Making McNays

It has been quite some time since I blogged about quilting or anything else.  I still feel like I have lost some of my quilting mojo (see last post here).  I have a friend who is welcoming a new arrival in July and I have yet to finish her quilt TOP let alone quilt it and bind it.  Perhaps her little fella will just have to be patient.

I blogged about our first IVF attempt here, unfortunately the little embryos didn't take. :(

We tried again in April and my hormone levels were indicating a pregnancy.  Both my husband and I were over the moon!  we were so excited.  We got to see the heart beat and the first little images of our embryo in late April.  I proudly hung my ultrasound image on the fridge.

After implantation the second time

When working with fertility clinics they generally keep patients under their care until the first trimester is over.  I go in for ultrasounds every two weeks.

Last week, Wednesday, my husband and I went for the second ultrasound and the doctor asked how many embryos took, I announced "One." and he said "Well I hardly ever miss, but it looks like there is two in there."  My husband said "Yeah, that's about right" while I was speechless and a bit flabbergasted!

I wondered why I needed to move into maternity pants so quick.  I really thought my weight gain was getting out of control.  It turns out that I am right on track with twins.  Many of our loving friends have donated outgrown baby toys, or have promised us baby gear.

We are so humbled by the generosity of friends and family.  Expecting twins the first go around will be challenging.  I will have to quit my out side the house job in order to care for them.  That is a bit scary for me since the longest I have been without a job is 6 months.  I often ask myself if I will have the mental fortitude and physical stamina to meet the demands of a stay at home mom.  It will be quite a hit to our household income when I leave the work force.  One of the biggest items we are in need of is a decent washer and dryer.  We were gifted a set from the 1970's complete with faux wood paneling!  Unfortunately, the washer is not wringing out as much water as it should, AND they are very energy inefficient.

I hope to continue to tutor students and dare I say sell quilty items to generate a bit of extra income.  

That may have to happen once the babies are a bit older and less demanding.

So here's to the two little people I am currently "making"

Steps to baby makin'

Some of you are people I speak with or write to on a regular basis.  Some of you are far flung across the globe, and still some are a few hours drive away.

I decided to write a post about the needles, surgical procedures and the results of my infertility protocol.  Ken wanted a baby for Christmas, and well we pretty much got them - kinda.

Throughout the months of November and December, I was in and out of my doctor's office with ultrasounds and blood draws to monitor my estrogen levels.  I was getting injections of medication to stimulate super ovulation, and then keep the eggs to maturity.  So two shots a day and blood draw every third day.  My arms were sore, and as the eggs were developing, my ovaries swelled to the size of large grapefruits.  

Three days before egg harvest, I could not even stand to wear jeans.  I wore the same pair of yoga pants three days in a row because it was all that fit and met the decency criteria for public wear.  

Christmas Eve was the day of harvest.  We arrived bright and early at our clinic for our harvest surgery.  I wasn't nervous.  I changed out of the three day old yoga pants and into the flattering hospital gown.  I crowned my head with a hair net and sat in the pre-op/post-op recovery area.  

My anesthesiologist (the gas man) walked me to the surgical suite and got me on the table, then inserted my IV.  He talked with me for a bit and then I was out.  

They told me I was a good patient and they were able to harvest 19 viable eggs.  Ken and I were happy.  Ken provided a semen specimen and the embryologist joined egg and sperm.  We waited 7 days and got a call that 10 of our fertilized eggs divided and are now at the blastocyst stage.

Our little embryos are waiting while my body recouporates from the extreme hormone treatment from harvest.  I will begin preparation for my implantation in about three weeks.

I hope all goes well and my uterus does its job and gets ready for my little embryos to nestle in and grow into fetuses and eventually babies.

We will know if the implantation procedure worked  about a week after implantation.

Here's hoping for a positive blood test.