We saw the perinatal doctor yesterday for an advanced anatomy ultrasound (you know, because I'm as old as dirt) and it was very clear as soon as the ultrasound started that our little one is a lady! She looked perfect, healthy and growing right as we'd hoped.
I am writing this post more for posterity than any other reason. While cleaning the office/playroom today, I found the scraps of paper on which I noted the details of our most recent IVF experience. I probably failed to mention that during our IVF Andrew had surgery to remove his tonsils and adenoids. After many months of constant strep infections and too many rounds of antibiotics that did not work, we decided surgery was our best option.
So, of course, it was a stressful time for all of us. In the harried phone calls from the IVF nurses, I made notes in crayon and sharpie on scraps of paper found on the kitchen counter. So much different than how our previous IVF cycles were recorded!
Out of the 12 eggs retrieved, 11 were mature and 10 fertilized. We did a five-day transfer. We transferred three embryos. We were hesitant, but trusted the advice of our doctor who said he didn't think adding the third one would increase our chances of having multiples, but could increase our chances of having a pregnancy.
Now, I can't help but wonder if that last embryo (that we came very close to saying no to) is the one that stuck around. Of course, there is no way of knowing. I took a home pregnancy test one week after our transfer and got a faint positive. Another test the morning of our beta was darker. Our first beta came back at 61. Our second was 203. Our first ultrasound showed a gestational sac, but it was a scary appointment with a strange doctor (or maybe she was a PA?) doing the initial scan and after what seemed like endless searching, decided to get our doctor. Those moments waiting for him to get out of surgery were tense and long. Greg reassured me that Dr. V is the "wand" expert and he would find the sac. But I was not so sure. Of course, Greg was right and no sooner did my beloved doctor start the scan did he announce "there's a sac right there, see?" And I did see, but my view was blurred by hot tears of relief and joy. The next scan showed a yolk sac and then a heartbeat, though the embryo was measuring a couple of days behind. More worry and then, our last visit to Dr. V at seven weeks and all was well. We "graduated" once again to our regular OB.
Since then, we've had a pretty normal pregnancy, with the exception of my Advanced Maternal Age, which led us to the perinatologist yesterday. We were nervous going in, but our sweet baby looked perfect.
And now the work of moving begins in earnest. We meet with our realtor tonight to discuss our options, uncertain of what to do with this house and not sure of where we'll end up or what kind of house (or job) we'll find waiting for us on the East Coast.
But we are certain of God's providence in our lives. He has always provided. And His timing has always been perfect. So that is what buoys us in this rising tide of uncertainty. I have no idea who my new OB will be, because so much of that is out of our hands once we move back home where a large military hospital exists. We have no idea who will deliver this precious baby and it is going to break my heart to leave my doctor, who so skillfully pulled my son from my womb and stitched me back together again three years ago. I remember his words that day when things went bad and my heart broke over the emergency caesarean... "this is not your call. You ARE leaving here with a live baby." And, thankfully, we did.
No doubt God was guiding the series of events that led us back to Louisiana after Greg's deployment, though we fought it tooth and nail for many months. He knew that this baby was waiting for us here, in the expert hands of our Dr. V, we got another miracle -- of the girl variety! And we are so excited to start this new adventure as a family of four.
