Maybe 4th Times A Charm???

I haven't blogged about the insemination process in a while because there really is not much to report.

June, we totally missed detecting the ovulation...Lord only knows why....I just didn't track anything that month.

July was our third go around. It just so happened the day we had to ovulate was the day we had family coming over...too funny!

We were already up and going in the morning, getting the house ready for our guests, and the package arrived. I hurried to the bedroom, performed my own insemination rather quickly, and went about with the rest of my day. Nothing too special at all.

One thing I have discovered that I'd like to share. For those who get squeamish over too graphic of details, you may want to stop reading...

Originally, the insemination plan was to use a normal medicine syringe (without the needle), load it with the stuff, insert, and inject. Sounds simple enough right? The problem we were running into was the "stuff" kept running out, or overflowing. I tried the recommended methods of propping my bottom up while propping up my feet, pulling my legs towards my chest, but nothing seemed to work well. I felt that this was causing a problem, maybe the "stuff" wasn't going where it was suppose to. I did research into finding a way to keep it in place as long as possible, without the disgusting 'dribble' effect that we were experiencing. One expensive, time-consuming method is getting a cervical cap which has to be fitted by a doctor. No time or money for that. The alternative is a bit strange when I learned of it, but seems to be very effective. It's called Instead. It's supposed to be used in the place of tampons or pads during your menstrual cycle. I, personally, would NOT want to use it instead of tampons, but I can see how someone may prefer this method of menstrual 'containment'. It provides a barrier to catch menstrual flow, and is sort of a soft cup. It is perfect for holding in the "stuff" we don't want to leak out.

My method of using this is probably not one that is recommended by the manufacturers of Instead, but I will share it anyways. I'm sure many will cringe, but this is helpful information for those trying to conceive, like us.

I did this over the toilet, as to not allow anything to spill anywhere else. I took the little instead cup, and filled it with the "stuff", then folded it closed, kind of pocketing the "stuff" in it, then inserted it into place.

After that, no matter how I move or what I do, nothing is going anywhere! At that point, there are several things you can do to insure a good chance of insemination, like prop your bottom and legs up, and of course, 'exercises' to make sure it flows where it should.

So now we just wait, hope, and pray that it works and the "stuff" does it's job!

***by the way, those are not pics of me.....lol

News...i guess...

Well, guess we have some news...not good news but none the less it's news. We took a test earlier in the week and it was negative. Of course, the initial thoughts are, "It's way too early." The Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy (which we got for free from our insurance just for inquiring about pregnancy coverage) says that the fertilized egg implants in the wall of the womb anywhere from 6 to 12 days after fertilization. So we assume that technically you could get a positive after 6 days. Anyways, we got a big fat neg, and just decided to wait for the sure sign that it was a neg, the start of the new cycle....every woman knows what that is!

Since Tara has always been regular, right down to the time of day, all we had to do was wait for the marked calender date. Then we would know for sure. And it did happen, right on schedule. The first day of the new cycle. Looks like we will be trying again next month. Next month should be way easier since we already know what to do, we know how to do it, and we know what to expect. We'll keep you informed on how it goes!

Second Cycle...

So far we are on our second cycle to get pregnant. We have learned a lot from the first try a month ago.

The first cycle was a disaster. We were both very anxious & nervous. We sent the email to get the semen a day too early anticipating the positive ovulation predictor, trying to stay ahead of the game. But the problem was that the ovulation predictor predicts a surge of hormone, LH. The LH surge happens about a day before the egg is even released, so the day we received the package, we still had no positive test.

When the package arrived, Brit was frantic. She loaded the syringe, and no plans had been made as to how we were going to do this. There was no prepping or anything. Once the syringe gets loaded, it HAS to be used pretty fast or the sperm die. There was yelling, crying, & utter panic. It didn't make for a very "romantic" baby-making session. We had always planned it would be special. Imagine knowing the exact moment you're creating a life. It's almost an overwhelming thought, but we had really wanted make it a beautiful, miraculous experience...it didn't happen that way at all. Needless to say, it was not a success. Five pregnancy tests over the coming month proved, there was no miracle that occurred in our bedroom that day.

