clomid + femara (meds to increase # of eggs)<\/p>\n

I had 1 egg that was maybe okay, but it was questionable. the doctor thought we had a good enough chance to go for it.<\/p>\n

so we triggered (using Ovidrel) and\u00a0went in for the IUI (intrauterine insemination).<\/p>\n

at this point, we had to find some humor. \u00a0we had been through a miscarriage + cancer. it was time to laugh at how ridiculous our situation was.. so the doc comes in. please try to imagine. i’m sitting on a table, about to be inseminated. Zach is holding my hand and in walks the doc + a nurse holding another man’s sperm. we were nervous…. so Zach starts playing a little Marvin Gaye, “Let’s Get it On….” our doc didn’t find us as amusing as we did…. ha. we got a kick out of it.<\/p>\n

so. two weeks and then you test. if it’s positive you go in for blood work.<\/p>\n

negative.<\/p>\n

we were\u00a0upset, but okay. \u00a0determined #2 would be it.<\/p>\n

IUI#2<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

we decided to up the meds with higher doses this round to try to get things moving.<\/p>\n

same deal. barely one, but again, doc thought it would be okay.<\/p>\n

negative.<\/p>\n

IUI#3<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

we were pulling at straws at this point.<\/p>\n

we were down to our last vial of sperm and there was still nothing to show for it except my very bruised stomach and a lot of cramping.<\/p>\n

<\/h5>\n

we decided to use low doses of FSH stimulating injections (we used Follistim)… meds they use for IVF.<\/p>\n

winner. winner.<\/p>\n

we had 3 eggs that were a definite yes and 1 that was a maybe. \u00a0we knew the risks, we had been to counseling (required by our clinic) and were prepared for twins, but we went for it. \u00a0as a team we decided we could handle what came our way and that this was the last time we were going to try. so we went for it.<\/h5>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

November 6: positive.<\/em><\/p>\n

blood work<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

I called the clinic and they were as excited as we were!! next step was blood work… they called immediately and said we needed some more bloodwork.<\/p>\n

November 17: my birthday. Zach and I sat in the office as the nurses filled us in on the excitement… they had all been taking bets on how many babies we had been blessed with… the majority had money down on 3. triplets. as in 3 babies. some had 4 and some had 2. \u00a0you know it’s a little crazy when your clinic is taking bets on your babies… I absolutely l o v e d them and the support they gave us….<\/p>\n

as we sat in our ultrasound, Erin (our sweet, sweet nurse) finds Baby A right away… we were blessed with a baby. a healthy baby with a healthy heartbeat. \u00a0praise God.<\/p>\n

<\/h5>\n

and then she scans over just a little and she didn’t have to open her mouth. \u00a0I knew before she said it. there were two. there was another sweet little peanut. I started crying (and let me very clear, these were tears of pure joy) and she said, “do you see it?” she filled Zach in with the incredible news, we had been blessed with twins. the nurses huddled outside of our door started cheering.<\/p>\n

we were blessed with t w i n s<\/strong><\/span>.<\/em><\/p>\n

first trimester<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

the next few weeks were stressful. \u00a0I cringed every time I went to the bathroom, praying I wouldn’t see what I had before. \u00a0those first 12 weeks are the most critical of them all, so we stay with the RE until we enter the second trimester.<\/p>\n

because of complications and results we had found through other blood work throughout the process, I continued to started Heparin as soon as we got a positive test. \u00a0we continued these injections 2x per day until we entered the 2nd trimester so that my body wouldn’t fight against the pregnancy and terminate before they had a chance to survive. \u00a0and yes, I had quite the baby bump at 7 weeks.<\/p>\n

I was so sick. soooo sick. and it really never went away through my pregnancy (you can read about my puking on the OR table during delivery here<\/a>, ha!) every time I would throw up it was a reminder of\u00a0just how blessed we were. \u00a0we were given the greatest gift of life with two sweet and precious little girls and I would do it all over again if given the choice.<\/p>\n

vasa previa<\/u><\/b><\/h5>\n

it is worth noting that at 19 weeks, I was diagnosed with vasa previa. \u00a0one of the risk factors for having VP is using the FSH medications (and another is having twins). \u00a0you can read more about VP here<\/a>, but know that with diagnosis comes almost a 95% survival rate. \u00a0if you are pregnant, please do your research and ask your doctor for a color doppler u\/s. \u00a0it could save your baby’s life.<\/p>\n

so here we are. \u00a0we have two beautiful, healthy, perfect little girls.<\/p>\n

we have been blessed beyond measure and although our journey was tough, we have never been stronger.<\/p>\n

let me be clear about one thing. I give ALL the glory to God throughout our entire journey. \u00a0only He could shed light on so much darkness.<\/p>\n

every good and perfect gift is from above. James 1:17<\/p>\n

as always, if you ever have any questions or want any other details, please don’t hesitate to contact me. \u00a0Zach is so open to sharing our story and we are both more than happy to share our story.<\/p>\n

xoxo,<\/p>\n

Lindsey<\/p>\n

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this post has been in the making for quite some time now. \u00a0actually, it was the first post I ever started and yet I still haven’t hit the publish button. \u00a0I’ve tried to prepare my heart to write this post as it is guaranteed to bring me to tears… I’ve had multiple emails and inquiries […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3470,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,11,381,18,19],"tags":[36,47,48,54,55],"yoast_head":"\n