Down Regulation started with daily injections of Buserelin. (CD21)
To supress my natural cycle, before stimulation begins.
Caused a few hot flushes, but other than that – I felt fine. I just looked the other way, while Keith did the deed…..
11th June 2014
A welcome, good knees up with friends to watch Kasabian, live in concert!!
For the first time in all these months of being over cautious, I even enjoyed a tipple or two. “During meds?” I hear you cry- Absolutely. I let my hair down and just enjoyed being me again. This was either going to work, or it wasn’t. And so far, my over cautiosness wasn’t making baby.
21st June 2014
Started stimulation with Menopur injections daily.
To stimulate the ovaries into producing more follicles.
For a few of the days I was still having to down regulate too. Mind boggling.
24th June 2014
Internal scan showed 12 follicles growing nicely.
I was obsessed with numbers. although we only really needed one good egg….. the more I heard were growing, the more positive I felt.
Had regular scans to monitor the lining of the womb and follicle growth so they can tweak dosage of meds depending on how you are responding to treatment.
(That bloody probe…)
1st July 2014
Trigger injection at 10pm (Saturday), ready for egg collection Monday
A trigger injection matures the eggs before releasing them from follicles. They carefully plan this to be around the 36 hour mark (varies) before your collection.
I was away at a spa – so popped it in a plastic tub and took it away with me and stuck it in the fridge. Again, by this point I’d given up on letting the process of making baby, stop me from doing things.
My friend did the injection while I watched Magic Mike, stuffing my face with pizza.
5th July 2014
Egg Retrieval Day!
Put to sleep for Egg collection.
21 eggs collected …. & Keith gave his (super sperm) sample.
I woke to news of a great collection number, felt really positive, and slightly sore. Period type cramping and suspected mild OHSS (Over Hyperstimulation Syndrome). Common in assisted fertility.
7th July 2014
Phone call to confirm 12 fertilised (Over the moon)
Now all 12 embryos are monitored using an Embryoscope machine (not all clinics have this option, but its known to boost success rates by 10%)
8th July 2014
Mild OHSS confirmed by blood test.
Lots of Gatorade, dyoralyte and water and rest at home.
(One of my HypoGoogleChondriatic searches told me that drinking things with electrolytes can ease OHSS)
9th July 2014
Egg Transfer Day! The final hairy leg!
2 Blastocysts transferred (5 day transfer)
We were told all the way through, we would only have one, single embryo transferred. So this came as a real shock. But after all of 5 minutes to decide, we opted for two!
PUPO (pregnant until proved otherwise)
remaining embryos still dividing – would be frozen.
Cue the desperate google searches to reassure me my embryos didn’t fall out after sneezing………
12th July 2014
Phone call to confirm that none of our remaining embryos were suitable for freezing. All we had left where the 2 in my tummy.
This meant if the embryos we had transferred didn’t take, we would have to go through all of the meds (and heartache) all over again.
Cue the catastrophic, hormonal meltdown in the middle of Waitrose veg aisle…
16th July 2014
Found a hatched egg in the garden.
This was my sign….
(either my embryo’s had hatched and fell out afterall, or someone up there was sending me a vivid message that things were ok…..)
17th July 2014
I tested at home (shoot me) – I got a very strong positive, but was told this could still be picking up the trigger shot and to stop testing.
Of course, I didn’t stop….
17th July 2014
Official test day.
Big Fat Positive (BFP)
WE ARE PREGNANT
We were away with friends, and their reaction was caught in camera! Priceless.
How we managed not to tell them by now….
23rd July 2014
Our first scan confirmed the pregnancy
Not just one little miracle…….TWINS ON BOARD!!
“Ok, so here’s the heartbeat”….. the lady said, showing us a perfectly perfect beating little nugget.
“And….. here’s the other… you’re going to be a twin mummy”……
7 weeks and 1 day – We are so blessed.
(Keith went grey)
12th August 2014
12 week scan (on my Birthday!)
Estimated Due Date – 30th March 2015
Finally announced to the world our news!
18th September 2014
Ronnie and Arnie born at 31+4 weeks by emergency caesarean, 100 miles from home, following a very scary few stays in hospital after going into preterm labour at 28 weeks. Thankfully the nurses worked their magic and i could hold onto them for a little longer.
Arnie Hill weighed in at 3lb10oz
Ronnie Hill weighed in at 3lb15oz
After a short stay, we got transferred nearer to home, where Arnie came home at 3 weeks old, and Ronnie at 6 weeks old after a stay in neonatal.
FINALLY – we were complete!
30th January 2015