TTGP Grad Announcements w/o 6/24

inthewoods23 · June 2019

If you are a contributing member with a BFP this week, please share your success with us here. How do you know if you're a contributing member?

1. Ask your heart if you have contributed positively here.
2. Do these people know you? Will they be happy about your pregnancy?
3. Have you offered support to others or have you just blasted your own info out there?
4. We ask that you only post here if you have been participating meaningfully here for at least three months.Sometimes the silence is kindest. Those of us who lurk BMBs will see your intro and PM/comment/love tit.
5. Again, take a moment and step away from your excitement and ask your heart if posting would be potentially hurtful.
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This thread has mild restrictions - thread is primarily BFP announcements but doesn't allow for direct questions or lengthy/personalized congrats in the comments. Use the "Love It" button or "congrats!", "H&H 9 months!", "I was hoping this was your month!" and other short & sweet notes.

Regular board rules apply-- this is not the place to ask if you are pregnant based off your symptoms or for second opinions on your tests. We do invite you to contribute in the daily TWW and WTO threads and discussions. This community gives back tenfold what you put into it! When you see somebody who has possibly violated a guideline of this thread, please quote the section of these guidelines and include a callout to the poster, but keep snark to a minimum. If you have a post called out, please edit your offending post to add a note that you've been made aware of the rule and will keep it in mind in the future (if you are being asked to change wording due to unintentionally offensive phrasing, please remove that part of your post with a note of "EDIT: Removed offensive phrasing"). Remember: this thread is not a tribunal. Continued arguments and defenses about a post have no place here and are considered off-topic. If you would like to make an argument for or against a rule, please create or update a META thread to discuss.

CD/DPO of first BFP?

How many months/cycles had you been TTC?

How long have you been an active participant on the TTGP board? (minimum 3 months)

What did your chart look like?

What were you doing TGKU?

How was your timing? What symptoms did you have, if any? (CS & CD breakdowns welcome)

How are you going to/did you tell your partner?

Anything else to add?

emmasemm · June 2019

I know everyone writes it but I can’t quite believe this is me writing here... it’s a bit like an out of body experience!
And sorry - but it’s going to be a long one (like most of my posts

)

CD/DPO of first BFP?
This is going to be a “do as I say, not as I do” confession - I tested from (4dp3dt) 7dpo (negative) and got my first squinter on a super sensitive cheapie at 8dpo in the evening having had a major meltdown at the negatives earlier that day - but I didn’t realize for another 24 hours...
I have since taken more than 30 tests and done 2 betas.

How many months/cycles had you been TTC?
50 months, so just over 4 years - since April 2015. I lost count of cycles some time ago.

How long have you been an active participant on the TTGP board? (minimum 3 months)
Almost 2 years - since July 2017

What did your chart look like?
Sorry, no charting this cycle

What were you doing TGKU?
This was a day 3 transfer of two embryos which were frozen in August last year during one of our multiple IVF banking cycles. We invested 1.5 years to bank embryos from multiple retrievals and after that to make my body as hospitable to embryos as possible. This included two Hysteroscopies (including biopsying for infection) and removal of polyps. Plus an ERA cycle to make sure we got perfect timing for the transfer. Oh and we treated my thyroid issues to bring my TSH back in the ideal 1-2 range.
As I have a host of autoimmune issues and adenomyosis we did a month of daily Lupron injections first to try to calm things down in my uterus. The Lupron continued at a lower dose until we started progesterone.
After CD1, we also used estrogen patches to thicken my lining, steroids, antibiotics, aspirin, Lovenox. Estrogen tablets were added a few days before transfer as whilst my lining was thick my estrogen levels were low. I am doing Intralipids every two weeks until 12 weeks. Progesterone is via three routes - rectally, vaginally and via injections.
Supplement wise I see a Dr who is also a trained nutritionist and we monitor my supplements monthly and adjust as needed - all supplements are individual, no combined ones so we can tweak them easily. All supplements are re-approved by my RE.
For the first time ever I found a probiotic which suits me, have spent 2 months on an anti-inflammatory diet (eliminating everything which triggers any inflammation in me) and have in that time lost the 30 pounds I gained during the 2 years of IVF. This was also approved by my RE.
Very controversially I agreed to take the two weeks from transfer to official beta off work. I never took time off for other transfers or TWWs. To be very honest I thought people who did were lightweights. The first week I could easily have worked and I don’t think it would have made a difference, but this second week I am so so thankful DH convinced me to do it. For Me, for this transfer, at this time of the year (its been record temps in Europe) and with the other family issues plus symptoms I was very pleased to not have to juggle the stress of work too.
From transfer to 11dpo I also walked 15,000 steps per day to try to give good blood flow to my uterus. Steady walking, heartbeat never over 110bpm.
I think I’ve probably forgotten something though!

