Waiting for baby

It's been awhile since I've updated. I'm doing pretty good. I've had some issues with sleeping and breathing at the same time. My OB told me to take some Zantac for acid reflex. This helped for a few nights.

I took a couple days off work due to not being able to sleep and breath. I noticed that when I would fall asleep that I was holding my breath and would wake up to breath and would feel short of breath. I went to my GP to make sure this wasn't a big issue. I was told that if I wasn't pregnant that he'd order a sleep study. He thought that it could have to do with pregnancy. Time will tell. Another thing it could be is a blood clot. However the blood test that is done can be inconclusive with pregnancy. My blood test came back as abnormal however he didn't want to do any further testing because it could harm the baby, unless things get worse. If I have problems after I have the baby I'll need to follow up with my GP. This has gotten better.

I've also have had some chest congestion. Thank goodness for Sudifed.

The baby's room is already. I think I have everything I need for baby at this point.

I'm hoping to have the baby before the end of the year. The baby is head down and has dropped.

My Mom and both by brothers are coming to visit mid January so we are hoping that the baby isn't late.

When I was in to the my OB I was dilated to a 2. I have an appointment on Thursday afternoon so I'll try to update shortly after that.

Shower games

I'm almost ready to be finished being pregnant. I'm getting more and more uncomfortable. My back has been bothering me for some time now. Breathing is getting difficult. I have acid reflex that makes sleeping difficult. Those are my complaints for the day.

I'm still working on getting the baby's room ready. I still have stuff of mine and Judge's that need to find a new home someplace. It's also filling up with baby stuff. I've been given a lot of nice things that my friends are finished with. I can't believe have generous people are. Some I haven't known that long.

I've had a couple baby showers this last week. My co-works have me one. I was blown away by how much they gave me. I think it helps that I've worked in many different groups over the years and many knew Judge as well. Some of the highlights that I received are a car seat, jogging stroller, diapers, crib sheet, cloths. The list goes on.

I can't wait until next spring to use the jogging stroller. I'll have to find a marathon to train for. Or maybe I'll start out with a half. I miss running regularly. The only running I get to do now is running to the bathroom. So maybe it's more of a waddle.

Yesterday I had a shower with my friends hosted by Bonnie Kohl, Jennifer Shasky, and Dawn Jasperson. We had a lot of fun playing shower games, eating and of course I got to open more gifts. I got more diapers, cloths, bottles, and toys.

I've been keeping busy working of course, and trying to keep my house clean. I tire out easy. It's frustrating because I see what needs to be done in my house, I'm either too sore or too tired.

Dr. English said I'm normal.

It's a beautiful Saturday afternoon. I can't believe that it's in the 60's in November. I love it.

I had another Doctor appointment this week. It was quick in and quick out. Dr. English told me that I'm normal. I responded with it's about time I fall on the normal list.

Dr. English listened to the heartbeat, felt my growing tummy, and answered a question. He's happy with the way my pregnancy is going.

Last week we had a sad day in the Getchell household. The Heard is down to 3. I put Buddy down due to he was getting sick several times a week or sometimes several times a day. He was only 8. He's had respiratory issues for the last 5 years, and diabetes too.

Buddy was Judge's cat so this made it a little more difficult. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I was fortunate enough to have my Dad and Tara go with me. Thank God for my parents.

It took the other cats some time to adjust. Dork spent 3 days in bed and took the change very hard. Emma's been more whinny. Courtney wants to know if the other two can go for a one way trip too.

On a lighter note I'm feeling well other than being more and more tired. Is 7pm too early to go to bed? It wasn't one night this week.

I'm excited I went to the diaper store today. OK so they sell more than diapers. It's called Peapods. I bought some cloth diapers and wipes. We'll see how these work.

I'm off to relax. I'm taking a friend to the Wild game tonight. It's his first hockey game. It should be a good time.

Happy 5 year Anniversary

Today is my 5 year wedding Anniversary. I went out to dinner with my friend Kelli to celebrate. We went to a new restaurant called Manitou Station in downtown White Bear. It was good.

