The blessings of life or YES, you can get pregnant on your own after IVF

We had an unexpected surprise.... I am PREGNANT!

Honestly, I wasn't ready for another baby. Having another baby meant hormones and heartache. I was happy to just enjoy being Isabelle's Mommy. Many of our friends are adding their second child but it is different when you know you will have to go through IVF to get there. So... I was spending my time getting myself back in shape. I was eating low carb no sugar, (eating the PCOS diet) going to the gym at least 3 times a week. (or more) I lost 10 pounds in about 2 months. and It was time for my yearly check up and they found my vitamin D level was low. I was taking 10,000 units for a few days and then went to 2000 a day. That was it... the Perfect Storm! My body ovulated on it's own. The first month I added the vitamin D. Can you get pregnant on your own after IVF, yes!

It is the strangest thing... who knew you could get pregnant from having unprotected sex? It took us 3 very long years to have our dream baby, life was full of hormones and shots and blood work. We knew embryo quality, we knew we had the best sperm. I still look at this picture and think... how did that baby get in there??!!

Here is our little bean, measuring 7 weeks with a heartbeat of 138.



It is funny how life happens, I thought I didn't want another child yet, but now, I can't imagine not having this one! Much love little one....

~kristen - Mommy to be... again.

BTW... When I saw those 2 lines on the test and totally freaked out! I did go immediately and have my beta numbers checked and rechecked to see if they doubled. Also started on progesterone for piece of mind and will continue until my 11-12 weeks. I contacted my infertility doctors office to verify that here was a heartbeat, after all we did not see a heartbeat on 3 of them before. (my regular OB's office could not understand my concern) They were nice enough to get me in and check for the heartbeat. I go see my regular OB in about a week. The fear of failure seems to stay even if you are blessed to get there on your own.

Things are counting down. Hard to believe that we are really here! We just had our baby shower, wanted to share a couple of shots of what I look like. Today I am 33 weeks and 3 day. I have my last ultrasound tomorrow morning. Last check to make sure everything looks ok with our sweet little girl.

Hubby and I.



Here is one of me peeking around the fence. :-)




And we have decided to name her Isabelle.


So... if you are out there on your own journey, DON'T GIVE UP!!
Yes, it is hard and frustrating and will break you in an instant. But if you are strong, the majority of women will be pregnant by their 3rd cycle. And you tend to forget most of it and start to feel like a regular ole pregnant person.

~happy Mommy to be, Kristen

IVF, ultrasound to check on subchorionic hematoma

Heatbeat of 174, baby measuring 9 weeks 3 days. <3
subchorionic hematomas, are the same size.

I have had no bleeding, spotting or cramping during the last week and a half of bed rest. My doctor moved me to modified bed rest. The truth being, it is best to rest and not overdue things but what will happen, will happen. I am going to be optimistic!! I have overcome so many bumps in the road to get this far. Most hematomas reabsorb by 20 weeks, no reason to believe that it will not happen to me. Since I am a teacher: I have the summer off to take it easy. Perfect timing! I have left worry and anxiety behind. (yes, they come over and visit but, I don't let them stay) I am 10 weeks pregnant tomorrow. It has taken 3 years to get here, my beautiful little bean is growing in his/her Mommy's tummy. And we are in joyous love with him/her.

May I introduce.... him/her.

Medicine update: I stopped my estrogen and prolactin med at 9.5 weeks.


Mommy to be ~Kristen

IVF... Our second ultrasound, spotting

We had an unexpected ultrasound on May 23rd. I had some spotting the day before, it was mostly brown but did seem to have some clots and tissue in it. I was scared and nervous but kept telling myself it was the empty sac. When they did my first ultrasound, they found 2 sacs, one with a heartbeat measuring correctly and one that had stopped growing at 5 weeks, 2 days. I just thought it was the second empty sac trying to pass. But, of course with everything I had to go through to get this far, there had to be another bump in the road. What they found was a subchorionic hematoma or SCH for short, I actually have 2 of them, one over each sac. I was put on strict bed rest, no work, no play. Come back in 2 weeks. From what I have found on the internet, this is very common in pregnancies, especially twin pregnancies. Baby bean looked wonderful, heartbeat of 161 measuring right on track. None the less... anxiety and worry followed me around everyday like they thought we were best friends. At this point the doctor would have prescribed, baby aspirin and progesterone, but I was already on those. The concern was, the hematoma was over the baby, if it decided to break loose... there was a chance that it would take the baby with it.
So at 8 weeks, bed rest it is!!




I would like you to meet my friend





What it is: Also called subchorionic hematoma, subchorionic bleeding is the accumulation of blood within the folds of the chorion (the outer fetal membrane, next to the placenta) or within the layers of the placenta itself. These bleeds, or clots, can cause the placenta to separate from the uterine wall if they get too large, if they develop in a bad spot, or if they aren’t eventually reabsorbed.

How common is it? A good 20 percent of pregnant women will experience some kind of bleeding early in pregnancy, though it’s often hard to tell what’s causing the problem. Subchorionic hematomas are even harder to pick up because they don’t always result in noticeable spotting or bleeding, especially when they’re small.

Who is most at risk? There don’t seem to be any specific risk factors for developing a subchorionic hematoma in the first place, but if you do wind up with one, there are factors that can make you more — or less — likely to have a positive outcome.

What are the symptoms? Spotting or bleeding may be a sign, often beginning in the first trimester. But many subchorionic bleeds are detected during a routine ultrasound, without there being any noticeable signs or symptoms.

Should you be concerned? You wouldn’t be normal if you didn’t worry when you see blood, no matter when it occurs in your pregnancy. And that’s actually a good thing, especially if it prompts you to get in touch with your practitioner, who can make sure there’s nothing amiss. While most subchorionic hematomas dissolve on their own, it is possible for the clot to get in between the placenta and the uterine wall, resulting in miscarriage.
 
Here’s the encouraging news: More than half of women who bleed during their first trimester go on to have perfectly healthy pregnancies. But because subchorionic hematomas have been linked to increased risk of placental abruption and preterm labor, you don’t want to ignore signs of spotting or bleeding.

What you should do: Call your practitioner; an ultrasound may be ordered to see whether there is indeed a hematoma, how large it is, and where it’s located. Depending on the findings, as well as on your practitioner’s preferences, he or she may put you on strict bed rest, insist you refrain from lifting heavy objects, and avoid exercise. In most cases, you’ll be asked to avoid sexual intercourse until the hematoma dissolves and disappears. 


~Kristen

Happiness

Whoooooooo Hooooooooo!!!