Week 6

9:25 AM

I'm EXHAUSTED! Keeping my eyes open all day is absolute torture. The waves of nausea are still intense and meat that includes bones of any kind are off the menu for the foreseeable future.

This week has definitely been the busiest and most exciting week so far of IVF/pregnancy. Wednesday was our very first pregnancy ultrasound and the first half of the week genuinely crawled by. I was so anxious to see the blob and make sure everything was growing accordingly. For the first few seconds of the ultrasound, I could only see the black area where the pregnancy sac was, but not the gestational sac. I swear I wasn't even breathing at that point, I was so nervous. But she moved the wand ever so slightly and there the blob was. I could clearly see the gestational sac, the fetal pole, and then she pointed to the tiny flicker on the screen and told us that was the heart already beating. I immediately cried. The blob is measuring on schedule and the doctor was pleased with where we're at. I don't feel the wave of relief that I thought I would feel, I'm still absolutely terrified, but everything looked exactly as it should and that was enough to move me forward to our next ultrasound next week, where we will get a good reading on blob's heartbeat! (Its almost time for a new nickname, too... blob was looking more like a tadpole or a tamagochi!)

How far along? 6 weeks
IVF Medications? Still the usual. 1 cc Progesterone in oil shot every other day, 4 progesterone suppositories daily, 6 mg estrogen daily. Daniel was out of town for part of this week, so Emily stepped in as my special guest injection administrator! She needed a few drinks to work up the courage, but she did great! Don't ever let anyone tell you stabbing your best friend is always a bad thing 😁.

Maternity clothes? No, and the bloat is receding, thank goodness. I even wore jeans a few days this week and didn't feel like my stomach was crying out for help.

Stretch marks? Is there a god or goddess I can pray to to avoid these?
Bladder Watch: A lot more nighttime bathroom breaks, which are a bummer.

Sleep: Yes, please.

Best moment(s) this week: Seeing that tiny flicker on the ultrasound. I can't believe the heart is beating in there!

Miss Anything? Fully caffeinated coffee. I'm sticking to a cup of half-caff in the mornings, but its not cutting it. I might as well go without.

Movement: I've still got quite a while...

Food cravings: Bagels with cream cheese, bananas and strawberries, cake-like sweets (especially donuts!), and as always, goldfish crackers when I'm feeling nauseous.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Any strong smell in the kitchen, meat, and overeating (aka normal sized meals). I rarely feel really hungry, and if I eat more than a snack or small meal, I'm going to need to go find a bed and a bathroom pronto.
Gender: I've had dreams its a boy, but we will see!

Labor Signs: None, thank goodness.

Pregnancy Symptoms: "Morning" sickness (Ha! Mornings only? Nope.), exhaustion, hip pain, and of course, sore breasts. Had my first vomiting experience this week, so that was a BLAST. Also, acne. I haven't had any during IVF (which I was shocked by), but I've now got a few spots of painful cystic acne.
IVF Medication Symptoms: Still going strong with the bruises on the butt cheeks.

Belly Button in or out? Happily in.

Rings on or off? On, when I can remember them in the mornings!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy. I think the anxiety leading up to the ultrasound had me moody, but as soon as I saw everything was okay, I felt much much more excited.

Looking forward to: SLEEP! Our second ultrasound to measure blob's heartbeat!

In addition to our ultrasound, we spent Sunday with our families for Father's Day! We finally got to share the news with them, and I feel so relieved not to have to lie to them about blood work, exhaustion, and nausea anymore.

For my parents, my chihuahua, Tater, wore a "big brother" shirt over for a visit. My parents were so excited, but still very nervous. My mom reminded me that she was so sick with me during her first trimester with me, she honestly thought my dad was poisoning her coffee. So it felt good to know I am not alone in my misery. For Daniel's parents, we made a baby fish to go with the rest of the family fish they keep on the wall at their beach house. There were lots of hugs and a few tears, and my mother-in-law commiserating with me- she was very sick for all three of her pregnancies, too! After our ultrasound, we called our extended family. I'm pretty sure our cousins Michal and Greta may have crashed their car when we told them.

Daniel and I have begun discussing when to make this allll the way public. In "traditional" pregnancy protocol, it was WAY early to share the news. But because we were so open with IVF, there is little point in not telling folks the outcome within a few weeks. I'd like to wait for a strong heartbeat measurement next week, at minimum, and Daniel is already chomping at the bit. We know that if something happened to blob (god forbid), we would also be honest with everyone and open. We'll find the right time, but for now I'm just glad it isn't a tightly kept secret and I can share my excitement.