So what in the world are those Bratchers up to now? I mean beside being "essential workers," surviving a national pandemic, raising three- super fun kiddos and just being all around non-stop? Well, as you've heard- we're adding one more to the mix!
I'd like to say that I'm a medical miracle, but I'm not sure how that works. Maybe that's the point though- I have no idea how this worked. I mean, obviously, we know how this works. Not sure how we go from paying thousands of dollars for a shot at getting pregnant and even failing embryo transfers to donating our frozen embryos to conceiving naturally... 2020, right?
So once upon a time, I was feeling yucky. I very rarely feel sick and I hardly ever go to a doctor outside of fertility issues- heck- I didn't even have a family doctor until I scheduled an appointment to see if I had the flu or something else (Not even going to jinx myself). After scheduling with a new doctor- I reexamined my symptoms and thought, if I was normal... these symptoms would mean... huh... I took a test and made a different appointment that day.
How could I not know immediately, right? Well, I don't have a regular period, and I've been diagnosed as infertile- that's all.
In making that appointment- I turned out to be an assertive patient and even though the nurse practitioner tried to brush me off with a urine test (Hello, I already did that part myself!) I was able to get an ultrasound to determine viability. So there ya go.
In processing the news, I went on to schedule an ultrasound with Early Images in Jeff the next week and then because, well, this was big news to process- I emailed my fertility doctor and set up another ultrasound for the week after that. (She was on maternity leave but I got in with another doc in the practice, who was so helpful!) So three weeks into knowing and three ultrasounds later- I start cooking up announcement ideas and Christmas cards. Processing. I have since had several (many) ultrasounds and doppler checks to assure my heart and head that this is real!
That brings us quickly to nausea, fatigue, irritability and all those cute pregnancy symptoms. Happily welcomed with a "FREE BABY?!!?" mentality. Haha.
Here's the craziest part (I mean, not the craziest but if you followed my two other pregnancies, its crazy), I haven't had hives!! No insane itching, no raised welps and no over heating skin to cool down. Yes, there is sensitive skin, a dry spot here and there- but no itching hives!! So, per my case study on myself- it had to be the IVF drugs that my body was reacting to, right? I have gotten sick- more than with Lucy, less than with Miles and Callie- whatever that means. The heart rate from yesterday (Dec 10) was 154 with the doppler, as it was the shortest visit in the history of doctors appointments.
I have an appointment scheduled for the anatomy scan on Jan 4- which will be just past 19 weeks. We will hopefully be able to find out the gender. Who needs more surprises.... hehe. My official due date is May 28, which is also the last teacher day of school. We will see what happens!
