Good-bye 1st trimester and Hello 2nd trimester!

Well I am a day behind but i figure that's okay because we still have a long way to go. It is amazing to me that we are a third of the way through this pregnancy. I have to say that it has gone pretty fast since we had so much commotion up to this point. We are also starting to feel more relaxed and excited for this pregnancy now that we hit the crucial 12 week mark. It is stated that the risk for miscarriage drops to less that 1% now. So that helps relieve some of the stress.

As for how I have been feeling...Well, I can say that morning sickness has not been my friend. I never really had much nausea until a few weeks ago, just as i was feeling better from the OHSS. Perhaps that pain just masked the nausea? Within the last week I have become much more sensitive to some smells. Which smells you ask? I never know until it hits me. At this point if i start to feel nauseous, i know something is coming up whereas I was just nauseous before. So meal times are always fun in the Umnus household. I never know what I want to eat and even after it is prepared i may not eat it. Derek has been very patient with me around meal time! So that is the biggest thing to report this week for me. Other than that I still get tired and out of breath easily. Hopefully after our first appointment on Thursday the doctor will lift these restrictions I have had since January 8th and I can start walking again to regain some of my lost muscle and cardio capacity.

Over the past week we have had many congrats over our little bundle of joy. We just feel so blessed to have some many supportive, loving, and caring family and friends. Thank you all for being so excited, because it has helped raise our excitement. We have gotten a few gifts for baby over the past week and I am pretty sure that our child will never go naked.

Derek had the joy of finally telling his co-workers the great news. He took the picture frame with the latest ultrasound picture in it and handed out cupcakes. I can only imagine the big smile he had on his face the whole day.

As for the baby, the books say he/she is about the size of a plum, measuring between 2inches and 3.5 inches. When I look my book and it has a picture of "actual size" I am in disbelief every time. I am just so amazed at the size of our little one already. All the baby's organs are formed at this point and are now in the growing phase. The baby's intestines are now contracting in preparation for after birth. The baby is also now producing hormones from the pituitary gland at the base of the brain. The first time I read that I thought, perhaps that is why i feel so much more sick...thanks kid!

Just one more fun tidbit...as Stef had mentioned on her blog...Come September when the Dinner Club heads out to a restaurant we will have to ask for a table for 18! Derek thinks we will need to rent out a banquet room just to accommodate. No more just showing up at the door, reservations required!

The Secret's Out!

Today is officially 11 weeks and I have been feeling okay. Most of the pain I had with the ovaries really is gone. Gone enough that now I can enjoy the phenomenon called morning sickness. I really only had some light nausea previously but within the last week every morning like clockwork between the hours of 6am-7am i go running for porcelain goddess! Then throughout the day if a smell/thought/look of some food catches me in just the right way, bathroom here I come. Luckily, I have heard that at the 12 week mark this is supposed to let up. So, hopefully that is the case for me! I do get those occasional headaches at night as well, which I am hoping go away with the morning sickness! I know that I am not going to feel "normal" for the next 6 months, but i can't wait for the day that I can start feeling good. I can't remember the last time I felt "okay." However, as much as I dislike these "symptoms" I am so very grateful that I even am given the chance to experience them. It has been a long time waiting.As for Baby Umnus's progress...well all the books say now is the time for rapid growth. It amazes me that the baby will double in size within the next 3 weeks. Right now the baby is between 1.5in to 2.5in...about the size of a large lime.

Well, up until this point only a handful of people have known about our little secret. Tonight is the night when the Dinner Club ladies will be let in on our exciting news. We are all getting together for a ladies night at the Melting Pot. It is will so great to see them because it has been far too long since i have been cooped up in this house. I also sent out some emails to others instead of making a massive amount of phone calls. I can't wait and am happy yet still nervous to let the whole world in. Still nervous because there is still so much time until we meet the little one.

