Stuck in the Middle with You - 2nd Trimester

My second trimester was very busy and exciting...The season ended and we packed our cars and headed home to Hattiesburg. At this point only our family (parents, grandparents, and siblings) and baseball family knew that I was pregnant. We had decided to wait until I was through my 1st trimester to share the news with everyone and it worked out perfect because that's when we would be back home. We enjoyed seeing all our hometown friends and watching the news spread through the social networks...And boy does it travel fast!!! We were amazed at the support and excitement of everyone we knew. We received the sweetest cards, texts, and phone calls. I guess I never realized how many people were praying for us all these years. It was truly a moving time for both of us.
I started a 9 week sub position for a 2nd Grade class at Purvis Lower Elementary. I always look forward to coming home in the off season and teaching. For the past 3 years I have done maternity leaves for the teachers at Purvis Lower. I missed working and LOVE being with the kids and having something structured to do each day. In fact, this was the first year of Craig's career that I didn't leave in August to come home to teach. I guess its my ADHD that makes feel that I need to be doing something ALL the time-plus I love the interaction. That being said, starting a job 3 months pregnant is a little challenging. I was okay the first couple of weeks and then the swelling and fatigue set in. I was really nervous when my ankles blew up to the size of tangerines in my 17th week. I mean jee-wiz the baby books say this happens in week 30. So off I went in search of the highly stylish, diabetic, knee-high compression socks. I found them at the local medical supply store for a designer price of $18-24 bucks a pair! WHAT!?!? I'm spending that on hideous, horrific socks!!!!! Oh well, I gotta do what I gotta do. Gratefully my blood pressure remained remarkably low for a person who is still breathing, so preeclampsia was not a factor...Just remembering to sit still and prop my feet up was. I felt there was so much to do!!! Pick out fabric, paint colors, furniture, which room to use, A NAME!!!! Plus it was Christmas time. I didn't have time to be still so my ankles would just have to be large and unsightly!!!!
We also found out the sex of sweet Baby Tatum as soon as we got home. My hometown Dr. (who delivered me) wanted to see me and get rolling on my prenatal care here in MS. It was a slow Friday afternoon and a family friend was working the sonogram machine, so Craig and I got to see the baby and play with 4D for about 45 min. I was only 15 weeks, but Crystal said she could give us an 80% accurate reading of what we were having. I didn't really want to know, but Craig was going to have a nervous breakdown if we didn't find out. One of the first images on the screen was a "bottom" shot and I immediately knew the sex. Crystal asked me if I could tell and I said yes, so she kept the image up and we asked Craig if he could tell the sex. He said no. We told him to look again and he said he couldn't see anything...We told him it was because there was NOTHING there to see... We were having a GIRL!!!! Craig got really emotional and I could tell he was so excited. I thought he'd be disappointed, but he wasn't. He was already smitten with her and would be a sucker for the rest of his life!!!

Here are the belly and Baby shots from the 2nd trimester...

                                                                             14w3d

                                                                             15w4d

                                                                Baby Tatum is a GIRL!!!!!!      
                                          

                                                                          16w5d

                                                                           17w3d

                                                                              18w4d

                                                                            19w3d
                                                          Matt and Tara's Wedding Weekend

                                        

                                                                   Baby Tatum 20w0d

                                                                        

                                                                             20w4d
                                                         November 19 - Our 5th Anniversary
            

                                                                              21w6d
          

                                                                             22w4d

                                                                                                    

                                                         23w4d                                                                                                                                             

                                                                          
                                                    

                                                                               24w4d      

                                                                               25w4d

                                                                         Christmas Eve

    

                                                          

                                                                              26w5d

                                                       New Year's Day at the Duck Camp

                                                                            

                                                                       Baby Tatum 27w3d

                                                                  

                                                                                 27w5d
                                                                          

                                                                                                                                                  








                                                                        

If at first you don't succeed...Try again!

