Monday, January 14, 2008
Diagnostic Labs opened at 7:00 am this morning and I was there before they opened their doors. Hubby and I, along with a handful of other early-rising senior citizens taking blood tests for a potpourri of different maladies, waited patiently outside. I was #5 and just a few minutes after 7 am, I found myself in a chair with a rubber tourniquet wrapped tightly around a bicep and a needle sticking out of my vein. As I watched the blood flow into the plastic collection tube, I lifted another prayer. “Lord, please let the results be positive. And, not a faint positive — but a good, strong ‘hallelujah!’ positive.”
The night before, Hubby and I prayed together before bed. Soon after, Hubby’s heavy breathing told me that he was already fast asleep. I placed both hands on my tummy, as I always do, and cried out to God, asking Him for a miracle, because that’s truly what it would take to make me pregnant. I hadn’t mentioned it before, but the doc told me that I had a 20% chance of a successful transfer. That’s lower than the average odds for someone my age, but because of my challenging and abnormal case, he was giving me a measly, sad 20%. When he told me this (prior to the egg retrieval), I was disheartened. I mean, if your doc gave you a 20% chance to live, you wouldn’t be happy about that, would you? But, 20% was better than 0% and we decided to go for it. And besides, if it was the Lord’s will, even if it was a 0.001% chance, He would still make a way. With God, all things are possible.
Then, the call came. On my cell phone, I saw my doctor’s phone number on the caller ID. I answered in half a ring and held my breath.
“Hi Donna. I have good news: your results are back. You’re pregnant — and your numbers are really good! Congratulations!” Alia, the nurse, said. An answer to prayer: a “hallelujah!” positive!
Then she started giving me some particulars about what’s next, but I barely heard. I had to force myself to focus, my mind was reeling. Hubby, sitting next to me, was looking at me expectantly. I gave him the thumbs up and his face beamed.
I. AM. PREGNANT! I could barely believe it. I had prayed so hard, and when the answer came I was floored. I wish I could say that I had a calm confidence and an unshakable faith, but I can’t. I was speechless. After I got off the phone with Alia, I turned to Hubby. Tears of joy flowed as we embraced, a long-awaited answer to prayer, a miracle had just unfolded before our eyes.
Today is Monday, January 14, 2008, but by the time you read this it will be Wednesday. I have determined that I would not publish this entry until after the second blood test to confirm that all is well with the Snowflake(s). But yet, I am so excited that I can barely contain myself. I want to shout it from the rooftops and tell everyone I meet that I AM PREGNANT! I must restrain myself from hitting the Publish button right now and will simply Save until the time is right.
Thank you to those who have been faithfully following my progress, lifting prayers and sending well-wishes.
And now, for a whole new chapter in the journey toward parenthood entitled “pregnancy,” one that is nine months long. Heck, it took us two years to get here, what’s another nine months, right?
Update: Wednesday, January 16, 2008
We pray every night for the Snowflake(s), for their health and strength and that they are growing into nice, big snowball(s).
This morning’s first order of business: HCG blood test #2. At 7:10 am, I was #10 in line at the neighborhood DLS.
The call from the doctor’s office came at 12:15 pm. The test results are good! A solid 168! Up from 62 on Monday. The upward trend in the HCG levels confirm pregnancy. Again, God gets all the glory. Man can do many things, but only God truly gives life. Praise Him for defying my grim 20% odds and blessing us with a 100% pregnancy!
Next step: my first ultrasound on February 1, 2008!
[tags]HCG, blood test, pregnancy, in vitro fertilization, infertility, IVF, frozen embryo transfer[/tags]
