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| above: We all pray for this! |
There is a great group of EA FET gals who are now PUPO, in the 2WW, still on PIO, waiting to POAS with an HPT or get BW with their RE to see their hCG levels. (did you read my last post everyone?)
So, all of you gals, please answer the following questions:
1. What Scripture are you holding close to these days?
2. What is your biggest challenge right now?
3. What is DH like in the 2WW?
4. Now that you have gone through your FET, what one piece of advice can you share that you wish you knew/did?
5. How can we pray for you specifically?
So, Ashley, Jennifer, Britney, Krisa, Lisa, & anyone else I missed let's hear from you!
Pregnant EA mommies & new EA mommies feel free to chime in too!
Great idea! Hoping my vulerability will help someone else. =)
ReplyDelete1. Matthew 10:29-31 29. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. 30. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31. So don't be afraid; you [and the embryos] are worth more than many sparrows.
2. Thinking that any little thing that I do, eat, not do, use, etc. will prevent the babies from implanting and sticking around. I have to constantly (like every 5 mins. give it back over to God.)
3. He is being supportive at helping out the first few days of mandatory rest as well as giving the shots (even if it means in the car because we are out at the time =)). He is also excited one minute and doubting a positive outcome the next...pretty much the same as me. =)
4. I was well prepared only because everyone else's blogs were so helpful. (It helps going last after everyone else. =)) I guess the only thing was I wish I knew was that at the NEDC the husband does not go in the transfer room with you. No big deal because he does wait with you before and after it.
5. Just pray God's will will be done. I know he has the children He wants us to raise picked out and these might not be them. I just am doing my best to trust Him with my head not just my heart.
Wow Shannon--You are just amazing! Thanks so much for sharing what you have been through and are going through now. Your courage is so inspiring! I wanted to let you know that I awarded you the One Lovely Blog Award. I'm telling people all about your blog on mine in the morning.
ReplyDeletexo
Donna @ Comin' Home
PS. I didn't follow all the acronym's--but that's OK, I get the general idea. :o)
Great idea Shannon! I'll post my answers on here and I think I'll put them on my blog as well.
ReplyDelete1. "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him." Psalm 37:7
"'For I know the plans I have for you', declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future'". Jeremiah 29:11
2. My biggest challenge is the same as Em's. Trying to make myself quit thinking that everything I'm doing could negatively impact the babies. Nothing can thwart God's plan!
3. My husband does a great job giving the PIO injections and he always prays for the babies. He mostly keeps his thoughts quiet but I know he really wants this to work.
4. My second FET was must less stressful than the first since I knew what to expect. It's so great to have a big EA blog community to share tips and advice with! Christina was a huge help to me for my first FET.
5. Pray that our hearts will be prepared to receive our beta results on Wed. and that we will continue to be drawn closer to God no matter what the results are.
1) As I was being fearful and doubtful after the transfer on Sunday, Aaron said something to me that has stuck with me the rest of the week, "Your faith could determine our children's fate." Ouch! And then he quoted a portion of these verses "But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." - James 1:6-8 (Now, we realize that the context of this passage was regarding asking the Lord for wisdom, but we believe there is also application for all prayers in these verses.) So, unlike my last FET, I have been constantly having to force myself to believe that God is answering my prayers with a "Yes" and if he doesn't, then that is HIS sovereign choice, but my role right now is to believe and not doubt!
ReplyDelete2) I think number 1 is also my biggest challenge, not giving into fear and doubt. But, like Emily, I am tempted to worry about what I do or don't do.
3)Aaron is such an encourager - Everytime I ask him if he thinks at least 1 of our babies is still with us, he says "Well, I don't know for sure because I'm not a pregnancy test (lol), but I'm very hopeful!" :)
4) I think I was prepared for the FETs from reading others' blogs too...it's just a shame that I was using the wrong gauge needle for both FETs - lol!
5) Pray that we would glorify God throughout our adoption and that He would see fit to allow us to hold at least one of these babies in our arms in 2011!
1. What Scripture are you holding close to these days? I'm ashamed to say this, but I haven't really been praying one particular scripture this week. However, the overall theme to my prayers could be summed up in Psalm 31:14-15a- But I trust in You, O Lord. I say, "You are my God. My times are in Your hands."
ReplyDelete2. What is your biggest challenge right now? My struggles may seem a little weird to you, but here they are. I am challenged to hold onto the peace that God has given me. I feel confident that I will get a positive beta on Monday, but I get stressed about things like, "Will I have enough strength to do this and work full time?" "Will we have enough money?" "Should I be worrying about possibly NOT being pregnant" "How should I handle Monday? Should I stay home from school? I'm expecting good news, but what if I'm wrong?" etc..
I need to remember Matthew's words- "Do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
3. What is DH like in the 2WW? My husband has been great. He's doing a terrific job with the injections, he's really helping out with our two year old, and he prays over my tummy every chance he gets!
4. Now that you have gone through your FET, what one piece of advice can you share that you wish you knew/did? Don't drink 64 ounces of water, even if you are a teacher and think you have a very strong bladder! Also- take your camera and/or phone to your clinic so that someone can take a picture of you and the staff!
