I am writing my first post about pregnancy. We are currently pregnant. It is a scary feeling because I know there are still many things that could derail our train, but at least our locomotive has left the station.
Here is our schedule going forward:
July 12th - week 5 - Labs only
July 19th - week 6 - Labs + ultrasound
Aug 2nd - week 8 - Labs + ultrasound (might be able to lower medications)
Aug 16 - week 10 - Labs + ultrasound (might graduate to regular Ob-Gyn)
I am heading out in a minute to get acupuncture. I skipped restorative yoga on Friday, instead I found a gorgeous shaded walking trail. I feel a bit uncomfortable since I have a lot of tightness in my lower abdomen. I am afraid to overdo other stretching or exercise. I am weighing 192 pounds as of today. I have a fear of gaining too much weight too fast. I had a good birthday weekend.
It seems I can write about nothing else until we have an answer: Will our one AA embryo attach? We had an appointment yesterday. Here are our clinical lab results so far:
6/14/2019
Progesterone 0.170 ng/mL
Estradiol 247 pg/mL
Lining 10.3 mm
6/17/2019
Progesterone 0.084 ng/mL
Estradiol 426.5 pg/mL
Lining 11.1 mm
Our team says that these numbers are great! The uterine lining looks pretty much like the image from this paper.
I have been taking Estrace (Estradiol) 2mg tablets for 11 days. I have had two injections of Delestrogen (Estradiol Valerate) 20mg/mL x 0.1 mL and two injections of Delestrogen (Estradiol Valerate) 20mg/mL x 0.2 mL. The first few days it seemed like I was having mild headaches, but nothing near migraine. The last few days I have been feeling very moist. Like, I would take a nap and then wake up with my underwear feeling wet. After a bit of research, I have learned that estrogen regulates cervical mucus and the bump in hormones has resulted in an increase in mucus. After I deduced what must be happening, I felt much more relaxed about it.
Last night, I did my first Endometrin 100mg vaginal capsule. It was not bad at all. Pretty much like inserting a tampon. This morning, I added Medrol (Methylprednisolone) 4mg tablets. The dose schedule for the Medrol is a bit complicated, but I think visually the way the tablets are packaged helps. You load up on the first day and then taper after that. Medrol is a steroid that reduces inflammation. It also suppresses the immune system to prevent Natural Killer (NK) cells from attacking the embryo.
This morning we did our first progesterone injection. I warmed up the ampule about 30 minutes prior to using it. I had a heating compress ready. We have these fun pineapple bandaids. Honestly, giving or receiving a shot with a 22-gauge needle is not that fun. But I am definitely trying to make the best of it and just get on with the program. I climbed the stairs in our house ten times to help the 1 mL of Progesterone in Oil get distributed into the muscle.
There are few times in life when having a BIG ASS is a good thing. Maybe if you are trying to win a twerking contest. Also if, like myself, you are a Los Angeles Lane Blocker (city cyclist). Or also, apparently, if you need to get intramuscular injections in the dorsogluteal site. Our coordinator said luckily, we have a lot of real estate to work with. So this is good because from today forward, we will be doing DAILY progesterone injections.
I made a point this morning of programming in all the medications for the next week into my Google Calendar: when we need them my phone will send a notification. Today, I am going for acupuncture and then heading to Westfield Topanga & The Village (a mall) for an optometry appointment. Tomorrow, we have the Neighborhood council meeting. Thursday, I am meeting with my boss and the man who has been observing me in the classroom. Friday, we have an appointment for ultrasound and bloodwork. Saturday is transfer day!
I installed two new apps on my phone: FertiCalm and Headspace. FertiCalm is an app that has information and humor specifically for those undergoing fertility treatment. It also has some guided meditations that I have used. Headspace I do not fully understand yet, but what I think is that it has some other games to keep you calm. I have been using my Sacred Woman altar at home, so I am very grateful that I have a safe, quiet space to exist and convene with my ancestors, mother, sisters and higher power. This morning I burned a little white sage because I felt like I might want to purify myself before starting the progesterone injection.
