On the Tuesday before Avery was born, I called her dad to check in on how things were going and see if their baby girl had started to make her way into the world. I actually went to junior high and high school with Avery's daddy. We've kept in touch since then and now live about 10 minutes from each other. We've gotten to know his wife pretty well and they are aware of our situation and have been very supportive through the years. Anyway, so knowing that they were in the homestretch - I was asking how she was feeling and things like that. It was nice to catch up with him and to hear how their baby girl could really arrive at any moment. Later that week I got a text from his wife - thanking me for checking in on them and then apologizing if I took anything that her husband said the wrong way. I guess when I was asking how she was feeling and her husband said that she was uncomfortable. She just wanted to make sure I knew that as uncomfortable as she is - she still is thankful for the gift and knows that I'd give anything to have those uncomfortable pains. So sweet of her to reach out to me - but I honestly didn't take anything like that at all. I'm sure not everyone in our situation would feel the same - so it was really sweet and very sensitive of her to reach out to me. I texted her back and thanked her for her concern, but let her know that I thought it was a great chat and didn't take anything like that. I know that along with pregnancy comes a lot of things that you can't do and some uncomfortable times throughout the way. And I don't want any of my family/friends to think they can't be honest with me about how they're feeling during their pregnancies. I'm happy to listen to any and all complaints and hope to someday be complaining about the same things.
Happy Mother's Day: I'd also like to wish a very Happy Mother's Day to all of the mamas out there! :) Hope that you all enjoyed your special day and felt loved/appreciated for all that you do. Someday I hope to join you in the ranks of motherhood - but for now I'll just take notes from you all until it's our turn. We were in my hometown with my mom this weekend - it was nice to spend some quality time with her this weekend. My sister, my mom, and I attended a bridal shower for a family friend on Saturday. Later that day, we helped her outside with some gardening work. My little nephew was out there "helping," too. He really enjoyed running through the hose and having us spray him as we watered the plants. When my sister took him into the house for a bath, my mom and I stayed outside to finish up. While we were working, she asked me what we were thinking baby-wise these days. When my family is together there's usually so much else going on that it just hasn't really come up in conversation - so I haven't really given her an update in awhile. I told her what our plans were and she was supportive, of course. She just still has a hard time understanding why they haven't really been able to find a real reason yet. She asked if maybe we should get a "2nd opinion" from another doctor - but I told her that there are so many factors that I really don't think there are any other tests that a doctor could/would do that we haven't done already. My mom also mentioned my sister being a surrogate and wanted to make sure I knew that my sister was willing. I told her that we are aware and that we may look to do that in the future, but not quite yet. We also talked about adoption and how that's still an option for us down the road as well. It was nice to talk to her about it all and give her an update on where we stand. I know that my parents and my husband's parents would do anything to "fix" this problem for us to make it all better.
On Saturday, I called in my refill of Clomid to our pharmacy and we picked it up today. (Random note: Check out how ginormous the prescription bottle was today - see photo to the left. I mean, I know I have small hands like a little boy - but doesn't that bottle seem a bit big for 5 little pills?) Since my period started yesterday, today is Day 2 of my cycle. I need to take Clomid on Days 3-7 starting tomorrow. After what happened last month, there's NO WAY I'm missing a pill this cycle. I have reminders set-up on my iPhone for Mon-Fri of this week and also set reminders on my calendar at work as well.
Tomorrow morning before I take my first Clomid pill, I need to swing by the LabCorp to have my blood drawn for a couple tests (that needed to be done on Day 2, 3, or 4 of my cycle) - the FSH and AMH. The FSH test definitely sounds familiar, but I don't really recall doing the AMH test. See below for more details.
- Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH): The FSH test is designed to detect high levels of FSH - which may be associated with infertility issues, peri-menopause, or menopause symptoms. Women experiencing symptoms of infertility, missed periods, or ovulatory irregularity may use FSH tests to determine if these symptoms are associated with high FSH levels. An FSH test can be used evaluate a woman's egg supply (ovarian reserve) and determine issues with hormonal balance.
- Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH): Since AMH is produced directly by the ovarian follicles, AMH levels correlate with the number of antral follicles in the ovaries . It has been documented that women with lower AMH have lower antral follicular counts and produce a lower number of oocytes compared with women with higher levels.
Tomorrow morning I will also call Dr. Williams' nurses to let them know that my period arrived. Nancy/McKenzie will be able to tell me when we can schedule my blue dye test and what tentative dates we could possibly do the IUI (artificial insemination) this cycle. When my period arrived on Thursday back in April, they wanted to do the blue dye test the following Tuesday - so we'll see if they want to schedule it for this week or not. I'm willing and ready to clear my work calendar - they just need to say the word. :) I am also anxious to hear our tentative timeline for the IUI - would love if we could make that work this cycle.
IVF Buddy going to Denver!! I think I may have mentioned this before, but my IVF Buddy is doing an IVF cycle with Dr. Schoolcraft out in Denver, Colorado. Dr. Schoolcraft is the same doctor that Giuliana and Bill used for their last egg retrieval and for their transfer for their surrogate. We are super-excited for her and her husband and pray that this will be the answer to their prayers. She flies out on Wednesday - I'm just hoping that I can get together with her before she leaves! Everyone be sure to keep them in your prayers!!