3dpt2dt

Hello, friends -

Sorry that I haven't posted the update...not quite sure why, other than the fact that despite my very best efforts to slow down and take it easy since the transfer, I've been a little busy at home (the 2ww is sure different with a toddler!!)

My tummy is now home to one lovely little embie - a four celled beauty on Day 2, with perfectly formed cells and a tiny bit of fragmentation. The embryologists scored it 1-2 (with 1 being "perfect" and 4 being "poor"), and the RE that did the transfer commented that it was a great looking embryo. We watched the ultrasound screen very carefully in order not to miss seeing the little shining spark as it entered my womb...things went without a hitch. One post-transfer acupuncture session later and we were done.

And now the wait begins.

We are trying not to be too hopeful, but overall we are feeling positive about things. I've done a fair bit of reading on Day 2 transfers, and several studies on their efficacy with poor responders/older IVF patients (that's me!) We have yet to nickname this little gem, but I'm sure we will come up with something soon. Daddy talks to it every night and I pray every chance that I get that it is growing strong and healthy.

Poor little M is struggling - he is a Mama's Boy, through and through, so we knew that this was going to be tough on him. I am not lifting him, which he finds so terribly hard (as do I...) His constant "Mama, nuggle" ("Mama, snuggles!") and then frustrated tears when I bend down just to hug him breaks my heart. But Daddy picks him up and puts him into my lap any time he can, so that's a bit of consolation. Needless to say, it's going to be a looooong two weeks...

Thanks to those of you who have commented and sent encouraging words - they have meant more than you will ever know...

xoxo

Devastated

What a colossal disaster this cycle has been....

One egg. That's all they managed to get this morning. One mature egg. Apparently the other two were cysts.

I am dreading the call from the embryologist tomorrow...

Trigger Happy

Tonight's the night! Time to pull the trigger...inject the old HCG and let it work its magic. Not that it has much to do....for I have a grand total of (...dramatic drumroll, please....) - 3 follicles.

Yep. You read correctly. 3. Last Thursday's ultrasound was a disappointing one, as I learned that I only had 4 follicles to work with. The RE who did the u/s asked if I wanted to cancel the cycle, and I asked her for her honest, from-the-gut opinion. She said that realistically, she doesn't think that I'll get any better than this, given my age and the fact that I am on the cadillac of protocols (read: maxed out on drugs...) So she said that if she were me, she'd go for it. Nothing to lose.

Fast forward to Saturday and my next ultrasound, attended by my own RE. Who discovers that I only have 3 follicles instead of the original quote of 4. But she is much more encouraging (kind) than the other RE; instead of giving me the cynical response, she tells me that it only takes one.

So here I am - strapping on the parachute and ready to take the dive again.

Once again, for posterity, my numbers are as follows: 2.0 on the left; 1.75 and 1.75 on the right.

The retrieval is on Wednesday. Please pray for me, ladies!

xoxo
Springroll

A New Post Just for Me...

...because I don't think anyone else is reading this anymore! :-)

It's terrible the way that I have been neglecting this little blog...it was my lifeline to some semblance of sanity a short three years ago...and now it is virtually catching dust as it waits for me patiently to add to it...poor little blog...

I thought I would take the time to write this evening, if for nothing more than to simply record this timeframe for posterity. You see, DH and I are in the middle of an IVF cycle. Yes, we decided this past summer that we wanted to have another child - a sibling for our sweet baby boy, more laughter for our already happy home. We decided that we didn't want to give up our dreams of having more than one child. We decided that we could give it one more good ole' college try. We decided that our cup runneth over...and perhaps we could make another little "sippy cup" to fill.

So off we went to our fertility clinic in the middle of August to meet with our new RE (we decided to request another doctor to work with this time around, as we felt that our old RE was far too pessimistic for our liking - despite our success). We had a great chat with our doctor, got our tests updated, and here we are - approximately 10 days away from an egg retrieval and transfer! Our protocol this time around is based mainly on the Sher protocol that we were on last time (agonist/antagonist conversion protocol with estrogen priming), with a little bit of "tweaking". Daily injections of 450 iu gonal f; 150 iu menopur; and 125 iu of cetrotide, combined with estradot patches. I've also been on 75 mg of DHEA a day for the past three months, in hopes that this will improve my egg quality and quantity. The thought of cycling again was daunting, made even more so by the fact that I was cycling with a toddler running underfoot. But it has been surprisingly simple and I have developed a good little routine for managing everything. The real test will be after transfer, when I will want to relax and put my feet up - but will likely be unable to because of a certain little monkey who constantly wants to be picked up, cuddled, and played with.

Speaking of my little monkey...oh, what a wonderful time this is! He is talking up a storm right now and gets into more mischief than I care to see....but every time I hear him utter "Uh-oh!" because of something he's done, it makes me smile. And it melts my heart. DH and I talk about him non-stop (...I fear we are in danger of becoming one of "those couples" - unable to talk about anything but our child...) and we are constantly amazed at all of the things he can say and do. For instance, tonight as we were reading his bedtime book, I heard him count to four. We had done this with one of his little board books before, whereby I had taken his little finger and had counted objects in one of the pictures together. Obviously, he remembered, because this evening he counted out loud on the same page that we had counted together on...oh, what a sweetie!!

I go for an ultrasound on Thursday to determine how many follicles we are working with - I've been busy saying many prayers and thinking positive thoughts. If there is anyone out there still reading this little blog - please also send positive thoughts our way!!