How was your timing? What symptoms did you have, if any? (CS & CD breakdowns welcome)
Timing and placement of the embryos were text book thanks to my wonderful clinic.
Symptoms in spoiler else this post will take a whole page on its own! I’ll do them as DPO equivalents so they’re easy for most to understand.

7dpo lots of twinges in exactly the place just above my left hip bone where the external US during transfer showed my uterus to be. That day I felt very positive.
8dpo I had several big meltdowns. I am not one to meltdown. I felt no twinges or anything and so thought it was all over. I had to take DH to the airport and cried. With hindsight, this was not normal me.
9dpo Felt very calm, resigned that it was over. In the evening still just in daylight got out all the sticks I’d peed on to throw away and suddenly realized if I looked in daylight not an artificial light I could see lines! Very faint, but lines.
10dpo cheapies and FRER showed faint lines all day but impossible to tell if they were getting darker or not. Very emotional all day. Cried at everything I watched. Cried when I dropped a piece of chicken on the floor. I am not a crier. Also started with an upset stomach and a sore throat. Peeing every 1.5 hours - which makes a sufficient hold to test very difficult!
11dpo decided to go for early beta which came back positive at 36. Which is fine for so early. But my progesterone was very low so we upped all my progesterone doses. RE thought I was a bit crazy for going so early, but said he kind of expected it and totally humored me! That morning I woke up at 4am feeling very sick and spent three hours sitting in the bathroom. Then napped for 2 hours after lunch. Still peeing all the time. Stomach still upset. Feels like I’m getting the flu. I cried multiple times. Also I had zero patience with asshole drivers and gesticulated wildly at them - Normally I’m very polite!
12dpo again woke up at 4am and had 3 hours of really strong nausea, so again napped after lunch. More trips to the bathroom, stomach still upset. Still feels like I’ve got the flu. Cried so easily at everything.
13dpo (Friday - today) another 4am wake up and 3 hour nausea session. Beta number two is 95 - so a 34 hour doubling time which is good. Progesterone has improved. Still peeing like crazy, stomach a bit more settled and really feels like I have the flu. Still tearing up all the time. In a state of shock. Peeing on sticks every few hours to check I’m not in a dream.

How are you going to/did you tell your partner?
He has been away all week so all my peeing on sticks was unbeknown to him. I also didn’t tell him about the first beta as he had an important exam Thursday. I picked him up from the airport this evening. He was very very excited all day. He was on the plane when our second beta results were released.
So I went to the airport with my letterboard which said “Today we are 3 weeks and 6 days pregnant” and held it up as he came through the arrival doors. He knew the result as soon as he saw my face though as I could not hide my Cheshire Cat grin.
In the car I had one of the more expensive HPTs to show him.
Plus I put our “guest baby seat” in the car with our favorite cuddly animal in the seat. He called me a mad chicken!
Considering after 2 years of IVF there are not many surprises left I was really happy to have the chance to surprise him in these small ways.

Anything else to add?

Like most longtime IFers this does not feel real and I am very anxious of the hundreds of things I know can go wrong at each step. But I am trying to keep the mantra “today I am pregnant” on a loop in my head. This is our first ever positive. Having negative feelings will not affect the outcome - but it will rob me of pleasure along the way. And after 4 years I want to find pleasure in this. Maybe I’ll be back far too soon. But if I am I know I have a safe and welcoming place to come to.

Unfortunately we’re however not celebrating like we might have as last night my grandfather died. Some of the IF regs will know I’ve mentioned him quite a few times over the years and recently went to visit him which I’m really pleased we did. The circle of life is very clear to me at the moment. Hold all your loved ones extra close for me.

Now, wow, what can I say about you wonderful ladies on this awesome board?
As I’m not an American I’d never heard of The Knot or The Bump until I started to research DOR and IVF topics. Some of the responses from some of our now grads came up in searches and I signed up and started joining in. For the first 6-8 months I was very active in the dailies as well as the IF thread and over on the IF board, particularly the Low AMH thread. Over the last year or so I haven’t really been in the dailies as most cycles were benched or medicated in some way. But no matter which thread I’m in I love the camaraderie, the snark, the dark humour. I accidentally found that day the perfect part of the TTC internet for me. Thank you to everyone who makes TTGP what it is - in the past, now and in the future.
There are a couple of TTGP grads to whom I owe a special debt of gratitude. Not only did they keep me going when things came crashing down (IVF cycles with no embryos...) but also pointed me in the right direction to find an approach that we hope works for us. The whole banking of embryos and completing 7 IVF retrievals and going to a clinic in another country would never have come about without their wisdom, experience, ideas and encouragement. You gave me a path when I could see none. Thank you.