I've had a couple doctor appointments since I've update. Not much to report from them. Things are looking good. The baby moves around a lot. I can handle the movement however when the baby puts some power into them I jump. It's funny.

I can't believe how fast my pregnancy is going. I have less than 3 months to my January 14th due date. My parents are getting excited. The truth is I am too.

I get tired easy. I need to learn to slow down some.

I did some calling around today to look for daycare. Boy are people rude, and parents are leaving there children with these folks. Please pray that I can find quality child care.

Anna

It's a......

Baby. Sorry I didn't find out at my ultrasound.

So it's been a long time since I've updated. I've been to the doctor a couple times. Things are going just fine. I had an ultrasound on August 27th. Cousin Deanna went with me. She's dying to know what sex the baby is. However I've chosen not to find out. Everything looked just fine. 10 fingers and 10 toes.

After the ultrasound Deanna and I headed to the state fair to eat. We had a good time.

This summer I joined Deanna's summer bible study group. It was a great group to be in. I think their was about 25 of us. However I meet 2 widows in the group. It's been nice getting to hear their story's and be able to talk to them. They are part of a larger widows group. Who knew. Laura invited me into the group. This last weekend 5 families camped in a backyard of one of the widowers. Again it was nice to be with a group that understands what I've been though. We had a lot of fun and plan to get the families together again soon.

I've been feeling pretty good. My energy level isn't where I'm used to. I've been in bed earlier and earlier.

My pants are tight

I'm currently in Monteray California visiting my cousin Donica. It' nice to be able to sleep in and not have a schedule to follow. We're having a good time. I was excited today I dropped Donica off at work then went to the outlet mall and found an In N Out for lunch. I was happy because their isn't any In N Out's in the Monteray area.

The baby bump is growing. I'm not able to wear regular jeans anymore without them being uncomfortable. I'll try to post a couple pictures once I get home.

Last weekend I went camping with cousin Deanna and some other friends from bible study. We went to Lanesburo and did some biking. We had a great time. The weather was nice too. However I can't seen to go and to and go like I used too. My pregnancy has slowed me down some.

Feeling Better

Sorry it's been so long since I've updated. I'm doing well. I'm starting to feel better a little bit each day.

I saw Dr. English on Wednesday. He used the Doppler to listen to the baby's heartbeat but couldn't get it yet. So he did a quick ultrasound and saw that baby was very active. It's looking more like a baby.

Last weekend I spent in Seattle and walked a half-marathon (13.1) miles with Team in Training. It was my fifth event and again it blew me away. What a great bunch of people. I'm sad that I'll be taking time off and won't be doing another event soon. However I've agreed to do some water stops for the Fall team. I look forward to be involved with the Fall team.

That's all I have for now.

Anna

Another visit to the clinic

This morning I went in to meet with nurse Lori who works with Dr. English. It was my appointment to let me know what I can and can't do. I had another ultrasound too. The baby is 2.42cm long. I was sent home with a folder on information to read. I got the OK to start running again as long as I keep my heartbeat under 140 beats per minute.

Since I haven't been at Metro since last fall the staff didn't know I'm PG. I was in the lab with a couple nurses and I was told it was nice to see me again. Then the nurse that I was with told the other nurse that this is my first OB appointment. She gave me a big hug. It was nice. Sorry I don't remember their names.

I was happy to find out this week that cloth diapers don't use pins anymore. Yahoo. I was hoping their would be some new invention in the last 22 years since I've changed a cloth diaper when my brother Luke was a baby. On Tuesday night I was over at my neighbors Joyce and Carl for their daughters 1st birthday party. I saw that Joyce has cloth diapers on a chair so I asked her if pins were still used and she said no. I was very happy. This will save me a lot of $$ on diapers.

That's all I have for now.

Feeling good

Hello All,

I had my 2nd ultrasound this week. All is well. The baby is going at a good rate. Dr Pavelka released me to my regular OB Dr. English.

