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Infertility

Egg Retrieval Results So Far!

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What a long 3 days it has been! Just wanted to give another quick update for those of you that are following along.

The egg retrieval went great! We were the only people scheduled on Sunday (especially due to this coronavirus stuff). I was in by 8am and out by 10:30am!

The GREAT news is that they collected 26 eggs! Which is a pretty high number from what I have seen. What they tell you is that each stage of the process, you lose about two thirds of your eggs.

I was in a lot of pain on Sunday and Monday where my ovaries are. Now my pain is mainly bloating. I had no idea this is something I had to worry about but it’s so bad! I’m so bloated, it looks like i’m 6 months pregnant! I’ve been taking it easy and drinking a lot of electrolytes. Any tips will be warmly welcomed!

Anyway, our doctor called and told us that out of the 26 eggs, 15 of those were mature and 12 of those were successfully fertilized!

I was so relieved to hear this news! Now we just wait 5 days to see how many grow big enough and then we can send them off for genetic testing to check for any chromosomal abnormalities and other things like gender!

In the end, we just want 1 healthy embryo but will take all we can get!

Until next time,

Jess

Egg Retrieval Day Scheduled!

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Hey guys! I wanted to just hop on here with a quick IVF update.

What a long couple months this has been so far. I know I haven’t stayed up to date on my site here.

Long story short, Eric and I did 3 IUI’s towards the end of 2019 and they all failed.

We got approved to move forward with IVF and that’s what we have been up to the past month!

What a whirlwind of emotion it has been. We had to start out on birth control, and then got the approval to start the infamous injections. Let me tell you, those have not been fun lol

Anyway, today I finally got approved to schedule our Egg Retrieval!! Our doctor has scheduled it for this Sunday, March 22nd! It’s going to be a big day for us, I just pray everything goes smoothly.

After they have my eggs, they will be fertilized in the lab and genetic testing will be done on the embryos to confirm normalcy!

Some big news we received today was that due to Coronavirus concerns, they won’t be able to transfer any embryos to me until they get the all clear from the government. So instead of an April transfer, it’s looking more like Summer or Fall.

As you can imagine, that really was disappointing to hear just from an infertility standpoint. We feel like we are soooooo close and then being told “no you have to wait until later this year” was heart-wrenching. I know it’s a decision that’s going to be what’s best for future baby, it’s just a lot to process.

Anywayyyyyyyyy, we would appreciate any and all prayers for Sunday! I’m ready to get these eggs out, they have no more room to grow! (or so it feels) LOL

Love,

Jess

Here we go againnn

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I so wish I was typing this with good news but I just gotta tell it like it is.

When I started this blog and decided to share our infertility journey, I knew that it wasn’t going to be all rainbows and butterflies but it’s the end goal that keeps me going.

Our first IUI was not successful. This time it hit differently for me as I had my hopes so high.

I took today to be sad and feel sorry for myself but tomorrow I’ll be back to my normal bubbly personality.

Sometimes you just have to take some time to feel the real stuff, you know?

We are going to try another IUI this month. Until then, I’ll keep praying and just find comfort in knowing that this is all His plan.

Thank you to everybody that has reached out to Eric and I. It’s nice to know that we are not alone in this world!

Love,

Jess

Trigger Shot Day / IUI IS SCHEDULED!

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I cannot believe I even get to write this!!

I keep asking myself if I should document our whole process regardless of the outcome and I have decided that I’m going to blog about it all. Years down the road I think it will be so cool to read all my thoughts and feelings when they were happening.

Anyway……fertility doc put me on the Letrozole pills this time around and so Eric and I went in for our first ultrasound to check the follicle (egg) growth today.

We passed with flying colors!!!! I believe I was supposed to be on a scale of between 18-24 mm and I had 2 follicles that were 23!

Last cycle on clomid I could only get my follicles to grow to be about 16.

It was so surreal to do the ultrasound and see how big the follicles were. As soon as the nurse left the room, I burst into tears. I think Eric was in a state of shock lol we were both so happy.

So today we got the go-ahead to take the trigger shot and schedule our IUI for this Friday!

We are excited and nervous. It’s been such a crazy ride so far. We are just so thankful we get to take the next step and know it’s all in God’s plan.

Until next time, we would appreciate any and all prayers!

Infertility/Life Update!

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Hiiiiiii guys!

It always seems so long since my last blog post. When I say that life gets in the way sometimes, I truly mean it.

When brainstorming ideas for things to write about, I often try to talk about different beauty products that resonate with me. While I do have many products I would love to (and WILL) talk about, there’s been something that’s been heavy on my mind that I just want to get off my chest.

Maybe if I finally talk about it, it won’t feel like such a big secret i’m ashamed about.

As many of you may or may not know, Brynn is what I like to call our “clomid baby”. Eric and I tried for 23 months to get pregnant with our little Brynnster.

After about 20 months of trying, I realized that it may be time to go see a doctor. First, we made sure Eric came back all clear, and then I made my appointment with the gynecologist.

After speaking with the doctor and getting blood test results back, come to find out I have PCOS and insulin resistance and apparently this was the cause of us not conceiving.

PCOS basically causes an imbalance with my hormone levels. The doctor didn’t seem worried though, he prescribed me Metformin for my insuslin resistance and a fertility drug called Clomid. The Clomid promotes ovulation so you take it usually day 3-7 of your cycle and then during ovulation your follicles are big enough to release a good egg!

We did 2 cycles of Clomid and VOILA we were magically pregnant with Brynn.

Fast forward 3 years later and we are back at square one.

Eric and I have been trying for 13 months now to give Brynn a sibling. I know right, instead of saying “have a baby” I put so much pressure on myself for not giving Brynn a friend to play and be with. I see the way she is around other kids and I hate to say that I blame myself for taking away that joy from her.

This time around I have thyroid issues and still the PCOS and insulin resistance. We have done numerous blood tests both Eric and I. We are seeing a fertility specialist so things are looking up I guess! We have already done 2 rounds of Clomid with no success yet.

We have decided with our doctor, that we are going to try to do an IUI first and then if that doesn’t work out we will try IVF.

PHEW! Can’t believe I have written all of this here. Feels strange to put my heart and soul on the line for the public to see but at least its honest and real!

Next time someone asks “when are you going to have another baby?”, i’ll just direct them to my blog for some light casual reading! HA! lol

Eric and I are so thankful for all our friends and family that have been so supportive through all of this.

For now, we will keep praying and praying for a miracle like our precious Brynnster!

Thanks for reading!

A Blog Post 3 Years in the Making

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Hi Friends,

I can’t believe I’m actually doing this. *sips wine* (Freakshow to be exact, SO GOOD).

So lets start with happy friYAY, as I like to call it.

I’ve been wanting to start this blog for a long, long time. I’ve had this blog for 2 years now. Every time I go to write my first post, it’s the fear of the unknown that stops me. Fear of failing.

Today I have decided that I officially DON’T CARE about failing. How can I fail when I’m doing something that I love and makes me happy.

What is it that makes me happy?

My husband, my daughter, my family, my dogs, my friends. Makeup. Travel. Motherhood. Boston. Movies. FOOD. Wine. Football. Online Shopping (don’t tell my husband, jk he knows). Puffy Clouds. My garden. Technology. Hockey. Music.

These are the things that make me sparkle. I believe that you can never have too much sparkle.

Thanks for being here guys. If you come on back and visit my blog I promise you some makeup tips, products I love, places I love to eat, cities I love to travel, parenting advice (do I really know though? lol), movie reviews, a whole lot of what makes me sparkle!

I think my next post will be a makeup haul from my most recent Ulta and Sephora purchase!

Love,

Jess