Past and Present TTCers~ The continuation of IVF 2012 - present!

[Jenn76]

Congrats Snd!!!! Beautiful twinkies!! So happy for you!

MrsC: Sorry to hear that time is coming again. I sadly enjoy every time my DH is out of town, since I have lots of support from my parents. Did the girls enjoy their party?

Stinas: Great that your mom can come help, you will need the support. I'm excited to go back to work, I miss the adult interaction. Great that you can take the time you need or even not go back.

Kathy: Sorry you are in limbo. Hopefully things start soon for you.

Honey: How are you doing?

Azlissie: Thanks! Dawson is sooooo cute! I love your status updates!!

 

[Stinas]

snd - Welcome to the twinkie clan!!!!!!!!! Woohooooo!!!!! Super exciting!!! LMAO about DH! All men are wimps!
Don't be scared….even though I am since its coming really close for them to be here. Just think of all the years we struggled….god did bless us with two for all of the suffering!

MrsC - You are supermom….you will be just fine when DH leaves!!! Im telling you, I think of you when I get scared! Ill have my little meltdown, then Im like ok, she can do it, ill be ok. lol

30 Weeks today!!! 8 more weeks to go! Can you say C R A Z Y!!!! Never thought I would ever make it here, its just mind boggling!
Had my OB visit today. Just gained a pound in the last week….not to shabby. There are 3 rotating doctors. I have the only male, but let me tell you, I don't care for the females at all, especially the one I got today. Very weird. Not a fan at all.
Is it just me or at this point….going to the mall, I get tired, and lets not mention the hot flashes!!! WTF?! I was literally soaked by the time I left…..and I only went to three stores! TOTALLY not like me……I had an awesome spot and it was super early, so normally I would go around the entire mall, nope. Im not a fan of this stage of pregnancy.
Oh and I have a rant!……so a few times I have bumped into things and dropped them with my huge bag that weighs a ton……can u believe NO ONE has helped me! WTF?! They just stare! Im not the one to ask for help, but when you see me go down and it takes me a while to get back up…..wouldnt you feel bad? Assholes! Next time I should fart as I walk away….ill show you how fast they will help next time!

 

[PRAYIN4BABIES]

lmaooooo! Stinas! that was a great rant! not laughing at you but the fart part was the best! I would have thought the same dam thing! People these days are just rude...and everyone seems to be for themself...I always help strangers whenever I can.

 

[bubumaci]

That fart comment made me laugh too!
I'm same as Kathy - offer to help when I can. I find it awfully obnoxious that people would just watch you struggling

Honey - how are you?

snd - just loved your update + the description of DH's meltdown

 

[Jenn76]

Stinas: Ugh! I was in the same boat this time last year just a bit further along. I slept with the windows open all winter! And in case you didn't know it is cold in Canada especially here since we are surrounded by ocean. DH thought I was crazy. People can be such aholes! I'm lucky NS is a very friendly province, everyone says hi as you pass. Pregnant ladies get lots of attention.

 

[honeycheeks]

Snd - congratulations on the twinkies.
bubu , kathy - how are you?

Thank you ladies for thinking of me. I have been taking some time to take my mind off things , and to forget. It is not easy. And there are a lot of other questions about dealing with the loss , and also about what to do next, or is anything ever going to work? I am totally clueless about what our next approach should be to attack the real problem or reason why I always miscarry. Seems like we are at the end of a closed tunnel. There is no rainbow here. I'm sure I must be doing something wrong. Does someone even miscarry 6 times at all?

It is hard to believe that while I'm grieving, we could have been waiting to welcome our little one who would have been due in 2 months or I could have been 6 weeks pregnant instead, none of which is happening at the moment.

 

[bubumaci]

Honey, I am sure that you are doing NOTHING wrong! Perhaps there are some clotting issues or other reasons, why - but it is not your fault!
I don't know what tests there are that they can do - but I am sure there are some!

No news from me - no symptoms, just tiredness, breasts a little sorer .. I did buy two more digis today, I want to see if they say 2-3 / 3+ before I go in on Monday for the ultrasound. I am praying, that everything is going as it should... you just never know... and that is what makes this so difficult, I guess. I am hoping that the good HCG doubling time of 33.84 is a good sign...