For the most part I'm feeling good. If I go too long without eating or eat too much I feel yucky. I'm starting to get really tired again the last couple days.

I'm still waiting to find out if I can run at all durning my pregnancy. I'm hoping I can. I asked Dr Pavelka and he said I needed to talk to Dr English since he would be my Doctor. My half marathon is coming up on June 27th in Seattle. At this time I'm planning on walking it.

Friends of mine Patrice and Dan left for Cedar Point with their 2 kids on Friday evening. The invited me with them but since I wouldn't be able to ride the coasters and have very little vacation time left I'm at home. It would have been a good time to join them. After Cedar Point they are off to DC. I hope they have a good time. If I wasn't pregnant I'd be showing the kids how to ride roller coasters like a pro. Maybe next time.

I saw the heartbeat.

I had an ultrasound today and got to see my baby's heartbeat. It was very cool. Dr Pavaleka said everything looks good so far. My changes of having a miscarriage are 7%. In another 2 weeks it goes down to 3%.

I'm feeling pretty good. I'm not as tired as I was a week ago. I can't eat as much as I used to at one time. But I eat more often.

That's all I have for now. I have another ultrasound in 2 weeks so we'll see how much my baby grows.

Good news

I'm slow at updating. Most of you already know that I'm pregnant. 5 weeks and 1 day. I found out last Friday. I've been on cloud 9 for the past week.

I've been really tired. I feel good other than that.

That's all I have for now.

Bed rest

I'm starting my 2nd day of bed rest. I had one embryo put in yesterday. It's a quick and easy procedure. Cousin Deanna was my ride again. I had to have a full bladder again for this. I learned my lesson from my trial transfer. I drank the 4 glasses of water that was needed but I drank slower. My plan worked.

I have 2 embryo's that will be frozen and possibly one more. They will watch the 3rd one in the next couple days and freeze it if they can. I'm happy with what I have.

I was given Valium an hour before my procedure. I think this is more for afterward to help you relax and sleep. I was told that I needed to spend yesterday in bed flat with 1 pillow. This wasn't as difficult as I thought it was going to be. I crawled in bed when I got home.and slept for 3 hours. My 4 cats though this was great that I was joining them for their afternoon nap.

Today it will be another mellow day. Today I can have 2-3 pillows or sit in a recliner. Emma is already laying in bed with me.

Now it's hurry up and wait to see if this works.

Anna

Embro transfer will be on Tuesday

I've recovered from my retrieval. It wasn't bad but I spent 4 hours dozing on and off that afternoon. I learned today that I'll have a day 5 transfer which will be on Tuesday. I'll have one embryo put back in. I don't know yet how many embryos I have. If I have more then one the remainder will be frozen for future use.

I'll be doing nightly Progesterone shots in my butt for at least 12 days. Thanks to Cousin Deanna. Deanna will get to see a lot of me in the next few days. I can't thank her enough.

Deanna has plans tonight so lucky for me I have another friend who's a nurse. Kelli has ageed to stick me with needles too. After church this afternoon I'll be heading out to Kelli's for dinner and games. It should be a good time.

After my transfer it's two days of bedrest. I'm not sure how I'll survive but I'm sure I will. I'll rent a movie or two, get a book to read and have the internet to intertain myself.

I now have all 4 cats near who want some of my time.

Anna

I Have 6 eggs.

I'm now home from the clinic. I had my retrieval. It went well. The IV was the worst part. Cousin Deanna was nice enough to give me my shot on Tuesday night and be my driver today. Thanks again Deanna.

Six eggs were retrieved. They will be fertilized with Judge's sperm sometime today. We'll see how many embryos we get. They will be transferred back to me either on Sunday or Tuesday. It depends on how fast they grow.

On our way home we stopped to have lunch at the North China Inn for the buffet. I was happy to eat.

This is all I have for now. I'm getting very tired.

