Having a Cloud Baby

So Friday we went in for round number 3. I don't have a lot to do. I mean Melissa has to get on a scale, take her blood pressure, get half naked, have Doctors poke at her and make awkward compliments that I won't repeat. I have to sit. Sometimes I hold a coat or grab a Kleenex. It is a pretty easy job. Sometimes I find myself wanting the Dr. to give me an ultra sound too just cause I am curious like that.

So getting back to Friday, on insemination days I have what is really my only job ... I push the plunger. This way I feel like we are doing this whole baby thing together. If I wasn't there, the plunger wouldn't get pushed. I am like union labor.... no one else can do my job.

On Friday we had a new girl and the whole process was going well. MJ was nervous because last time was so painful. The Dr. was zipping right along and we started making chit chat like I usually do to help take MJ's mind off the poking and prodding. Well the Dr. and I were talking about a white elephant gift she received that she was thinking of hanging in the office. We were laughing and joking and all the sudden she said 'There we go all done"........

I was horrified. My heart sank because some stranger just did the one job that is mine. My one part of this beginning process. Some stranger just could have gotten my wife pregnant. I was about to well up into tears when all the sudden I looked onto the counter. And there it was like a fat clown in a tiny chair. A glaring oversight that was both unbelievable and a God send for my sad heart. On the counter sat our very expensive "sample" still full.

I quickly pointed out the oversight and the Dr. couldn't believe it. She had done the whole process with air. ha ha ... air! She apologized over and over while MJ and I wrapped our heads around what just happened. Poor MJ had to go through the process all over .. only this time I quickly told the Dr. that I wanted to do my job. And so it was.

As MJ laid on the table for the obligatory 10 minutes, we laughed at what had just transpired and the fact that she was inseminated with air.

Take aways
1. Tell the Doctor you want to push the plunger BEFORE she starts
2. Watch the Dr. and make sure she actually uses the sample
3. Keep a sense of humor about mistakes. They are bound to happen.

Poking and Prodding

It is official the month of September was invade MJ's personal space month...

As a woman we are all familiar with the uncomfortable nature of the annual check up...

Be forewarned....  Seeing a reproductive specialist is just that over and over again.

Sounds easy right....

Physical exam

Blood work

Ultrasound

Insemination

First of all, I don't really like needles, seriously, who does??!!  Secondly, we all hate the "uncomfortable nature" of the female exam!!  

The end goal is worth it all....it better be, my mother in law informed me the poking and prodding is just beginning and I better get used to it!

Hmmmm..Poking and prodding shall continue until birth...and perhaps a bit longer... oye.

Let me just say that I haven't had the insemination yet... and I have had my blood drawn twice, I've peed in a cup, I have had the initial physical exam of lady parts, and the ultra sound which I thought was going to be far less invasive than it was... 

Picture a wand a long white plastic wand with a round nub at the end...and on that wand a condom.  Now envision it being lubed and inserted and moved around inside yourself...  To make matters worse, realize that you really need to pee.  

Yes, it turns out you are supposed to pee before taking the stirrup position...a little tid bit of information the nurse failed to tell me...but she did ask me how tall I was... again for the 4th time.

End result, I am ovulating as we speak and could be inseminated on Thursday 09/17/2009...if only our legal documents were in order!

Getting on Track

If you read My Girl's post about known and unknown donors you probably have figured out we have chosen to go the route of artificial insemination with an anonymous donor. 

The next question that probably comes to mind is who get's the honor of getting knocked up?? Well that would be me!

So...

July we started tracking my ovulation cycle...  I never really paid much attention to the number of days in-between my period I just kinda had a general idea of when I needed to leave the house packin'.  So when August rolled around we had a count!  But what do you do with the count???

Do a search on the internet on how to know when you are ovulating and you will find a plethera of information out there. 

here is an article that we found useful:

www.whattoexpect.com/preconception/fertility/five-ways-to-tell-you-are-ovulating.aspx

For August we decided to use an ovulation calculator via the world wide web and an ovulation predictor kit.

http://www.babycenter.com/ovulation-calculator

By combining the two methods I only had to pee on a stick 3 times before discovering I was ovulating.

This was the start of our tracking.  

For September we used a much more high tech method of having an ultrasound done.