God knew that Baltimore was the place we needed to be this year! Craig had a great season and I had access to the BEST medical facilities in the US. I decided in April to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity that was placed before me. I made a million calls and researched a million doctors. I finally found what I was looking for in Shady Grove Fertility Center. They had 22 doctors, who all carried great credentials, and had several clinics located between Baltimore and Washington D.C. I was relieved that I would not have to drive hours for appointments like I had in Mississippi. I immediately set up necessary appointments to get the ball rolling. I really wanted answers to why Craig and I couldn't conceive. Records were faxed from MS and my consultation was made. I was really nervous about the consultation because I wasn't sure what I was going to hear. I didn't know what observations were made and conclusions drawn from studying my previously failed cycle of IVF. I arrive at the clinic and sign in. It wasn't what I expected at all. The waiting room was small and private and the doctor, NOT a nurse or assistant, came to get me from the waiting room! How unique and personal! I instantly felt calm and confident that I was in a good place. The meeting started out pretty comical...You see Dr. Yazigi is from Chili and has only practiced in the North East and I am from South Mississippi. So we definitely had a "language barrier. He had quite a problem understanding my dialect, but I won him over with my pronunciation of the word "ten". We talked about my IVF cycle in MS - what drugs were taken and outcomes, along with types of procedures used in retrieving eggs, how many were retrieved, and method of fertilizing them. Craig and I found out during the first cycle that we don't combine naturally, meaning his sperm and my eggs don't mesh. Because of this odd phenomenon, a method called ICSI (Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection), has to be used. However, there is no way to know this until the sperm and eggs are put together. When the doctors in MS realized what was happening it was Day 2 of fertilization. This required them to take day old material and try fertilization again using ICSI. By doing this process 2nd day, it decreased my chances of becoming pregnant because the quality of materials was not as good as day 1 fresh. Dr. Yazigi said this was a very important piece of the puzzle. Many clinics use the ICSI process regardless if its needed in cases like ours, where both partners are healthy and neither contribute entirely to infertility. The process costs about $1,000 but it avoids the reduction of success rates and decline of quality in sperm and eggs. He was confident he could help me achieve my goal of getting pregnant. He wanted me to take birth control for 2 months and come in each month for blood tests to check my LGH and estrogen levels and to keep an eye on my thyroid. Craig and I were a little skeptical of trying again, but Dr. Yazigi told us about a Shared Risk program that Shady Grove offered to qualifying patients. Basically you pay a lump sum of money, upfront, and you receive 6 complete rounds of IVF - from start to finish. This gives patients the ability to try several cycles without having to continue to pay $10-12,000 each time. It's shared because if you get pregnant the first time, you've spent more than what one cycle would have cost, but you have a baby. However, if you have a failed pregnancy the first time like we did, you are able to use frozen embryos or complete another cycle (up to 6) at no additional cost. WOW, wish they would offer that in Mississippi!!! 

So the journey began. I finished my 2 months of birth control in June and went in for my last blood test and ultra sound. I was cleared as healthy and started the injections to prepare my body for egg retrieval.  I took 2 shots a day, Follistim and Menopur, in my stomach for 8 days. I added Ganirelix on day 3 and took it for 5 days. On day 9 I gave myself an HCG shot in the hip - not fun by the way - and prayed that Craig would make it in from the road trip in time for our scheduled retrieval and fertilization on Monday, July 12! We planned it for the  week of All Star Break so Craig would be able to take care of me since I had to be put under for the procedure. Luckily, he made it in and we were set to go. They retrieved 10 eggs and all were healthy and mature.  The next day I started my progesterone and estrogen and waited for them to call and tell me how many oocytes were starting to form. We started with 8 four celled oocytes which was a very good number. Two days later we had 6 multi-celled oocytes. Dr. Yazigi wanted to be able to do a day 6 transfer to make sure the fertilized eggs made it to the blastocyst stage. A day 6 transfer offers a higher rate of a successful pregnancy. The nurse called me on Saturday to inform us that we had 4 healthy potential embryos ready for day 6 transfer. I scheduled my appointment for the next day at 8:30 am. The coaching staff was very understanding and allowed Craig to be late for the field so that he could come with me. We, along with the doctors, decided to transfer only one blastocyst because it looked so healthy. We had transferred 2 in previously, but Dr. Yazigi felt that 2 would only increase my chances of twins, not pregnancy, and we trusted his opinion. The transfer went well and they sent me home with instructions of 24 hrs bed rest. This was a first for me. I am not a bed rest kind of person, so staying in bed except to pee was going to be a CHALLENGE, but worth it in the end. Plus it was family day at the ballpark and I was sad to miss it.

They drive home was really tense. I don't think we said two words to each other. Maybe we were both scared to hope that it would work for fear that we'd jinx it. Thankfully we had a sleeper sofa and there were lots of movies on TV that day. So I parked it on the bed with lots to eat and drink within hands reach and said goodbye to Craig. 

Nine days later, on July 27 I went in for my first pregnancy blood test at 8:30 am. When the nurse called that afternoon I was more than ready and scared to death to hear the results. She told me my levels were 300. Huh, last time my first levels were 25 and that was normal. So I asked her why so high and she said that was a good level for 2 blastocyst transfer. Excuse me...we only transferred ONE! All I could think was ironic, we transferred one to avoid multiples, yet I'm going to get more than anyway. Oh dear! Three days later I went back into for BW and my levels came back over 900. YAY! High levels! We were starting to get excited, but we'd been here before, but then again never with levels this high. On day sixteen I went in for my last test and my levels were close to 2,200. I was definitely pregnant and they wanted me to c0me in for  an ultra sound as soon as possible. So exciting!!!!