*edit* I decided to try one of the tests now (16:00 - so not FMU) just to see if we are in the right time frame ... see screenshot On Friday 21st, we saw 1-2 ... and 8 days later, today, we are seeing 2-3 - which is exactly right (today is exactly 19 days since ER ... so I guess from Monday, we should hope to see 3+, right???) Sorry, the new tests don't have "Schwanger" .. the "+" appeared within a few seconds and then the test thought a bit longer before telling me the timeframe ... can I interpret that as being on track?

 

[MoBaby]

Bubu let me give you a word of advice about those digitals.... Don't take them lol..

When my beta was well over 5000 it said 2-3... I almost died!!!! I was soo freaked out and thought it was over... Then I collected myself and remembered the indicator is not accurate... I did take it apart and the lines were super dark... I didn't have anymore and I wasn't buying anymore tests. I would stick to line test and digitals that say only pregnant.

 

[MoBaby]

Hey why a plus now instead of the German word for pregnancy lol congrats!!

 

[honeycheeks]

bubu - I think Mo is right about the stress from testing. I would have loved to see the shcwanger again. Did you get a date for your first scan.
I didn't mean it in a negative sense when I said I must be doing something wrong. I only think there has to be something wrong and everything is going to get righted magically the moment we find out what is wrong.

Does anyone here have any advice on what testing I should ask for?
I have already been tested for clotting issues. I tested negative.Still, I have been on heparin, aspirin and prednisolone in my previous 4 trials of IVF to help with my unexplained miscarriages.
We have also had genetic testing for me and DH. Since we both tested negative, FS advised that genetic testing on embryos wouldn't really be needed.
Also tested for immunological issues and found none.

I don't know what is left to test. There has to be something that has been overlooked. I have a strong feeling that next time I will carry to term. So I want to give my baby the best chance. But I wish I knew what to ask for, when I go to my next appointment. I do not have an action plan yet.

Mo- how have you been. Not too long at all before baby Mo arrives. Take a nice bump pic before you are no longer pregnant.

 

[bubumaci]

Yeah, sorry about that, that it doesn't say Schwanger any more . The test I used before was a couple of years old! but still within its use-by-date. I guess they have changed the format now. It was kind of cool, how quickly the + appeared! And the 2-3 was there quite quickly too, nowhere near the 3 minutes it says. I have one more test, as I bought two today....

Honey, first ultrasound is Monday morning at 8:20. They check it make use that the amniotic sac has developed. I think one week later (perhaps two) is then another one, when they check for the gestational sac and the flicker of the heartbeat. And if all is OK, then you are released to your OBGYN.

I really have no idea, what other tests there are for you! But I really hope that your specialist has some ideas and can help you. My Step Mother was like that. With her husband before my Daddy, she was pregnant a couple of times and miscarried, the same with my Father. They ended up adopting when I was 18. She for whatever reason couldn't keep the baby.
With today's technology, I really hope they can figure out why you are struggling to stay pregnant! I really do!

 

[Allika]

@honey: Download the podcast called "creating a family" it's a podcast about adoption and infertility. There are several episodes that deal with recurrent miscarriages. Find the one with the scientific husband whose wife miscarried over and over again. Listen to it! It's very encouraging!

I am going to look up the exact title of the episode and post it. One sec...

 

[Allika]

Found it:

You want to listen to "Unexplained Miscarriages" from March 11, 2009. Then there are the episodes "Recurrent pregnancy loss" and "diagnosis and treatment of recurring miscarriages" but listen to the first one first.

There are also very interesting podcasts about "how to deal with IVF failure" and informative ones like "what happens in an IVF lab"

 

[honeycheeks]

Thank you Allika. I am going to listen to them right away.

 

[Jenn76]

Yep I think those tests go haywire after you reach a certain number but mine worked correctly in the beginning. It came up 3+ when I was just a couple days shy of it so extra HCG from twins can confuse it too. Oh well doesn't matter you are right on track and I'm sure you want one more to show the three plus!! I couldn't resist doing it myself!

Honey: 1000x I'm not sure what to ask beside what additional testing can be done. I wish there was a clear explanation for miscarriages but it seems to be unexplained in most cases. I can only pray that the next cycle results in a healthy pregnancy for you.

