Changes // Part One

As mentioned earlier, so much has been going on. We've been running around like chickens without heads! But it's been an adventure :)

First, an update on our ongoing journey to becoming Mom and Dad.

I've been struggling to even talk about this since our false positive. That was the hardest thing I've had to deal with in a while, and it hasn't gotten much better since. But I finally think that it would be helpful to get things out. 

Our next cycle we talked with our fertility specialists and decided to adjust our medications. They increased our Follistim injections from 4 injections every other day to 6 consecutive injections, hoping to produce more than one measly follicle. So we did the increased injections, coupled with the usual Femara and Metformin. Day 10 of my cycle we went to the office for an ultrasound to check my follicles and the change in medication DEFINITELY worked - instead of one follicle, I had SEVEN. 

The nurses were shocked and consulted with the doctor, who advised against proceeding with this cycle. We had a 75% chance of twins, a 20% chance of triplets, and a 6% chance of 4 or more. Of course the decision to cancel the cycle or move forward was up to us, but we had to decide within the next 24 hours. 

HOLY COW, this was the hardest decision we have ever made. We had to consider the pros and cons of moving forward. We were so excited about the idea of getting pregnant and the fact that we most likely would conceive with this cycle. But then there was the terror of having 4 or 5 or 7 babies all at once and the risks that that poses to my health, but more importantly, the health of our babies. We seriously went back and forth, speaking with nurses, parents, friends, gathering different facts, perspectives, opinions. It was SO OVERWHELMING. The time limit didn't help either. I've never felt more conflicted in my life. Finally by the end of the night DJ and I decided that we were going to go for it. We were just going to move forward and come what may.

We felt good after making our decision. Or so I thought. A few hours after we settled on proceeding, I could NOT fall asleep. I was uneasy, nauseous, and felt so conflicted. I knew that we were not supposed to proceed with this cycle. I could not, in good conscious, toy with the fates and the lives of any children that we may have conceived, and choose to move forward just because I am so desperate to be a mom. I don't think I could live with myself if I chose to go forward for my own selfish reasons and ended up with severely handicapped children as a result. So, I made the hardest call of my life, and chose to cancel our cycle.

SO no babies, no pregnancy, and eeeeeevil cramps. FINALLY the whole ordeal passed and it was time to start our next cycle.I was finally looking forward to a new, fresh start and I was more than ready to put a really really tough month behind me. At the beginning of every cycle they do an ultrasound to check for cysts (which is a common side effect of the Follistim injections). During my ultrasound they - of course - found a cyst. It was a big one too! Just my luck. After a cancelled cycle, we had to take ANOTHER month off of trying to conceive in order to treat the cyst. Two months lost. And lots of pregnancy announcements from friends and family in between. It was a crazy emotional roller coaster.

Finally the cyst was gone and we began our current cycle. They decreased the medication - that's what they thought caused so many follicles - and we moved forward. Well my Day 10 ultrasound came along and again, just one follicle. I can't even tell you how disappointed we were. Not only was there just one follicle but it appeared to have already burst (meaning that I had ovulated earlier than anticipated). So once again, no pregnancy this month.

We are meeting with the main doctor tomorrow (usually we just consult with his staff) to try and come up with a new game plan. What we are doing currently is just not working and things need to be adjusted. We should be pregnant by now, but we are not. Luckily we just learned that we have insurance coverage for fertility and we can move forward with all of the super expensive procedures that we have been putting off...ya know, because we are poorer than dirt. What a blessing that is! For the first time in months I am finally feeling hopeful and excited again. Looking forward to all that is ahead!

Some Personal Stuff.

Well, we were unsuccessful with our first round of fertility treatments.

Bummer, yes, but not unexpected. I wasn't surprised. Disappointed, but not surprised.

Treatment has been such a whirlwind. Here's a recap:

- Our very first appointment I was given a giant shot of progesterone in my backside. This caused me to begin a new cycle (I hadn't had one since we lost the babe).

