3rd Beta

Our third beta was 27,546. We are excited at the prospect of twins, but are told that this is still within the normal range for one baby. Obviously, all we want is a healthy baby. We can't wait until our first ultrasound on Friday.

Second beta

Our surrogate's numbers more than doubled! I just got the call. 4131!! One more blood draw and then the first ultrasound on December 2nd!!

So much to be thankful for....

This morning was our GS's scheduled blood pregnancy test. You would think by the sixth time, it would be a little easier to wait for the results, but it does not get any easier. I was so anxious all morning and my self-talk kept switching from positivity to negativity. Finally, a little after 2:00pm, I had a text and voicemail from my nurse and friend, Charlene, asking me to call her. I was so nervous that I did not know what to do. I ended up calling her back right away and I am so thankful that I did because she finally had wonderful news for us. Our GS was pregnant, with a nice strong first beta level of 1368!! I was so excited. I couldn't believe it. I started to tear up a little and I could not stop smiling. I heard congratulations from my doctor next and I immediately called my husband and mom. That night I celebrated at Wildfire with my mom, Charlene, Dr. Beltsos,  Dr. Feinberg, my mother-in-law, my sister-in-law, Meghan, and her husband, Scott, my other sister-in-law, Kellie, and my friend, Austin. Greg had been hunting all weekend, but came to meet us as soon as he got home. It was so nice to be able to celebrate the good news with family and some doctors and my nurse, who have become so much more than doctors and a nurse. I truly consider them my friends and feel blessed to have gone through this journey with them. Our GS will have two more blood draws and her first ultrasound is scheduled for December 5th. I am so excited to turn this "trying to conceive" blog into a pregnancy blog. So many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving!! I feel so blessed and this day truly makes everything that Greg and I have been through worth it. Our baby is finally on the way.

Transfer Day

We transferred two day 5 blastocysts bright and early this morning. They were graded 4BB and 4BA. It was great to see our GS and her husband. They had a nice trip into the area and she was able to enjoy acupuncture treatments before and after the transfer thanks to my wonderful acupuncturist, Nanci Bankier of Natural Balance Healing Centers. Now starts that dreaded 2 week wait. At least with a day 5 transfer, it is more like a week and a half. I always have a hard time waiting. I try to stay positive, yet also don't want to get my hopes up. We sure will have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving if this is a successful cycle. Hoping and Praying....

Fertilization

It's funny how when you are in the midst of your 5th fresh IVF cycle, nothing really phases you in the process. I have grown so close to my doctor, Angie Beltsos, and she always makes the process so comfortable and positive. She has such confidence that it is hard to lose hope when working with her. The night before my retrieval I had watched the latest episode of Private Practice. It hit home because one of the doctors on the show was going through IVF on this episode. In one part of the show, they showed her watching the fertilization of the eggs through a microscope. How neat would it be to see what goes on in the embryology lab. My most recent IVF cycles have been done at the Highland Park Lab within FCI. The medical team there really goes above and beyond for their patients. After our last transfer with our GS, they made the morning extra special by showing us the lab afterwards. This time I asked Dr. Beltsos if there was any way to actually see the fertilization of the eggs. I knew it was a long shot considering they don't actually fertilize the eggs until a few hours after the retrieval, but I figured it can't hurt to ask. As I have mentioned in previous posts, Dr. B. moves mountains for her patients. She asked her med student to try to tape the fertilization using her phone if she was able.

This morning I had an email with a link to a site where I could see some videos and pictures of the fertilization that takes place in the lab. I couldn't believe it! How neat to show this to our children someday when they are old enough to understand. Below is one of the videos of the fertilization.

Egg Retrieval

Yesterday morning was our egg retrieval. Dr. Beltsos was right when she decided to change up the protocol for this cycle. As she mentions in the video, she was able to retrieve 15 eggs. Of the 15 eggs, 12 were mature and able to be fertilized. Of the 12 that were mature, 11 fertilized. This is our best fertilization rate yet!!  We will find out tomorrow whether we will have a day 3 or day 5 transfer. Hoping and praying that our 11 embryos keep growing strong.