We are so, so excited for this pregnancy. We have been trying to get pregnant for quite some time, and it finally happened. DISCLAIMER: From this point forward, this post will contain details of our efforts to become pregnant. I'll gloss over the disgusting stuff when I can, but you have been warned. Read at your own risk.
Our story actually starts about three years ago; a year after we were married. I had missed a period, but I wasn't too concerned because the pregnancy test I took came back negative and I was in the middle of finals at the time. It was not unheard of for me to miss a period due to stress, so I thought nothing of it and figured it would come when it was supposed to the following month. And indeed, I did get my period when I expected it that next month. Brian and I were on vacation in Florida at the time, going to Busch Gardens and Sea World. The period was exceptionally heavy, but I chalked it up to having missed the last one. Then I ran out of all of the pads I had brought on the vacation. This was odd, because I had packed way more than I would have needed out of an abundance of caution. I started mentally counting back the days and realized I had been bleeding pretty heavily for a week and a half. I freaked out and made Brian take me to an Urgent Care Center in Florida.
The doctor there tested me to make sure I wasn't pregnant. Then he advised me to see an OB/GYN as soon as we got home, but said that I probably didn't have to worry about anything. We went home a few days later, and I made an appointment with the first doctor that could see me right away. She diagnosed me with poly-cystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Fortunately, I didn't have the symptom that the condition was named after, so no cysts on my ovaries. The bad news was that my ovaries were not producing mature eggs and therefore not making the hormones that should control my menstrual cycle. I ended up taking artificial hormones to control my cycle and make the bleeding stop, but for the next couple of years I would go through the awful cycle of a few months of no bleeding and then bleeding for several straight weeks.
About a year ago, Brian and I decided we would like to have a baby. My doctor recommended using ovulation strips for a few months to see if my body had started to ovulate on its own. Three months later, we confirmed that it had not. And so began the cycles of Clomid and Metformin. We went through six cycles of Clomid, but I never got any real results. Some months I wouldn't have any follicles on my ovaries. Some months I would have one or two shrimpy, dinky follicles. On those months, I would get a shot of Ovadrel in my stomach to try to coax those follicles into releasing an egg. No dice. Finally, my doctor suggested I switch to Femara. On the first round of Femara and Metformin, we had success! A large, healthy follicle appeared on my ovary. I got my shot of Ovadrel in the stomach, Brian and I went home to do our part, and two weeks later I had a positive pregnancy test.
We were over the moon with happiness. We decided not to let anyone know just yet in case we miscarried. Indeed, we had a few scares. I had some bouts of spotting and cramping that had me convinced I was losing the baby, but each time it stopped after a few hours. We finally went in for our 8-week ultrasound and heard the heartbeat. We knew that reduced the risk of miscarriage to 3-5%, so we finally felt safe enough to tell our families, but we held off on the more public Facebook announcement. Two weeks later, I started to cramp really badly. It was far worse than any menstrual pain I had ever experienced. The cramps were continuous and lasted for four hours, at which point I called the doctor and asked her to check on the baby. Obviously, everything was fine and the baby was healthy, but the cramps continued when I got home. In fact, they were so bad that I threw up from the pain (the only vomiting I have done thus far in the pregnancy). The next morning, they were gone, and I've not had any since. My doctor said that sometimes these things happen in a pregnancy and not to worry about it.
Yesterday, I went in for the 12-week appointment. The baby was growing right on schedule and had a strong, healthy heartbeat. I finally felt confident enough to tell the world that we were pregnant and due in July.
So, the housework went undone for a few weeks, and there were several nights when Brian had to make his own dinner (because I couldn't stand the smell of food and I was too tired to make it). He was a champ and completely catered to my every pregnant whim. He also got a little over-protective about me lifting things, but I'm not complaining because I get to sit back and take it easy. I think my favorite part of this whole thing is to watch how excited he is to be a father. For a while there, I felt incredibly guilty for not being able to get pregnant, like I had somehow "cheated" my husband out of a family. (Brian did not see it this way, it was all in my paranoid little mind.) Fertility is definitely something I had taken for granted. My mother comes from a large family, and there always seems to be a new birth or two each year. I had always assumed that when I wanted kids, I would be able to have them relatively easily and without medical intervention. Obviously, that was not the path that God chose for me.
Sometimes I wonder how many children I will be able to have. Will I have to try so hard for any subsequent pregnancies? Will Femara work for me again, or will I have to try something else? But for the most part, I try to focus on and enjoy the pregnancy I have. I try to save my wondering for this baby...will it be a boy or a girl? Who will it look like? What kind of person is growing inside of me? I guess I will have to wait and find out.
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