Half way there!!!!!!

This is just going to be short and sweet. But since its been FOREVER since I last wrote, I have to give an update......

I am 20 weeks and 4 days along! YEEESSSSSS! Every Monday I go to the hospital and get a lovely shot in my butt of Hydroxy-Progesterone to help me make it to term. We found out 2 weeks ago that we are expecting a girl. I've narrowed the name search to about 25 names! LOL!!! We are almost on Christmas Break so I promise to give more details about all the stuff going on with my pregnancy.

Booger Factory!!!!

At 10 weeks 6 days a common cold is a nightmare! Not being able to do anything but shoot saline spray up my nose and rub Vicks Vapor Rub on my chest stinks!!!! (Well not that I can smell anything.) I am a booger factory!!! It's disgusting!!! Just hearing myself blow my nose, all those nasty, slimy boogers flying into the tissue kicks in my gag reflex. Ick! Today I'm nauseated on top of it so I'm just a mess. But I went to work so I could save my days for when I'm gonna need them most.

Enough about boogers.

Since I heard the heartbeat and got to see my lil one in the ultrasound last week we are finally telling extended family members and people at out jobs. I let my bosses know Monday and they are all saying prayers for us. I was a little apprehensive about telling administration about my pregnancy because we are undergoing budget cuts and performance evaluations like crazy. I didn't want my pregnancy to be used against me, to be said that because I was pregnant and won't be around for end of the year testing that I shouldn't be allowed to stay in the position that I'm in. But I figured since I am already popping out and having to leave early or show up late for appointments that I needed to divulge in my secret. So far they are supportive and understanding. I'm just hoping for no or little complications to keep everything running smooth and can ride this pregnancy all the way to April!!!

P.S. Thanks Jerseysaur! I'm having a great time reading your posts! Hope your test went well.

I got a +HPT!!!!!

I have to catch you all up since I haven't posted in a few months.

Back in May I had a HSG test done......boy was that just about the most uncomfortable thing!!!! It's a quick procedure and after it was done I only had minor cramps & just a bit of spotting. But as that dye was shot into and moving through my tubes & uterus, I can't say exactly that it was painful just extremely uncomfortable. The doctor, an Endocrinologist, said that everything looked great, that there were no blockages in my tubes and my uterus was shaped fine. Knowing I should be happy that there's nothing wrong with me, it was and is frustrating to not have answers when I keep losing my babies.

I got the green light from my OB to start trying again when I was ready. After my D&C in March he had given me a 3 month perscription for birth control which I decided to finish out. I decided I needed to take care of me before I trying again. By working out & eating better, I ended up "The Biggest Loser" in our weight loss contest at work, losing 9lbs in 5 weeks!!!! During the rest of May, June and July I just watched what I ate and pretty much stayed on my workout regime, losing another 5lbs. Pat on my back!

July 10th is my CD1. Between CD12-15 I had spotted lightly (ovulation?). Mr. Hungrysaur and I BD on CDs 8, 10 and 15. On CD18 I had light bleeding when I wiped (implantation spotting?). My period should have started August 6th, that date had come and gone without event. So finally about a week and a half later I took a HPT and it came up positive!!!!

This next week I will go to the Dr to do a pregnancy test to make it all official so I can schedule my 1st doctor visit. I'll be 7 weeks tomorrow. I feel great!!!! I'm super tired and my tatas are sore but other than that I feel fabulous!!! I feel like I did when I carried my son so I'm crossing all my body parts that that's a good sign. The last 3 pregnancies when I miscarried it seemed like there was something wrong almost right from the beginning. Even one of my buddies told me the other day that I look healthier this time around than I did the other times. Hoping & praying.

Now that I've caught up I promise to keep in touch & give regular updates (even if things go bad.) Thanks everyone for staying with me. I know there are others like me out there who keep miscarrying when all the tests show we're "normal". Hang in there ladies. Hopefully we all get our happily ever afters soon.

Spoke too soon......

Cramping, back pain, passing clots, oh my!

My period started today!

The only reason why I'm cheering instead of falling into a funk over this news is because its the 1st one since my D&C. Normally the first sight of blood brings on despair & frustration. Today its the sign of a new beginning!