So fast forward to today. We got the positive test result on Sunday...bad day to get a positive since our donor can't ship on weekends. We all decided to have the package shipped on Monday, it'll arrive Tuesday morning & we can make it happen then. The reasoning behind this:

SUNDAY MORNING= positive test...LH surge triggers a follicle on the ovary to burst, releasing the egg

SUNDAY DAY & NIGHT= egg is eventually released & starts getting pulled into the fallopian tube

MONDAY= egg is slowly making its way down the fallopian tube

TUESDAY= hopefully the egg is still in the fallopian tube awaiting fertilization

We got the package right on schedule, had everything prepped the way we wanted it, and performed the insemination. So now we anxiously wait for 7 to 12 days to see what happens...

Allow Us to Introduce Ourselves...

We are Brittney & Tara. We have been together now for just over 5 yrs. Our anniversary happens to be 05/05/05....kinda cool. We both work for the same large call center while going to school. Brittney is studying Art & Tara is studying Psychology. We both want to teach someday.

In the last 5 yrs we have talked a lot about starting a family. We both know that we want to spend the rest of our lives together, and are 110% committed to one another & our life together. We have been through some trials and tribulations, but neither of us have given up on each other. If the law would allow, we would be married, but unfortunately the legalization we need hasn't happened yet. Despite that, we are still committed to our relationship & we don't need no stinkin' law to help us stay together. We are very much in love and couldn't imagine life without each other.

So now begins a new phase in life: making a baby & the starting of a family. We have been asked a lot of questions like who, how, where, when, why....we will explain here....

How?

The same way any other heterosexual couple has a baby, by allowing a sperm & an egg to unite...we all learned this in jr. high health class. We are not doing anything fancy like invitro or intrauterine...we're just inserting semen, the normal way. It can be a little more complicated than the way most couples do it. We have to time it & plan it right down to the day. By tracking ovulation cycles, we can pretty much pinpoint the perfect day to attempt insemination.

WHO?

Obviously, there has to be two "donors" of genetic materials to create one baby. Tara will be the one getting pregnant so it will be her egg. A sperm donor has been chosen who we will keep anonymous. He is not someone we know. He doesn't live near us, and he's not going to be a part of the child's life...he's just donating the other half of genetic material we need. There's no way he can get parental right later, and there's no way we can ask for support of any kind.

We wanted someone who had certain features & characteristics and this individual met what we were looking for...very intelligent & educated, over 6 ft tall, athletic, dark hair, hazel eyes, of European decent, Caucasian. We believe the blend of the two sets of chromosomes will make a very VERY beautiful baby...not to mention pretty darn smart & athletic. And, of course, we don't believe that genes have everything to do with it. We are also going to encourage our kids to do whatever they are interested in.

When?

Once a month until we know we're pregnant. Count up about 14 to 16 days after the first day of your period and that's about the best time to get pregnant. Since we have to time this right we also have the help of some ovulation predictor kits. As soon as it shows a positive for ovulation, we send an email to where the semen is being shipped from, and they Fedex the vial overnight. We have it by 10am the next morning. It's packaged in a styrofoam container, almost looks like a little ice chest. The vial looks like a little test tube with a screwed on lid. When you pull off the lid to the ice chest, there's a little slot about 3" wide by about an inch. There's a cold pack slid in that slot that encases the vial, keeping it very cold. It has to be used right away for the best results. Of course, there's a lot of preparation on our part...comfort issues, positioning, and lots of patience...it's not easy.

Where?

In the comfort of our own bedroom...enough said on that!

Why?

We both want a family like a lot of couples. Brit expressed from the beginning she's always wanted kids. Tara decided to have a baby since she had found the perfect person to share the experience & knows this is a lifelong commitment. The decision for both of us was not made lightly. This has been in the works for a couple of years. Tara is getting pregnant since she is a few years older & probably has less time left to conceive...that old biological clock. Also, at 32 years old, Tara is at a perfect age to carry a baby. Fertility is not an issue, and she has no health issues that would make for a troubled pregnancy. We have decided that we will be having more than one child & the second will be all Brit. We have also decided to have them relatively close, like within 2 to 3 years.

So here we are, beginning an incredible journey that we've always dreamed about. We will be posting our progress along the way & what we are doing.