We were referred to a local fertility clinic, and I instantly loved the nurses. The cycle took so much longer than I expected. After starting medication, they found out I wasn't ovulating, then I wasn't responding to the shots like they expected. I was put on hold twice and was given birth control for a month to allow me to ovulate. At that time, that month-long wait was the hardest part, and what I thought was "the worst thing that could happen". Once the doctor felt I was ready, he noticed I still wasn't responding to the medication, as much as he wanted. I wasn't producing enough eggs, however, he felt there was enough to work off of. After almost three months of various medication, I was finally scheduling my egg retrieval and prospective transfer day!
Those three days waiting to hear back about how many eggs fertilitized drove me crazy, but once I got the call, I was on cloud nine. They were only able to retrieve three eggs, and only two fertilized. Although I was hoping for five times that amount, it was still enough to transfer. I cried with joy, and made sure to have the three days post-egg transfer off from work. I think Tyler was way more nervous than I was about the transfer. I remember getting home from work to find that he rearranged our bedroom to have a mini fridge and plenty of snacks/gatorades accessible to me...it was seriously one of the cutest things. On transfer day, the two embryos were planted, and I was so ecstatic! I remember holding my lower belly, just wondering what was going on in there. Four days later, I started my grad program, probably the most anxious, yet excited student in attendance.
Like all IVF patients, we had to wait almost two weeks to get tested to see if the transfer worked. I cried a lot during those days, pondering on all the possibilities. I snuck a pregnancy test on day 11, knowing day 12 I would get the "real test". My home pregnancy test was positive, which was such a relief. The following day, I got my blood work done, and headed to school, knowing it would take 2-3 hours to get the results. Let me tell you, 2-3 hours never felt so long before. I sat in class and stared at my phone, when finally the clinic called. The doctor asked if I was ready to hear the GOOD news. I was PREGNANT! I called Tyler, and went back to class after I cleaned my face from all the tears.
After my wedding, the most magical day of my life was seeing our baby's heartbeat. Although two embryos were implanted, only one took. However, seeing and hearing that tiny heart pump was something I will never regret. In that quick moment, life made sense to me, and it was worth every second. My heart was full that day, and I still feel the emotions that were shared between Tyler and me. We bonded more that day, and the look he gave me after looking at the ultrasound was unforgettable. Tyler was very cautious with me throughout the weeks to come. We started to plan our life once the baby came, we came up with baby names for each gender, and we planned all the fun ways to tell our families. I received that disheartening book: "What to Expect When You're Expecting" from my work's Wee Care program, and I read it diligently. My pregnancy symptoms were present, and I loved every second of it. On July 2, 2013, our living room was full of all the silly gifts we were going to give our families to make our announcement on the 4th of July. We also Skyped my mother and sister about the big news, and Tyler bought a video camera to videotape our ultrasound the following morning.
I embraced every second of this life I had. I was so impressed with modern medicine, and I felt so fortunate to have a supportive husband, who was willing to financially, emotionally, and physically support the next step in our life. I felt like a mother again, a feeling I have longed for. I was optimistic, and never expected anything to get in my way. I was so grateful to have made it this far, but anxious to meet our lil' baby. This was the life, this is what life is all about. Love overcame me, and during this time in my life, nothing else mattered. I was happy and in love.
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