Only one problem...Craig had been sent down to AAA in Norfolk, VA. This was terrible, I didn't want him to miss the first appointment and ultra sound where we would see our baby. God, however, had his hand in this and a plan for us. AAA happened to get an off day on the day they scheduled me for the ultra sound! On August 4 we got to see something we thought we would never see. This was happening, I had a baby growing inside me! It was the BEST day of my life!!!
Here is the week by week album of my first Trimester... Enjoy=)

5w0d

5w3d

6w0d

6w5d

7w0d

8w0d
Bike and Roll Chicago - Move over Lance Armstrong

8w6d

Saw the heart beat today!

9w3d

10w1d

11w4d

12w0d

13w4d

Heard the heartbeat today!

A big O'family

This year was probably the best baseball year of my life (probably Craig's too, but for different reasons). But I didn't know it was going to be. I was nervous about learning the ropes of a new place, making new friends, and I was going to miss my dear, sweet Heather who had been my support for the past 4 years in and out of the baseball world. And free spirited, all loving Kalee, who taught me that Yoga can help me  become one with myself. Baseball friends can be just like high school and college friends. You're together for 4 years then graduate and move on. Stay in touch, with some, but spread all over the continental US. We wives see so many people come and go, but, every now and again you find someone you click with. Just like your bestie from high school that went to a different college and you thought you'd never meet anyone that could understand you as well as she did. Then you find that wonderful girl you were lucky enough to get as a roomie and she's your Maid of Honor but moves to go to Med school. Baseball friends are the same. Its hard not seeing those who have been with you constant for 6 months in a strange city and not knowing if they will be around the next season.
See I hadn't meet anyone in Spring Training, so when I got to Baltimore I didn't know where to park, or sit, or wait after the game. Might sound petty, but REALLY important info for a wife. So I was a "little"apprehensive about walking into a large group of girls and saying, "Hi guys", like a big nerd. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fairly confident girl. I had had some training. I was in a sorority. I went through rush! But lets be honest...girls are SCARY! And I have to admit that I need a label that says "WARNING No Filter". I know I'm an acquired taste so I never know what people will think of me. However, my anxious feeling lasted about a millisecond because this group of girls were warm and welcoming and made every effort to include a new comer! This season was spent traveling and experiencing new cities-compliments of BIKE and ROLL, going to dog parks, going out to dinner to avoid the ballpark, and sometimes actually watching a game!!!! I never thought I could meet such a well rounded, fun loving GROUP of girls!
One of the most rewarding experiences of this season was the Bible study offered to us. I enjoyed every minute of this monthly gathering, gaining strength and serenity from the amazing group of girls. I realized I wasn't the only one who had doubts or stress or worry about our lifestyle and the bumps that we often find in the road. As Craig and I prepared to go through another round of IVF, the group prayed for me and encouraged me to remain positive. I feel they gave me the hope I needed to trust that God would see us through, no matter what the outcome. I never really understood or had witnessed the power of prayer until this year. I could never express how grateful I am for my prayer warriors!                                                                        

New York

Bike and Roll - San Francisco

                                        

Duck Ride - San Diego

White Sox Game

Wedding Weekend in Houston
We will miss you TaTa

A Little Background Info... Well maybe a lot

As I said in my profile, Craig and I were married in November 2005. We are high school sweethearts and have known each other since grade school. After we got married I quit teaching my lovely inner-city 7th graders and started traveling with Craig. Baseball has taken us to some amazing and NOT so amazing places and we have made wonderful friends who I still talk to every week! God has blessed us so much in the past 5 years!

