The IUI Visit

I thought I'd just jot down a quick recap of IUI#2 day, more for my memory's sake than anything.

Our appointment was not until 1:00, but we got up fairly early to give ourselves time for a leisurely drive.  We arrived early and headed to the beach for a picnic lunch.  It was nice, but DH was getting a bit antsy and so we left for the clinic.  While it was his turn, I went for a little walk.  There is a nice bird sanctuary right near the clinic, which is nice.  I'm sure many tears and prayers have taken place there.

One thing that I have noticed lately about the clinic, is the kind of clientele that frequent it.  When I went for my u/s on Monday, the waiting room was full of couples.  The thing is, all these couples were definitely in their late 30s.  I was by far the youngest one there.  And judging from some of the conversations I overheard, it seemed like a lot of them were opting for fertility treatments more for convenience than anything.  I can't be sure on that, but it was the feeling I got.   In fact, while we were waiting we overheard a nurse talking to a lady who was definitely clueless about the fertility process (from what we could hear).  The nurse was trying to explain that it didn't matter if one of her tubes didn't work because she was doing IVF and so they would bypass the tubes anyways.  When the nurse hung up the phone we distinctly heard her say, "This is going to be fun.  She wants a baby for her birthday, and her birthday is in 6 weeks."  SIX WEEKS!  This lady signed up for IVF because she wants a baby on her birthday and she is giving it 6 weeks to happen!?!?!  WTF????

I guess I just feel like I'm in a bit of a different category.  We are not choosing to be at a fertility clinic.  We don't have a specific timeline we need to have a baby in.  We are not older and using a clinic out of convenience, rather than trying on our own.  We have been trying, on our own, to have kids for more than 5 years!  That phone call actually made me pretty angry.  I'm a bit of a purist at heart, and I like to do things naturally, and with special planning and attention.  The fact that we are even at a fertility clinic and doing IUI is a stretch for me.  I really can't fathom the elective element of fertility treatments...

Anyways, the actual IUI was way better than I remembered last time.  It was super quick and pain free.  In fact, I didn't even think the doctor was done when he pulled everything out.  All it felt like was a warm instrument propping me open for a bit, and then it was over.  He told us to rest for 15 minutes and gave me a requisition for blood work in 2 weeks.  That was it.

After it was over we went to our hotel and I laid down some more and had a little nap.  Then we met DH's brother (who lives in the town) for dinner and a walk by the ocean.  We walked for quite a bit and I worried that I had overdone it.  By the end of our walk I was pretty crampy, but I hadn't had any ovulation cramps yet, and that was about the time the trigger should have fully kicked in.  Back at the hotel I rested some more and we watched the Olympics.

I am slightly worrying this time that I'm not doing things exactly the same as last time.  I can't remember if I walked, or exercised, or what last time after the IUI.  I remember doing yoga because once I was pregnant, it definitely became harder.  I remember being on the elliptical at the gym because my heart rate got elevated more than it normally does and I was surprised. 

I know that all pregnancies are different so I shouldn't look for the same symptoms as last time, but oh boy how nice would it be if those symptoms showed up.  For now, we'll take it a day at a time and hope for the best!  (DH REALLY is hoping for twins... also, I hadn't thought that you could ovulate from both sides, but when you are stimulated and triggered, it is possible, so now DH is freaking out over the possibility of triplets too, haha.  I don't think we have to worry about that, but having twins would really be awesome!  Just saying...)