Oh Baby...Baby!!

Back in the late summer, David and I decided to give IVF another go in the fall.  We met with Dr. A again in September and got our instructions for Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET).  Upside to FET:  no injectable medications!  I started my oral medication in the beginning of October.  I went to have my blood drawn to check my hormone levels to make sure that I had enough hormone in place for a good transfer and that I had not ovulated.  I got a call from the nurse later in the afternoon, and she said that I had ovulated on my own (as a PCOS patient I hardly if ever ovulate...it figures that it would happen this time).  So I stopped the medication and waited for my next Day One.

My next Day One came, and I started the oral medication again.  This time my hormone level check came back with flying colors; all systems were a go for transfer.  FET was scheduled for November 15.  Two days before, our only two remaining embryos would be removed from frozen storage, thawed, and watched overnight to make sure they began growing and developing again.  The afternoon before our transfer, I had not heard anything from the doctor's office.  They had not told us the time of our transfer because they had to make sure everything was developing as it should.  Needless to say, it was nerve wracking not to have any indication whether there would even BE a transfer the next day.  I finally broke down and called the office to inquire about the time for our transfer; I was put on hold, then the nurse came back and said, "sorry about that, your transfer is at 10 a.m." the following day, and proceeded to give me our instructions (come in 30 minutes before your scheduled time, partially full bladder, no perfume or cologne for mom or dad).  During our meetings with Dr. A, he frequently cautioned us that when thawing frozen embryos, there was a 50% chance that one or both embryos would not survive the thawing process.  When I called the office the day before, I purposefully never asked how many embryos we were transferring.  I just figured as long as we were getting to come in the next day, at least one had survived, and that was okay with me.

The next day, we went in to the office, surprisingly much less anxious than the first time around.  I don't know whether it was because we already had one miracle baby in Olivia and knew that achieving pregnancy naturally was a possibility for us, no matter how remote; or whether I just had a feeling that it was meant to be.  Regardless, David and I were very calm and relaxed about the whole pending procedure.  When Dr. A came in, he was practically bouncing:  both embryos had survived thawing and had resumed developing beautifully.  He kept saying how remarkable this cycle was because very rarely do the last two embryos in storage both survive to implantation.  After hearing this, I just felt in my heart that we were going to be blessed.  These two embryos did not both survive the thaw process for nothing; they were going to join their big sister as our newest miracles and we were going to be a family of 5.

The next two weeks between implantation and the pregnancy test were difficult, nearly as nerve wracking as last time.  I had a really good feeling this time around; I had not had any spotting or bleeding like the last time.  When the day came to get my blood drawn, I debated taking a home pregnancy test.  In the end, I decided not to; the lab technician who drew my blood asked whether I took a test, I told her I really thought about it, but in the end I would rather live in denial a little while longer before I heard any news either way.  I didn't want one of those infernal sticks to tell me "no" yet again.  She asked me how I was feeling; I told her I was a little queasy, I didn't know if it was hormones or anxiety, but I was hoping hormones.  The nurse called me later at work with the results:  positive!  Beta-HCG and progesterone were looking good.  I was to continue medications and come back in two weeks for an ultrasound (December 17).

Two weeks came and went, and David and I took Olivia to see how many brothers and/or sisters she was getting.  Dr. A said, "I see something interesting.  I see two interesting somethings."  Twins!  We were given a due date of August 5, although it is common with twins to deliver up to a month early; any time after the 4th of July would be considered normal.  We gave this news to our families as a Christmas gift.  This was confirmed two weeks later on December 31.

So this new year, our little family of 3 will turn into a family of 5.  We're very excited; Liv cannot wait for her baby brothers or sisters to get here so she can feed them bottles, give them baths, and play with their toys.  We find out next month what we are having.  I am hoping we get one of each; I would love to have a boy, and I have so many super cute girl clothes that Livvie hardly ever got to wear.  I had a dream, though, that there were two girls in there.  We will see in 4 weeks' time.