Come What May

March 26th:  Visit 1 to Dr. Jarrett, a fertility specialist 10 min. from where we live! can you say convenient?

It was just the January prior and I'd pretty concretely reached an abrupt moment of flipping the switch off on the possibility of conceiving.  I told Chad, I'm done trying. It wasn't the physical part of it, it was my heart and head.   I gave up.  

It was Chad who said, let's go back to the specialist.  We chose Dr. Jarrett and called end of January but were put on a wait list for that March 26th apt.  

About a week prior, I came close to calling and cancelling.  I think the thought of any upcoming process resulting in failure was just more than I wanted to face.  I'd never been open to IVF and my heart on that hadn't seemed to change so what was the point?   That about summed me up on March 26th heading in to see another specialist.

Dr. Jarrett was tall, nice, blunt, and quirky.  And surprisingly someone I grew to really like throughout our time there.   I mean after our initial consult where he listened, did an exam, performed an ultra sound and said, "Well I didn't need to do all that to tell you what I already knew, you're broken... (yeah, i think blunt is a nice word) and I'm not going to waste your time or mine doing anything but in vitro."

It was quiet for a minute and then Chad ask... "So what does that look like?"  And the next few minutes of explanation quickly became our real life road map.  In that little office I saw a softness on my husband's face as we learned more about IVF, not at the process, it was hope for a baby.  And somewhere in me I knew this was gonna happen. 

I don't even think a few days passed before we were both committed... I was standing by the fridge and he walked by and the conversation that ensued solidified, I was in for IVF... he just grabbed me... said "We are doing this" (it had more of an oh.my.gosh.crap.wow feeling than anything else) and then he prayed... not one for spontaneous prayer, his pulling me in caught me off guard and I heard an uncovered part of his heart that he rarely shows as he asked God to be with my body, he thanked him for being the crazy glue in the circle of us and ask him to grow it, he asked for peace for whatever our future was.

Here was the last ultrasound we took w/ Dr. Jarrett with this little life at 10 weeks!  And below is the timeline of our IVF experience.   

I can't begin to say what fun it has been to be a part of this new life that's coming and that includes the joy that I get when sharing the news with others and hearing their heart.  So many surprises there too... thanks for the prayers said now and well before and for the future.  xo

IVF Schedule:

3.26.14 First appointment w/ Dr. Jarrett
4.1 Begin Birth Control Pill
4.18 Start Lupon Shot -10 units ea evening until 36 hrs before the retrieval date
4.22  Start Cycle Appointment – Ultrasound and testing
4.25 Last day to take the Birth Control Pill
4.28 Begin FSH Shots – Continue Until 36 hr before retrieval
5.3  1^st  Ultrasound to look at Follicles (both sides producing well and all sized around 11X11)
5.5  2^nd Ultrasound to look at Follicles  (left sides slightly larger but 2 at 20 and rest growing well)
5.7  3^rd Ultrasound to look at Follicles (14 good ones – most at 20!)
5.8  - 2 shots of Ovidrel (stop the lupron and fsh)
5.10  Retrieval day! (Took 6 follicles)
5.11 8:30 am – Joy called to let us know 5 of the 6 fertilized!
5.11 Began progesterone/estrodial pills
5.15  Transfer day! (3 living embryos – implanted 2, froze 1)
5.26  First blood draw to check for pregnancy – beta needed to be higher than 50 ours was 537!
5.28  Beta was 1020 – we are pregnant with a 1.31.15 Due Date!!!
6.10  First Ultra Sound – 1 flickering soul!  That looks strong and heard heart beat… TY Jesus!
6.23.  Second Ultra Sound - Dr. J said, "This ma'am looks beautiful!"
7.7 – 10 wk Ultra Sound and last visit w/ Dr. J