Follicle Check!

Today was FINALLY our doctor appointment to check the progress of the medication! We got to Fort Bragg about an hour earlier than I had scheduled my appointment because I am crazy and always over prepare to avoid being even close to late! =) But I went to the lab first to have my blood work done and then headed over to the clinic. They got me in right away and my appointment was actually done by the scheduled time! I had the male doctor this time, Dr. Parker! He is the Reproductive Endocrinologist. He first looked at my lining and said that it measured at about 8mm (if I remember correctly!) and said that number is very good and that just shows how much estrogen is being produced by the ovaries! Then he moved to the first ovary and my heart sank. I don't know what I was expecting grown follicles to look like, but I didn't think that I saw anything in there.. until he started measuring on the screen!!! Then he moved to the second one.. and the same thing happened!! I literally was choking back tears.. again.. but this time they were the complete opposite kind of tears than they were last time! He said that they like the follicles to measure between 17 and 22 before they do the IUI. I had six follicles all together and they measured at 18, 16, 11, 11, 10, and 10! I can't even explain how happy I was when I heard these numbers. I can't even think about it without tears! So the doctor told me that the nurse would be in within a few minutes to talk to me about the next step! Natalie had stepped out, so we talked to Dori and she told us that her or Natalie would call us as soon as they got the results of my blood work back so that they knew when I could do the trigger shot and then she went over how to do that one with us. We stayed in the hospital for a little while while Savier caught up with an old friend who is stationed there and by the time we were walking out, Natalie was already calling me! She said that my estradiol was at 224 and anything over 200 is where we want to be! My natural level is like, 4! She said that we can do one more dose of the injections at the scheduled time tonight, do the trigger shot at 9pm tomorrow, and then come in Friday morning for the IUI!! The trigger shot forces me to ovulate 12-36 hours after it is given! I had to call the Carolina IVF Lab to schedule a sperm wash for Friday also which is set for 9am! A sperm wash is where Savier will provide a "sample" and they will separate all of the sperm out. They will give us the sperm and we will take it to the Fort Bragg clinic for the procedure! When we get there they will insert the sperm into me, past my cervix, with a catheter! Then comes the terrible two week waiting period. All I can do for those two weeks is hope and pray.. and then on the 24th I will have a blood pregnancy test done to see if it worked!! If it does not work, we will start this whole process again next month. I am trying to hard not to get overly excited... but I am just so excited! =P There is a great possibility that this could still fail.. I once saw a pin on pinterest that said "You thought IUI would work on the first try? That's funny!" I would post it.. but I never want to see it again so I am not going to go search for it! I would rather think positive than beat myself up over the statistics of everyone else's results. I drive myself crazy comparing myself and my results to everyone else's on the millions of forums out there.. but everyone is different and I know that it is stupid to expect my body to react the exact same way that someone else's did.
Savier and I discussed baby names in the car. Before today our choices were Grayson for our first boy and Hayden for our first girl! We still are keeping those names on our list.. but we have come up with a new name that we like.. for either a boy or girl.. and we think that we will use it for our first baby regardless of what it is (with different middle names respectively, of course)! Quinn=) We want a little Quinn! Shh.. don't tell anyone! ;)
My one worry today is announcing. I always thought I wouldn't tell anyone when I become pregnant until I make it through the first trimester. But my blog will know right when it happens.. so you will know also! Honestly, I don't want to hide it. For any amount of time. I will want to scream it from a roof top, tell every stranger I see, and run around like a giddy teenager who just had her first kiss. My situation is not the "norm" by any means, so I feel like I don't have to follow the unwritten 12 week rule either. I guess I will just hope nobody who reads my blog posts on Facebook about it until I decide it is the right time!
I am so appreciative of every message and comment I have gotten, wishing me well and those who have shared a little piece of themselves with me in the process! I originally did not plan on making this blog public until after I actually became pregnant. I had only told two people about it before somebody asked me to post my blogs on Facebook, and I just decided that I had nothing to lose by gaining support! I am gaining weight and it is not because I am married and "comfortable". I have been saying "we are trying" since July without a result and it sounds odd after awhile if there is no explanation. I am not ashamed of this terrible hand that I was dealt and I just don't think that it needs to be a secret. I am hurting and hiding it from the world only hurts worse. I am so thankful for you.. and your prayers.. and every ounce of encouragement along the way!!
One day my Quinn will see this.. and he/she will know exactly how badly they were wanted and loved before they even existed. <3 But until then, I will continue trying to earn future brownie points with him/her ;)
I will post again on Friday after we get back from North Carolina! <3
xox.
-N

;)