Intro (DD, losses and BFPs mentioned)

cmhawkins1709 · June 2014

I am Chelsea. I am your average 24 year-old-woman from central Kentucky. I married my husband Bradley (my high-school sweetheart) in 2009, fresh out of school, while I was still in college. We immediately started trying to start a family. I had a history of gynecological issues, and expected we'd have trouble. Just as suspected, every month for a year and a half ended with disappointment as every test came up negative, as cycle after cycle eventually came around. In January of 2011, after almost a month and a half without a period, I tested again. It was negative. I didn't expect anything else. Two days later, I started cramping...much more than I ever had before. Horrible, rending pains that I thought would tear me in half. Then the bleeding began...clotted, clumpy bleeding so heavy it ran down my leg. I knew immediately what had happened. I wept. After a visit to the local health clinic (the doctor's office was closed) they told me it was probable that I'd had a micarriage and that my HCG levels were already too low to test positve on a HPT, but that we'd never know for sure. They refused to do a blood test and sent me home, telling me to report to the nearest ER if the heavy bleeding hadn't stopped in 12 hours to be evaluated and see if a DNC was necessary. (I learned later this was extremely dangerous and I should've gone to the ER right then.) Although I hadn't needed them to tell me what I already knew, my husband and I were devastated; shattered. About six months after my miscarriage, I approached my gynecologist about trying other measures to conceive. We discovered that I was not ovulating regularly (which I also already suspected) and we tried two rounds of Clomid, one at 50 mg, the other at 100 mg. These two did not make me ovulate. In February of 2012, I saw my gynecologist again to request a referral to a fertility specialist in our local big city. She referred me on the basis of a suspected endometriosis diagnosis, so I was blessed to have my visits there completely covered. After two visits to Dr. N, I was diagnosed with Poly-cystic Ovarian Syndrome (I had 40 cysts between my two ovaries) and an exploratory surgery was scheduled to check for endometriosis. My surgery was on April 4, 2012, and confirmed that I indeed had endometrial tissue where it did not belong. They removed it, assessed the condition and position of my uterus, and also tested to see if my Fallopian tubes were open and free of scar tissue. Thankfully, all but the endometrial tissue they removed was perfectly normal. Following surgery, I was placed on a birth control pill for 1 month, and then given Provera to make me start a period. After the Provera came the third round of Clomid I'd ever tried, this time at 150 mg. For the first time in almost a year, I got a positive ovulation test, and two weeks later, my first positive pregnancy test! We were absolutely ecstatic, and absolutely terrified. At just 7 weeks gestation, I returned to Dr. N's office for our first ultrasound post-conception...and heard our child's glorious heartbeat for the first time. I was closely monitored those first few months. We had a scare early on due to a subchorionic hemorrhage, and I was placed on "rest"...no "extra-curricular" activities, exercise, or lifting over 10 pounds. It made me very frightened that I would lose my baby...again. I held my breath the entire pregnancy, and I can honestly say I never fully relaxed. I was waiting for something bad to happen to our miracle. At 22 weeks, we found out the sex...it was a girl! I was over the moon, of course, but surprised. The entire time, I had thought it was a boy. I'd had no morning sickness at all, no breakouts, which had only furthered by belief. The rest of the pregnancy went off without a hitch. My due date was Feb 7th, 2013. On January 28th, I went to the hospital for only the second time my whole pregnancy (the first time was after I passed out at a local charity event due to a sudden drop in blood pressure/sugar). I was having contractions. I was told they were Braxtion Hicks, that I was not dilated, and to go home and stay hydrated. At around midnight the 29th, I went BACK in, and was told the same thing and sent home. My discomfort was compounded by the fact that I was ill...I had some kind of upper-respiratory gunk (a sinus infection or something,) and was running a low fever. I called into work at around 7:30 AM because my fever was higher (around 100.1) and I felt terrible and was still having contractions. I went back to bed after calling in to work. At around ten minutes after 9:00 AM, I woke swimming in amniotic fluid. My water had broken in my own bed, at home. I called my Mom to drive me, and called my husband at work, and the race was on. I was relatively comfortable (albeit wet) on the way to the hospital. I was still having contractions, but they were very mild. I was admitted, and labor was very slow as I was only dilated ("I'll give you a fingertip...", the nurse said). I made it to two cm, after six hours, which was apparently not fast enough. Pitocin was started. By 4 cm I was begging for mercy, and given my Epidural (which I had always said I didn't want). The next morning (the 30th) at 7:56 AM, our miracle on Earth,, DD was born (vaginally! yay!). She was 7 pounds, 7 ounces, 20 inches long. Five fingers. Five toes. Blue eyes. PERFECT. It has now been 16 months since her birth, and she is happy, healthy, thriving. She talks, walks, smiles, laughs, pouts, and wraps us around her fingers every day of every month. We have been blessed beyond measure. We started TTC again in September 2013, but against our hope of all hopes, my body has not "straightened itself out" and I still am not ovulating. After stopping my birth control in September, I did not have a period until December 16th. My progesterone test on the sixth of January was indeed negative. After a pregnancy test Jan 21 that was also negative, I started the Provera to induce my period. After a 10 day round of Provera, at 10 mg, I still had not started. On Feb. 5th, I noticed my breasts were very sore and even leaking. On the 6th, I called and talked to a nurse who said the sore breasts and lactation were probably from the Provera. I took another pregnancy test the same day...it was positive. On 2/15, I began spotting. I was not overly concerned at first, as the bleeding was "old blood" color, and cramping was no worse than mild period type cramps I had while pregnant with DD. Bleeding turned bright red, however by that night, and I made the trip to the ER. I was told I had a completely empty uterus and that my betas were only reading 111, indicating 2 weeks when I should've been closer to six. I miscarried 02/16, official diagnosis was chemical pregnancy...same as the first miscarriage. On May 12-16th, I took a 50 mg round of Clomid after having a relatively normal cycle. My Day 21 Progesterone on the 28th was a 5, negative for ovulation, but on the 6th, I got a BFP! Pretty unexpected. My HCG on Monday was 75, pretty on target. I'm having a redraw on Thursday and appointment to compare results on Friday! Wish me luck. I'm so nervous I'm sick! Oh, also, I'm being medicated with Metformin for the PCOS, and am on 200mg Progesterone suppositories and additional Folic acid tablets.

kmc84 · June 2014

Welcome! I'm so sorry for you losses, but how wonderful you have your DD and another on the way! Congratulations!

(Please consider removing some of the sensitive information from your post.....you never know who might be trolling and abuse this type of information)

TJ1979 · June 2014

Congrats on your daughter, and your current BFP! You've been through a lot, and I'm so sorry for your losses. FX this is your take home baby.

(And I agree with kmc, you might want to remove some of the personal details for your own safety.)