Becoming the Mother I Want to Be Part 3

Part 1  is here.

Part 2 is here.

So, I guess the kind of mother I want to be is more about quantity than quality.  I’m perfectly happy with the quality of myself as a mother.  Hopefully, this will be the year that we add to our family.  Sam wants a baby and we don’t want the burden of our old age to fall on Sam’s shoulders.  And of course there are other reasons, too.  One being, I’ve always dreamed of being the mother of a whole gang of boys!

So we find ourselves attempting another IVF cycle.

Tomorrow actually. 

Just to catch you up to speed and to document the process for myself, since February 9th, I have given myself 37 injections of three different medications in my belly and endured one shot in the hip to trigger the magic for tomorrow.  Scott and I have both been on an antibiotic since then as well.  I have had my blood drawn 7 times and have had 7 internal ultrasounds. Yes, friends, internal. I’ve become very familiar with all those eggs growing in my lower belly.  Sam even got to see them all!  He’s pretty excited.

So, hopefully, tomorrow will be a very fruitful day!

Emotionally, I’ve only had one bad day.  Friday I was just weary. 

Weary from all the shots.

Weary from the daily ultrasounds and blood draws.

Weary that many of the other women going through this cycle were a few days ahead of me and that my eggs were taking their own sweet time. 

I found out the next day, though, that my doctor was intentionally making me go slow.  With Sam’s IVF, I developed Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome and I am not exaggerating when I tell you that I was carrying two grapfruits around!  So, we’re taking it slow. Whew! 

I got the good news Saturday afternoon that I could go ahead and take the trigger shot Saturday night.  The trigger shot is what tells the follicles to loosen up so that on Monday morning, we can retrieve the eggs.  Yippy!  It was so good to finally know exactly which day I’d be heading into surgery!

So here I am, Sunday night.  I’ve been trying to take it easy today.  My lower belly feels huge and I’m a little uncomfortable but nothing like last time.  We’ll head into surgery tomorrow around 9.  I’ll be put under for about 20 minutes then I get to head home and park myself on the couch for the rest of the day!

It has been a long journey already and we’re not nearly done.  I’ll keep you updated from here on out so that you can take this journey with me.  Don’t worry, I’ll be keeping all the injections to myself! You should be thankful.  The next 12 weeks or so will (hopefully) bring twice daily injections to my hips.  Oh, yay.

All this, though, is totally worth it if it helps me become the mother I want to be!