Pregnancy tracker: Week 7

How many weeks pregnant?
7 weeks!!

Which trimester am I in?
1^st trimester

Estimated delivery date?

17 April 2014 (per conception date); 13 April 2014 (per first ultrasound)

Weight gain?

Yes, I am now 52 kg (was 50 kg before I started IVF #2)

Pregnancy symptoms?

Nausea, urge to vomit, headache from time to time, sleepy, lazy, not much appetite for food, and mild cramping.

Medicines?

After breakfast: Calcium 600 with Vit D and Duphaston

After lunch: Pregnacare Plus

After dinner: Folic acid 5mg and Duphaston

My doctor told me to stop taking the suppositories (Cyclogest).

Cravings / Aversions?

Sweet corn on cob with butter and salt, mango, sampaloc

Best moment of the week?
Seeing our baby again and hearing the heartbeat. We are so happy that the heartbeat increased to 133 bpm. My doctor also said that everything is normal and our baby is healthy. Our baby can also be seen clearly in the ultrasound now. It happens to be our anniversary (as a couple) as well. Since we are still trying to be careful, we just went to a nearby Japanese restaurant. I was craving for their sushi since last week!

What am I looking forward to?
Our next appointment after 2 weeks! I am also looking forward to bringing back my appetite so I could enjoy eating the food that I want.

What emotions have I experienced this week?
Mostly happy and relieved that our baby is doing great!

Am I wearing maternity clothes?
Not yet.. just the usual. But I started using tights since my jeans can’t be zipped up anymore. I also can’t wear my body-fit clothes anymore since my belly has started to bulge.

Stretch marks?
None yet :)

Has my belly button popped out yet?
Not yet.

Baby movements?
None yet, I think it’s still too early for me to feel it.

Boy or Girl?
To be confirmed soon.

Sleep?
Yes, I usually have 2 naps (in the morning and in the afternoon). But then I sleep around 12mn at night and I wake up once or twice to pee. I also observed that my sleep at night is not straight.. I usually wake up in the middle of the night and find it hard to fall to sleep again. So I recharge and try to recover my lost sleep during my 2 naps. J

Have I been nesting?
Not yet. Will probably start on the 7^th month.

Pregnancy tracker: Week 6

How many weeks pregnant?

6 weeks!!



Which trimester am I in?
I'm in the 1st trimester!

Weight gain?
Since I started IVF, yes. Probably gained 2 kg.

Pregnancy symptoms?
Still the same symptoms-- crying easily, peeing a lot, bloated, hungry all the time, and I get winded easily. My heart races sometimes.

Estimated delivery date?

According to my ultrasound, 13-Apr-14.

Medicines?

Elevit (once daily).
Folic acid 5mg, Progyluton (white tablets), and Cyclogest suppository.

Pregnancy tracker: Week 5

How many weeks pregnant?
5 weeks!!

Which trimester am I in?
I'm in the 1st trimester!

Estimated delivery date?

According to my ultrasound, 13-Apr-14.

Weight gain?
Since I started IVF, yes. Probably gained 2 kg.

Pregnancy symptoms?

I have very good appetite on food and feel hungry all the time. I also feel that my tummy is so big now. I pee a lot, and I’m starting to have morning sickness.

Medicines?

Started taking prenatal vitamins – Elevit (once daily).

Folic acid 5mg, Progyluton (white tablets), and Cyclogest suppository.

The first glimpse

Ever since booking the appointment yesterday, I feel very excited so see our baby(ies). I am constantly praying that our baby(ies) is(are) in perfect position and good health.

When we arrived at the clinic, the nurses and assistants are saying their congratulations for my positive pregnancy. I've become an instant celebrity! I can't help the big smile on my face.

Dr. M came and said that she's also very excited to do the ultrasound. I had a transV ultrasound since it is still too early to detect my pregnancy via abdominal ultrasound. When my doctor probed inside, the tiny black thing was immediately located. It is called the gestational sac, which contains our baby. It measures 1.23 cm. Inside the gestational sac is the yolk sac (the small white circle). The embryo is still so tiny to be seen clearly. At 5 weeks, the embryo is ~3 mm around the size of a sesame seed. Hopefully by next week, we could see the embryo clearly and see/hear the fetal pole (heartbeat).

Yes, there is only one. We are looking forward to seeing two sacs but actually, having one is more than enough! This is really the fulfillment of God's promise to us. Carrying twins is also more risky so it is a relief to just have one at a time. We could also devote all our love and attention to our baby, who will for sure grow up be a good child.

