Difference in ED Pregnancies - Singleton vs. Twins.

A friend asked me today if my twin pregnancy has been different from my singleton pregnancy with my daughter.  Since both pregnancies were the result of embryo donation, there have been some similarities and total differences.  Such as, after our daughter's embryo transfer, within 24 hours my hormones seemed to increase exponentially which caused me to experience intense morning sickness and severe migraines.  By the time I got home from the Czech Republic, I was in the throws of morning sickness which lasted for close to my entire first trimester. I was not surprised when I took the pregnancy test and it came back positive. 

With the twins, I felt no different after the embryo transfer.  The night after the transfer I did feel a pinch on my lower right side.  However, for weeks afterwards I felt no different.  I was totally shocked when I took the pregnancy test and it came back positive. For weeks I had convinced myself that the transfer was not successful and had my husband convinced as well.  We were even more surprised when at our six week ultrasound scan we were told that we were pregnant with twins. I had no nausea or headaches like with my daughter.  I actually felt amazing and full of energy.  So when we had our twelve week scan I was flabbergasted when we were told we were still pregnant with twins.  I was totally expecting a disappearing twin like with my daughter's pregnancy.

However, with the twin pregnancy, by my fourth month everything went downhill.  I was hit with severe morning sickness without warning.  One morning I was brushing my teeth as I got ready for work and the next thing I knew, I was throwing up non-stop.  The morning sickness lasted close to six weeks straight.  It was worse than during my pregnancy with my daughter.  Once I started throwing up, I couldn't stop.  I wasn't able to hold anything down for weeks. I lost weight. I wasn't able to take any medication to help relieve the nausea and vomiting because I couldn't hold it down.  It got so bad that I was finally sent to the emergency room where I had to get hooked up to an IV.  This actually happened twice over the course of six weeks.  Throwing up and unable to eat much, for weeks, had caused me to become dangerously dehydrated. I also had severe light sensitivity and terrible headaches/migraines that were so intense that I was unable to get any relief.  I was so miserable that I had difficulty going to the doctors office because of the fluorescent lighting or even outside. 

Now with my daughter, by my fourth month of pregnancy I was on easy street.  I felt great.  I glowed! The only lingering issue I had was pregnancy hypertension which the doctors were essentially able to control until around  35 weeks.  By 37 weeks it had developed into pre-eclampsia and then I was induced.  My daughter was born three weeks early at 5lbs. 10 oz.  One of the happiest, joyous days of my life!  She's amazing in every way and is smart and funny and absolutely delightful:)

I have now been on leave for three months with my twin pregnancy.  I am on modified bed rest.  I am allowed to go from my bed, to the bathroom to my couch.  I am two centimeters dilated and 100% effaced.  My OB is worried that I may go into labor early due my uterus only being able to hold so much for so long.  Last week I had to be hospitalized because I was contracting, which they were able to stop with magnesium and steroids. Both babies are weighing at 30 weeks around 2.10 and 2.09 pounds.  I will admit that I am getting more uncomfortable as the weeks go by.  Getting off the couch takes motivation, rolling over while in bed has become an event and walking to the bathroom feels like a marathon. I'm ready for my babies to be here. Hopefully we will make it to the 35 or 36 week mark.  I'd like these little ones to cook for as long as possible. We will see what happens. 

We're back and Pregnant again via Embryo Donation at Reprofit!

Hello Everyone,

It's been a while since my last post.  Back in February we were not sure if we were going to be able to go through with our transfer due to a family emergency.  However, with some finagling we were able to make it work.  I knew I wanted it to be a quick trip. So I literally flew in and flew back out and was back home within three days.  It was definitely what you would call a whirlwind trip.  My husband stayed home with our daughter, so I made the trip alone this time.  The clinic was okay with this as long as I had signed documents from my husband and a copy of our marriage certificate.  Once I got to the clinic there were no issues.  Everything went very smoothly.

My flights had me flying into NY then into Frankfurt, Germany.  From Frankfurt, I flew into Vienna, Austria and took a Student Agency bus directly into Brno.  I found this route to be the easiest and safest option since I was traveling alone.  You can find the Student Agency bus stop right outside the Vienna airport exit. It's so easy to find and if you time your flight just right you can be in Brno within the hour.  In the past I have flown into Prague and Slovakia with my husband. However, in both Prague and Slovakia you have to either take a cab or public transportation to get to the bus stop.  I prefer going through Vienna because its easier and frankly I think it's safer overall if you are traveling alone. There is also an NH Hotel directly across the parking lot once you exit the airport where you can stay if you need to stay over night and catch your bus the next morning.

Once I was in Brno, I stayed at the Grand Hotel.  I love the proximity of the hotel to the bus and train stations.  While it is more expensive than some other hotels in the area, you can't beat the convenience of it's location.  I've stayed at two other hotels in the area during our travels, Hotel Cyro and the Hotel Europa, and found them to be very nice.  However, the locations of both hotels were off the beaten path and required a lot of walking or taxi cabs to get around. The Grand is centrally located in the heart of Brno.  You can walk to everything and its in a safe location if you are traveling alone.

The next day I was off to the clinic for my embryo transfer.  We decided to have two embryos transferred rather than one primarily to increase our odds.  We had two transferred previous on two separate occasions. Our first transfer was unsuccessful and our second transfer resulted in the birth of our daughter.  Since we knew this might be our last trip for a while we wanted to maximize our chances of pregnancy.

It worked, I am now 30 weeks pregnant with boy/girl twins!  We are very excited and a little nervous at the same time;)  Just last week I had to go to the hospital because of early contractions and dilation of my cervix.  Luckily, the doctors were able to stop everything in its tracks.  I am back home and on bedrest.  From what I've been told the risk of preterm labor is much higher with multiples than with a singleton.  There is a good chance that these babes will be coming early.  I'm hoping I hold on to them as long as possible!!!!

Please reach out with any questions regarding Reprofit, or embryo donation! I will also do my best to keep posting on a regular basis.  

Cancelled due to family emergency!

Hello everyone, unfortunately we had to cancel our donor embryo transfer for a family emergency. At this time we are not sure when we will be able to reschedule the transfer.  All of the airline miles we saved up will now be used to visit our sick family member.  We may have to wait until later in the year, since airfare will be going up as we get closer to Spring.  Not sure we can afford the cost of the transfer in addition to travel costs.  We will see....we will try and keep you updated as we have more information.  Until next time......