Normally when I'm about to start my period there's cramping, back pain, sore ta-tas to warn me its coming. I had no normal PMS symptoms this time around. Weird. Maybe this will mean I'll have nice & easy cycle. I'm not holding my breath. My periods are usually heavy, crampy & clotty. The 1st period after both spontaneous miscarriages were brutal for me so maybe the D&C will make a difference in how this one will be.

I'm still waiting for the results of the thyroid testing I did last week. I also need to call the Endocrinologist to set up my HSG testing.

Workout wise I'm sticking to it and feeling great!!! I'm in the lead right now in our biggest loser contest at work so that is a powerful motivator right now.

Getting active while waiting......

No news from the doctor. So no news is good news? In a day or two I'll give them a call to see what's what. I'm on week two of being on the pill. When my period starts (CD1) I'm supposed to call the fertility specialist to schedule my HSG testing. It's day 29 since my D&C, I've been crampy the last couple of days but that could be from the birth control.

Yesterday I entered my work's 5-week Biggest Loser contest. I'm starting out at 168lbs. Oy! That's the heaviest I've EVER been. Since I'm doing tests, & not supposed to get preggers the next 2 cycles or so I've decided its "Let's get healthy time!" Plus its starting to get hot in Texas & sweat marks in the chub rolls just isn't cute! I'm a sweater. Not the wool, cashmere, pullover, cardigans type! I'm the drip, drip, sweat rolling down my back, totally icky sweaty ew ew type! I could be painting my nails & sweat is glistening on my brow. Hot & humid weather is not attractive on me. My goal is to lose 10lbs in the next 5-weeks and hope this will also help in my miscarriage issues. I also hope to make my workouts & healthier eating habits a lifestyle change.

One last thing......just counting myself once, even though I've been pregnant 3 times this school year, there have been 10 pregnant ladies at my work. Everyday I see new baby pics, pregnant stories, pregnant co-workers, baby room plans......its hard...it hard everyday to see how happy (or miserable) they are. I WANT WHAT THEY HAVE! I WANT ANOTHER BABY! Then I remember & feel bad that I feel this way. I have a son! A really great and amazing son! Why can't I just be satisfied with the gift I've already been given?

Introducing.......HUNGRYSAUR!!!!!

Hi y'all! So I'm really excited to be a 'Saur. I started reading 'Saur stories after my 1st miscarriage in July '10 and just really connected with some of you through them. Now, after my 3rd miscarriage I wanted to see if I could become a 'Saur to share MY story with y'all and hopefully connect with someone going through a tough time.

I've decided to write both a short and long intro. In the short I'll hit just the high points so if you want just a general idea of what happened and skip to today you're set. The long intro will go a bit more into detail and my emotions through it all.

Short Intro:

- 33 years old, Mr Hungrysaur is 39

- Been married almost 9 years

- We have one son who is almost 10

- Discovered I have PCOS when TTC for Baby #2 in Dec. '06

- Did provera/clomid for 5 cycles w/no luck from Feb-June '07

- Took a break from actively TTC, just letting things happen if they happen

- Beginning of 2009 saw an infertility specialist. Started clomid again from Jan-May '09. No luck again.

- July 7, 2010: (CD19) went to the doctor because of severe stomach pains and spotting. They ran a pregnancy test, just in case, and found out I was indeed pregnant and sent me to the ER (worried about ectopic pregnancy). I was about 2 1/2 weeks pregnant and had an UTI. They gave me meds for the UTI and told me to take it easy. 4 days later I ended up having a spontaneous miscarriage. Boo.

- I waited one cycle then TTC again

- Oct 7, 2010: Positive HPT!!!

- Oct 13, 2010: Spontaneous miscarriage (AGAIN!!!!!)

- Waited one cycle, got all clear from the doc to TTC

- Jan 27, 2011: positive pregnancy test from doctor's office

- Feb 17, 2011: 1st dr appointment (8 weeks pg). Had an ultrasound done and it showed the yolk sac and just the beginnings of the fetal pole which meant I'd be around the 6 week mark instead. Maybe my dates were off so I got rescheduled for another ultrasound for 2 weeks later.

