The In Vitro Journey: The Plan, Part II

Well I know it's been a while since I've updated.. I've been debating continuing to post here, thinking maybe something would happen down the road that I want to keep private.. But then I guess I just wouldn't write about it. At the same time, writing it down helps me to process this huge thing that's happening.. This huge process that is so much bigger than me. 
Anyways, these things take time. We've been actively moving forward with the requirements of the process, and are growing more and more excited as time passes. We have officially began our first round of IVF! Today we had an appointment to review the timeline and each part of the procedures in our future. We'll talk more about that later.. first let's back up a couple months.

We chose to participate in the Success Guarantee Program through San Diego Fertility Center. This program basically guarantees that you achieve a successful pregnancy or you will receive a (almost) full refund. We had to be approved for this program by meeting certain requirements such as BMI under 30 and normal blood work/health screening. We were accepted into the program on June 16th.


We wanted to get started right away but the timing had to be right with my cycle and the dates just didn't line up. We decided it was a perfect time to take a trip up to San Fransisco to meet the boyfriend's newborn nephew, Auden Emory. We took the 8 hour drive up and spent the weekend with his sister Susie and her husband Mike. It was a great little lesson into what life will be like after this IVF journey comes to an end.

Today at our appointment we watched a 25 minute video including detailed looks into each step of the process:

✓Testing

✓Planning

Hormone Therapy, 

Egg Retrieval, 

ICSI (Intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection),

Embryo Watch/Growth 

Embryo Transfer,

Pregnancy Test.

Of course there are possible complications to all of the above, there are also all kinds of possible scenarios and statistics involved in making the best "next" decision. We will be in constant contact with the doctors and nurses from the clinic and will be instructed at every turn. 

Today, in hearing that this whole process is a cash deal for us since insurance will not cover it, the nurse who helped us was able to find some of the prescriptions I needed to order in her office and gave to us for free! Saved us around $2,000!! 

I will work on posting our calendar of dates in the next posting.. I know that right now it seems like it's taken forever to get here. But I think from now on, it will zoom by.

Crossing my fingers and toes for success, good health, and all around happiness. ✌ 

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The In Vitro Journey: The Plan, Part I

Originally, when I created this blog, my intention was to showcase some sneak peaks into our daily life and follow us on a journey we have been building up to for quite some time. It has turned out to be very little of that and more of a place for me to sort out all my book reviews & obsessions. If you're one of the people who tuned in to follow our little love story, I apologize for falling off track. I promise when there is more exciting info to share, I will do so in as much detail as possible.

We have been doing well over the past few weeks at opening the lines of communication regarding our upcoming procedures. We have began taking small steps towards healthier lives including more fruits and veggies, less fast food, more cardio, water, and vitamins. I am down 18 pounds in two months and the target BMI is in close sight.  

Us yesterday before our 3 mile walk along the boardwalk @ sunset

(Our favorite old person past time, next to watching 

Wheel of Fortune & Jeopardy 5 nights a week)

We seem to have a more concrete plan and time frame now as far as our plans to begin our IVF Journey goes. We will be moving in May and have a vacation planned in June, both of which will be a bit costly and not an ideal time for hormone shots and resting/preparing the body for pregnancy. We plan to meet with our doctor in mid to late June to schedule out our treatments and procedures and begin moving forward in July.

It's crazy how often I get asked by parents, "do you have any children?". When I respond with "no, not yet" the response is ALWAYS "lucky you! Wait as long as you can" and "kids change everything."

Going through all of this, I don't even know how to respond to that. Of course the standard thing to do is just laugh and say something like, "Oh, I bet!" But inside I'm thinking, "there's nothing lucky about my answer to that question" and  "yes, I realize kids change everything, that's what I'm going for here!"

If nothing else this is a lesson for me to not judge a book by it's cover. You really never know the details of someones life until you sit down with them and really get to the nitty gritty. Maybe statements like "consider yourself lucky" shouldn't be a blanket thrown over everyone in child bearing years without a child. Maybe assumptions shouldn't be made that because you don't have children it must mean you don't want them or aren't ready for them. Or, maybe, possibly, I'm just over thinking it because it's something that hits close to home. Either way, I'll take the "advise" in stride and continue on this journey until we have our missing puzzle piece and can start putting together our own family puzzle.

It's late and the mister is already dead asleep. Time for me to join him.

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The In Vitro Journey: Blueprint Phase

Becoming a mom has always been a really big deal to me. I am so fortunate to have found someone who not only can’t wait to be a father, but also can’t wait for me to be the mother to their child. Having a baby is something David & I have talked about and wanted for a long time, regardless of the struggles we know it will take to do so. We realize how big of a commitment this is and how it will completely alter our lives forever and we are SO ready for that.  

Over the past five years our love and acceptance for one another has grown exponentially and in the past year we have decided that there’s no time like the present to set foot on this journey. After lots of doctor’s appointments and tests we have recently received a clear picture of what our future holds in respect to getting pregnant. 

Basically, our baby will be made in a Petri dish and directed to my uterus with hopes that it implants and grows. This process is called In Vitro Fertilization and is necessary when the sperm is not able to penetrate the egg on it's own. 

We spoke with a financial advisor to discuss the cost of this type of procedure and left the doctor’s office feeling overwhelmed but educated and excited at the same time. This is something we’ve been saving up for for quite some time and we expected the high cost but the idea of depleting our entire savings account is not something we’re ready for. Also, the doctor recommended that in order to achieve the best results with the process I decrease my BMI (body mass index) by 5% (aka lose 27 pounds).

We took this in stride and decided to get to work on achieving that goal (12 lbs down, 18 to go!).  In the meantime, we plan to increase our savings and decrease our spending. We started to look into different ways to raise a portion of the money we need using crowd funding, however asking for hand outs is a very humbling experience and I don’t know that either of us is ready or willing to do that.

Luckily, we have a lot of positive factors going for us. Both of us are actively working in the real estate industry and creating revenue every day. We also have an awesome support system of friends and family behind us that would contribute without hesitation if we asked. 

We are both so excited to start this journey but more than anything want to make sure we are 100% prepared both mentally, physically, and financially. We are grateful for the support from our family and friends (whether we know you in real life or not) and can’t wait to share our story.

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