You, and Me, and Babies makes 4

I don't want this to sound like a brag because I know that it can hurt those who are struggling, but I just can't believe it only took a few months for baby 2. I know this can be a trigger for some. I am sorry if this makes you unhappy. My wish is only to fill you with hope and give others a window to my experience.

We started the process (and yes it's a process when you're talking about fertility issues) thinking it could take up to two years again. We even considered skipping the OB and go straight to a specialist. I decided that I would start with my OB and try the easiest (read:least expensive) options first. We did have a bit of an issue with hormone levels on round two which lead me to believe we were in for the long and emotionally draining process that we had grown accustom to.Then on our third month my results of the CD21 day progesterone draw were too low for a medicated cycle (Only 14 - it was 26 with Archer) Typically this signifies that ovulation was unsuccessful.

The OB called to let me know that we would double my dosage for the following month. I just felt different than I normally do. Maybe I was just extra hopeful. (I know folks who were successful with progesterone levels of 10-12) I was only 10 DPO (Days Past Ovulation or CD25) but decided I wanted to take a test before we left for Thanksgiving in Ohio. (Normally I wouldn't test until 14DPO/CD30.) Well much to my surprise (and my OBs), I had a positive test.

Ok so I know you are squinting but honestly that is actually nice positive. Hope around some TTC forums and you will see some true "squinters". Anyway I sent this to my OB and she was very happy but wanted to run some HCG levels. My first draw was at 451. You go back for a second draw 48 hours later and the number should double. My second draw was at 1377. We were indeed pregnant and progressing. Luckily, I have a very understanding OB and she even sent me for a super early ultrasound where we saw the very earliest of heart flutters.

During this uncertain time I was pretty consistently taking pregnancy test. Why would you want to keep testing over and over? Because pregnancy tests will get darker as your HCG builds. If you HCG drops the line will fade. It's basically a way to test for pending miscarriage. Here is the last test I took.

I was pretty satisfied with this result partnered with the results of the HCG tests. So I decided it was time to celebrate.

So we were officially expecting baby number 2. The early weeks were pretty much the same as before. Discomfort, nausea, bloating, etc. The usual. I would say that this round was actually a bit easier than the previous 2 pregnancies. The hardest part is the exhaustion because you still have to chase around a toddler. Gone are the days of grabbing a cup of tea and taking a quick nap.

Soon we had our second ultrasound and a small bump began to appear. This was a big change from last pregnancy. This time around my body seems to remember what to do and started making room much much earlier.

Another interesting thing with this pregnancy is the rapid weight loss. Although I did lose weight in both the 1st and 2nd trimester with Archer, I have lost 20lbs now by 20 weeks. There isn't really too much concern about it since I had the extra weight to shed. The biggest issue is that I just am not hungry most of the time and the rest of the time I'm chasing a toddler to his potty. I am doing bi-weekly weight checks to make sure baby is growing and eating well.

Another weird thing about this pregnancy is baby movement. This time I started to feel those first flutters around 14 weeks. Perhaps this time I just know what it feels like so it's easier to identify? I am not really sure but I know that is almost a month earlier than last time. Now I'm getting full kart-wheels at night and the occasional swift day-time kick.

We did the genetic testing again and the first round came back great! I still carry the antibodies for Parvo so they come up on the panel but it's nothing to be concerned about. We get the second round of results at our 20 week anatomy scan tomorrow. For those who don't know the anatomy scan is often called the "gender scan".  Maternal Fetal Medicine will check a whole lot more than gender such as heart, gut, brain, spine, etc. Last pregnancy we wanted the gender to be surprised (which  was great until they asked me if we wanted to circumcising the baby). This time we need to do some logistical planning in terms of cloths, rooms, and other supplies. So tomorrow we will find out officially! So stay tuned :) Big things ahead!