The other side of the story....Infertility.

Hi guys!

I hope you all had a great weekend. We did! My only complaint....it went by too fast. We had family pics on Saturday morning. These were planned for outside, but being we had an 8 AM session time, we changed our location to have an indoor option as well. The temps were pretty dang low overnight on Friday and we were talking 20-ish degrees that early on. I wasnt sure my munchkin would tolerate it too well! We did our photos on the ground of the Mayo Clinic. The campus is really pretty impressive, and the buildings are impressive on the inside. It was weird being there on a Saturday morning---we were the only ones there, besides a security guard and a couple doctors coming in on the weekend to finish up charting. I have seen a couple of the pics so far and I am satisfied with everything, except for how fat and bloaty I already look. YUCK!!!! I look 18 weeks pregnant already. I wore maternity pants comfortably to work the other day. I did NOT wear maternity pants for the photos and now realizing I probably should have. Muffin top, much??


Speaking of growing big, and growing fast...there's more to how we are pregnant with twins than meets the eye. Granted, I have a crazy family history of twins, and the female's side is who determines twins or not. Travis' family history of twins is just coincidence---though we can go on letting his mother believe he passed that trait on. In this case, my family history of twins is likely coincidence as well. There's a whole backstory that I don't commonly get involved with when someone will say to me, "Oh! You were bound to have twins then!".

The truth is, I was bound to have twins. God established that from the minute I was created. That's what is so cool about life----it's just all about realizing what your path involves. My path involved falling in love with a man who I had known my whole life, having a gorgeous daughter with him, being called down the medical path, leading me to Rochester, MN. Eight hours from my family and friends, but 8 minutes from the Mayo Clinic and its wealth of knowledge. Eight minutes from some of the most brilliant minds I will ever encounter. Eight minutes from Dr. Jensen, who essentially has changed our lives forever.

Conceiving Emersyn was a breeze. I thought---wow! That was simple. Easy pregnancy, a breeze of a delivery, and a dream of a child. I never knew how much my life was missing until she was put into it. A perfect gift from God himself.
When planning for a 2nd child came to be, I assumed it would be another breeze. My life is very involved, and in fact, I can tell you what my schedule looks like from now until May 21, 2011. I can tell you my vacation days, my work days, my clinical dates, my school dates, Emersyn's dance recital dates. There was a small window of opportunity that Travis and I recognized would NOT be filled to the brim with classes and clinical dates. A small window where another child would be very realistic. If outside of that small window, we realized we wouldn't pursue another child until I graduated Nurse Practitioner school---in 2013, when Emersyn will be 5 years old.

I didn't want 5 years between children.

So when pregnancy wasn't happening easily, my mind went into hypochondriac mode if you will. Being in nursing school results in diagnosing yourself with many things! I was suspicious that I had secondary infertility, and did the steps that were needed to have evidence of that. This past July, I called my family doctor and requested certain blood tests to back my belief up. I was right, my hormone levels were off. The magical thing about Mayo is that there are 9,764,299 specialty areas, I swear! I got referred to Endocrinology, more specifically, to the area of expertise that deals with testicles and ovaries. The doctor was wonderful and did what he had to do to evidence my deficiencies. An ultrasound showed that I was producing follicles, but that they weren't moving off my ovary. That is an issue when trying to conceive! I was referred on to Reproductive Endocrinology.

We drove that 8 minute drive to Mayo shortly after, and were introduced to Dr. Jensen one day in late August.

We talked. She told me I had PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). I already knew that. (Nurse Practitioner school really does payoff, afterall!) She told me I need to start Clomid 50 mg on days 3-7. I already knew that was the starting treatment for this. I was producing a follicle each month, it just wasn't going anywhere useful. She also told me that our chances of conception with the Clomid were only 20% each month, and 2-3% odds of twinning. (Prior to treatment, our odds of conceiving each month were 3%).

The very first month of our treatment, I had this gut feeling.

My gut feeling was confirmed when I went in for my tracking and was told I had 2 very mature follicles, and 1 semi-mature follicle. Mature follicles don't mean you'll necessarily ovulate, but the fact that 2 were there meant the Clomid was successful in stimulating my ovaries, and that would likely mean it was successful in getting the follicles to release.

Not even one week after my ovulation date, I felt miserable. Tingly boobs, nausea, and fatigue. Way too early for pregnancy symptoms, but I was positive there was some sort of hormone shift happening. I knew I was pregnant.

Just one week after ovulating, I took a home pregnancy test. I had this feeling. It was very faintly positive. Deep down, I knew that both of my follicles probably made it---because having a pregnancy test more than a week before your period is due is pretty unlikely. I retested, and the line grew darker and darker.

I called Dr. Jensen's office to thank her profusely, and set up my confirmatory blood test.

The nurse called me the next day and told me my hcg levels (pregnancy marker) was definitely positive, at 113. Typically, that early on, they expect levels of 50-60.

Second suspicion entered my mind for the possibility of twins. But I reminded myself our odds were just 2-3% so thought I was probably imagining things.

You already know the story of the ER visit when my suspicions were confirmed.

So, are our twins genetic? No. Our twins are the result of 5 little white pills. Our twins are God intended. I believe I was put in this exact location...tucked away in SE Minnesota.. at tis exact time so that when Travis and I were ready for #2, there was a doctor willing and able to help us. A doctor who works in the lead infertility department in the country. Just 8 minutes away.

Mayo's Reproductive Endocrinology/Infertility department is headed up by the lead reproductive specialist in the country. He is top notch. Dr. Jensen is a direct product of his. We cannot thank her enough.

Working through God, Dr. Jensen gave us the perfect treatment. The perfect advice. The perfect "instructions" if you will. The perfect follicles. The perfect babies.

I realize now that my infertility happened as it did for perfect reasons. Any sooner, and the births would drastically alter my school plans moving forth.

Any later, and the babies would be postponed for a few more years.

God has perfect timing. Perfect.

I do not have classes at all next summer! No clinical, no classes. I will have a "normal" maternity leave with my 3 beauties. I will resume classes next fall, just 8 credits, and January 2012 will resume clinical one day/week.

We are so, so blessed beyond what I can really wrap my mind around. I always said I was done having kids at age 30. We talked of 3 of 4 kids. Well actually....Travis talked of 3. I talked of possibly 4. HA! I hit age 30 in September and was thinking my "plans" were out the door. I WAS WRONG! I shouldn't have doubted!

So while we took a route to our twins differently than I know for a fact my Grandma Elaine's existence came to be, I am eternally grateful for modern medicine and the help of God.