I hope I have also been able to pass on some of what I have learnt over these last two years to newer TTGP and especially IF members. I know I have a penchant for writing essays - but there is just so much information out there and if someone hadn’t taken the time to give it to me in the first place I don’t want to think where we’d be right now.
So whilst I don’t want to jump in all the time, please please do feel free to tag me if you think I can help someone or send me a PM. I will still be in the Low AMH thread, plus hope to join the PAIF board- not sure how I’ll fit in the BMB yet, we’ll see!
In the nicest possible way I really hope it’s a long time before I’m back here on TTGP - but as I said, if it’s too short a time away I know I come back to friends.

I will leave you with a few lyrics from the title song to the movie “The Neverending Story” as I feel for a 40yo with DOR of only 1-2 AFC per month, making it to this point today is pretty much like reaching for the stars.

”Reach the stars,
Fly a fantasy,
Dream a dream,
And what you see will be”.

Much love to each and every one of you

mhamik · June 2019

Holy moly, I am fairly new to this site and you may not recognize my name I have to say your story is truly remarkable. Reading this gave me goosebumps! If anyone deserves this today, it is you. I pray and pray for a happy and healthy 9 months for you!!!!

jennifer_louise · June 2019

@emmasemm I've been refreshing today waiting for this one!! I am so so soooo happy for you, and what a journey you've had! Your perspective and expertise will be missed, but I can't be happier to see you go!! 💜♥️💙

b_1029 · June 2019

@emmasemm so, so happy for you! You will be missed!

kbrown2385 · June 2019

Oh my god @emmasemm!!! Reading through that I’m in tears. I’ve been lurking so hard waiting to see this and I am beyond happy for you. You have been such a huge part of the IF thread and a huge help, not just to me but so many over there. I wish you nothing but the best and a beautiful 9 months ahead ❤️.

stassischroeder · June 2019

@emmasemm YAAASSS GIRL! Could not be more thrilled to see you post in this thread! I hope you're planning to participate in an BMB because I'm going to lurk the shit out of you!

prpl11butterfly · June 2019

Oh God @emmasemm I am so incredibly happy for you! Thank you for all the support you've given to the IF thread. I'm crossing everything that you find nothing but smooth sailing and immense joy over the next 9m. You sure as hell deserve it!

ruby696 · June 2019

I'm about to cry in my office @emmasemm! OMG this is such wonderful news! Thank you so much for all the advice and support you've given. I have everything crossed for you and wish you the very best over the next nine months!!

emeraldduchess · June 2019

@emmasemm oh wow, wow, wow!! I am SO happy for you and your DH! I haven't been on the IF board long and we haven't interacted a lot, but I know how much you have been through on your journey. Wishing you the happiest, healthiest 9 months possible!!

littleredm · June 2019

@emmasemm that was so beautifully put. I'm so happy for you and I wish you the most boring 9 months ever. Thank you so much for all of your support and wisdom. You'll be missed on this board but so glad that you are moving forward!

puppylove8910 · June 2019

What an incredible story. Thank you for sharing! Congratulations and wishing you a healthy & happy 9 months!

inthewoods23 · June 2019

@emmasemm I am so moved and incredibly excited for you!! Made me a little teary eyed reading your story. H&H 9 months!!! Congrats!!!

coco2787 · June 2019

oh my goodness, congrats!! So incredibly happy for you

silly_goose · June 2019

Can’t believe all you’ve been through. You deserve this! And I hope you get to enjoy every second of it

congratulations!

mercury94 · June 2019

@emmasemm That story is so touching. All of the things you’ve been through to get here. You so deserve this moment. I’m wishing you the most boring 9 months and a happy, healthy child to complete your amazing journey.

shortstack930 · June 2019

@emmasemm yes!!!!! I am so happy to see this, my friend!! You have been through so much to get to this point and I am so beyond thrilled for you!! I hope you have a wonderful, boring pregnancy!!!!!

ejoseph16 · June 2019

@emmasemm yeah! Congratulations!

misshelen86 · June 2019

@emmasemm Huge Congrats to you! Enjoy every moment! Thank you so much for sharing your story.

kobrien827 · June 2019

@emmasemm So many congratulations!! Totally cried reading your airport story

jrm_14 · June 2019

Today, you are pregnant. Today, you are a majestic unicorn 💜. I legit teared up at the imagery of the airport scene. What a magical moment to be able to share in A journey that has robbed you of so many special moments. I so deeply hope there are more of those magical moments you able able to be mindful & present to experience.