- March 2, 2011: 2nd ultrasound showed no further development and no heartbeat.

- March 14, 2011: D&C to remove missed miscarriage

- March 28, 2011: Follow up appointment. Now that I have miscarried 3 times in a row they will run some tests now to try to figure out why I am miscarrying. They took blood to run some general tests, diabetes, thyroid and others. If those all come back normal then on to Phase 2, the HSG test. Then if that comes back normal then Phase 3 which is a chromosome test for Mr. Hungrysaur and myself.

Long Intro:

We had no problems getting pregnant with our son. I was 22, in great shape, and at that time we weren't trying to get pregnant. My periods had always been irregular so it wasn't uncommon for me to go months at a time without a period. Even though it had been 4 months since my last cycle, it never even dawned on me that I might be pregnant. Mr. Hungrysaur suggested I take a pregnancy test "just in case" before we went out for my birthday in Jan 01 and what do you know......I was pregnant.

Now, trying to figure out how far along I was, was interesting. At first we went by my LPM, which put my due date in early June '01. Then I had an internal exam which bumped my date to early July. But, after my 1st ultrasound my "final" due date estimation ended up being Aug. 8, 2001. I had a GREAT pregnancy! I never once got sick, never had heartburn, and ate whatever I wanted. I was going to school and working, the only real pregnancy symptom I had was fatigue but other than that, I LOVED BEING PREGNANT!!!! Everything was going great until June 21st (I was 33 weeks pregnant) when I started going into labor. At the hospital I was 2-3cm dilated but near 100% effaced. They tried stopping my labor but to no avail, BabyBoy was determined to come that day. BabyBoy was born June 21, 2001 at 10:47pm. With a little bit of jaundice, reflux, and eating apneas, he had a 4 week stay in the NICU and after that we really haven't any health problems with him (knock on wood.)

When BabyBoy turned 4 when we began our current TTC journey. During that year I only had 4 periods so obviously there was something wrong WITH ME. After visiting the doctor, having bloodwork done, and Mr. Hungrysaur had his swimmers tested we discovered I had PCOS. SO I AM THE PROBLEM AFTER ALL!!!! The OB prescribed Provera to jump start my cycle and Clomid to help me ovulate. I started at 50mg on the Clomid, didn't ovulate, then went to 100mg where I did ovulate. YAY!!! However after 3 rounds at 100mg, we still didn't get pregnant. The Mr. and I decided to take a break from "enhancing" our chances at getting pregnant, to just let nature take its course.

A few years later we decided to see an infertility specialist and started up on the Clomid again. They started me out at 100mg since that's where I had ovulation success the last time we tried. When I didn't get pregnant on the 1st round of 100mg they prescribed me to 150mg. I had some good follicles but I never managed to get pregnant during the 5 rounds of Clomid this time either.

Our marriage hit a rough spot and Mr. Hungrysaur and I had some things to work through before trying for Baby #2 again. We were able to work things out and keep our marriage together!!!! Instead of putting a whole bunch of stress on ourselves we decided to "not try" to get pregnant and just enjoy ourselves and each other. If we were meant to have another baby then God will make it happen like he did with Baby #1.