10 Weeks and graduation!

Well, I think the posts from here on out are going be a bit more fun and upbeat. Derek and I went to see Dr. Hayes for another ultrasound and blood work to see how the baby and my ovaries were doing. I am happy to announce that the ovaries are on the retreat! After 8 weeks of attacking me with pain, I have almost none! YEA! Here is a belly picture taken today (10weeks and 3 days). I still am swollen from the ovaries and i don't think it looks much different from a few weeks ago. I suppose it's a good thing though! I was able to get into my biggest pair of jeans today but chose not to button them, because the pressure was too much when i sat down!

My blood work came back good. Everything continues to become more normalized. I lost another 2 pounds so that puts me at a weight loss of 6.5 pounds over the course of this month. Not surprising though due to everything that I have gone through. Dr. Hayes wasn't concerned, it's not like i am a super thin if you know what i mean! The baby is doing good. Dr. says everything looked really good and normal. The baby was very active today (not that I can feel him/her yet) but like Dr. Hayes said he/she was doing aerobics in there. It was the first time we could see movement and it just reinforces what a miracle this whole thing is! It was amazing to see this time because now he/she is really starting to look human and not just a blob. Heartbeat was good at 168bpm as well. I had asked if we would see any lingering effects on the baby due to all the narcotics i had been taking and she said that there should be none. That was such a relief to hear because the first trimester is such an important time period for development. Well here are some pictures of the little one. The last one is a little alien looking because it is just the butt and legs.


And for the word Graduation...well much to our surprise today, we graduated from the Fertility clinic! I knew it was coming but I had thought there would be one more ultrasound and meeting with Dr. Hayes. However, she had said that everything looked really good and since my ovaries are on the retreat that "It looks like you really don't need us anymore." So after i got finished getting dressed and head to the nurses station, we saw this...


It was such an awesome sight to see. It was confirmation of the one thing we wanted to accomplish when we walked through those Clinic doors back in July. I of course got all tearful because I knew it was time to say my "thank you's" and "good bye's". Dr. Hayes and a few of the nurses were standing there to see us out. We are just so appreciative to all that they have done for us and the patience they had with us. I had even said to Dr. Hayes "I know i haven't been the best patient" referring to all the troubles we have had since conception. We already agreed we will be sending them a big thank you with a picture of the little one when it happens. It was also a little strange to be walking out those clinic and hospital doors for the last time. It strangely has become so familiar and routine, really like an extended family. You get to know them so well and vice versa. I guess that happens when you are there every week sometimes more than that!

Now onto the next chapter. We are now just another pregnant couple. That feels a little scary and wonderful at the same time. I really had gotten used to the personal attention we had received at the Fertility Clinic. I have found a new OB. Like I had posted earlier, my regular doctor no longer does OB so I had to look elsewhere. We have decided on Dr. M.S. Young from the Womencare office in the Waukesha area. We really liked and took comfort in the fact that the clinic also performs infertility services. Not that I would fault any other straight OB, but with all we have been through with the infertility, especially the OHSS, I took comfort in the fact that she has experience with it as well. I have heard good things about Womencare and Dr. Hayes seemed to agree. So this means I will be delivering at Waukesha Memorial Hospital, nice and close to home just in case we need to make any more trips to the E.R.! Fingers crossed that that is behind us!

Progress...