Of course, still taking prenatal vitamins. I do not know why some people say to take them in the morning, at lunch or before bedtime. Does it really matter? Well, it is time to be heading to the shower and then to acupuncture and then to the mall to see the eye doctor and do some walking. Life is good.
I wish I could skip #13, because it is considered unlucky. But let me just post an update and not get too hung up on superstitions. I have been weighing in around 193 pounds, my last menstrual cycle was 34 days. I finally got a normal period on June 7th.
I have started taking estrogen. Today is day 6 of taking Estrace (Estradiol) 2mg tablets twice per day by mouth. They are just a teeny tiny aqua blue pill, very small in comparison to the pink prenatal horse pill. I have been taking "One A Day" prenatal vitamins for over a year now. In addition to the "vitamin" there is a liquid gel containing omega 3 fatty acids: docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). After getting blood-work done, I started taking vitamin D supplements, due to a test that showed insufficient levels.
I have also had two injections of Delestrogen (Estradiol Valerate) 20mg/mL - Inject 0.1 mL intramuscular, every 3rd day. The first injection was in my right hip, 5 days ago. The second injection was in my left, 2 days ago. We have an appointment tomorrow to see how the endometrial lining is thickening. I feel torn between wanting to be informed and not wanting to read too much and getting freaked out.
This is what I did on Monday (6/10)
The injections themselves are not really painful. I have been making a definite attempt to do more walking and gentle exercise like swimming. I got some great pool floats and noodles that are adaptive so that I can work my arms without hurting the injection site. I went to my HIIT workout last night, it felt good to be among people, sweating and suffering together!
Since restarting hormone supplements, I feel sleepy and mentally foggy. Although I am not sure if that is because I am overwhelmed with what this process means or because I have been going to acupuncture or because I am not drinking coffee or because I am on the greatest stay-cation of my life. I keep dropping my car keys and not realizing it. Then I have to dig through the car (without panicking) to find them again.
During my first acupuncture session, it felt like some little gnome was sitting on my forehead, or like there was some unseen hand pressing down on my forehead. Afterwards, about 2 hours later, I had explosive diarrhea. During my second acupuncture session, I did not feel much. About 6 hours later, I had explosive diarrhea. I wrote about those first two sessions towards the end of this post.
During my third acupuncture session, I felt my entire face go numb. Also, my left arm went numb and then had a tingling sensation. I read up on acupuncture a little bit and this may be what people describe as de qi. Or maybe not. Anyhow, when I got home about 10 hours later, I had explosive diarrhea. It's not something alarming or making me feel sick, it actually gives me fair warning and I can sit on the toilet and let it go.
Some of the articles I read say that acupuncture helps support pregnancy through detoxification and improving circulation. Others say that the body's "fight or flight" response is down-regulated and the "rest and digest" mechanisms are stimulated. My practitioner has been placing needles in my feet, shin, hands, elbow and back of the knee. He does a tiny bit of massage just after removing the needles. While the needles are inserted, a heat lamp is placed over my belly for 20 minutes. I focus on breathing and reciting mantras.
I have been reading and practicing Sacred Woman. For the life of me, I remember reading that the bedroom should be like a jungle (with many plants) but maybe that just came to me in a meditation. Prior to finding this book, I had a thought "I need an altar." But I did not have a framework for "how to make an altar." The Sacred Woman book gave me that. I have been collecting little things around myself that are altar-appropriate, without really understanding why I was collecting those things.
I revisited this post from last summer, which was about the little things I was doing to reduce clutter and stress in my life. I have also been admiring Monty Don's French Gardens and Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. Together, those two programs have encouraged me to clean up and beautify my space and let go of things that I do not need.
I am finding that I am craving a more spiritual connection. I know I am about to go through a big change, whether our IVF cycle is successful or not. But I am definitely putting down some roots that will be beneficial for the long-term, whatever happens.