- 14 days after the giant butt shot I went back in to the office and had a LOAD of blood drawn. Funny story: The blood draw had to be done between days 1 and 3 of my cycle due to the nature of the testing that they were doing. I was told to fast prior to my appointment and being raised in the Church, I know fasting to be abstaining from food and water. Well I get to my appointment and the nurse asks if I have been fasting. I said yes and then she asks if I have been drinking water. "Well....no. I've been fasting." Apparently fasting means no food, but lots of water. So they weren't even sure if they would be able to draw the blood that they needed but we decided to try anyways. Thankfully DJ was with me and was able to hold Samantha because things got kind of crazy. The super nice nurse sticks me with the needle and surprisingly blood is coming out but it's THICK AND SLOW. I do not like having blood drawn and today I needed NINE vials of it taken. Let me repeat: THICK AND SLOW. The tech is asking me every 15 seconds or so how I'm feeling and I'm doing just fine up until she takes the needle out. Suddenly I'm going to throw up. Now there's black spots in front of my eyes. I can't see anything. I can't hear anything. I'm going to throw up. I ask if I can sit down on the floor. I'm super hot, take my sweater off. The tile feels nice. My head is spinning. The nurse is shoving a can of Sprite in my face telling me to drink. I can't drink because I'm going to throw up. I ask to go to the bathroom and I manage the 5 steps to the door and then I'm out. The world is spinning so, I kid you not, I lay down on the bathroom floor. HA! SOOO disgusting but the cold tile helped me to snap out of it a bit. Once I realized just how nasty it was laying on the bathroom floor, I left and found my sweet nurse. I ended up having to lay down on one of their exam tables and have my blood pressure taken every 3 minutes. I survived! But holy cow it was quite the blood draw.

- Days 3-7 of my cycle I had to take a drug called Femara that is used to stimulate ovulation. It's equivalent to Clomid, but minus a lot of the nasty side effects that Clomid is famous for. The one side effect that decided to stick around was hot flashes. Those five days that I was on the Femara, I was like a menopausal 21 year old. SO HOT. All of the time.

- Day 10 I went back to the office for an ultrasound to check on my ovaries. One big, mature follicle on my right side and a small one on the left. Good news!

- A few days later DJ had to give me an injection called Ovidrel in the stomach to trigger ovulation. DJ was so excited to give me the shot. I had to take it at 7AM and at 6:45 DJ is geared up and ready to go. "DJ, you have to wash your hands." Runs, washes his hands, comes back. "You have to get the rubbing alcohol to clean the spot where you're going to give me the shot." Speed of light, gets the alcohol, cleans me up. I can't even tell you how creepy he was about the shot. He loved it hahaha.

- Timed intercourse, progesterone suppository, and then a blood draw two weeks later to see if we were successful.

As I already mentioned, we weren't. I took a home pregnancy test two days before my appointment and it was negative. I was super disappointed, as was DJ, but we move forward! That's what we do.

We were fortunate in that we were able to visit with the Dr. the same day that I had the blood test. Which means that we got the results from all of the blood testing!

Turns out I have a hormone imbalance and hypoglycemia, both of which are associated with recurrent miscarriage. Both of which have easy fixes. I was put on a drug called Metformin for the hypoglycemia and we added an injectable regiment with a drug called Follistim to help balance the hormones. Because we know that we are able to conceive, the Follistim gives us a 35-40% chance of conceiving multiples which is kind of scary/exciting. The plan is to repeat last month's procedures (Femara, Ovidrel, TIC, progesterone) plus the Metformin and Follistim shots and see what happens! Woo!

As I said, quite a whirlwind, but I trust that this is what is going to make us parents. So bring on the hot flashes, blood draws, terrifying shots from my husband, and crazy hormones. Make me a momma.

Hope.

After this past miscarriage, DJ and I began to recognize that getting pregnant and maintaining a healthy pregnancy is not something that we are likely to accomplish on our own. This realization along with a few other occurrences, including an amazing Priesthood blessing, led us to the decision to go meet with a fertility specialist.

