We prayed and we prayed and we prayed that one day we would get to graduate from the fertility clinic. TODAY was that day!!!
I had my last ultrasound today at Dr. Griffith’s office. I have been going to ultrasounds and bloodwork every week since we got back from California. For the last 6 weeks!
Everything has been going perfectly. We are just so thankful and grateful.
Today, i’m 10 weeks 3 days and baby is measuring 10 weeks 4 days! Heart rate was 163 and baby was just dancing all around with excitement. It was so cool to see so much movement today.
I walked out of the office and was just sobbing. I think I cried the whole way home lol We are just so so sooooo happy!
We are due May 23rd 2022! My first OB appointment is next week and this is with a new doctor. I really hope I like her! I’m also hoping we get to do the NIPT testing bloodwork to check for chromosomal abnormalities and GENDER!
Updates coming soon, but for now we are just HAPPY and celebrating this awesome day!
Eric and I came home from California with an unexpected souvenir.
WE ARE PREGNANT!
Even now, staring at my cursor blink on the screen, I can’t even believe it. This is truly a miracle. We are so excited and grateful.
You’re probably wondering….how?
We were supposed to start our next IVF retrieval cycle when we got back from California. Every IVF egg retrieval cycle usually starts out with a couple weeks of birth control to suppress the ovaries before the major hormone meds. Well, I wanted to start the birth control part of it while we were in Cali so when we got back we could start the stimulation meds.
My new fertility doctor suggested I come in the day before our trip to do an ultrasound and check for ovulation.
I want to make this soooooo clear…. I DO NOT OVULATE ON MY OWN. I have pcos and unexplained infertility, so I was going into this appointment fully knowing I wasn’t going to be near ovulation.
He said if everything looked good at my ultrasound then I could start birth control while on my trip.
So I went in for the bloodwork and ultrasound and it turns out that my body was about to ovulate on it’s own. I wasn’t taking any medications to do this so I was shocked and honestly in a little bit of disbelief when my doctor suggested that I was going to ovulate. He told me to go on my trip without birth control, try naturally and we could check everything when I got back.
I was very skeptical but we decided to try it anyway. We tried not to think about it too much. We left for our trip on Saturday August 28th and I’m pretty sure I ovulated the 28th or the 29th because I was feeling very crampy those days.
Fast forward to September 7th, we had just arrived in Oceanside. I looked at the calendar and realized that it had been about 10 days since ovulation so we picked up some pregnancy tests when we went grocery shopping.
We got back to the camper and I decided to take a test. Eric had gone on a scooter ride with Brynn. I have ALOT of experience with negative pregnancy tests so I didn’t think this one was going to be any different or else I would have had Eric with me.
I took the test and it was POSITIVE. I was in shock. I took a couple more tests and literally started sobbing. They were all positive. I called Eric immediately and all I remember was saying “COME BACK HERE RIGHT NOW”. It was the best moment ever. I can’t believe we got to experience that excitement again. I honestly feel so grateful.
Since we got back from the trip, I have gone back to my fertility doctor a handful of times to check on bloodwork and ultrasounds. They changed up my medications a bit. Different thyroid pill, put me on a folic acid pill, started me on baby aspirin. I’m so thankful for my doctor because he’s really pulling out all the stops to make this a successful pregnancy.
Today was a special day because I went in for another ultrasound and confirmed that baby has a heartbeat!!!!! I’m measuring about 6 weeks 1 day which is right on time. He said everything is looking perfect.
I have been thanking God every single day since we found out. I know we are just at the beginning of all this but I feel calm in knowing that this is a miracle and I have so many people that have my back.
Until next update!
Jess <3
The day after we found out was our Disneyland day, so we bought a little souvenir 🙂An hour after we found out, so so so gratefulHappiness doesn’t even explain it
This is news that we have known for about a week now. I had been taking home pregnancy tests since day 4 after my transfer.
We had our official blood test on Tuesday July 6th and the results came back as a blaring negative.
Even though this is not the outcome we had prayed for, we feel confident in our plan going forward.
Eric and I have decided to interview a new doctor over at Houston Fertility Institute. We have a consultation with Dr. Griffith at the Willowbrook location next week.
We are hoping that this doctor will be a good match for us. We hear that he is very aggressive in his protocols and that fact is, he gets couples their babies.
So although, we are heartbroken that our transfer didn’t work, we are feeling more optimistic than ever in what possibilities are to come.
