Number 2

And no this isn't a potty post :)

Clint and I started talking last year about when we wanted to give our frozen embryos a chance.  We decided we might as well get going with the new year when I could move back to my insurance which has some fertility coverage so off we went!  I started meds at the end of November with hopes of doing a cycle first thing in January.  Unfortunately insurance companies are lame and I had to have cycle testing done on an UNmedicated cycle so there went that plan.  We waited a cycle and got the green light in mid-January, yay!

After Mariah's IVF, we had four day-6 embryos remaining.  We had a lot of debate about how many to transfer, because what if we do two and they both stick?  And then what if they are whack-a-doo's like Mariah?  I was exhausted just thinking about it.  Ultimately we decided we would transfer two and cross our fingers.  My transfer date was February 22 and everything looked great.  They ended up having to thaw three embryos because one of the first (and best!) ones didn't survive the thaw.  The transfer went great and then it was time for the waiting game.

Four days later I got a positive on my home test!  It worked again!  We were so excited. I couldn't wait to find out how many had nestled in to stay.  We had an appointment for an ultrasound on March 15.  Clint was able to go with me which turned out to be a blessing when the ultrasound revealed one sac but no heartbeat.  The doctor was not optimistic but told us to wait for the blood results to be sure, maybe it was just a slow grower.  The results came back later that day at less than 5, definitely no baby.  I drowned my sorrows in chips and salsa and spent the weekend snuggling with Mariah, wondering if she would be my only baby.

I had a follow up with my doctor on Monday, March 18.  We went over the options.  We had one frozen embryo left.  It was the lowest quality one we had.  There was only one.  I was certain it wouldn't work and we needed to start saving up for another fresh IVF.  We decided to just go ahead and get this cycle out of the way so it wasn't looming over us for the rest of the year.  We looked at the dates and if the cycle worked, I would be due December 28th.  I always swore I would never subject my kids to a December birthday, but it was only one embryo so it wasn't going to work anyway.

We had our second frozen transfer on April 11.  The lone ranger survived the thaw beautifully and the transfer went great.  Imagine my surprise five days later to get another positive test!  I didn't let myself get too excited because I'd been here before just a few short weeks earlier.  My clinic was great about getting me in the office every two or three days for a blood draw to make sure the levels were still rising as we expected.  The lab had a mis-read one day and put me in a panic when it appeared my levels had gone from 1800 to less than 5 in two days.  They did a re-draw and sure enough it was over 5000, phew!  We eventually got far enough along to do an ultrasound and were so relieved to see one little bean with a beautiful heartbeat!

Everything was going fine until my family took a trip to Moab.  We had stopped for lunch on the way home and I started bleeding.  Too good to be true, I thought.  I spent the four hour drive home and the rest of that Sunday night preparing myself to hear that we had lost the baby.  My OB was able to get me in right away on Monday for an ultrasound.  Guess what?  Still one cute little bean in there with a strong heartbeat.  I knew bleeding in the first trimester wasn't uncommon but since I had a picture perfect pregnancy with Mariah, it was super scary!  Turns out I had a sub-chorionic hematoma but it appeared to be located in a place that wouldn't impact the baby.  My OB monitored me every week until I hit the 12 week mark even when the bleeding had stopped by about 10 weeks.  Everything still looked great with the baby and we were so thankful!