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!
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)
Let me start off by saying I would reallllllllllllly appreciate prayers this week.
We had our ultrasound last Wednesday. My doctor told me that we were 6 weeks 4 days pregnant but baby was showing to be measuring around 5 weeks.
SO this typically means 1 of 2 things. Miscarriage is around the corner OR baby is just getting a slow start.
Many of you don’t know that this is the exact same thing that happened with our beautiful Brynn. We went in for ultrasound at 7 weeks 5 days, they could see the gestational sac but no baby. My OB told me to prepare for miscarriage and a week and a half later I went back for an ultrasound and there she was, beautiful as ever!
I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’ve been clinging onto the hope that baby boy is following in his sister’s footsteps.
My dr sent me for bloodwork right after the ultrasound to check for my hcg levels yet again. Results came back that they rose to 5000! So this also gives us hope that baby boy is just growing slowly!
Our next ultrasound is on Thursday. Any and ALL prayers we would humbly appreciate!
Eric and I are overwhelmed with the amount of love and support we have received since we shared the news. Thank you so much to everyone that has reached out. We feel so blessed.
I have been to the doctor 4 times this past week and a half just for bloodwork to make sure my hcg levels have been rising.
At my first appointment, my hcg was 53! It was a relief to find out via blood test that we were pregnant!
Now you would think that I would be ecstatic about that number but what I have found dealing with infertility, is that it sometimes takes the joy away from happy moments because I am constantly WORRYING over things that I CANNOT CONTROL!
I have been learning to live in the now and be excited for any small victory. I have a long way to go but I am working on it 🙂
SO back to the HCG 😏 our doctor said that it doesn’t matter what your starting number is so long as it’s doubling every 48 hours. So I went back every 48 hours for more bloodwork!
My numbers have been as follows: 1st appt: 53, 2nd appt: 340, 3rd appt: 784, 4th appt: 1997 🥰
We are scheduled for an ultrasound on Wednesday to make sure baby boy implanted in my Uterus and then I think I will be able to breathe a little lol
Prayers and positive thoughts are appreciated!!
I hope everyone is staying safe during this time!
Love, Jess
Thank you so so soooo much to Phoebe for sending this sweet gift. Brynn was especially excited for the balloon! They are her fav 🥰
I can’t believe I actually get to type these words!!!! WE ARE PREGNANT!
654 days since we started trying again, we got a positive test!!
Today is day 14 since our frozen embryo transfer, so I went for my bloodwork appointment this morning. Everything was so quick and easy, was in and out in about 15 minutes.
My doctor called me at about 11:15am and said that the bloodwork came back POSITIVE and that my hcg level is at 53.
He said anything greater than 5 is a good start. We have another appointment on Monday to confirm that the numbers are doubling.
He also said I’m supposed to stay on the PIO injections, the estrogen and prometrium! So we will see if and when I get to stop taking those!
We still have some more hoops to jump through to make sure that baby boy is in there for the long haul BUT we are going to continue doing our best to live in the moment and just be so happy and excited about TODAY!
This is truly a miracle and I am so honored and happy that God has given us this little blessing. Even if it was with a little bit of science 😉
Thank you guys so much for the kind messages we have received the past couple weeks.
Somebody pinch me because I must be dreaming. We are scheduled for our transfer this Thursday June 4th.
Our ultrasound and bloodwork from Friday came back great! My lining is supposed to be between 6-8mm and mine was 15! The doctor said I don’t get extra credit but I’m going to pretend that’s a good sign!
We started the Progesterone in Oil shots yesterday and some other meds as well. The PIO shots have to be done in my, how do I word this….Gluteal Region? Lol
The shots really weren’t that bad. I had an ice pack ready to prep for the shot and a heating pad for after. It was definitely what I was most nervous about because the needle is 1.5 inches long. I’m getting the hang of it though, thanks to Eric. I will have to do the progesterone shots for the upcoming weeks.
Other than that, I’m taking it day by day. Praying and hoping for a successful transfer.
I’ll do another post after the transfer to let you guys know how it went. We will have to endure the infamous 2 WEEK WAIT after the transfer to find out if we are pregnant. Although, I will probably try and test early 😅🤣
Thanks for following along with us. The more prayers, the better!
Love, Jess
Eric took me out for some sushi last night since it may be a while before I can have some again! #fingerscrossed
