress of our two little blessings!
We weren't naive enough to believe that starting a family would necessarily be easy... we were told early in our marriage that I had fibroid tumors and most likely endometreosis... but we still did not anticipate the challenges that we would face over the past two years of trying to conceive either. After almost a year of trying on our own (a year marked by OPKs, temping, and numerous over the counter tests), our hospital was finally ready to run tests to determine what the problem might be. I had an Hsg and an endometrial biopsy. Having had friends who had had hsgs before and gotten pregnant afterwards, we hoped for the best. But a few months later (last fall), with the tests inconclusive, and no positive results, we finally recieved a referral for a fertility specialist.
We had been warned by friends that the fertility specialist we were seeing could be overwhelming at first, and that he would want to do an exam/start treatment immediately, Ben and I were once again encouraged and excited about our meeting with him. We knew that besides initial testing that our insurance would not cover the cost and we went in ready to do whatever we could to start a family. We had our first appointment in October of 2010 and went prepared for some answers.
Our appointment in October was both encouraging and discouraging at the same time. I was examined and then we sat down with the doctor who went through our mounds of paperwork (tests run by the hospital, cds of scans, and our charting from the previous six months). He was impressed with all the things we had tried and warned that based on his exam, it looked like I had low ovarian reserve. He explained the difference between IUI and IVF, laid out the costs for both and told us that based on the cost of each, he recommended IVF. He said the rate of success would be higher for us, and that if we ended up doing three rounds of IUI, IVF would end up being cheaper. In short, drugs for either would run $2K a month, IUI would be $600 each try, and IVF would run $12K. Ben immediately agreed with the doctor that IVF was the way he wanted to go. After a short discussion explaining my concerns with jumping to the drastic measures, Ben agreed that we would try two cycles of IUI first, and see how things turned out.
By some stroke of luck, our insurance ended up picking up the meds because of the simultaneous testing the clinic was doing on us, so we ended up only paying $600 out of pocket for the first two cycles. Daily shots begain in mid-November and Ben helped me keep a strict schedule of shots every evening (ranging from 1-4 shots a night for two weeks). In mid-December, we found out that our first cycle didn't work. We started our second cycle in mid-January. Our third and final attempt at IUI was in May 2011. This cycle began the day I recieved my doctorate from Liberty University and ended with our fifth wedding anniversary. We both had no doubt that this was the cycle that we were going to finally be parents!
Ben was scheduled to attend a conference in Hawaii the week we were supposed to get our results... and he wanted me to go with him; so we packed up and took our test kits with us (we are never patient enough to wait for the doctor's results). On June 8th (only 10 days after the IUI), we had a positive test and realized that our dreams were finally coming true. Over the remaining days of our vacation, I took three more tests to make sure the results didn't change! :-) Then I flew home and headed into the clinic on the way home from the airport for the "official" word!
This was the first time I walked into the clinic with such a positive attitude. I sat down in the chair to have blood drawn and said this is the month! I said, someone will be calling me with great news this afternoon! The nurse said, oh did you take a test already? I said, yes, I did, four of them!!! They called that afternoon and said that my hcg levels were 839 and from previous cycles I KNEW that was good!
Ben was still in Hawaii, and although we were both excited, we were not ready to share our news. I had the hardest time keeping it from my sister-in-law for the first week I was home since she was spending the summer with us. But Ben and I both agreed that we wanted to wait until we had our first ultrasound. My second appointment was scheduled for 4 days later, at 5 weeks (June 17). Because I was in pain and having a lot of cramping, the doctor decided to go ahead and do an ultrasound. There were TWO sacs. The doctor explained that it was way too early to tell, and that often one or the other would not develop fully, but Ben and I left the office with a picture of our two little "beans." We decided that we couldn't keep it from Beka, so we went home and put the picture on the fridge and waited until she saw it :-). My hcg at this appointment was 2948, and since everything looked good the doctor didn't want to see us for another 5 days!
Here is a summary of my first trimester:
June 22- hcg was 18, 094
June 27- hcg was over 50000 so they stop tracking it. An ultrasound showed 3 sacs, but only 2 fetal poles and 2 heartbeats. Baby A was measuring 5wks5days, 104bpm; and Baby B was measuring 5 wks6days, with 99bpm. The doctor warned us that baby b's heartbeat should have been higher at this point, but that we would wait and see how things progressed. Ben and I remained optimistic though because statistics are good for babies that have heartbeats.
By the last week of June morning sickness was starting to set in... ALL DAY. Again, Ben and I rejoiced (while I ran back and forth to the bathroom) because this was another good sign we were praying for!
July 5th- Our third ultrasound showed Baby A measuring 7wks1day with a heartbeat of 145. Baby B was measuring 7wks1day with a heartbeat of 148! The specialist said that he would continue to see us through the first trimester, but was optimistic about both babies continuing to grow. He warned that I would most likely end up on bedrest, and that we should go ahead and schedule an appointment with an OB doc!!
July 6th- Was my first appointment at Keller. The nurse met with me and sent me for bloodwork (they needed proof I was pregnant before I could see a doc... and the three ultrasounds weren't enough!). They explained I needed a referal from a general practitioner... ugh! They also said that I would be seen by a maternal/fetal medicine doctor through the remainder of the pregnancy due to past fertility history and the multiples! Ben and I were pleased with this news because it meant lots of ultrasounds and reassurances that everything was going well!
July 18th- We went back to the fertility specialist and were pleased to see that both babies were still thriving. They both measured 9wks1day (+/-3days) and had strong heartbeats of 180bpm. In their individual pictures we were able to make out the beginnings of their arms and legs
. Baby B looked quite wiggly on the ultrasound screen. July 20th- Fifth ultrasound, first appointment with the OB doc at Keller. The doctor had difficulty getting both babies on the screen together. She went through the importance of seeing the specialist and explaining the options for delivery. All in all it was not a very informative appt but it was good to see 2 babies with strong heartbeats on the screen!
August 1st- Sixth ultrasound. Emergency appointment because I was having a lot of cramping and pain. Both babies had strong heartbeats and looked fine! Baby b was once again bouncing off the walls and Baby A was relaxed and appeared to be sucking his/her thumb!
August 10th- Seventh ultrasound. First appointment with the perinatologist. My mom was there for the ultrasound and appointment. It was wonderful to have her there to see our 2 little ones dancing across the screen.
The ultrasound tech ran the nuchal transluency test on both babies (where they measure the backs of their necks to determine whether they are currently in the normal range- a test for Down's syndrome and other chromosome abnormalities). Baby A was as usual not moving around a lot, while Baby B was moving around like crazy. After much poking and proding by the technician, Baby A gave us a wonderful photograph of her/his hands pushing against the outside of T! All blood tests and screenings came back completely normal! And at 13 weeks we were ready to share our news with our family and friends!
And that is where this blog begins... to keep our family up to date on the progress of our two little blessings!
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