We Got Our Rainbow

If you've been following our IVF journey to this point, you have seen that we've been in a pattern of waiting for a little over a week now following the transfer of two frozen embryos to Bre's uterus.

Today (Thursday, December 29), we went back in for a blood test. This blood test measures the level of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) in Bre's blood. This test is often the official early detection method for pregnancy and is commonly used to confirm the results of at-home pregnancy tests.

Normal levels of HCG in a non-pregnant woman is normally less than 5 mlU/mL. Our clinic says that when they take the test on prospective pregnant women, the hope would be a result at or above 50 mlU/mL.

Bre is currently rocking an HCG level of 235. So...yeah. She's pregnant. Like officially pregnant.

This is excellent news. Similar to our second "successful" transfer attempt, Bre's HCG levels were off the charts good. It's too soon to know whether this super high number is a result of twins or if Bre's just really cranking out HCG, but regardless, this is amazing.

We prayed feverishly for this result. The 8 days between transfer and the blood test is excruciating. While we had the wonderful distraction of Christmas and family, we had the continuous raincloud of uncertainty over us with this decision. Even our two-hour drive home from the test as we awaited results was tense as we anxiously awaited a call that we didn't know the answer to.

While this is incredible news, we're not even remotely out of the woods yet. As most know by this point, the reason our second transfer was "successful" was because 2 weeks following a positive HCG test, Bre experienced a miscarriage at the embryo's official 6-week mark. So while the IVF process was successful, it did not result in a full-term birth.

We are grateful. But we are scared. Neither of us feel like we can truly celebrate this good news until we're out of the first trimester; we're so afraid of undergoing the pain of losing our bab(ies) again. Please continue to pray with us as we continue to move forward, since our anxieties are still at peak levels.

What's next? Bre goes back in on Monday (4 days later) for another HCG test. We're looking for significant increase in HCG levels at this test to make sure the embryo(s) develop smoothly. Following that positive test, Bre will get an ultrasound about 2 weeks later where we'll actually get to see the embryonic sac(s).

It was right after this ultrasound that we lost our baby last time (2 days). So as we creep closer to this same timeframe in the process, pray for our hearts as we remember our lost little one but continue to push forward in the pursuit of rainbow bab(ies).

Thanks so much for your support! We have felt it. We've felt the prayers of families and friends from Missouri, Indiana, California, Texas, and who knows where else. Several have donated to our cause as well, and we cannot be more grateful for your love of us. We'll keep you updated on what's next. Until then, we'll be celebrating our chance at a Rainbow Baby [or 2 :) ].