5. How can we pray for you specifically? I am sooooooo tired! Please pray for strength. :)
I just realized, your title says PUPU gals- LOL!
ReplyDeleteAshley-Thanks! ha! I fixed it!
ReplyDeleteMy answers are very similar to what the others have said.
ReplyDelete1)I have not been praying a specific scripture, just for peace and trust.
2)My biggest challenge is not to think about it too much (will it be pos/neg). I don't want to be consumed. This was easier during the weekdays when work and my girls and activities kept us going constantly. Saturday was a lazy day for me and I had to be careful not to dwell on it to much.
3)DH has been great, even more understanding and supportive than I expected! He has been encouraging and allowing me to take it easy, which I expected the first few days post transfer, but he has continued the whole week. And he finally seems optimistic that this may actually result in a baby which is nice because although he has been supportive he has been rather pessimistic during most of this process.
4)I learned to take the progesterone shot laying down. I started off doing it standing in our bathroom and got really dizzy the second time during the shot so now I just lay on the bed while my husband gives it to me and I have had no problems. I also recommend injecting it slowly and gradually. I felt pretty prepared for the transfer after reading about everyone else's experiences. It is important to remember the entire process is pretty short and thus any pain or discomfort will be over quickly.
5) I just pray for peace and to be able to praise God no matter what results we receive on Friday.
I found your blog through other EA blogs I follow. I don't blog myself, but after deciding to use adopted embryos to have a 2nd child (our first was through traditional IVF with our own sperm/egg)....I wanted to find a community of people who share our experiences so that I would have someone who "knows how it feels" when I had questions about how we tell our child her heritage etc. I was very fortunate that our Fertility Clinic had a small anonymous EA program and we were only in the waiting for a few months before being matched with 5 beautiful embryos....we were even more blessed to have our 1st transfer result in a pregnancy. Our daughter, Genevieve Renee is due in just over 7 weeks.
ReplyDeleteAnyway...I wanted to comment on the 2WW...I have been there more times than I want to admit through the past 4 years so I understand the anxiety, fear and hope that are all vying for the same space. It is a tormenting time where you don't know if what you are feeling is pregnancy or medication induced. It borders on psychosis how your mind runs through the constant reel of "did this work?, will it ever work? how many times can I go through this?"....so although I'm not there now....I can relate.
I am Catholic and we have our Saints. Saint Gerard is the parton Saint of mothers/motherhood...so I spent a lot of time praying to him and also just asking Jesus to bless our family one more time but I also knew God's plan was already set and I did not have a lot of control, so I tried to surrender to that as much as I could.
My DH tends to be a little standoffish in the 2WW....he is a sweet, sensitive guy and feels the full effect of the BFN so he tries to guard himself by just being distant and not getting too involved until the test is either positive or negative. We lost identical twins a few years ago to miscarriage and it really affected him so he has a tendancy to just shut down...I understand that. I cope by staying busy (which is not hard with a 2 yr old boy in the house).
My biggest advise now that I have been through fertility and the 2WW several times is to not be afraid to be hopeful....whatever the outcome...you will feel what you are going to feel at the time...for now, rejoice in the fact that you got those babies out of the freezer and they will end up in God's hands sooner or later. Hope is good for the soul and the body reacts well to it also.
I will be praying for all of you girls...I want you all to feel as pregnant as me in 31 weeks and relish every ache and pain because it is soooo worth it!
Good Luck.
Karaleen
whoa - those are some serious acronyms! boy, that two week wait would be a nail biter!
ReplyDelete1. What Scripture are you holding close to these days?
ReplyDeleteLuke 1:38 "'I am the Lord's servant,' Mary answered. 'May it be me as you have said'."
The reason I love this verse (it needs to be my life verse) is that I want to have Mary's attitude. This verse reminds me that I am here to carry out the Lord's purposes, not vice versa. It humbles me and challenges me to think eternally and not wordly.
2. What is your biggest challenge right now?
Not "feeling" pregnant some days and wondering if we will make it through the first trimester. All of this feels very surreal! I think that during my actual 2ww, my biggest challenge was obsessing about all of my symptoms and googling excessively. I went a little looney : )
3. What is DH like in the 2WW?
He was great during the 2ww. He was always positive and doting. However, at times he did seem a bit emotionally distant in regards to our transfer. When I shared that with him, he admitted to me that he didn't want to get emotionally attached to the idea because he was scared of being disappointed. (I share this with you with his permission!)
4. Now that you have gone through your FET, what one piece of advice can you share that you wish you knew/did?
I wish I knew about the alcohol wash in the middle of the transfer. Dr. K said, "This is the part you are going to hate me for." and I was thinking, "What? No one ever mentioned that there was anything painful during the transfer!" It would have been nice knowing what to expect.
I also wish that I had trusted God more, sat back and enjoyed the wonderful adventure, and googled less! : )
5. How can we pray for you specifically?
I would love prayers for God's peace to rule my heart and mind during this first trimester wait. (and beyond!) I sincerely desire to enjoy the ride that God has me on and enjoy every minute regardless of what happens. I would also love for you to pray that my life would emulate my Scripture verse above.
Thanks, everyone!