Well, I have begun to think that this blog is a little more depressing then I first imagined it! On Monday, I went back in for more repeat blood work because on Friday my levels were abnormal and they were hoping that they would have gotten better. Well, this is Sara we are talking about...the problem pregnant lady from day one. It appeared that my liver enzymes were still elevated, but now my hemocrit was now dropping and the nurse said "it is very disconcerting." Dr. Hayes wanted me to come back in ASAP to have another ultrasound done, but this time down in Radiology because they have stronger equipment for what she wanted them to look for. There was a concern that i was bleeding internally somewhere. Needless to say I freaked out (probably because of hormones, stress/anxiety from the pain, and did I mention the pain?) So, because I was still taking the Percocet i could not drive, nor did i really want to. So i called Derek's mom in a sobbing mess asking her to take me to the hospital because i felt so bad Derek had taken so much time off already from work. Then i called Derek and he tried to calm me down over the phone and assure me that everything was going to be okay. Yeah right! You try being the one who might be bleeding out somewhere and pregnant! But he tried anyway. So, after another long 13.7 mile drive to West Allis Memorial due to the lovely bumps that must have been placed in the road just for me, we arrived to have more ultrasounds done! The Ultrasound was painful to say the least...my Percocet was wearing off, my bladder kept filling up (that's when i am in most pain), and i had to lay flat on my back (also not conducive to full bladder with someone pressing on/in it). It took an hour because they did an trans-vaginal and abdominal ultrasound along with checking my spleen/kidneys/gallbladder/etc. Come to find out...my ovaries are still HUGE and i had a "pocket" of blood that either was surrounding my ovary or a follicle in the ovary (i missed that part) and that is why they figure my blood count dropped. It doesn't appear to be bleeding any longer which is a very good thing. Doctors orders were to still keep resting , drinking ungodly amounts of fluids and wean myself off the Percocet. But the nice thing was to be able to see the baby again and hear the heart beating at 180bpm! We even got a few more pictures to take home.


I had more blood work on Thursday and everything is starting to normalize the nurse said. Thank the Lord! They also said that it looks like i probably hit rock bottom with last stint of pain. My ovaries should start to decrease in size for the remainder of the pregnancy due to certain hormones normalizing the second trimester. It was funny when we arrived in the back, everyone had smiles and appeared to be happy i was upright again. The last few times i have arrived via wheelchair due to the pain and the distance from the front door to the clinic. I had happily announced i was off the Percocet and walking, albeit very slowly, around the house. So we will have another ultrasound next Thursday with Dr. Hayes and it sounds like it sadly might be one of the last. I say that because we have gone through alot together and she technically got us to this point...even though we didn't listen to her at the end...but then again we wouldn't have our little bundle of joy arriving in September!

Here is a picture i took on at 9 weeks and 1 day. It shows how bloated and filled with Ovaries I am. I think i look so much further along and should be funny to see stomach pictures as the pregnancy continues. Perhaps I will just be stuck at this size for alittle while while my ovaries decrease in size and my uterus and baby grow! If that's the case, i need to go shopping because i do not fit into any of my pants and haven't for a few weeks now!


Now I hate to write about it and jinx myself again, but I AM feeling better as each day passes. The pain I was having was some of the worst pain i have EVER experienced. So I have decided that I am fully on board for the epidural train because as I see it i have fulfilled the "laboring" part of the pregnancy contract. That only seems fair right? Somehow i don't think I will get off that easy! Oh well, i just keep praying and keeping my eye on the prize and that has gotten me through. I have some lingering pain in my left side and lower back. I am now upright and walking around the house, able to stand up from a sitting position, able to get myself out of bed (with a little groaning and deep breathing), and able to take a shower on my own again. We have decided that we got alot closer this past week then we ever thought was possible at this stage in our marriage. Derek has been the most wonderful husband i could ask for. He has taken over all the house chores on top of being at my beck and call. I am tearing up just writing about how grateful I am for him. Words cannot express those feelings right now! Thank you so much Honey! I love you!

This is how the bed has looked since last Thursday, sadly Derek has been sleeping on the pullout couch in the spare bedroom partially because there is no room for him. The only way i can "sleep" somewhat "comfy" is basically almost sitting up on my back. It doesn't help that Derek gave me his cold, so this position allows me to not choke on my snot and decreases my coughing fits.

This is where i spend the other part of my day. Sitting in a chair with all my necessities around me so that i don't have to get up for everything and rest my back and belly.

