On Saturday we went to a tea hosted by my RE for his new parents and pregnant patients. He does this twice a year, and it's a nice chance to see him and the staff who helped us get here, and meet other IFers who've had success.
He went around the room to chat with each couple, so we got a few minutes with him. He called us his trailblazers.
Last year, after our terrible SIRM cycle in Las Vegas, we decided to move on to donor eggs, and wanted to come back to our local RE, who had done our first 4 IVFs. However, at the time he didn't offer CGH testing of embryos (tests all 23 chromosomes), just FISH PGD (tests 9 chromosomes), and his shared risk plan required transferring 2 embryos. I contacted him and explained we were ready to do donor eggs, and that we really wanted to work with him, but only if he could offer us CGH testing, and would do single embryo transfers. He agreed (although it meant we couldn't do any version of the shared risk plans), so we were the first patients to get CGH via his clinic.
He shared with us on Saturday that now CGH is standard, single embryo transfers are standard, and frozen transfers are standard, and that he considers us the reason they moved that direction.
Feels good to have helped, indirectly, all those patients who came after us.
And since we expect to start working with him again at the end of 2013, we were happy to hear he's now doing the endometrial scratch that's proven to dramatically increase implantation rates.
In other news, we had our newborn care class yesterday, which was relatively useful and interesting. Nothing earthshaking, but good information. Both my husband and I have read a lot of books, so the class stuff tends to be largely repetitive.
Breastfeeding class is Thursday, and I haven't done much reading on it yet, so hopefully will be a more valuable class.
I've also realized that I've entered the swollen ankles/feet part of this pregnancy. Even in the mornings my ankles are a little swollen, and by the end of the day, ankles are visibly swollen and feet are puffy.
And I'm horrified to admit that my belly button may be starting to turn into an outie. I had a navel piercing way back when (removed when I had my laparoscopy in August 2009), so one side is kind of pinned down, but when the baby was pushing my belly yesterday, the other side definitely bulged a bit. Eeek!
33 weeks and 2 days today. Tomorrow we can say we have five and a half weeks to go. Yikes!
My husband and I started trying to have a baby in 2007. We ended up doing 5 rounds of IVF with our own eggs, miscarrying twice due to chromosomal abnormalities, and then moved to donor eggs. Our son was born in 2012. After two unexplained miscarriages trying for a sibling, we found a gestational surrogate, who carried our second son (2015) and our daughter (2018).
I highly recommend compression socks for your swollen feet and ankles. You can get them at the drugstore. ;)
ReplyDeleteYay! Hooray for being trailblazers. I had never heard of the endometrial scratch, so thanks for that link.
ReplyDeleteUnsolicited advice here ;) but have your husband go to breastfeeding class with you. I was one of three gals without a husband there, and it would have been nice for him to hear how hard it was going to be ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're a trailblazer - we need more of those!
He did go to breastfeeding class with me - nearly all the attendees were couples - and I think he found it useful, at least to understand what all is involved. :)
DeleteHow awesome that you were able to attend the RE's tea. Very nice gesture on his part. And so great to be named the trailblazers and to know that you really helped the clinic step into new and better ways of doing things.
ReplyDeleteAnd did you say 33 weeks?!?! Really! The countdown is ON.
What an awesome way to spend your afternoon, an RE tea :) Glad you got to meet and greet other IFers :) Have fun at the breastfeeding class!! you are so much more prepared than me, we didn't have time for any of those classes :)
ReplyDeletecompression hose/socks/knee-highs are the answer! I've been battling swelling since about week 25 and compression hose are the only thing that has a. kept it under control and b. eliminated it. I put them on first thing in the morning and don't take them off until I get back into bed at night.
ReplyDeleteThat is sooo awesome to hear of the changes at your RE's office inspired because of you. We did an eSET too....got lucky and I guess that's why I am such a huge believer in it. Anyway...each to their own. Hang in there! Not much longer!
ReplyDelete33 weeks!!! So happy for you! That's so cool that you're trailblazers. And so nice that your RE gave you the credit for it!
ReplyDeleteWe were at the same tea party! I wish I would have met you. Good luck with your upcoming birth!
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