Eggs Need More Pampering

Change of plans.

I was set to do in vitro at the beginning of August. As I said in my previous post, I was really hoping for an April baby. But I've been thinking...

I talked a lot about how egg quality is everything. It doesn't matter if I get a whole bunch of eggs, if none of them are any good then I won't be getting a baby. And that's the end goal!

It's not an exact science, but we do know that diet, exercise, and drinking lots of water can help, in addition to other supplements and getting plenty of rest. Remember that those eggs take a while to get ready to ovulate and it's during that 90-day period that they're influenced by my efforts. See the diagram below as a refresher, with those eggs developing over time.

Ideally, whatever I'm doing to help my eggs I want to be doing for about 3 months before in vitro, while the eggs are developing and maturing.

And my last three months have been less than ideal!

I was doing great on dieting and exercising but things got complicated. We moved to a different place and that added a whole lot of stress and made it near impossible for me to be exercising regularly or sticking to a diet. I got back on the wagon in June - sort of - but still had a lot of sweets and was not exercising as often.

When I signed up for in vitro, I tried to stay on a health plan. I knew I needed to be focused and committed so I could give my eggs every chance they could to be good and healthy. But I was swamped with family visiting in June and July and was very distracted from my goals, not eating right and not exercising like I should. I'm even forgetting to take my birth control pills, which is essential for me to stay on schedule!

Clearly my head is not in the game.

With so much going on, and so much at stake, I've decided to postpone my in vitro cycle. Maybe all the diet and exercise won't make a difference, but maybe it will! I could get lucky and have my efforts pay off, maybe end up with some really good eggs that turn into babies and I don't have to keep doing in vitro anymore. I'm sure I'll be glad that I waited if that's the outcome I get!

Of course, it's still a gamble and we can never be sure what worked and what didn't. That's what stinks about it. Guarantee, I'm not going to be too happy if I postpone and then still end up with a bad batch. No, I will not be happy one bit. But if I can increase my odds by pampering those eggs with uber-health, then I should do it, even if it means I could still lose.

It's hard for me to give up my April baby but I feel this is the right thing to do.

So we have rescheduled for the end of September, giving me a June baby instead. Now I will recommit to taking the supplements and taking very good care of my health. If I felt up to it, I would do a fitness challenge - the Andrea's Eggs Challenge - that everyone could join and be healthy with me. But that would only add to my stress and I'm supposed to keep my stress low!

That means I need to be committed on my own. I'm going to make a little chart that I will read every morning, a list of things I need to focus on, and I need to start saying my prayers and ask for help from God, to keep me committed and on track. Yes, it takes the powers from heaven to keep me away from the ice cream, haha!

I will still be posting updates on the blog, keeping everyone informed. Stay tuned...