Well, that's it so far. I am now looking for an OB because we only see Dr. Hayes until the 12 week mark and my family doctor no longer does the OB and delivery part. Which is a bummer because that is why i picked her 5 years ago! But this nice thing is that she will be able to be the baby's doctor as well. I really like that she will be treating the whole family, just feels more put together and reassuring!

what a rollercoaster of a first trimester!

I laughed when i realized how i posted i was doing well and was looking forward to my upcoming appointment. Not 45 min after that post i got up to use the restroom and felt that same sharp pain the lower left side as i did a few weeks earlier that landed me in the hospital.

on Jan 26th that sharp stabbing pain was back and there was nothing i could do to sooth it. I called the Doctors office and said i could take some of the remaining percocet i had from the hospital and keep my Friday appointment. That night was horrific. This pain was not like the last, much more intense. So after not sleeping well and basically having Derek carry me to the bathroom, the office called back. They said that i should head to the E.R. for an ultrasound just incase their may be a twisted ovary. It is still something very possable because my ovaries are SO LARGE. So, i had wanted to take a shower prior to going after my pain meds kicked in...well let's just say i had a quick wash cloth wash up and out the door we went to West Allis. We went there just incase they wanted to admit me because that is where Dr. Hayes i located. Let me tell you...that 13.7 mile ride to West Allis sure needs some major repair work or maybe my car just needs new shocks!

Once we arrived, they got us in right away and got some Morphine and Zofram running. I was having 10/10 pain and nauseous. I had not really eaten anything in the past two days and anything i tried to keep down came back up. SO they started me on a IV drip of fluids to jump start that. After 6 vials of blood, a horrific trans vaginal ultrasound (the pain was unbearable and she was a bit rough...even after just been given 2mg of morphine), and a manual examination, they decided that i was dehydrated my sodium was low and i have large ovaries! Well i guess i must say i wasn't surprised, but i just wanted the pain gone. They had informed us though that my ovaries were not at all twisted, just grown since my last ultrasound.

One really nice thing about the ultrasound was that i got to use abdominal ultrasound for the first time! So much nicer i must say! But we also got to see out little one on a growth spurt. He/She is really starting to look like a living creature! you could see the arm and ;eg buds and the forming head and rump. As then we actually SAW the heartbeat! it was 172bpm. A good strong heartbeat even for a mom who is using drugs! :)

When we saw Dr. Hayes on Friday, she skipped the ultrasound since i just had one. But took a bunch more blood. She said i was till pretty dehydrated and the most important thing is to push the fluids. So that has been Derek's number one priority! My sodium was low and my liver enzymes are elevated, so when the nurse called back she wants me to cut back on my pain meds as much as i can. They say these meds don't really affect the baby but there is still reservations. She also said that this should all start setting down by the 2nd trimester. So only a few more weeks to go! yeah!

8 weeks and counting

Well, today I am 8 weeks and 1 day. I have been feeling okay for the most part. I have been "enjoying" the nightly wake up calls to use the restroom and walk a few laps to calm my restless legs down. I have been feeling queasy in the morning and depending on the day it lasts all day. Only had the joy of dry heaving or actually having something come up a few times. I tend to take a snooze in the early afternoon. My clothes are feeling a bit tight for a few weeks now. I don't really wear jeans unless I am leaving the house and even then I have to unbutton them when sitting. However, I think at this point the tightness of my pants has more to do with my massive ovaries than with being pregnant. As for my cravings/aversions....well, I have not eaten Burger King in years and now I have been eating a steady stream of flame broiled hamburgers and Culver's Fries. Good thing those two are close together for Derek's sake! I love fruit, especially blackberries! I find myself waking in the middle of the night to eat a few from the fridge. Derek has been great in running to get something if the mood strikes but no weird cravings yet!

With all these symptoms, I do find myself complaining at times (I am not a good sick person!), but I shut them down right away. This is because I feel so grateful to be experiencing these symptoms that I have waited for so long for. I actually find myself feeling lucky. Then there are times I wish that I could have them all the time because I start to worry when the symptoms come and go.

