HCG 48 Hours Later

My level is certainly increasing, thank God! I went from 167 on Tuesday to 429 on Thursday which was exactly 4 weeks. I'm still concerned because at 4 weeks 4 days, I was 388 with Precious Miracle. My progesterone is 40.5 and both my Peri and MFM are excited about these numbers. I had a touch of nausea this morning but nothing major. And my aversion to red meat (which I had with Missy) is back.

I've been pushing the fluids and fiber. Oh, and I should explain the photo below - each week during my first pregnancy, I wore the same pajamas and took my picture in the same spot each week.

I also have a week-by-week pregnancy calendar that I have been anxious to fill out (I did one the first time around and want to do ALL the same things for each child) but was waiting until today to make sure things were looking good. Not sure when I'll relax into this but all I can say is it looks like it's going to be a long road!


And finally, today was my darkest HPT line yet!!!

4 Weeks!!!

Okay, I think the anxiety is beginning to set in. Last night I woke up about 4 a.m. and felt like my stomach was bursting at the seams. I felt so much pressure. It very easily could have been the pasta meal I downed at 10:00 before bed. But of course, my mind wandered elsewhere.

My period was due yesterday, today, tomorrow, depending on how many days my cycle decides to run any given month. I have slight cramping too which doesn't make anything easier.

I went for another HCG blood draw. Hopefully the doctors' office will have the result in the morning as I think they have abbreviated office hours on Friday. Yeah, I'm pretty sure they do. It was a Friday that I called when I was pregnant with Precious Miracle to let them know I had a funny discharge and they said, "Hurry up, we're leaving". Turns out my membranes were bulging.

Anyway, onto happier thoughts... I pointed to my stomach today and told Precious Miracle that there is a baby in Mommy's tummy. Now, when I ask her where the baby is, she lifts my shirt and touches my stomach. She learns so fast and I am so thankful for her. This pregnancy is making me realize just how much of a miracle she really is. I always knew she was and thank God daily for her but the pain of what she didn't get by being born at 24 weeks is starting to become more apparent. Before now, I just didn't want to know. I couldn't process it. I wouldn't allow myself to.

So, I'm keeping up with my Prometrium, which made me extremely tired today. And, I'm drinking tons of water. I also started eating my block of dark chocolate each day. I heard before my last pregnancy that it makes for happy babies. I ate a piece everyday with Miss Miracle and I must say, aside from the two-year old fits she throws, she is a pretty happy, sweet girl. I can't complain. Here's hoping number two is just as happy and what I really wish for (aside from full-term and healthy) is a baby who sleeps just as well as Missy does. Boy, are we spoiled!

HCG

Today is Wednesday. I started my day by taking ANOTHER HPT. The line just keeps getting darker, thank God!

I called my Peri's office today to find out my HCG level. It turns out at 3 weeks 5 days, my HCG is 167. With Precious Miracle, at 3 weeks 6 days, my HCG was 13. I am quite nervous and left a message for Dr. Davis after hashing this over and over with my preemie friends. Does this mean a molar pregnancy? Does this mean multiples?

Tomorrow I go back for another blood draw and will hopefully learn on Friday that my numbers are doubling as they are supposed to.

But the big question remains... why is my level so high? Or much higher earlier on than my last pregnancy???

Progesterone

On Tuesday, June 17, I called Dr. Davis because I was concerned I had an issue with progesterone post ovulation. He told me to come in on Thursday. In the meantime, on Wednesday, I saw my PCP and she ran some labs: progesterone, some coagulation stuff and something I came across in my research, a screening for "anti-phospholipid syndrome".

Thursday morning after therapy, I dropped Precious Miracle off at my mother-in-law's and drove the almost two hour drive to South Jersey. I waited for another two and half hours for the ultrasound room to become available. Between the tech, Dr. Davis and his med student shadow, my uterine lining and ovaries were evaluated. My uterine lining was just as it was supposed to be for day 22 in my cycle. And I had indeed ovulated. Dr. Davis also reviewed the basal temperature chart I started keeping earlier in the month beginning on day 8. There was the textbook pattern of a slight drop in temperature followed by the climb on day 14.

Dr. Davis gave me a lab slip to have another progesterone level drawn and said to test for pregnancy if I didn't start my period on day 30.

On Friday, I learned that the progesterone level that was drawn on Wednesday was 10.7. This was a little low yet all the medical people I spoke with (none MDs) said it was "within normal limits".

After dinner on Friday, I felt a little sick to my stomach but thought nothing of it. On Saturday morning it persisted as I coached Precious Miracle at My Gym. Immediately after, we headed to Quest and I had another progesterone level drawn. At the same time, after much nagging, my husband went to the Dollar Store to pick up some HPTs.

I couldn't resist doing a HPT even though we both knew it was way too early for a positive result. I did the test and was too anxious to wait the three minutes and threw the test in the garbage. My husband, gloating that he was right, it was too early to test, asked how it went. I replied that it indicated we were expecting identical quads. A few hours later as I was getting ready to go out for dinner, I decided to take another look at the test. I pulled it from the garbage can and sure enough there was a very faint pink line. I raced downstairs to show my husband who was feeding Precious Miracle and he confirmed that yes, we are pregnant. He was not shocked at all.

I was somewhat in disbelief yet unaffected by the news. I immediately called my friend, Sara, to see what her thoughts were of an hours old HPT result. She and her scientist husband felt is was accurate.

I called Dr. Davis and left a message for him explaining that my progesterone from Wednesday was only 10.7 and that I had a faint line on a HPT. We went for dinner and an hour later, Dr. Davis left a message on my home phone, indicating he would like to start me on oral progesterone and to call him on Sunday.

First thing Sunday morning, I took two more HPT. One was another Dollar Store test and the other was a First Response. They were both positive. I called Sara back to confirm that I was indeed pregnant. I also left a message for Dr. Davis. He called in Prometrium - 600 mg per day.

On Monday, after taking another HPT, I got my Saturday progesterone level which was 28.3 - Dr. Davis was very pleased with this increase, however, would like me to continue with the oral progesterone anyway. I also called my Perinatal group to request lab slips to have my HCG checked. They also scheduled my first OB appointment for July 30. I am also scheduled to see Dr. Davis on July 17.

Tuesday morning, I took another HPT and received my HCG slips in the mail. I went to have my blood drawn at 11:30. I am anxious to see where these numbers are compared to my first pregnancy.

It is still very early! I am only 3 weeks, 5 days pregnant. I haven't even missed a period yet. So far, I've only told Sara, Lori - my support mom from the NICU, my mother and Wendy -another micro-preemie mom.

A Little Experiment...

Thinking I was interested in going back to work part time, I signed up for a nine week sales class called "Sweathogs". I was all into the program, chosen to be a team leader and all ready to start generating more leads for my husband to work. Then it hit me. There was a major homework requirement that would take me away from Precious Miracle at least three days per week, not to mention the actual class time, a fourth full day.

There is so much going on in the life of Precious Miracle and I don't want to miss one thing. I want to be there for her therapy sessions, discovering how well she performed and what we need to work on for next time. I want to be there for music and gym classes. I want to be the one to kiss her boo-boos, help her explore the potty, read her stories and be the one she wakes up to every single afternoon.

Work will always be there -the opportunity to spend quality time raising my almost two year old won't. In the future, do I see myself regretting the fact that I passed up a work opportunity? No. Do I see myself regretting the fact that I wasn't there for my baby girl? You betcha!

This takes me to my next point. Preschool at two? What was I thinking? There is no way my daughter is ready for that. So, it is off to "Mommy and Me" this fall. Sometimes things just become crystal clear. Thank God for that!