Six down...two to go

I feel like I am hitting some milestones all the time and it just makes me smile!

As I type this (with just my left hand on an IPhone) I am sitting at Sher in NYC getting my intralipid on and I am 12 weeks along today!! Whooo-hooo!

I've done six of these IV intralipid therapies already (two before I got pregnant) and the rest after. Each one takes about 2 hours.

This treatment is one of the main reasons I found Sher and am a patient here today! The other REs I went to wouldn't even discuss immune issues as a possibility.

I tested positive for high Natural Killer cells, which is an immune disorder that keeps an embryo from attaching to the uterus.

Up until that point I was just "unexplained" with no direction. Being able to get tested and treated for this was a relief.

If you want to read more about immunological disorders and infertility, check out this article by Dr. Sher.

IVIG & Intralipid Therapy in IVF: Interpreting Natural Killer Cell Activity for Diagnosis and Treatment

http://haveababy.com/fertility-information/ivf-authority/ivig-intralipid-therapy-in-ivf/

If you can attend an informational event in your area about this issue, go and ask lots of questions!!

Na Na Na Na Hey Hey Hey Goodbye...

I said adiós to my progesterone shots on Sunday. I won't go into the loathing and all that...I am looking ahead to days where I won't have a black and blue bum :)

The last one didn't even hurt in the least. I barely felt it...maybe it was mind over matter :) Well I am glad that finally kicked in on the last one.

It feels freeing to be done with the injections and the suppositories as well. It's also a milestone...I am more than 10 weeks along and am really starting to have to accept this...realize this is REAL, and the IVF worked.

I remember during my sister-in-law's third pregnancy a couple of years ago I was sitting with her at my in-law's house and felt her belly and my little nephew kicking. It brought tears to my eyes and I worried that I would never get to that place and get to experience that.

I know full well how lucky I am at this moment.

It is strange being on this "side" in a way, you are leaving behind (sort of) this world of infertility that you became accustomed to...one that you wore like a badge/weight/armour/with sadness/with hope. I am still part of this "sisterhood" and I have many sisters who are still on this journey.

I want so so bad to pull them to side and make all the worry and pain go away. I wish I could fix all of their problems.

What I can do is let them know I am here for them 100%, I will pick them up when they fall, I will listen to their pain and sadness and worry and venting at any time. I am also here to offer hope that YOU CAN DO THIS! You can get through it and make your dreams come true.

Hand it over to your higher power...they make things happen, they give you faith, they take the weight off of your back. I want to say to all my "Panera Girls" that you are in my thoughts and prayers everyday and that we are all on this journey together!!

If you reading this and feel alone and that you have no one else to talk to, one of the best decisions I ever made was to find a support group of women who were dealing with the same struggle I was. I can't stress it enough how much it helps!

The National Infertility Association, Resolve, can help you find a group in your area. Check it out here.

Lucky bracelets...

My mom makes the coolest jewelry and when she made me a chakra bracelet, I never took it off. It was a multi-color one that covered all of the chakras from my root to my crown. Then I wanted to target one area...and you know what it is....my navel/sacral chakra that covers fertility. It's orange and I wore that one all of the time too.

It was a reminder to keep going, be positive, not give up and it had good energy of course! In addition to the orange chakra bracelets, rubies, moonstones and rose quartz all promote fertility. There is definitely good energy coming from those stones!

I get asked a lot about the bracelets I wear so I wanted to put it out there if anyone wanted one...here are some of the ones that are available (although anything can be made to order)...all real semi-precious stones with sterling silver.

From the left: two ruby bracelets (yes, they are real),
two orange chakra bracelets made from carnelian,
and two rose quartz bracelets.

The prices range from $40-$65...drop me an email if you are interested! fertilegroundblog@gmail.com

A long overdue update...

This blog and my readers have been on my mind for so long...I wanted to write but I also wanted to be certain.

And I feel confident today to say with certainty that my IVF worked (HOLY CRAP) and I am pregnant (DOUBLE HOLY CRAP)! It is unbelievable to even write that down, to acknowledge it and even attempt to accept it.

I told my husband that I won't accept it for real until the baby is in my arms...and that remains the truth. After five long years of trying and trying some more  it is really like a dream. Even the nauseousness and fatigue and all of that is like a dream...I swear I am happy for all of it. BRING IT ON!! ( I maybe complaining about this later but for now when someone in my office heats up fish in the office microwave and I walk by and almost puke in the recyclable bin...I am happy for that :)

I also can't wait to have a big belly...I am not concerned about "being fat" and am happy that I will be expanding! I am not taking any of this and what it all means for granted.

So I cheated the day before my first blood test at Sher and got a positive at night and another one the next morning...in all these years I never seen two lines...and part of me really thought I never would. I also never thought I would be a person who posts pictures of pee sticks...but hey, things change!

Yup, here they are

As of this writing I am 8 weeks along. My hubs calls me and texts me randomly to yell " We are going to be parents!!" Its other worldly!  My due date is January 9...which happens to be my Grammy's Bday :)

The initial sonogram showed two sacs, however one was smaller than the other and unfortunately did not continue to grow. But we have one growing, healthy baby who is now the size of a green olive!

Just this past Wednesday we got to hear the heartbeat...it was 170 to be exact! We saw the little babe (who resembles a platypus) and sadly (although for good reason) I was released by Dr. T.

Hello Platy...you look marvellous!

In a perfect world Dr. T would also deliver my baby and I wouldn't have to leave his nice office with his lovely staff and awesome nurses. But it means I have graduated and that is super!! I couldn't have asked for a better experience.

I will still be hanging around there though for a few weeks to come....part of my treatment still includes immune issues and I will keep getting intralipid IVs to keep my killer cells low and the baby growing and happy.

One day I will be celebrating is June 17...that is the day I NO LONGER have to do my progesterone shots. I HATE THEM. There is no way around it. My bum is black and blue and lumpy and itchy....all very sexy things. Sometimes I don't feel the shot..other times it feels like a dagger in my butt with poison being pushed out. It remains my nemesis. Oh how I loathe you.

But to be Mrs. Brightside...I do them bc I am PREGNANT and that trumps all of it and makes everything worth it no matter what!

The hubby and I haven't gone totally public with this...so those of you who read this and know me, please keep it between us for now. xoxo

**One more thing: The lovely staff and doctors at Sher Institute for Reproductive Medicine are doing something spectacular! They are donating a free IVF cycle in honor of Father's Day. They have offices throughout the US so check it out! And hurry...the deadline is June 6!!

In recognition of Father’s Day, we are excited to announce our “I Believe” Video Journal Project.   Father’s Day can be another tough “Hallmark Holiday” when you are trying to start or add to your family, so to provide a ray of hope, we are happy to be able to donate a free IVF cycle to one person/couple this Father’s Day weekend. 

To be considered for the donated IVF cycle, just create a video that details your infertility story and expresses your thoughts and emotions.

To find out more details and how to enter click here