As for the OHSS, I have been feeling better. I have spent the last two and half weeks on the couch re-watching the LOST tv series and making great strides! The pain in my left lower back is gone whice I hope means that my ovary is longer big enough to be pushing on my back! We go back on Friday to have another ultrasound to check on the baby and my ovaries. I am hoping that the ovaries have shrunk and the baby has grown.

As for the baby, the books I have been reading state he/she is the size of a large raspberry at about a half an inch. By this point the baby is now considered a fetus and has all the organs in which he/she will have when they are born. The baby has gone through three sets of kidneys up until now...that just blows my mind. The eyelid folds, retinas, and ears are forming. The body's trunk is getting longer and straightening out and the toes/fingers are present on the feet/hands.

Coming to a home near you on 9.6.2010

Well, we had wanted to start this blog earlier but have been nervous to do so for many reasons and because of that, it's gonna be a long first post! We have only begun to tell our families of this miraculous news and will wait until the crucial 12 week mark to shout it from the roof top!...okay maybe not the roof top, it might still have snow on it and a pregnant lady probably is best with her feet on the ground...on with the story!

In the beginning, there was a boy named Derek and a girl named Sara. They met in college, fell in love, and got married. A few years later they decided they wanted to have a little baby Umnus to fill the house. As time went on the little one still wasn't arriving, so they went to see a Fertility Doctor in July of 2009. There were lots of questions, tests, and exams. Come to find out Sara had an issue with her insulin (but is not diabetic) which in turn would not allow her eggs/follicles to grow. So she was started on Metformin (a medication to help regulate insulin and hopefully allow her follicles to grow). Alas, that did not occur so it was on to the first plan of attack...Clomid. The clomid pill was supposed to help with that. But it didn't do anything to grow Sara's follicles the first time. Then they wanted to try it again. And again the clomid pill did nothing. It was a sad few months not knowing if a little one would ever be theirs. They talked and researched about the next step. In November they decided to take that next step, plunk down some money, and go for it. Sara then went on for 18 days injecting herself in the stomach with a hormone called Follistim to help grow her eggs.


It was a trial and error with the dosage, going to the doctor every two days for ultrasounds (and not the nice outside of the abdomen ones) to see how the follicles were growing, and having her blood drawn. On December 8th the doctor had said no more with the injections, Sara had grown seven follicles and that was too many to risk with the IUI procedure. She was afraid that all seven could become fertilized and they would be having septuplets. The doctor said the next step would IVF. Sara cried again and was very sad because they had finally gotten to a point that their dream of a child was at their fingertips. It was like having someone slap your hand away from the cookie jar when your hand is half way in it. Up to this point they had endured the joy and pain of seeing others get their dreams of little ones not ever knowing if they would see theirs. You see Fertility treatments are very expensive and often insurance does not cover those costs. They knew they only had so much to spare until they would have to put their dream on hold. So Derek and Sara chose not to heed the doctors warning to abstain and take their chances. Chances that they figured were either going to be very good or not. Besides they couldn't be the only couple going through treatments to not take the doctors advice at a time like this. I mean the eggs are right there almost begging to be fertilized! So came the time of year Derek and Sara had imagined telling their parents that they would become grandparents soon...Christmas. It was a difficult time because there were thoughts of sadness for not being able to see that smile on their parents faces that Derek and Sara have wanted to bring for so long, not knowing if this would be the last year without a child of their own, and feeling like they had failed again to obtain that dream.

Then came December 28th, 2009 at 7:45am. This was day that Sara had in her mind she was going to test. She was supposed to get her period on Christmas Day if her cycles where anything normal, which they were not. It was a shot in the dark. So, as she sat there waiting the allotted 2 minutes she dared the stick to say "pregnant". You see Sara had always gotten the "not pregnant" on the screen and always would place her finger over the "not" just feel even for a very fake second what it would be like. There it was "PREGNANT".
She stood in disbelief for a few minutes before rushing to the bedroom to awake Derek from his sleep. Sara sat next to him, handed the stick over and said look! She had never seen him wake up so fast. "what? did you take this right now?" He had not idea that Sara was even planning to take the test that morning so he was even more surprised. Sara then proceeded to take another two tests and then 2 more then next day...all were positive.