Retrival is set for Thursday

My day started with another trip to see Dr. Pavelka for blood work and an ultrasound. I'm right on track. I have 3 follicles that are ready and a few more that will hopefully will be ready tomorrow.

Tomorrow I get 3 shots. I'm so lucky. I'm looking for someone to help with my 3rd shot in my butt at 11pm tomorrow night. I'm waiting to hear back from cousin Deanna to see if she's up for the task. I hope so. Deanna is a night nurse so it may mean meeting her at work tomorrow night.

Over the weekend I was really tired. I spent my spare time yesterday in bed. This is out of charter for me since I think naps are for baby's and small children only. After three hours in bed I went to Cousin Parker's 8th birthday party then I came home and went back to bed. The cats thought it was great that I joined them for their afternoon nap. I felt better today until I was on my way home from work. The I started to get really tired.

Tomorrow I get my blood drawn again. Then I'll figure out my rides to my appointment on Thursday.

I'm off to bed now. I think Dork is waiting for me.


Anna and my heard of cats (Courtney, Buddy, Dork and Emma)

2 trips to RMIA this morning

Good afternoon. What a beautiful day it is.
I'm still giving myself 2 shots a day. I feel like my tummy is running out of real estate that doesn't have a pin mark or a bruise. I gave myself a nice one this morning. It even drew blood.

I was into Dr Pavelka on Monday and Thursday. I had blood drawn both days to check my estrogen levels. On Thursday I also had an ultrasound to see how many and the size of my follicles. I have 9 growing with 2 of them being smaller.

This morning I went out to RMIA for a blood draw. I came home had breakfast and did some yard work. At 10 I realized I forgot the medication that was waiting for me at the clinic. I called and got the vm telling me that they were closed. So I got in my car and drove back hoping someone would still be their. I prayed most of the way their. The doors were locked so I called the after hours number to tell them my problem. I was so embarrassed. They took my message and told me I would get a call back. I let them know that I was sitting in the parking lot. My prayers were answered someone was still their and I got my meds. I'm not sure what I would have done otherwise.

My retrieval date has changed. I don't know when it will happen. My guess is Wednesday. I should know more on Monday after more blood work and an ultrasound.



I've had all 5 viles of my sperm sent over to RMIA. Not many women can say they have/own sperm. Dr Pavelka still had one vile we needed to get it over to RMIA. Normally what would be done is have it shipped back to the sperm bank and then ship it out with the rest. I got a lucky break. RMIA has a shipping tank. Chris one of the employee's at RMIA also lives close to Dr. Pavelka's office so he picked it up and saved me an extra $165 shipping charge.

These are the highlights of my adventure this last week.
As I mentioned in my last post that Gayle and I were going skydiving last weekend. We did and loved it. I'd post pictures but we forgot to take them. We were bummed.
Last Sunday at Church Pastor Bob started his sermon talking about his desire to jump out of an airplane about 3 years ago. I started laughing. He processed to tell the story about being at Twin Cities Skydive with the jump master Joe. This made me laugh even harder because this is were we were and I jumped with Joe. What a small world it is.
I haven't been able to run since last Saturday due to my ovaries growing. I really miss it. I'm currently training for the Rock-n-Roll Seattle half marathon on June 27th. This will be my first half marathon. I've run 4 fulls. I had wanted to do the full but with not knowing what the future holds so I'll do the half and be happy with it.

I'm still able to walk my training which I'm happy for. I'm more tiered than normal do I'll enjoy the walking for now.
Anna

Post op with Dr Pavelka

I saw Dr Pavelka today for my baseline ultrasound and post op. The baseline ultrasound is to check my ovaries and make sure they are quiet; meaning I don't have an cysts or anything abnormal. This was normal.

I also had another physical to make sure I'm healthy to start IVF. I asked Dr Pavelka how my surgery went, he found more polyps than he thought he would. He said their was 14 or so small ones. He's not sure if this is why I haven't been able to get pregnant or not.