We received many recommendations for wonderful specialists in the area and after much research and many prayers we selected a doctor who is nationally recognized and has been in the business for over 15 years.

We COULD NOT be happier with our decision.

Going in to the appointment, I was a bundle of nerves. I have unfortunately gotten used to disappointing news when it comes to our ability to start a family, so even though I knew that visiting the specialist is what we needed to do I was still preparing myself for harsh disappointment. I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting, but as we met with the doctor all of my fears and reservations were put at ease. 

The doctor discussed our issues in detail with us. Every possible issue that could be causing our miscarriages was met with:

"I have a solution for that."

"Easy fix."

"We can take care of that." 

Not a single potential cause lacked a solution. I was ready to shed tears of joy right there in the consult room. 

I kept it together and they began our treatment plan with us right there that very first day. We are moving forward and I am confident that this is the path that the Lord intended us to take. Treatment is expensive and painful and wears my body out, but it is more than worth it. I am absolutely willing to make whatever sacrifices are necessary to begin our family successfully. Because where there was darkness a light is beginning to shine. We have hope again. 

One Year.

Yesterday marked one year since the loss of our first pregnancy.

While the fierce, raw pain of a miscarriage isn't something I would wish on the worst person in the world, DJ and I have learned so much from our experiences. Last night we sat together and enjoyed a Jello cup and talked about how this experience has changed us, both as individuals and as a couple.

I am softer, more able to empathize with others as they face their own heartbreaks and struggles.
I've always considered myself to be a good listener. However, our experience with loss has helped me to be a good feeler. I am able to feel with others as they are traversing their trials. I have had many beautiful people feel my pain with me and those individuals have taught me how important it is to feel with others in their times of need.

DJ has learned how to truly be understanding.

As we spoke last night DJ recounted how, with the first miscarriage, he literally had NO idea what I was going through, both physically and emotionally. We hit a few rough spots because I was suffering and he was unaware of the pain I truly was in. He is a different man today. I will send him a text telling him that I am having a rough time and he will reply saying, "I'm so sorry that you're not feeling well, is there anything I can do for you?" He is kinder, more empathetic, loving. 

I have a greater respect for life and how fragile it really is.

Each new day is a blessing. Prior to our trials, I feel that I took many of those blessed new days for granted. While I still slip up at times, I try to approach each day with an attitude of gratitude. I try to make the most of each new day and live up to my full potential. After all, who really knows how many days we have left?

We have found that there is great happiness in putting each other before our own selves. 

DJ and I have learned that within a marriage, it is all too easy to fall into a mindset of "I need..." or "I want..." However, our burdens are lightened when we instead ask one another, "What do you need? What can I do for you? What do you want?" By putting each other first, we are meeting one another's needs and having our own needs met simultaneously in a caring, respectful, loving manner. 

We have learned that happiness is a choice that each of us gets to make.

One of the most difficult trials that I have faced as a result of our losses is choosing to keep myself from drowning in a dark, depressing place. It's an ongoing battle, and I admit that there have been times when I have dipped a toe or two into that murky water. It's a lot easier to sink to that dark depth than it is to fight to stay afloat, but the fight has strengthened me. It has strengthened my husband. It has strengthened our relationship with one another. It has strengthened our relationship with God. By choosing to be happy despite the pain and heartbreak, we have both grown in ways that we could never have imagined. 

We have learned that God is aware of us, that He loves us, and that He has a plan.

We are taught to map out our lives. "After graduation I will go to college...I will get a degree in...After I have a college degree, I will...By the time I am thirty..." It's not bad to have a plan. In fact, it's encouraged. However, we have to remember that God is in charge and His plan trumps all. Regardless of our own plans for ourselves, He has control and will point us in the direction that we should go. I remember wondering why in the world I had to go through the pain and loss of a miscarriage, and what good could possibly come from such an awful experience. I was beginning to find my answers, and then we lost Baby #2. 