Had my first scary mommy moment today Chris fell down the stairs. The stupid gate wasn't closed properly and he managed to get it open without us seeing. All the sudden I heard the thuds and I knew right away what happen. Worst 10 seconds of my life as I ran screaming to my crying baby. He is fine!! Nothing more then a small scratch. I bawled forever after even though I knew he was fine. I'm still quite a mess right now. I just keep thinking of how bad it could have been. But like I said he is fine I don't think he would have even cried that much if it wasn't for me freaking out. Going for some retail therapy now!

 

[MoBaby]

Honey I would also investigate pre implantation screening. That was our next step if we had wanted to do another ivf (which we weren't going to)... I had all the tests for recurrent mc after 2 mc and 2 chemicals and all was negative. I would consider that because maybe your embryos are just genetically abnormal which is why mc keeps happening? Sorry you have to deal with this all

 

[bubumaci]

Yup Jenn - that's just it. I want to have something tangible to see the progression and really want to see the 3+ too But I will wait awhile for that. Two more sleeps and we have the first scan. Oh, and did I say something bout boobs not hurting? They are trying to prove me wrong today

Jenn - I am soooo sorry that you had that scary moment! I think it is definitely always much worse for the parents than the children (who are really tough when it comes to tumbles)... when I was a baby in Canada, I decided to follow my Grandma downstairs when she went to open the front door (and didn't close the gate) ... in ... my walker! Bang, right into a wall. Huge black eye and I smiled at everyone with a wonky grin, while they all cried! *lol* Poor things, both of you!

@ Honey, I think Mo's suggestion sounds really good, to get PID done - it is probably the most common cause of miscarriage, when the DNA / the chromosomes are abnormal. Do you remember me telling the story of one woman? She had had a child many many years ago and then was plagued with miscarriages. (Did get naturally pregnant). She was then tested and it was found that her 4th and 9th chromosomes were abnormal (which is OK for her but can pose an issue when trying to conceive). Through IVF they then had 5 blastocysts that were examined and it was found that 4 of them were chromosomally abnormal. One or two did have her abnormal chromosomes, but also a couple of others (so that didn't come from her) and two of the four were all over the place with abnormal chromosomes. The fifth was healthy and that is now her baby. So that was just proof that the chromosomes of embryos can develop really badly, even if the parents are healthy... and it was also a huge indication, that having the pre-implantation screening was very good in her case.

 

[Stinas]

Kathy & BUBU - I do the same as well! Why not hold the door open for the old lady? or the lady thats about to rip her hair out because her kid is a brat? One nice thing may make their day a little brighter…and if it does not, made me feel better.

Jenn - We had a cold winter this year in NJ, but you guys are always colder up there. When my cousin from Montreal comes here he's always in shorts lol
I would have freaked out hearing that as well!!! Glad he is ok!!

Honey - You are doing NOTHING wrong!!!!!! Never think that!!! I just don't understand why they haven't figured out why you keep mc! That makes me mad.

BUBU - Don't always go by those digitals at this point…..they are not always right when it comes to dates. Just be happy about the +

 

[bubumaci]

Good Morning Ladies
According to our ultrasound this morning, we have one baby Pünktchen on board ... we saw the amniotic sac and the beginnings of the yolk sac inside it (Dr. said it's a good sign) - he said everything looks perfect
Also had bloods taken, so I will update with those later on when I have them

I was actually happy with what my digital said (had been worried that it would stay on 1-2 )

The first picture is a close-up of Pünktchen (Punkt in German means "dot" and in this form, it means "little dot" but sounds sweet ) where we can also see the yolk sac in the middle and the second picture is "the big picture" where we can see the dot - and also some fluid still in there from the OHSS. Ovaries still quite swollen and fluid there, but it is definitely calming down.

 

[bubumaci]

And a little update with the bloods that are in. Have been told that they are just right for an early intact pregnancy and that everything is progressing as it should

HCG seems to be at a nice level. I think the oestrogen looks like it is skyrocketing and the progesterone has come down a bit since last Monday - but I would imagine that these values are all good (doctor said today that I have to take the supplements until week 12 - fine with that, as long as Pünktchen grows properly and healthily)