We have found ourselves to be on the same page.

Thank you, God, we are able to discuss our options and see that we have landed feet-first on the answer.

I would have liked to have come to this decision many months ago, but I now see we needed to gather as much information as possible and let ourselves truly sit in prayer and quiet with this decision.

We will move forward with Dr. O’Brien at Shady Grove Fertility in Maryland.

My heart is calm and there is a smile on my face.

I feel a sense of relief and excitement as I know we are making the best decision at this moment with the information that is being presented.

With Hubby experiencing the same calming feeling, we began looking at the calendar to see when it makes sense to start this next step.

I’ll be honest, I want to get this thing going right now.

…No time to waste.

The issue is that I’m needing to focus on what in on my plate right now and when I get quiet with myself I know that starting the protocol right now would be too much.

I want my body to be in the best condition to truly relax and provide the best quality of eggs. Not to mention to prepare me with the overabundance of medications that are about to be pumped into my body.

This isn’t something that can be ‘fit in’ to the rest of an already busy schedule.

We both decide it’s best to wait the 2 months necessary to when our work and social schedules are calmer and we are able to give this first step our best shot.

Painful as it is to hurry up and wait, I trust that we are being wise with the decision we have made.

I am giddy.

We begin to look at flights… Just looking.

Ok not just looking.

We end up booking what we think will be our target dates.

(Thank you Southwest miles for your no-penalty refund policy).

Eek, we are really doing this.

I can’t get too excited though, there is still a lot of time between now and then and a lot that needs to happen.

To do list:

• Blood work for infectious/communicable diseases (check and safe!)
• Mandatory consult with PGS Genetic testing lab (scheduled)
• Watch an hour of short videos with questions in order to sign consent forms (great Friday night date, check)
• Outline additional expenses to have a detailed idea of what to expect (check)
• Check in with our nurse regarding all the random questions (see below)
• Continue a healthy workout and eating routine (check)
• Show up to my life as it is and wait (uh…working on it)

As someone who is prone to ‘do’ all the time, I can handle the action items well.

I light up with things to physically do as it makes me feel like I have control over if this will work and it makes me feel like I am contributing, which I am. What I need to recognize though is that my doing is not going to better my chances of having a good retrieval (full of great eggs) or that I will be able to control the outcome.

All I can do is what is in front of me (which is only about 1%) and let God do the rest (the other 99%).

Random questions we asked our nurse:

1. Q: What medications are needed for the FET?
   A: Estrace (pill, 3x/day), Progesterone oil (shots)
2. Q: Do we need to come in for a mock embryo transfer?
   A: Nope, they can pass the catheter at the time of the retrieval to make sure everything is open and ready for FET.
3. Q: What types of office visits will we need to do prior to the IVF egg retrieval?
   A: One baseline appointment (ultrasound, estrogen, HCG, progesterone), a couple check in appointments (ultrasound, estrogen).
4. Q: What are your thoughts/recommendations for acupuncture?
   A: It seems to help calm anxiety and there is a possibility of doing it at the clinic wellness center.
5. Q: What foods and supplements should I be taking?
   A: Pre-Natal (400mg folic acid), Myo-Inositol (2000mg)
6. Q: What outdoor activities can I do (i.e. skiing, working out)?
   A: Stay away from any high-impact workouts
   (so if I go slow, can I still ski?)
7. Q: If we get a positive pregnancy test, what do we next?
   A: Pregnancy test through blood work, day 13 after FET, day 15 after FET and day 17 after FET to make sure hormone levels are going up.
8. Q: How long after a live birth does SG recommend waiting to do a 2^nd round for baby #2 (yes, I’m totally hopeful and future-tripping)?
   A: I would have to be done with breastfeeding prior to starting the next cycle.
9. Q: How consistent do I need to be with the timing each day with the injections and do I need to consider the time change for when we travel to Maryland for the days prior to the retrieval?
   A: It would be good to be consistent with the time of injections and consider the time change, although doing the injections an hour or two off isn’t the worst.