"Why? Why me? What did I do to deserve this?" Questions that I have been tempted to ask a time or two, and maybe have. But the Lord always responds in His soft, gentle, peaceful way that He loves me and that He knows that I am hurting. It is difficult for Him to see me in pain, but He must let me suffer because He knows that there are things I need to learn from my trials. He has a plan, and great blessings are in store for me and DJ. Hope, have faith, and press onward. 

"Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."

While the past year has been far from smooth-sailing, I am grateful for all that we have been through. We have truly felt the hand of the Lord shaping us, making us stronger, making us better. I know that we have many spirit children waiting to come to this earth through our love, and I look forward to the day when we finally, finally get to meet them. 

I'm Not Broken.

Here's another TMI update.

On Tuesday, after two and a half months of confusion and mystery, I finally got a positive OPK. Such a tiny little step but what a blessing it is to know that my body is, indeed, functioning normally. 

Can't wait to see what happens next!

Little Nasty.

 So yesterday I was reading up on some baby and fertility stuff and one of the websites had a "See What Your Baby Will Look Like" link. So I decided to play along, knowing full well what I was getting myself into. So I uploaded our pictures and clicked "Show Me My Baby!" and this is what we got:

Look. I mean look.

I don't think I have ever seen a worse face-morphed image in the history of ever. I was laughing (and still am) SO hard at this freaky little thing. I texted the picture to DJ and said "Maybe we shouldn't have kids!"

Still laughing.

Heavy.

Disclaimer: This post isn't being written by my normal, generally happy self. 

I just need to vent a little bit.

Today is Friday, and looking back at the week I just had, I think to myself, "I am SO over it."

Yeah, it's been one of those weeks.

I've had a lot on my mind lately, and I am having a difficult time sorting through everything.

I'm in a serious funk.

Since bringing Benny home (whom I absolutely love and adore, don't get me wrong), I haven't gotten much sleep. He is still such a "baby" puppy, and being away from his litter mates has been super duper challenging, for him and for us. Poor baby just cries all night long, every night. The first night we had him he did very well, I think it was because he was absolutely exhausted from the day. The next night, however, he woke up on the hour every single hour from 11PM to 5AM. Literally all night long. DJ was so good and got up with him all but once, but this resulted in my having to sleep on the floor with Benny all night long the following night. Finally, we ended up putting him in another room for the night, but we can still hear him. So I am extremely exhausted.

The most pressing issue on my mind is the matter of trying to have a baby again. We have one more month until we are free and clear, according to doctor's orders. I have ZERO patience here. I just want to get this show on the road! I am ready, but DJ is adamant that we wait until I am cleared by the doctor. I totally know that this is what I need to do, but accepting that is challenging. Patience has never been my strong suit. I really REALLY want to have a baby. But then I am totally conflicted because the thought of getting pregnant again is just about paralyzing. I can't even begin to describe how scared I am that we will lose another baby. I totally believe that being positive and thinking positive thoughts returns positive outcomes, but I can't help but let this scary thought enter my mind every now and then (example: this past week). I am hoping and praying that things will go well with this next pregnancy, and I know that I really really have to think positive. It's just hard.

Well that's the end of my rant. I suppose that helped. I am very very excited for this week to be over, and I know that things will get better. It always gets better.

Benny.

DJ has four sisters, and is the only son in his family.

When his mom was pregnant with their last baby, 

DJ's parents told him that if this baby was a boy, he would get to have a little brother, 

but if it was a girl, they would buy him a puppy friend. 

Well, due to many unforeseen circumstances, 7 years have passed and still no puppy.

Until now!

Basically I am the best wife ever and arranged to adopt this little buddy to celebrate DJ's graduation!

Meet Benjamin Franklin "Benny" Odom, our new little lover boy!

We can't even handle how adorable he is. 

He is a 6 week old Border Collie/Labrador mix.

We were given him for free from some great friends up in Snowflake.

He is unbelievably patient (which will be great when we have kids), 

but is super playful and energetic at the same time.