This last Saturday night I took my last birth control pill. I'm happy for that. I don't like taking them. This coming Saturday I get to start another shot. I'll be taking Menopur and Bravelle to stimulate my ovaries. I can combine these so it's just one shot for the 2 drugs. I'll still be on Lupron for a few days. Two shots a day for a few days. What a treat.

I asked about my running. Dr Pavelka said I can continue to run for now but when my ovaries get larger I shouldn't be running. However my paperwork says I can walk. I'll see how I'm feeling and walk when I feel up to it. Being on the drugs that stimulate my ovaries make me more tired than normal.

As some of you may know my first outing with Judge was skydiving with another co-worker Gayle. Gayle and I have deiced to go skydiving again this Saturday afternoon. We are very excited.

I'm not good at being a sick...

Good afternoon.

I had the surgery to remove the polyps this morning. It all went well. I got home about 1:15p this afternoon. I had some soup for lunch then headed for the couch to watch TV. I invited all 4 cats to come snuggle with me. None of them joined me. When I got up about an hour and a half later 3 of them were sleeping on my bed.

I have very little pain and am feeling good other than feeling a little tiered. I have a hard time sleeping when it's light outside so sleeping's not an option. Not sure what I'll do with the rest of the evening. I don't feel like cleaning or sitting and doing nothing. I'm glad I can go back to work tomorrow.

I started my Lupron shots on Tuesday. I forgot what this does for me. I just love giving my self shots. At least I can to it.

Anna

surgery scheduled

Good evening

Yesterday I received a call from Cyrogenic Laboratory's (the sperm bank) where Judge's sperm is being stored. Amy called to say she received the paperwork I had mailed in for the new clinic I'm going to. But I was missing 2 forms. Ahhh how frustrating this process is. (Judge and I meet Amy the day he left the donation. Amy is a wonderful women and she's great to work with.)

When I called in to get the paper work that I knew I needed I was told that I didn't need any new paperwork. I asked the women nicely to double and triple check because I was sure I did. I've run into this trouble before. She finely found what she needed to send me.

Amy's sending me the additional forms needed. Thank goodness these can be faxed to her. She said she would contact the office that takes our calls and ask them what the problem is with my account. She said she put a note on my account where she thought they would see it.

Today I got my surgery scheduled with Dr Pavelka to remove the polyps. I'll be put out for this so I'll have to miss a day of work. What a great way to use my vacation time. The pre-op is on March 31st and surgery is on April 2nd.

I advised RMIA (the clinic the IVF is being done at) of the surgery date. They were fine with it. I was told on Tuesday that if I can't have it done next week the the treatment schedule may need to be changed.

That's all I have for now.

Anna

I meet the Doctor for the first time

Welcome to my blog. This is way to keep up with my infertility treatment. I'm doing IVF (in vitro fertilization). I've already had artificial insemination 6 time with no luck. This is my last hope. I'm using my late husband Judge's sperm.



Today I spent most of the day at the Doctor's office. I started with a psychologist to make sure I'm not mentally ill. I pasted. The I got to drink lots of water to fill my bladder for an ultrasound. While waiting for my bladder to fill up I got to meet with the business office to make payment and sign the concent forms. Then I got to meet with a nurse to explain the tests I was going to be having and go over a few other things. I think this was one of the longest hours of my life. I just wanted to go use the bathroom. Those of you who know me well know that I have a small bladder and don't lease beer or water very long.



An ultrasound is done while the Doctor does a test run of putting the catheter into my uterus. They they filled up my uterus to look for abnormalities.



Both these test paid off. My uterus is shorter then most. This lets the Doctor know how far to put in the embryo's on transfer day. Polyps were found in my uterus. This could be why I haven't gotten pregnant and have irregular cycles. I'll be getting these removed.



As long as I can get in within the next week or so to have the polyps removed I'll be on schedule to have my egg retrieval on April 20th. Which means lots of shots starting at the end of the month.



I'll update as things change. And theirs something to report.



Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I go through this journey.



Anna