Beta Test

[spryng]

Warning: This is still all about TTC and being pregnant. Feel free to skip. <3

The beta test came back positive - at 169! Translation: when you do any sort of infertility stuff like IUI or IVF, the doctor likes to do a blood draw to see how much HCG (the pregnancy hormone) is in your system. Some doctors do this test 14 days after the procedure no matter what a home test says; mine wanted me to get a positive home test first. It's called a beta test because technically it's measuring beta-HCG, and the TTC community refers to it as such.

THAT SAID, 169 is a good number for that day. The "average" number is 133 - higher doesn't mean much unless it's a LOT higher, then it means twins. So, a) it's a solid number and b) no twins! The important thing is that the number doubles every 48-72 hours, so I have another blood draw today. Doubling means much lower chance of a miscarriage at this point.

Whew. All the fun things that come with infertility!

The doctor himself called with the news and I kept thinking that once it was medically confirmed, I'd start to believe it, but honestly this is all so, so surreal.

I've been kind of liberal with letting people know, even though it's super early. Part of it is because I'm hoping my friends can help me believe it, and part of it is that if I do miscarry, I want some shoulders to cry on. So that means that all of my (local) friends know, but my family doesn't.

Which is funny because my mom mentioned this weekend that I must be "devastated about not going to France" and it took me a moment to remember all the way back to last Tuesday. It's so hard not to tell her, but she's not good at secrets, so the whole family would know, and then if something happened that would be super awkward, so we're waiting until end of March.

My brother's wife also gave birth the day of my beta test, which was the most coincidental timing ever. I am so glad I can finally be fully happy for them. I am now an aunt for the third time! So many nieces. o.o

Anyway, most of my updates will stay over on the wordpress blog. I'll try to keep it from turning into the Kai is Pregnant 24-Hour No-Variety Show over here, because I am doing so much more than just being pregnant (god that's so weird to write) and I don't want that to subsume my identity.

Comments

[dreamsrundeep.livejournal.com]

Oh, keep us updated too! Pregnancy is all-encompassing and you can't help that ;) I'm really bad about checking my syndicated feeds, so please post here, too! That way we can all cheer you on!

[spryng.livejournal.com]

I'll try! I'll probably still lean heavily on the blog because I'm used to the style I have going there for pregnancy-related things, but I'll definitely update here, too.

[jadesymb.livejournal.com]

I love to read about pregnancy! I'm totally okay with a pregnancy blog.

I have what I assume are inappropriate questions that someone asks out of ignorance about the selection of donors. I don't want to offend, so I'm not asking, but if you feel comfortable enough to talk about it, OR, if you've done a blog post somewhere about it, I'd love to read. I don't have any intention of using a donor (or having another baby) but curiosity, you know?

I am bad about checking wordpress blogs. So if you do post something particularly cool or need advice or something, feel free to ping me.

Something I learned about pregnancy, women who have morning sickness usually say the first trimester is the hardest, because they are sick. Women who have little morning sickness usually say the third trimester is the worst (I was one of those). Everyone (mostly) agrees the second trimester is the best part of being pregnant. So, 8 weeks to go?

HUGS

[spryng.livejournal.com]

That's not inappropriate. :) Inappropriate is asking about the turkey baster or referring to the donor as the father.

I think I did a blog about it, but I wasn't very thorough. We mostly just picked a sperm bank to use, then filtered the donors by necessary attributes and whittled it down from there. It helped that: a) our bank was relatively small, and b) the bank provided voice samples along with everything else. Surprisingly, voice helped us narrow it down.

Everybody's primary criteria will be different, but ours were (in order): a different ethnicity from both of us (because we plan on using this donor again for siblings, and Lady might carry); height (we're both tall from tall families); and R- (because I'm R-). Then we read through the bios and the medical histories and listened to them and that was more than enough to make a decision.

Was that what you were looking for?

[jadesymb.livejournal.com]

Yes, that was some of it!
My niece has donated her eggs a few times.

I was mostly curious about criteria and process.

So what ethnicity did you select? (It's totally okay to not answer or to ignore me, I won't be hurt, promise!)

[spreadsothin.livejournal.com]

HOOORAY!!!

[kerrickadrian.livejournal.com]

I am so so excited for you. Please keep updating me here, if you don't mind doing the crossposting. I am remembering a morning bus ride to work during which R called my cell phone with our news... Wishing you all the very best and easiest here on out.

[spryng.livejournal.com]

I will definitely keep updating here, but my blog will probably have more minutiae just because that's it's style. :)
Thank you!!

[koyaaniisqatsi.livejournal.com]

I love pregnancy updates, so post away! :D It helps my baby fever as well, haha.