He is still getting used to being away from his litter mates, 

so nighttime has been challenging the last few nights. 

Fortunately, we brought two of his sisters back to the valley with us, 

and one of them is with DJ's parents, so he has friends to play with. 

He is such a peach and watching DJ interact with him is the cutest thing I have ever seen. 

Like major swoon.

I love my boys!

This is Benny with his two sisters that came back to the valley with us,

 Callie (the fluffy grey beauty on top) and Bailey (the sweet fatty on the left).

We had a three hour drive with three pups. Talk about an adventure!

They all did so good on the ride home, they mostly snuggled up with each other and napped. 

Baby Benny's favorite thing to do is nap.

When he is all finished playing, he will curl up wherever he wants and it's about impossible to wake him up.

He's such a snuggle bug, he loves to lay chest to chest with his nose nuzzled up in your neck.

We love our little guy and we couldn't have gotten a sweeter puppy!

Welcome home Benny!

Blood.

Look at us. Just Look.

We are perfect for each other, no?

Unbelievably compatible, in every way but one.

Blood.

Yes. Our blood is not compatible.

Hence our struggles with pregnancy and miscarriage.

Here's the deal:

DJ's blood type is RH positive, very common, very normal.

My blood type, however, is not so common. It is RH negative. 

Only 15% of people in the world are RH negative, and I happen to be one of them.

How cool.

What does it mean to be Rh negative?

"Women who are RH negative tend to have an immune system reaction when RH positive blood is introduced into their system. This basically means that the RH negative person's body recognizes the RH positive blood as an invader. If an RH negative woman is pregnant, there is a chance that the baby she is carrying is RH positive. If this is the case, the baby's RH positive blood can enter the mother's bloodstream, which will cause her immune system to learn how to respond to it. The first baby an RH negative mother has is usually okay. However, if the woman becomes pregnant again with a second child, the woman's immune system has learned to destroy RH positive blood, and when the mother's blood enters the baby, it can cause problems. There is a shot, called RhoGam, that will stop the immune system from learning RH positive blood, and therefore prevent her body from attacking the baby in a future pregnancy."

Basically, without the RhoGam, my body treats Baby like an allergic reaction.

We did not know that I was RH negative at the time of our first pregnancy. This miscarriage was a completely natural occurrence, no fault on our part, not caused by the RH negative factor. It happens. BUT because we did not know that I am RH negative, we did not receive a RhoGam shot at the time of "delivery" like I should have. This DID cause problems with the second pregnancy.

Unfortunately we did not learn that my blood is RH negative until the time of my D and C surgery, after Baby 2 passed away. But, I was able to get the RhoGam, which will hopefully result in a successful pregnancy next time around.

I am so grateful for modern technology that allowed doctors to discover this RH problem and develop a solution. DJ and I are hoping and praying that this technology will assist us in bringing our little spirits to us here on Earth. 

Overwhelmed.

Recording our story of miscarriage and loss was one of the hardest things I have ever done. 

And then I felt that it needed to be shared.

Find our story here. 

Multiply that difficulty by infinity, and then add in fear, anxiety, embarrassment, etc., etc., etc.

SO SCARY.

I honestly expected a few (like 10) people to bother taking the time to read my message.

I did not expect my post to have over 650 hits in 24 hours. 

I did not expect the sweet comments, the lovely messages of hope and peace, the positive encouragement.

I did not expect the magnitude of love and support that was sent our way.

I am overwhelmed.

I hoped that some good would come from sharing our story, and I truly feel like we benefited more than anyone else possibly did or ever could. That was not my goal in sharing our story, but  I am so thankful to everyone for reading and sharing and even more so for their kind words.

Thank you.

Angels.

I've spent quite some time debating whether or not I am ready to write about this. 

I do not know if anyone will read this, 

or if they will even care.

But I remember the messages shared with me, ones that were thought to be obscure, ones that lifted me up in my time of need. And I am inspired and encouraged to write, hoping that our story will maybe possibly touch someone's life, as others' messages have touched ours.

