The Baby Ruth Blog

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Random Day

Today a gentleman I was helping at work asked me if it was my first baby...and I didn't even tell him I was pregnant! That was the first time anyone has assumed I'm not just eating too many Krispy Kremes. I guess I really am showing! Either that, or one of my co-workers warned him ahead of time not to mess with the pregnant lady (which is a good idea--and don't ask me to do math either. Pregnancy brain is a very real thing).

Life is funny. Tonight a Chinese Buddhist monk called me up at about 8PM. He had picked up a brochure at New Heights for the Hannah's Hope Infertility Group. I don't think he had any idea what that was, but he just wanted to talk with someone. He was very sincere in his new found Christian faith and wanted to talk frankly about philosophy and such. I hope he gained some encouragement from our little chat. I was so caught off guard, I don't think I said anything too deep. I'm really hoping he'll try some other avenues at New Heights and find some people to talk to that do not have pregnancy brain.

13 weeks~ junk in the front!

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Lime in the Coconut

Ok--I was going to wait till the end to show the profile pics, but couldn't wait. It is fun to see this little munchkin growing. Can't wait until Monday when we have our 12 week ultrasound. This is what I call the "Lime in the Coconut".

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

10 Week Wiggley Baby

Our ultrasound Tuesday was super fun to watch. Baby is swimming around in the amniotic fluid wiggling around like crazy. Skinny little legs and arms have sprouted and we even caught a glimpse of the cute tiny toes. At 10 weeks, baby has graduated from embryo to fetus. He or she measured 1 3/8" long and the heartbeat was 167 bpm.

The only unpleasant thing was looking at the subchorionic hemorrhage I still have. (At the top right corner of the photo). This time it was larger and much more visible. Dr. B thinks it will diminish as the gestational sac expands. I am praying that it does! I am supposed to take it easy for the next several weeks. My blood work came back great and I've been instructed to take my progesterone tablets down from 3 per day to 2. I'm very happy, because these are nasty and I'm blaming my worse-than-Jr-high-skin on them as well.

I have been imagining myself larger for weeks, but about a week ago, I could no longer button my jeans, so I think I'm officially growing (although this may be due to my crazy cravings too--who knows). Nonetheless, I bought some skirts in the maternity section that feel much more comfy. Why didn't I discover this section earlier? My current mantra--if it ain't knit, it don't' fit. I'm taking pictures of my profile, but I think I'll share them at the end in case anyone wants to make their own scary flip book (and to spare those who do not think pregnant bellies are the most adorable things on this planet).

Toes are to the left, head is to the right.

I know--it's not the most attractive baby just yet.

It's ok if you don't think it's cute.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Baby's First Scare

Little baby is going to get a spanking as soon as we get him/her out. (S)he worried his/her mom to death. I'm sure this is going to happen many a time in life, so that's why I call it the "first scare".

Saturday at work I suddenly felt a gush only to discover bright red blood. Per nurse's orders, I went home right away and started bed rest with lots of liquids. It continued into the night, but got better by the next day. The doctor finally saw me Tuesday morning and everything looked great on the ultrasound. The bleeding was most likely caused by a blood clot, but it was really tough for him to see on the ultrasound. It must have caused a slight separation of the egg sac from the uterus. It's on the opposite side of where the umbilical cord is, so he said it should be just fine. I'm supposed to take it easy for a week. Baby is 16.6 mm and heartbeat is 167 bpm. My hormone levels came in looking fantastic as well.

Thank you to those of you who knew and were praying for us! God gave us peace and a miraculous outcome.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Thanks for your prayers!

I'm pleased to report that the gal who went through IVF and nearly had to quit is pregnant too! Her levels are rising nicely and things are looking great. Thanks for keeping her in your prayers.

Our little baby seems to be flourishing too. He or she is wearing me out and causing some slight nausea--both bearable so far. It's nice to be reminded that things are happening in there! My next doctor's visit is with my regular OB next Friday the 20th. Then I have an ultrasound the following week with Dr. Bankowski at ORM. Can't wait-- baby should have visible arms and legs by then.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Our First Ultrasound

We found out today that we have one precious baby growing! He or she is 6.7 mm long and the heart beat is 117 beats per minute. They look for it to be over 100 at this point. We are 6 weeks and 4 days along. Our due date is Christmas Day--so not to easy to forget!

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Beta #3

My third HCG Beta came back at 533.7 It doubled from last time, so the docs are happy with that--and me too of course. Have a wonderful Easter everyone!

Our Infertility Journey

Like many young couples, we thought that we would decide it was time to have a baby and it would just magically happen. We were the "perfect" ages..in our mid twenties, and we had been married for 3 years. It's embarrasing to admit, but I was so excited, I even bought some miniature Baby Ruth candy bars to hand out for when we would make our big announcement to friends and family! (Cute, huh?)

Well, after a year or so we began to worry. We were both tested and the doctors could find nothing wrong with either of us. I had a history of bad mentrual cramps, so I requested a laparoscopy to search for endometriosis, and nothing was found. We went through a couple years of the unsettling diagnosis of unexplained infertility, were treated with Clomid and underwent five unsuccessful IUI’s.

In the Fall of ‘07, we began to see a reproductive endocrinologist. After making sure that Bryan was tested more thoroughly and finding that he was very healthy indeed, our doctor performed another laparoscopy on me, and he found stage-two endometriosis. Because the clinic was outside of our medical insurance network, we had to pay for the procedure out of pocket. The specialist felt that after the laser procedure, we should have a good chance of conceiving naturally, so we knew that we were making an important investment. Unfortunately, many months of trying to conceive passed and nothing happened.

In May of ’08 I followed my dream of starting a support group for women who were going through a similar journey. It had been a long, hard, lonely five years as a barren woman! Through the support of our church, I was able to find eight other women who desperately needed someone to talk to. It has been a miraculous, life changing experience to have this group to laugh and cry with. We have come a long ways emotionally and spiritually together and have become great friends.

With the encouragement of the support group, we started to consider IVF. Our specialist felt that this was a very logical next step as well. After months of praying and discussing the financial side, we scheduled our IVF for October 2008. We decided that we would take out a loan from our home equity to cover some of the expenses. The doctor was able to harvest ten eggs, five of which fertilized. In the end, he transferred two six-day blastocyst embryos, and we all felt very confident! Despite so many things going for us, the babies did not implant and our dreams of becoming parents were crushed once again.

Just recently, in the Spring of 2010, we began seeing a new specialist and had some more tests done. Thankfully, an ultrasound helped the doctor discover a tiny polyp on my uterus that needed to be removed. After surgery, the biopsy revealed endometrial hyperplasia, a condition when left untreated can result in cancer of the uterus. We are so thankful that it was caught before it could cause trouble. To treat this condition, I was prescribed with a three-months of progesterone. With one month down and two to go, we are certainly looking forward to the next step in our journey.

I hope that by sharing this, we can connect with our friends and family on a deeper level. I know that many have been concerned, but not known how to show their love and support for us. It's a difficult subject, but if there's anything I've learned, it is to be open and honest, not ashamed. When we share our hearts, we can reach out and encourage others. If you have read this and struggle with infertility, or another battle, don't be afraid to talk to someone about it. Life is a roller coaster ride, but we're all on it together, so buckle up and let's go!