We will have to start from scratch with another egg retrieval and honestly I’m ok with that too because I’m feeling strong and I know I can do anything with Eric by my side. He’s truly the best ❤️
Thank you all for continuing to pray for us. This blog has turned into something that is so special to me. I appreciate every one of you for following along on our infertility journey. It makes me feel like I’m not fighting this alone!
Xoxo, Jess
Heard this at church last weekend and it really has resonated with me
We have lots to catch up on! It’s been a while since I have had the courage to write a post. So much has happened since our transfer failed in January.
January 2021
After our transfer failed, Eric and I decided to take the next few months off. We didn’t know why (at the time) but something was just telling us to breathe and back off for a little while.
February 2021
I decided to start working out again. I signed up for Villasport in mid-February and to be honest, that has been the best decision I’ve made so far! It has been so nice to have Brynn at the kids club while I get a workout in or even just sit in the sauna or whirlpool.
March 2021
Everything was going great and I was finally starting to feel like myself again. We went to Galveston for Spring Break. Brynn and I went to Pleasure Pier and to the beach. She’s definitely a beach baby! It was nice to get out of the house.
Fishing off the dock at the BayhouseBeach baby!
My brother, Mason, closed on his first home on Friday March 19th. We drove back home from Galveston on Saturday March 20th to celebrate with him!
We celebrated at Vic and Anthony’s!
On Saturday and Sunday, I started getting asthma symptoms. My mom said that I had asthma my whole childhood so I didn’t really think anything more of it. I made a virtual appointment with doctor on Monday March 22. He said that what I was describing sounded like allergies, so he prescribed me Singulair and I was on my way.
Later that day, I had a feeling that I should go get covid tested. There was an available same-day rapid test appointment (which was hard to find at that time). I booked it and drove straight over.
Long story short, I got the call that night that I tested positive for COVID-19.
Eric, Brynn and I went into quarantine immediately. It was awful. I kept telling everyone that it was like I was breathing through a straw. I couldn’t get enough air. My only other symptom was a headache. No fever, no cough, no sore throat. Just could NOT breathe.
Wore a mask around Brynn and Eric during quarantine
I had another virtual appointment with my doctor on Tuesday. He told me I was eligible for the Antibody IV Infusion treatment. You had to be high risk and not have been to the hospital for covid symptoms. They had me at a Memorial Hermann Infusion Center the following morning.
The IV infusion went great! I went home and rested the following 2 days, waiting for the antibodies to start working. I still had difficulty breathing so I continued to monitor my oxygen levels and pulse at home.
Finally on Friday March 26th, my oxygen reading came back at 90. I really needed help breathing so Eric drove me straight to the ER around 10am. They had me back in a room and doing breathing treatments within 30 minutes. It was a huge relief to be able to breathe again. It felt like this rock was being lifted from my chest allowing me to get a full breath in.
They sent me home with a ventilator, steroids, and a steroid inhaler to keep me comfortable. I was doing breathing treatments at home every 4 hours.
Everything started to turn around finally and I strongly believe it was because of the IV infusion treatment. I am very grateful that I was eligible for the treatment because I don’t think I would have gotten better without it.
I tested negative on Tuesday, March 30th. Eric and I decided to do some yard work on the following Thursday and then Friday I was back at the ER due to asthma.
They said that my lungs had not fully healed yet from Covid so I needed to continue my breathing treatments and STAY INDOORS!
Also, it was a HUGE RELIEF because every few days while we were in quarantine, Eric and Brynn were going for covid tests and every time they tested negative (thank you GOD). Brynn had to stay out of school for a whole month. 2 weeks while we were in quarantine and 2 weeks after I tested negative.
April 2021
The next few weeks I was in and out of my allergy doctors office. He prescribed me a different steroid inhaler and more steroid pills. That new combination seemed to do the trick and I’ve been out of the hospital since!
Eric and I were so thankful to have waited on the next IVF cycle because I would have had Covid during the cycle and we would have needed to cancel it anyway and lose money from all the meds.
Vacations
We went on 2 vacations after all this was over with. In April, we went to Camp Gulf in Destin with Eric’s family.
In May, we went to Hawaii with my family. At this point, my body really needed the break so I’m glad we took this time off and made memories with our families.
IVF Transfer Cycle Starts
Eric and I were finally ready to continue our IVF journey.
I’ve seen my fertility doctor a few times to get ready for our next cycle. Today was my last appointment for ultrasound and bloodwork. Eric was FINALLY allowed to come back to the ultrasound room with me (first time since the pandemic).
Everything looks good so we are scheduled for IVF Transfer #3 on Wednesday June 23 2021. We are feeling so much more hopeful this time around. It’s like stuff keeps trying to bring us down and it just can’t! We are strong and resilient. We are so excited for transfer day and are going into it in a really good headspace.
