Final amnio results are in: Bug has 23 lovely pairs of matched chromosomes and the AFP test detected no neural tube defects. Pending Cartwheel list... a fork is stuck within you!1. Beta #1 (12/29 - 13dpo): 242 - check!
2. Beta #2 (1/2 - 17dpo): 1,206 - check!
3. Beta #3 (1/7 - 22dpo): 8,848 - check!
4. Ultrasound #1 (1/13): 6 weeks - check!
5. Ultrasound #2 (1/20) - 7 weeks - check!
6. Ultrasound #3 (1/29) - 8w2d - check!
7. Ultrasound #4 (2/10) - 10 weeks. I have never made it this far before. - check!
8. First appt with OBGYN (2/11) - 10w1d - check!
9. Genetic counseling + 1st trimester screening (2/17) - check! (risk reduced to 1/1,000)
10. Viability aka Crazy Lady ultrasound 13 weeks (3/4) - check!
11. 2T scan/maybe amnio @ 17 weeks (@ 3/30, results 4/9) - check!
Never ever, did I think when I started this checklist on December 29th, as a way of maintaining my sanity, that I would make it all the way through. Even as the news got more and more promising from appointment to appointment (let's pretend that hemmoraghing episode at 7.5 weeks never happened) and I started to feel a little more secure, did I think I'd arrive at #11, with everything checked off.
How in the world did I get here? I was told at my second RE appointment back in December 2007 that I needed to start considering donor eggs. I've gone through 8 surgeries over the past 2.3 years (6 of them baby-making related) and had the worst AMH I've ever heard of pre-menopause (.01). I had one lazy ovary to work with thanks to severe endometriosis that was totally asymptomatic and I had no idea I had until a well-we-might-as-well-there's-nothing-else-to-do laprascopy revealing my ovaries pinned behind my uterus with a 5cm cyst attached to each and the left one eaten away by lesions. That one lazy ovary routinely showed a measly 2-3 antral follicles when tested. Every article I've ever read said that if an IVF cycle does not have an E2 level > 500 by Day 10 of stims, it had no chance of success. My E2 was 239 on Day ELEVEN. I didn't get to over 500 until Day 14 and would up stimming a world-record 18 days. Every statistic in the book says that Bug and I should not be here. Yet here we are.
Thanks to an awesome (2nd) RE and a spunky out-of-nowhere healthy baby, I say: Pthrrrrrrrrfffffffft
Woot woot!
I remember when you started this checklist and now your done! yea! One cute healthy baby coming up :)
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful! It's so great to see all of these milestones met!
ReplyDeleteYou should print off the checklist and frame it!!
ReplyDeleteYippee & congrats!! Consider me doing cartwheels right along beside you!! :)
ReplyDeleteYay! What a huge milestone for you and bug! I remember when you made the check off list -- so fabulous to see you standing on the completed end now!
ReplyDeleteHow freakin amazing!!!! Everything has worked out so well. This noodle baby is meant to be. I am so excited for you. Make sure that you cartwheel with plenty of padding around you because I am pretty sure that your belly is sustantial st this point. You are one tough chic!
ReplyDeleteWoooohoooo! What great news! So glad everything turned out so great. Can't wait to keep following this baby. :) And you too of course!
ReplyDeleteI remember first seeing that list and thinking how daunting ( for anyone - but for you with thst history you just relayed - really frickin scary!
ReplyDeleteYou are an inspiration!!!!! I'm so so happy for you and glad to be able to share a tiny part of this journey!
So isn't it time you found out the gender or aren't you doing thst?
Doing cartwheels in my head for you!!!
You give hope! I'm so happy to hear you've made it through your checklist, now begin the list that ends "bring home healthy baby" :)
ReplyDeleteLots of hugs!
I'm jumping up and down for you right now Lara! This is just fucking awesome. AWESOME!!!! You are going to get that take-home baby with Bug. Whoo hooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteIncredibly awesome! I agree...time for a new checklist!!
ReplyDeleteYeah, Lara!!! Fantastic news!! I am so happy for you!!!
ReplyDeleteWAHOO!!! I am so happy for you!! =) Now you can come up with a new checklist of things to do before bug gets here!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations!!! I am so happy for you and you give girls like me hope that despite some bad test results, pregnancy is still very possible.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your beautiful miracle.
Oh yeah baby...YIPPY!!!!! So happy for you, knew you would beat the odds =) I love, love, love seeing all those "check" marks in green and nothing left to check off!
ReplyDeleteYAY! What amazing news! I'm so happy for you. Here's to a healthy and happy nine months!
ReplyDeleteKait @ esperanzasays.wordpress.com
YAY!!! I knew you'd be putting that final check on the list soon! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm right next to you on the highway...see me there?? Yay for the cartwheels! I'm so happy for you, Lara. This is such great news. And who would have thunk it? I think back to when I first 'met' you on the boards and things seemed so bleak...and now here we are a little over a year later and you are well on your way to holding a baby in your arms. It's a miracle for sure and I'm so glad that God has gifted you this way. I get all emotional just thinking about it. :-)
ReplyDeleteAwesome!! Looking at those cartwheels and - do I even see a backflip or two? This is wonderful news.
ReplyDeleteawesome news! i'm doing cartwheels for you here in Toronto!
ReplyDeleteOMG this is all so freakin awesome man! Cartwheel your a$$ off girl!
ReplyDeleteWoot woot is right! For the checklist and what is represents!
ReplyDelete