New Year

I'm going to take this post to reflect on 2008. When I started the year, I never thought I'd finish it the way I have--pregnant with twins. And not only that, but twins that are now viable B"H and have a very good chance of being born healthy IY"H.

I started off 2008 just having finished 3 unsuccessful clomid cycles and was hopefully beginning my first injection/IUI cycle. I had my very 1st IUI on Jan 6 and then my very first BFP on Jan 21. I was on cloud nine for a few days until we got the news that my hCG levels were not doubling and that my pregnancy was destined to miscarry.

I began February with a miscarriage. Luckily, it was no more painful than a slightly longer and heavier period, but I did notice distinct uterine contractions. I then had my second IUI in Feb but without any medications to help with ovulation. I even tried having 2 IUIs (back-to-back), but with no luck.

In March we went back to injections w/ IUI and also had back-to-back IUIs at the middle of the month. Once again, BFN. We also got to take a weekend trip to Florida to see Trace Adkins in concert (I had won the all-expense-paid trip on a radio show). That was AWESOME!

We went back to one IUI w/ injections in April. BFN again. We had to skip May--I think because I was in Kentucky when I would've started the cycle. But the month wasn't a total waste, because it meant I could have an SHG with no worries of being pregnant or in the middle of a cycle. The SHG showed a small polyp in my uterus, so the doctor wanted to do a hysteroscopy before my IVF cycle just to make sure it was nothing to worry about.

Because I changed jobs and insurance at the beginning of June, we had to wait until the end of June to start suppressing for IVF. Instead, we had another injection/IUI cycle to pass the time. Unfortunately, that was also unsuccessful.

I finally started my suppression drugs for IVF at the end of June and then began stimulation drugs in mid July. At the beginning of July, I had my hysteroscopy, which showed no polyp and a beautiful uterus. At my egg retrieval, they harvested 8 mature eggs. Out of the 8 only 4 fertilized and out of the 4 only 2 continued to divide. I was terrified that I was left with only 2 embryos, but luckily I had nothing to worry about. :-) One of the embryos was 5 cells, grade C, with fair symmetry and the other was 10 cells, grade B, also with fair symmetry. We transferred them both into my uterus on Aug 1 and then waited...

For the first time ever I had mid-luteal phase spotting, which I believe must have been implantation spotting. I was very excited about this. :-) I also started acting funny, but there were a few times that I was so sure we had failed.

On my birthday (Aug 8), I found out I was pregnant!!! Holy cow! My hCG continued to double (and more than double) at levels way above normal for a single pregnancy. We knew there was a chance that we were having twins, but didn't have official confirmation until Aug 24.

Then I started spotting again. I was a bit nervous about it, but the doctors weren't worried, and at my 7 week ultrasound we saw that there was a small blood clot in the uterus. It wasn't affecting the twins at all, and we figured it would go away on its own (which it did). We also got to see the twins heartbeats!!! I was soooo relieved.

First trimester passed without any complications. I had a bit of nighttime nausea almost every day, but no vomiting. My dreams were becoming very bizarre. My boobs were a bit sore, and I started smelling things more. My blood pressure was a bit elevated for a little while, but that resolved itself in second trimester. Around 10 weeks I started wearing maternity clothes. I had the neuchal translucency scan done at 12 weeks, and it came back perfect.

Second trimester began pretty uneventfully. I started to be able to feel the babies move, and belly stretching was a new sensation. I also started having to watch my weight gain. I had the second part of my sequential screen, which came back with no increased risk for Down's Syndrome, Trisomy 13 or Trisomy 18. I also enrolled in a birthing class as well as classes for infant & child First Aid & CPR and a class in parenting multiples. I found out the babies genders (boy & girl) and started taking sequential pictures of my belly. Then my hubby and I picked names for our twins.

At the beginning of December, my cervix started to funnel and shorten, so the doctor put in a cerclage, and I started bed rest. The doctor also found that I'm anemic, so I started on a daily iron supplement. Shmuel & I completed the infant & child First Aid & CPR classes, which were very informative. My weight also started to stabilize at gaining about a pound a week. I started to experience very frequent urination (baby girl sits on my bladder as a hobby) and some insomnia as well. And the twins finished off the year by reaching viability!

Whew! What a year! May 2009 bring us all many brachos and simchos, healthy babies for all who are trying for them and shidduchim for our unmarried friends & family!

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