Thank you guys so much for following along. We appreciate everyone’s prayers and well wishes as we go into this next transfer.
This time next week, we will have our sweet embaby on board.
I so wish that I was writing a different blog post but here we are.
I had a pretty strong feeling that this transfer didn’t work, last week while we were camping. I had been taking home pregnancy tests every day since day 5 after the transfer.
All the tests were coming back negative, not even a faint line was showing up.
I went in to the doctor yesterday morning, 14 days after transfer, to do some bloodwork so they could measure the exact amount of HCG in my body.
I got the call at 2:30pm yesterday that my HCG was less than 5, which is a negative in the pregnancy world.
To say that we are devastated is an understatement. It feels like we are just walking down this road that doesn’t have an end in sight.
I keep telling myself that this HAS to be God’s plan. Why would he put us through all this if there isn’t a light at the end?
I’ll get back up again and keep trying because that’s what I do.
I wouldn’t even be able to get back up again and keep trying if it wasn’t for the support of my husband. Eric, I will continue to walk with you down this road and any other road for that matter because I know that if I’m holding your hand along the way, everything will be ok. I love you.
Hi guys! This is definitely a long overdue IVF update. We have lots to catch up on.
Our egg retrieval in October went excellent! We got 28 eggs.
This time around I had no OHSS (bloating or pain). My first retrieval I got OHSS and it was terrible. I was expecting to get it the second time too BUT I started drinking gatorade and eating salty foods the day before retrieval so I think that helped a ton.
Out of the 28 eggs, we had 5 make it to blastocyst (embryo). We sent off the 5 embryos to be genetically tested and 2 of them came back normal. 2 normal GIRLS!
So quick recap, we have 1 normal girl from my first egg retrieval and 2 normal girls from my second egg retrieval.
Eric and I have decided to transfer the embryo that is graded the best, which is one of the girls from my second egg retrieval. We are so hopeful.
After my egg retrieval, we decided to take 2 months off. We could have gone straight into the next transfer, but I really needed some time to decompress.
We have been trying to grow our family since September of 2018. My body needed a break after 2 years and i’m SO glad we did. November and December was the first time I have felt like myself in a LONG time.
Today, I feel a calmness around me. This transfer so far has been less dramatic in a way. The shots don’t hurt as bad and the meds all seem routine.
I will be going into tomorrow with a hopeful heart and knowing that this all has to be God’s plan.
If you could pray for us, that would be amazing.
Let’s all pray that my next update is POSITIVE in more ways than one.
Hello everyone! Is it me or is this the slowest year ever?
I have taken the last couple months to really work on myself and experience all the emotions.
It feels like ages since we lost our baby boy, even though it was just in July. I can honestly say that I am in a much better headspace than I was then. I’m not saying I will ever totally be healed but what I have learned is that grief doesn’t really go away. You have to acknowledge it instead of letting it hold you back from your dreams.
Not a day goes by that I don’t think of our sweet boy. After all, he is the reason we have some answers regarding the future, and for that I am thankful.
I had my ERA (Endometrial Receptivity Analysis) Test on Monday September 28th. It was a quick procedure with just a little discomfort (nothing I can’t handle anymore lol). It took about 2 weeks to get results and it turns out that I am Pre-Receptive. This means that we transferred our baby boy a little late.
The test results told me that I need specifically 133 hours of progesterone before we can transfer. When we transferred last time I was at approximately 140 hours of progesterone. This could be part of the reason why we never got to see his heartbeat. We just transferred too late.
I’m extremely happy to have these insights for the future. At least now we know EXACTLY when to transfer our next embryo.
After I started my period after the ERA, we started stimulation meds again for another egg retrieval. I started injections on Friday Oct 16th.
So far everything has been much better than the last retrieval. I went in for my last ultrasound today and all my follicles are much bigger than they were for my retrieval in March.
I have been cleared to do my trigger shot tonight and we are scheduled for egg retrieval on Wednesday, 10/28.
Any and all prayers would be so greatly appreciated.
I feel more calm this time around because I feel like this is the exact path that we need to be on. I keep telling myself that this is God’s plan and everything happens for a reason. So, i’m just going to put on my seatbelt and hang on for the ride.
Xoxo,
Jess
First night of shots! Follistim, Menopur and Ganirelix injectionsThe doctor joked and said that the 4 follicles in my ovary made it look like Pi. And yes, you’re probably thinking wow that probably hurts, those look huge, and YES you would be right! lolThis morning after finding out we can finally schedule the egg retrieval!