August 28, 2012

We lost our baby.

It is difficult to describe how I felt when we realized what was happening. 

It now seems like a blur, a dream, when I think about it. 

All I am sure of is that I was in pain.

Unimaginable pain.

Physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. 

Just pain.

All of the excitement that I had felt upon realizing we were going to have a baby was halted and replaced with this pain. "Delivering" the baby was physically draining, but the emotional and spiritual pain that accompanied our loss was incredible.

I remember being angry, confused and hurt. I was so angry that it made me physically ill. All I have ever wanted was to be a mother and in a day or two that opportunity was torn from my grasp. I hated everything. I did not want to talk to anyone, I did not want to see anyone. I refused to accept comfort and support. I hated going out, I hated staying in. I hated waking up in the morning, I hated going to sleep. 

I was devastated. 

Why did this have to happen to me?

Why would God allow me to suffer like this?

Why did I have to give my baby back?

So many tears were shed. Sobbing, crying, screaming, moaning.

Complete and utter heartbreak.

While he was heartbroken as well, my poor husband did not understand what I was going through and had a hard time empathizing with my pain. Neither of us realized the effect that losing our baby would have on our relationship, and we struggled for a while. 

Eventually we realized that we weren't enough. We could not carry ourselves through this trial.

 Our faith had been shaken, but we needed it now more than ever before. 

We fell to our knees and asked for understanding, for comfort, for hope.

And it came.

It still hurt to hear friends announce that they were pregnant. 

I still got choked up at the sight of beautiful pregnant women or sweet tiny babies.

But the pain was bearable, and we knew that the Lord was looking out for us and giving us strength.

A few months went by, and we felt like the worst had passed. We were moving forward, with the Lord at our side, looking forward to what the future had in store for us.

And then a miracle happened.

Our rainbow baby was on its way! 

We were pregnant!

The joy DJ and I felt was amazing. We shared that joy with our family and close friends, and we were all looking forward to meeting our little miracle.

I struggled with morning sickness and fatigue for weeks and weeks, but I could not have been happier. 

My dreams were coming true, and all of the discomfort was going to be worth it. 

At 10 weeks we went to see the doctor for the first time. Now, with the previous pregnancy, we never got around to seeing a doctor as the baby passed away before we had the opportunity to do so. We did not know what to expect, but we were ecstatic to be going to meet our baby.

The ultrasound.

"Is that our baby?!"

"Yes it is."

The most amazing thing I had ever experienced, seeing that teeny tiny body inside of mine. 

DJ and I loved each other then more than ever before. 

We were so thrilled and overwhelmed that we did not realize that we couldn't hear a heartbeat.

We were ushered into the doctor's office, where we waited, expecting to hear all about the do's and don't's of pregnancy. We could not believe that we were going to be parents. 

Then the doctor came in.

The baby has no heartbeat.

The baby has no heartbeat.

March 26, 2013, almost 7 months to the day, we lost our second baby.

The tears came, the sorrow, the heartbreak. 

But no anger.

A night and day difference from our previous loss.

This was a huge change for me. DJ was so loving and supportive, we grew closer together rather than further apart. Our loss was great, but we felt the Lord's arms around us, sheltering us from the pain. 

We were blessed with understanding and hope for the future. 

This time around, we let people in. The support of friends and family was overwhelming. From flowers, to dinners, to phone calls and sweet messages, we were blown away by the magnitude of love that was sent our way. Many of the people who reached out to us didn't even realize the impact that their actions had. We realized that God was working behind the scenes for our good, especially at this time. 

While our two little baby angels were in heaven with Him, 

His angels were working here on this earth to bring us strength and comfort.

I think about my babies every single day. 

I yearn for them.

I cry for them.

I miss them.

But I know that I am stronger because of them. There was a time when I could not possibly imagine what good could come out of such an experience as this, but the Lord has opened my eyes, and I now recognize all that my sweet husband and I have learned. 

And I am grateful.