On December 29th Sara called the doctor's office and they had her come right in for a blood test to confirm the pregnancy. 1st Beta came back and her HCG was 58 and progesterone was over 100! She was warned that the HCG number is low, but two more blood tests would be taken. on New Years Eve her HCG was 121 and her progesterone was still above 100. That was good because the numbers are supposed to double every 48 hours. The third test was taken on the second of January with an HCG of 276 and progesterone was 98.5. This was all good news, come to find out the reason the number started out so low...they had found out they were pregnant only 2 weeks pregnant from conception. The next appointment would be an ultrasound set for Jan. 11th to verify that there was indeed a pregnancy in the uterus and how many. The doctor's office was not too happy with them for not following the doctors office. There could be a whole lotta babies in there!

On January 6th Sara had some extreme pains on her lower left side and lower left back. The doctor's office said it could be a few things: a twisted ovary, a very bad UTI, or an ectopic pregnancy. It was the last one that Sara was worried sick about. They said if the pain got worse to go the E.R. Well, as the night went on the pain and anxiety worsened and off they went at 8pm to Waukesha Memorial E.R. where they did more tests and exams. An ultrasound was done and they got to see their little one for the very first time. At that time the sak measured 4weeks and 6days pregnant.
Sara's ovaries...well that is part of what was causing her the pain. The left ovary was 4cm in diameter and the right ovary was 9.63cm in diameter. Ovaries are supposed to be the size of an almond and hers were not! They also noticed fluid in her abdominal cavity. It appears that Sara may have had a cyst (follicle) rupture and that fluid is what was irritating her insides and causing the extreme pain. After multiple doctors and calls to their Fertility Doctor it was decided to transfer Sara to West Allis Women's Pavilion as that is where her doctor is located. So at 4am with IV in arm, she was sent via ambulance in the beginning of a major snowstorm, to West Allis.

At West Allis, they were kind enough to provide Sara with Percocet for the pain. Derek says she was falling asleep quite frequently. The Doctor came in to examine Sara and was not so happy with her. She said "I am not surprised your are sick Sara, you're not supposed to be pregnant." You see, Sara not only had a cyst (follicle) rupture she also was suspected of having OHSS (ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome). It is something that can happen after injecting with stimulating hormones. Normally, the ovaries and follicles would decrease in size naturally but because Sara is pregnant, the HCG is feeding the ovaries and not allowing them to decrease. So the doctors orders are to sit on the couch with her feet up and drink a lot of water. The doctor is afraid that Sara could rupture again or still have an ovary twist with too much activity. They went home on January 8th with additional orders for a repeat ultrasound on January 15th.

On January 15th they went in for another ultrasound( again not the nice outside the abdomen kind...she doesn't know what that one is like). The doctor started and said "well i guess we will look at the ovaries first since they are crowding the uterus" It was amazing...Sara's ovaries GREW to 7cm each and they are now touching each other they are so big. Then the part that Derek and Sara were very worried about was the baby. They could tell the sak looked bigger and it was! It measured at 6weeks 4days! Sara was getting more and more nervous because at first the doctor could not find the embryo only the sak, but there it was.
Next up was to see if there was a heartbeat. It took her a little bit again but she found it and it was music to our ears. 123 bpm! Sara asked the doctor "are you sure that's not my ovary", and they all laughed. So more "couch rest" and water. This time Doctor doesn't even want Sara bending. Derek has been so helpful doing all the housework. They will be back for another ultrasound on January 29th.


So there you have it, Derek and Sara's journey through life and infertility to obtain their dream of a little baby Umnus. Told you the first post was gonna be a long one! And in the words of Paul Harvey, "And now you know the rest of the story."