Wow. The last month has been a whirlwind for me. It has taken me a month to sit down and force myself to write this post.
I feel like I have gone through so many life changes in such a short amount of time. I have been trying so hard to take it day by day but some days I find that the sadness of it all catches up to me. I know that sounds so depressing but when I started this blog I told myself I wanted to be honest. I didn’t want this to be a “highlight reel”.
Let’s start with my career.
There were lots of changes happening at my company due to the Oil and Gas climate. I got laid off on July 20th.
Most people would take that as a major financial and emotional hit to their family but Eric and I looked at it as a new opportunity for me. I am now able to stay at home with Brynn and soak up all the time with her and keep the house running!
This was one of our big goals as a family for a long time so we honestly couldn’t be happier with the situation!
The day after I got laid off, I had the miscarriage at home. It started at about 11:30am and ended around 3:30pm.
I had never gone through one before so I didn’t know what to expect. It was graphic and traumatic for me AND Eric. I’m just so glad I have Eric as my partner in life because he was there for me through it all. I wish someone would have warned me because it’s the closest thing to childbirth that I have come to. Brynn was a c-section baby so I never felt any contractions or anything like that with her.
In the last 3 weeks I have gone to the doctor 3 times to do hcg blood draws to confirm that my hcg was decreasing to less than 5.
I’m finally hcg free and just taking this month off basically. We have to wait for my period to start and then I can call my doctor to start the next steps.
The big question I have been getting is, What’s Next?
The answer to that is, my doctor wants us to do what is called an ERA test. An Endometrial Receptivity Array. It’s basically a mock transfer cycle. I will be taking all the stimulation injections and meds just like I did for my last transfer, except on my transfer day instead of transferring an embryo, he will be taking a biopsy of my lining.
This test will tell me if we transferred too early, too late or on the correct day. Nonetheless, it was a hard decision to make because that will be pushing back any chance of baby for another month. It will definitely give us some answers as to why my transfer didn’t work and what we can do to fix it in the future.
Mentally, it’s been a rough month for me. I think a lot of it has to do with stopping all the hormones cold turkey and then having to go through that miscarriage. BUT I keep telling myself it’s all going to work out in the way God wants it to be.
I’m going to do better about writing posts on here in the future. It’s almost like therapy for me to just get my thoughts out on the Internet. I feel better after lol.
Thank you again to every single person that has reached out to us the past few weeks. We can only go up from here right? 🙂
Another update soon.
Xo, Jess
I like to believe that’s our baby boy shining down on us in the top right corner <3
I keep staring at the cursor blinking on my screen trying to find the words to type.
We knew this was going to a be a long journey when we started it. Whenever I envisioned our IVF process I just thought that “it would just work”. Honestly, I never thought I would have to prepare myself for this. But, here we are.
Our ultrasound this morning didn’t go as we had planned it. The ultrasound still showed an empty sac that is measuring only 5.5 weeks along, even though we are at 8 weeks 5 days.
Doctor instructed me to stop taking all meds and to expect a miscarriage in the next week and a half. If I don’t have a period by then, we talk about a D&C.
To say that we are devastated is an understatement. I find comfort in knowing that our baby boy will get the chance to meet my Gma, Papa, Eric’s Aunt Sandy and Papaw up there in Heaven.
Thank you to everyone that has prayed for us and has been with us throughout this journey. We will take some time to grieve but we will get back up stronger than ever before.
For now, we will hug and kiss our beautiful girl and thank God everyday for blessing us with her.
To our baby boy, Mommy and Daddy love you so much and can’t wait to meet you one day. Until then, we know you are in good hands.
It’s taking a lot of positivity and optimism to write this post. I had my ultrasound today, at 7 weeks 5 days pregnant.
Baby boy only grew 3mm when he was supposed to grow 8mm. BUT he did GROW!
I knew from the start he was slow growing and my opinion on that is not going to change.
My doctor gave me the miscarriage talk. Told me to start preparing and look for any of the signs. He said we have a 1% chance that this will work (not sure where he even came up with that percentage).
I feel like I blacked out when he was talking because I was so angry that he was even telling me these words. I cut him off while he was mid sentence and shared my experience with Brynn and how she didn’t show up on the 7week5day ultrasound either.
SO, we are going to continue on my meds and I have another ultrasound scheduled for next Thursday.
I want so badly to see our baby boy on the ultrasound next week. I want so badly to see a flicker of hope. We have been praying so hard but it looks like we may need some more help! If you can find the time, please pray for us.
Thank you all so much.
7 weeks 5 days
“Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14)