Beginning of July '10 I started spotting the day after Mr. Hungrysaur and I BD. Normally when this happens it means that my period is coming within a day or two, which isn't big deal except that I was only on CD13 at this point. Hmmm???? A few days later I started getting really bad stomach cramps and the spotting turned really bright red but faded throughout the day. By July 7th the stomach cramps had gotten so bad I just couldn't take it anymore. I made a same day appointment at the clinic. After being checked out by a doctor it looked like I could've had appendicitis, an UTI, or if I was pregnant an ectopic pregnancy. Counting my days there was really NO WAY I could've been pregnant! We had only BD once since the end of my period and that was on CD13, and I had NEVER ovulated that early.....EVER. Plus, all the times we had been trying to get pregnant and all the dancing we did around ovulation and NEVER getting pregnant even on meds......my odds were minute that I was pregnant. But the doctor insisted on doing a pregnancy test just in case before ordering a CT scan to look at my appendix. Wouldn't you know that sucker came back positive!?! So on to the ER we went since I was bleeding and cramping in the early days of my pregnancy. At the ER they did a blood pregnancy test that came back positive and found out I was only 2 1/2 weeks pregnant. They did an ultrasound to make sure I wasn't ectopic but since it was so early in my pregnancy we didn't see anything. I got sent home with meds for an UTI and orders to take it easy for the next few days. Two days later I went to a follow up appointment and my numbers had more than doubled since the 7th making the pregnancy viable and the stomach pains were nearly gone. Two days later from the follow up appointment (CD23) I had a ton of bleeding, period like cramps and passing clots/tissue. I didn't go back to the ER but I knew I lost my baby. I just didn't feel pregnant anymore. However, I did call a high school buddy who is a PA and I explained how I had just been in the ER and really didn't want to go back especially when I was pretty sure I knew what was going on. I was bleeding a lot but I wasn't bleeding a pad or more an hour, so I just toughed it out and made an appointment with an OB which wasn't for another week. I stopped bleeding all together about 4 days later. At my appointment they took blood to check my numbers and they had indeed dropped, confirming a spontaneous miscarriage. The OB wanted me to wait 3 cycles before trying again I waited one. There was no way I was going on the pill to prevent something I wanted to happen especially since it took me 5 years to get pregnant. Mr. Hungrysaur and I started "not trying" again and in October I took a HPT and got a BFP!!!! Yay!!! Three days later the hubby and I celebrated our good news and during our BD I started bleeding. ARG!!! We went to the ER, by the time I got checked out I had stopped bleeding and everything was fine. Mr. Hungrysaur and I got instructions to abstain from sex until the 2nd trimester and I was to just take it easy. Three days later I'm back in the ER, bleeding, cramping, and passing tissue once again. They did an ultrasound and couldn't see anything, did a HCG test and my numbers were low indicating another spontaneous miscarriage. I was devastated, hollowed out. Is it worse not being able to get pregnant month after month, year after year? Or to finally get your BFP only to lose your baby almost as soon as you find out you're carrying? I changed OB doctors, got the all clear to try again after I got my 1st cycle after the miscarriage. I didn't want to. I wasn't ready yet. As much as I wanted another child I didn't know if I could handle another loss.

The holidays came and went, my birthday (Jan 13th) rolled around and I had a feeling that I may be pregnant. I waited another couple weeks before I did an HPT.......positive. We were excited but unfortunately both Mr. Hungrysaur and I were wondering how long this pregnancy would last. We were not optimistic. I went to the doctor's office and they ran a pregnancy test which also came back positive. Then I was given an appointment for 2 weeks later which at that time I would be 8 weeks pregnant. This pregnancy was very different than my last two where I had miscarried. I actually FELT pregnant. I was nauseated, I was exhausted, my boobs were sore and huge and to top it all off my belly was pooching out!!! YES!!! I was getting more and more optimistic everyday!!!

At my 1st appointment the NP did my ultrasound first thing because she knew how anxious I'd be in finally being able to see something in an ultrasound. I got to see my yolk sac and the beginnings of my fetal pole but no heart beat. Unfortunately that meant I either wasn't as far along as I thought or my baby wasn't developing as it should. Two weeks later I was back in for my followup ultrasound to see if there was any change. There wasn't. No growth, no heart beat. I lost this baby too but this time it was a missed miscarriage. My OB figured I would miscarry naturally since I've already done so twice but my body never figured it out. It still thought the baby was doing fine, I still had all the symptoms. Spring Break was coming in a couple of weeks so we figured if I didn't miscarry by then I would have a D&C done. The Friday before Spring Break I started spotting but nothing more than that happened so on March 14th I had the D&C.

Since this is my 3rd miscarriage in a row, I am now labeled having recurrent miscarriages and can have tests done to hopefully find out why. I've already had blood work done and if all that comes back normal then I'll have a HSG test done. Then after that funness is chromosome testing for Mr. Hungrysaur and myself.

My intro is finally done. Sorry it was so long but thanks for sticking through it. I hope you'll continue to follow my story and I promise future posts will not be as long. ;)