For the last week, we haven’t really talked about Baby C. We stopped making plans, stopped talking about the future, more in an effort to protect our hearts. Instead we had a lot of really difficult conversations such as miscarriage and what that could look like for us. It’s no secret that I am pretty terrified of miscarrying at home. Let’s face it, miscarriage in general is terrifying. It’s cruel, it’s not what we had in our plan, and I just really don’t want to do it. But like I mentioned in my last post, the surgery isn’t an option for us at this time. If it comes to it. My OB wrote me a prescription for a pain medication in case it happens naturally or in case our RE, Dr. Park, doesn’t prescribe us pain medication. I also have heavy duty pads, a heating pad, Ibuprofen, and know to drink lots of water/Gatorade. I am prepared with materials, but emotionally I don’t know if I could ever prepare.

We went in for our first OB scan on Monday, when I would be 7 weeks. I had been feeling anxious for days, worried that something would be terribly wrong and that we would lose the miracle baby that I had been carrying for the past two weeks. As we sat in the room and I got prepared for the vaginal ultrasound (which wasn’t nearly as uncomfortable as I thought it would be) my legs were shaking, which is normal when I’m anxious. I felt so sick to my stomach, but I wrote these emotions off as “normal” because I know that every woman and couple feels these emotions before the first ultrasound. I kept telling my husband how nervous I was but he reassured me that everything would be fine. As the ultrasound began, my reproductive endocrinologist, who is amazing by the way, pointed out my uterus and the yolk sac.

First, I’m going to be totally honest with you (per usual) I used to Google these questions ALL THE TIME because I just didn’t get it. Luckily, the community of women that I have met from this blog are all so incredible and got me started so now, I can share what I’ve learned with you! If you are a newbie to trying to conceive, look no further, here is your guide to tracking your BBT.

I can't believe that I get to type the words WE ARE PREGNANT on my website. When I first started this blog, I talked about my trying to conceive journey and then once we were referred to a fertility specialist, I talked about my infertility journey - Now I finally get to talk about my PREGNANCY JOURNEY. It just feels so surreal. 

I used to look back at my journey so far and feel bad that it hasn’t been as traumatic as others. That I haven’t experienced loss, had any bad test results, been told that IVF is my only option (yet). I consider my journey the waiting game that is testing my patience. But I also consider my journey to be my biggest lesson. Just to name a few of the things that I’ve learned through infertility, that no journey looks like the last or the one next to you, that you can experience infertility when trying for your second+ child, that the world views infertility as a scary topic because it’s not widely talked about, that insurance companies label infertility as “unnecessary”, and that women are even stronger than I thought they were. Although I’d love to get my baby, I am thankful for the lessons that I’ve learned so far, and I can’t wait to continue to learn, grow, and help myself and others in this journey.

My OBGYN told me to start using progesterone cream at my annual physical where it just so happened that it was also around the year-mark of trying to conceive. She explained to me that the cream will help strengthen and lengthen my luteal phase which was 9 or 10 days before using the cream. Most websites define a “short luteal phase” by less than 10 or 11 days. I’ve been told by my OBGYN and Reproductive Endocrinologist both told me that they would like to see my luteal phase at least 12+ days so that was our goal when we started the progesterone cream.

Raise your hand if you have heard of Baby Dance!

First, can we talk about the name of this product? I specifically tried this product because of the name. It speaks for itself. Of course I did my research and read all of the reviews that I could and it seemed like a lot of couples used this product and got pregnant within a few months of using it. Sure, this isn’t a guarantee but it gives me hope and keeps me positive. In this community, we know what baby dancing is because we do it every cycle and we talk pretty openly about it with our #ttcSisters so I thought the name of this product was just too cute to pass up. If you are interested in learning more about this product and what my experience was using it for the first time this cycle, continue reading this blog post!

If you are someone who wants to send a care package to a dear friend to let them know that you are thinking of them, this blog post is for you! Or for my #InfertilityWarriors, forward this blog post to your friends and family to show them what you would appreciate getting. I've put a lot of thought into this that way you don't have to! 

Today I am asking my husband fertility related questions and I am writing down his exact answers. Uh, umm, and all. I thought that this was such a fun idea and it will help me prove that he NEVER listens to anything I say... ya'll can relate, right?

Does your husband have to go in-office to give his "sample" for his semen analysis? You are in luck! We had to go through this too and we think we learned from the experience that way we can prepare you and your partner better. I asked you all on Instagram if you wanted me to share our experience with doing an in-office semen analysis and how you can prepare (and show support for) your husband. Let's be real, having to do something as personal as masterbation in a public place is nerve wrecking. I had secondhand anxiety FOR my husband, so I tried to do everything I could to support him and show him that the staff at the fertility clinic aren't judging him. If you think about it, it's just a medical exam. Other than surgery, how else would you be able to test a man's swimmers?