In October 2006 I decided to get off of birth control to see what my body would do. See, I had been on some sort of hormone since I was 14. Medicines ranging from estrogen to testosterone, back to a depo shot and combinations of birth controls and supplements. My doctor was trying to prevent me from having endometriosis. So needless to say I wasn't exactly sure how my body would function/not function without hormone supplements. Craig was in Arizona playing fall ball so I figured this would be the best opportunity incase I went completely nuts!!! Surprisingly I felt better than I had in years! I was not as moody or anxious and I felt like I had more control over my emotions.
That coming spring Craig and I decided we were ready to throw caution to the wind and if it happened it happened.  I knew that it might take a couple of months so I didn't put too much stress on it. Still we bought a bigger house and I got the SUV, mini Vans aren't my style. I was like, "Soccer practice here I come!!!" But after 5 months of no luck, I began to question how long it would actually take. I remember sex ed in high school and they made it sound like sitting on a toilet seat could get you pregnant. So when the season was over that September, I came home to talk with my doctor. He did a couple test and drew some blood and all my levels looked perfect. He told me to go buy some ovulation predictors and keep trying. So thats what we did.
April of 2008 rolls around and I'm getting impatient. We see a fertility specialist in Chattanooga, TN that basically tells us that Craig will never be able to have children. Talk about devastated!!! We didn't know where to go from there. Let me tell you, that season was the worst time of my life. The news almost destroyed our marriage. But thankfully we got through it and became stronger because of it.
That off season I went to a specialist in Mississippi. This group of doctors retested both of us and decided that neither one of us was a sole contributor to not getting pregnant. This doctor started digging into my mother's medical and reproductive history. She could always get pregnant but not carry full term. After having my little brother at the age of 26, she had to have a partial hysterectomy. In 2008 she had a complete hysterectomy and they find that she had very advanced endometriosis. After this, I'm scheduled for a laparoscopic surgery to see to what degree I have this same condition. Sure enough they find I have stage 3 of 4 endometriosis with an endometrium cyst on each ovary. So much for the 10 years of preventative measures... Doc cleans me up and says I better than new. Then he draws me a graph, gotta love medical terms in graph form huh? Any way he tells us that the next year is the best for getting pregnant if I don't get pregnant in a year we move to the bottom of the graph to the 3% of people that have "unexplained" infertility. So go home and try, try, try.
This brings us to September of 2008 and nothing is happening. We continue to hope that it will happen and try not to try so hard. That spring we end up in Louisville, KY and the University Medical Center there has a world renowned researcher and doctor for infertility! What luck, I needed one of those! So off I go in search of answers. They decided to put me on birth control for a month, then start with a double dose of clomid (100mgs). Excellent, a half dose has been known to make people psychotic. But I give it a go. And nothing! After 5 months of fertility cocktails...NOTHING! Craig and I are now part of that DREADED 3%. NO worries, we have 2 of the cutest dogs in the world! We can go home to MS, regroup and decide what to do.
That September we decide to give artificial insemination a try. I take the hormones, drive 90 miles every other day for blood test and sonograms. Finally it's time and drive back to Jackson to find out they never stored the semen... soooo there was nothing to inseminate me with! AWESOME, really like this wasn't embarrassing and awkward enough! That was a bad day. My mom drove me home and I started to prepare for yet ANOTHER round of drugs and emotional roller coasters. We tried again in November, the day after our anniversary and the same day we found out Craig had been picked up by the Orioles. WOW talk about never a dull moment! Sadly that round did not work. So we decided as a couple and then as a family (his parents and mine) that IVF was going to be the last option. Spiritually I was worried about this option and what it would mean for unused embryos. Being a Christian and Catholic, I struggled with coming to terms of this being morally right. I talked to preachers and other devote followers, prayed about it and came to the decision that God had given these doctors the ability to help me and I was using their expertise for good. Not to choose gender or eye color.
December and January were CRAZY with appointments and shots and THOUSANDS of non insurance covered medical cost. We were emotionally, financially, and physically involved in this process. But we were hopeful and our families support helped us through. At the end of January I completed my first round of IVF. They had transferred two embryos. We counted down the days to take the blood test and alas a positive result. Craig and I were ecstatic, I mean floored but we knew this was the first test. I needed 3 more. The 2nd and 3rd test were positive and we decided to share the news with our parents and siblings. Last test was only 2 days away!
February 8 was the WORST day of my life. Vicki, my REN called and I could tell she was upset. My levels had dropped completely and I was told it was a chemical pregnancy and that I was no longer pregnant. I remained calm and told her I understood and then waited for Craig to get home so I could tell him. Telling him was extremely hard and watching him loose control was even harder. I was so upset and shocked that I couldn't cry, I was numb. We spent the next few days crying and asking why, but we knew that God had a plan and we needed to trust Him in this struggle. That weekend we packed up our things and headed to Spring Training. This was a new year, a new team, new friends, and new opportunities and we planned to make the most of them.
And God new what he was doing! Craig made the team out of camp (check off the bucket list) and we were going to be in Baltimore... Home of Johns Hopkins and the best medical researchers in the country!

This was our year and our chance at having the family we had prayed for and waited on for 3 years!

Giving it a go...

    By popular demand and many requests, I am going to join the blogging world. I'm terrible at grammar and spelling, so I'm sure you English Language majors will enjoy my comma splices, lack of subject/verb agreement, and the occasional misspelled word!
    My good and patient friend Heather spent about 35 minutes on the phone with me, walking me through creating my page and setting up a background. I tried to pay attention and take notes, but feel like it's still not quite right. I hope my page doesn't embarrass her!
    The main reason for starting this blog is for all our friends/family, from home town, college, and baseball world, to be able to follow our ever changing lives. It also allows me to avoid the Facebook mania.
    And as the Blog title suggest, we are expecting our first baby!!!!! I am hoping to share our story, the ups and downs, and great growing belly pictures with those who don't get to see us on a daily basis. So stay tuned for a wonderfully long post tomorrow!!!!!