The circle of life can speak so loudly. While you’re expecting the emotions of losing your beloved grandfather, you also are cherishing the new life inside of you. Both can be equally valid & true. 💜

[Deleted User] · June 2019

I have been holding my breath, waiting for this news!!! Congratulations! I'm so sorry for the loss of your grandfather, at what would otherwise be such a triumphant time. (((Hugs))) Looking forward to all the happy developments to come... 💖

suzycupcake · June 2019

So many tears for you guys @emmasemm To see another IF sister graduate is deeply cathartic and wonderful!

“gesticulated wildly”

Congratulations! 🎊🎈 You are one of the few who legit kept me sane when my embryos were all abnormal and I did not know what to do. You took the time to write very long emails and provided me with a wealth of information without adding your emotions or telling me what to do—exactly what I most needed. Thank you so so much for that. When I had to give myself shots during airline travel, I remember thinking of how you did it and it gave me strength. 💛

P.S. I’m very sorry to hear about your Grandpa’s passing. My heart goes out to you and your family during this difficult time.

catlady2015 · June 2019

***lurking***
@emmasemm - I am in tears and just beyond excited for you! You’ve had such a journey to get here and the way you told yh is just priceless! Today you are pregnant and I have everything crossed that this will be your take home baby. I’ll be totally stalking your updates.

meggyme · June 2019

@emmasemm so many congratulations!!! I hope you have a textbook perfect pregnancy!

zamoraspin · June 2019

@emmasemm Tears of joy over here! Lady I am just so happy to read your news! I love the sign you made and also that he knew just by seeing your face. You have contributed so much to this community. Your knowledge is unparalleled and we have all benefitted from it!

I don’t even have the right words! Just know you made my week!!!

Hollyyyyy · June 2019

@emmasemm Congrats, friend! I am so very excited for you

Wishing you a very happy & healthy next 8 months

keikilove · June 2019

@emmasemm
🎊💕CONGRATULATIONS!🎉🍾 Your sign for YH was such a special moment, thank you for sharing that with us! And thank you so much for being the wealth of knowledge & support that you have been for all of us. I’ve been praying for you all week & am Wishing you the happiest sweetest pregnancy & birth!

chichiphin · June 2019

@emmasemm CONGRATS!!!! I am so so happy for you and I’m wishing you the healthiest and most boring 9 mo ever. I do hope you’ll lurk and bless us with your vast knowledge of TTC when one of us is stuck or confused! I will stalk you in PAIF!

NYTino24 · June 2019

@emmasem This makes my heart so happy. I read every single word you wrote and I hope you have the happiest pregnancy ever. I believe that the ones we love never truly leave us, and that they watch over us. Hope to hear some great things from you in the future.

adirat · June 2019

@emmasemm So, so, so thrilled that you are here

You are such a wealth of information and it is about damn time that all your hard work and research paid off! We are pulling for you! Huge hugs today and always, friend!

50Wife · June 2019

@emmasemm this is the most incredible news and I’ve been waiting for this day for you! Congratulations, girl!!!

darkstar42 · June 2019

@emmasemm This is the best news ever! I'm so so so excited for you, my friend. Definitely crying happy tears over here. You are amazing and have always been so kind and such a wonderful source of support. Wishing you a perfect and boring 9 months!!!

m6agua · June 2019

Congrats! So excited for you!

SkilledSailor · June 2019

@emmasemm Ahhhh!!!! I am so excited for you! Actual tearing up excited! Wishing you and your little(s?) the absolute best and smoothest 8 months ever! Lord knows you deserve it!

brookert615 · June 2019

@emmasemm OH MY GOSH! Yes!!! Congrats!!

kagesstarshroom · July 2019

Congrats @emmasemm!!!!!! 🎉🎉🎉

whitealbum29 · July 2019

@emmasemm - Congratulations!!! What an amazing story.

nitnat007 · July 2019

@emmasemm As I read your amazing news for a second time, I sit here in tears. Such happy tears for you friend! You are going to be so missed here on the board. Your knowledge, your friendship and your humor, can not be replaced. I am so stinking happy for you though. I hope, in the nicest way, that you do not come back for a long time. I will be looking for your updates along the way.

emmasemm · July 2019

Wow!

Thank you so so much everyone for all the love and support and great messages. It has made me quite emotional reading some of your comments. TTGP has been my home, my safe zone for two years and seeing all the familiar faces old and new is really special.

We did beta 3 today and had a great rise with a 38 hour doubling time. I will do a few more, because as you all know I love to have all the data in my hands

Once again, please don’t be shy to reach out to me if there is anything I can do to support any of you.

Aurora1973 · July 2019

Coming out of lurkdom to congratulate my IF sister.

@emmasemm!!! OMG, I couldn't be more thrilled for you! I have so many happy tears for you after your long ass journey. The happiest and healthiest 9 months to you, friend. You've waited so long and worked so hard. Enjoy every moment

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