After almost 5 months of trying to conceive, I went back to my regular OB/GYN for my annual exam (which I was overdue for), and to request a script for Clomid, which is the fertility drug I was taking when we got pregnant with Brooke. My doctor had told me (after Brooke's birth) that I probably wouldn't need any fertility assistance with baby #2 because "something about having a baby makes your body more fertile". Well, apparently that wasn't the case for me. At my appointment, she said we could start the Clomid, but first they had to do blood work on days 3 and 21 of my next cycle. I was pretty bummed because I had JUST finished my period, and now I would have to wait another month for blood work, and then I could go on the meds the following month. Doesn't seem like a big deal in writing, but it feels like a long time when you are trying to conceive, haha. However, the whole process felt different this time. Although I was super anxious to be pregnant, I didn't feel quite as much pressure about having a baby because I felt incredibly blessed that I already had a happy healthy little girl at home. In fact, I almost felt guilty being blessed with another baby when I know many people who are struggling to have their first child.
So, the next cycle rolled around and I went in for my Day 3 labs. I had Brooke with me, and she was immediately terrified when I sat down in the chair for the blood draw. I kept telling her that it was for mama, but her little heart was racing and she kept saying "no no". Poor thing has been traumatized at the doctor. The nurse did a lousy job getting my vein (which has never been a problem in my entire life), and then we were on our way. A few days later, the other doctor in the practice called me to give me the test results. She first asked me if I was taking birth control. Um, no, haha. She said, "Okay, well we just suggest that you go back to your fertility doctor because your hormone levels were all extremely low." I asked a few questions about what might cause that, and she basically said she wasn't sure, but the levels are consistent with somebody on birth control. So, I hung up super disappointed and called CARE Fertility. I had received a letter about 6 months prior from my fertility doctor saying that she was leaving the practice and moving to Arizona, so I was going to try to make an appointment with one of the other doctors in the practice. Which was also kind of disappointing. I couldn't get an appointment for another month, and I really felt like we would be starting back at square one. They wanted to schedule me for the initial consultation, which lasts about 3 hours, and is very comprehensive. And expensive!! (Like $400)
Long story, semi-short: My OB/GYN called me later that afternoon to tell me that my Day 3 labs were not valid, so that I maybe didn't need to make the consultation with the fertility doctor. I asked several questions because I felt like she was being vague, and finally she admitted that my lab work was switched with somebody else's, so they actually didn't have my Day 3 labs. I was livid. That should have NEVER happened. My doctor apologized many times, but still, it was a little disheartening. So, now I was put back another month in this Clomid process. She assured me that we could still do Day 21 of this cycle, and then Day 3 of the next cycle and still go on the Clomid for Days 5-9. I said okay, and hung up.
Fast forward to when I should have started my period again...and NO period. I knew better than to get my hopes up, but after 3 days of no period, I finally decided to take a home pregnancy test. I did it in the morning before Kevin went to work. I have NEVER had a positive test, because with Brooke, we just went in for blood work on certain days, which confirmed our pregnancy. Well, after what felt like eternity, the test showed two lines. I couldn't believe it. And neither could Kevin. The whole day I kept playing mind games with myself about whether or not I was really pregnant, and then trying to figure out my due date, etc. Come to find out, Kevin had been thinking about it all day, too. On his drive home, he stopped to get more pregnancy tests so we could test again before calling the doctor. Sure enough, another positive test that night and the next morning. So, I called my OB/GYN to make the appointment. They couldn't get me in for a week, which felt ridiculous. The day I was scheduled was also the day they were predicting a huge ice storm. So, the day before, they called to see if I could come in that day instead due to the predicted weather. I quickly jumped in the car and headed over. Here is a picture of my girl in the waiting room:
The urine test confirmed pregnancy, so when they took me back for blood work they were all congratulating me on this pregnancy. It all just felt too surreal. In the week of waiting, whenever Kevin would pray, he would always say "Thank you that we MAY be pregnant", or "Thank you for the possibility of being pregnant." We just felt like it was too good to be true.
Brooke took this picture as the nurse was discussing things with me, haha.
That weekend, we already had a date scheduled, so we went all out and celebrated with a steak dinner at The Keg. It was a delicious meal, and nice to spend time with my love.
The next morning, we announced to our families that Brooke was going to be a big sister. Jerry and Bev had spent the night at our house since they were our babysitters for date night. We put Brooke in her new shirt, but covered it up with a chunky sweater. As we were preparing breakfast, we asked if Brooke had showed them her new shirt. Bev unbuttoned the sweater, and they were shocked. We hadn't shared with them about going back to the doctor to request Clomid, etc, so it was a big shock. We then face-timed and called the rest of the family throughout the day. We were excited to share our news, and I was relieved to not have that secret anymore. I decided that I am a horrible secret keeper because I was feeling pretty sick, but I couldn't really have honest conversations with my parents when we talked during that waiting period.
Here are a few pictures from the 10 week sonogram. Brooke really wanted to sit on the table where mama was sitting, so while I was changing back into my clothes, we let her sit there.
As we left the office, I had Kevin take this picture of Brooke and I. I can't take credit for the cute idea though, it was something I had seen on Pinterest. We used this picture when we announced our pregnancy on Facebook at almost 13 weeks.
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