While on the way back home, my husband asked me what would I prefer -- a girl or a boy. I told him that any gender is fine.. having a baby is more than I could ask for! He said that he's also okay with any gender but since his siblings only have girls in their family, he would prefer a boy so there would be a continuation of their legacy. Therefore, in order to have a balance, I told him that I will lean towards having a girl then!

As the days pass, I feel more and more excited. I just can't get enough of seeing our baby in the ultrasound! I usually search for ultrasound pictures and videos in the internet so I could anticipate what I would be seeing in the next couple of weeks. I am looking forward to each day, each week, and each month to come!

We are definitely pregnant!!

18dp3dt (18 days past 3-day transfer) – had my post hormone blood test today. My beta HCG is now 3,036! Thank you Lord! The nurse said her congratulations and told me that I will receive a call on Saturday for the schedule of my ultrasound appointment with Dr. M. I can’t wait!

BFP!

14dp3dt (14 days past 3-day transfer) – had my post hormone blood test today. I should have done it at D12. Unfortunately, it was the Eid holidays here so I have to prolong the waiting time to Day 14! I received the good news at 6pm. My beta HCG increased to 649, which is definitely a BFP (Big Fat POSITIVE!!). We are so happy and excited! The nurse said that the Doctor doesn’t confirm a pregnancy until something is seen in the ultrasound. So I will be doing my blood work again after 4 days. The general rule for a healthy pregnancy is that the previous beta HCG should double every 2 days. Therefore, after 4 days my beta HCG should be around 2,600. Based on my research, the gestational sac is usually seen in the ultrasound if the beta HCG is >2,000. So hopefully upon confirmation of my beta HCG levels on Thursday, I could have my first ultrasound and see my baby(ies)!

The 2-week wait

Below is also a table of development for the next days:

Days Past Transfer (DPT)	Embryo Development
One	The embryo continues to grow and develop, turning from a 6-8 cell embryo into a morula
Two	The cells of the morula continue to divide, developing into a blastocyst
Three	The blastocyst begins to hatch out of its shell
Four	The blastocyst continues to hatch out of its shell and begins to attach itself to the uterus
Five	The blastocyst attaches deeper into the uterine lining, beginning implantation
Six	Implantation continues
Seven	Implantation is complete, cells that will eventually become the placenta and fetus have begun to develop
Eight	Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) starts to enter the blood stream
Nine	Fetal development continues and hCG continues to be secreted
Ten	Fetal development continues and hCG continues to be secreted
Eleven	Levels of hCG are now high enough to detect a pregnancy

Source: http://www.nyufertilitycenter.org/ivf/embryo_transfer

4dp3dt (4 days past 3-day transfer) – had my post hormone blood test today. I got a call around 9pm saying that my levels are okay but my Doctor recommends me to take HCG shot to boost my estrogen and progesterone levels. We arrived at the clinic before 10pm. The nurse prepared my injection (Pregnyl). She administered the injection in my left shoulder.

8dp3dt (8 days past 3-day transfer) – had my post hormone blood test today. My hormone levels are good and my beta HCG is 39.5.. This is really great! However, since I took my HCG booster in D4, part of my HCG level is from that injection. Therefore, I cannot celebrate yet!

Food intake during the 2ww: I’ve read in the internet that pineapple and Brazilian nuts are good for embyo implantation. Therefore, I ate 1-2 slices of fresh pineapple (including the core) for the first 5 days after my transfer. Since hubby can’t find Brazilian nuts in the grocery, he bought all kinds of nuts that he could find! However, I only feel like eating the roasted almond nuts. The nurse also recommended to take a lot of protein especially meat and to limit from sweets especially chocolates. I feel usually hungry after taking my medicines. Therefore, I ensure that I eat snacks in between. I normally take toasted bread (with peanut butter or with butter+fruit preserve), hard-boiled egg, crackers, and fruits like apple, grapes, and kiwi. I also take plenty of water.

 

Food no-no’s: I’ve read that it is not recommended to eat the following food

·         Anything with raw egg – mayonnaise, icing

·         Soft and blue cheese

·         Raw shellfish and big fish that might contain mercury

What kept me busy during the 2ww?
I started playing Farmville 2 online. During my previous IVF cycle, I spent the 2ww almost paranoid everyday. I usually search the internet non-stop about other IVF success stories and failures. And I end up having more negative thoughts. But this time around, playing the online game really diverted my attention! I also watched Breaking Bad and 24 series. I intentionally avoided watching Koreanovelas and drama movies because I usually cry even at small stuff. I take naps in the morning and in the evening because I usually sleep around 12mn or 1am. I also do some light exercise in the morning (~20 mins) while watching/singing praise songs. From time to time, I also chat with my family, relatives and friends.