Reader's Note: If you're new to this blog, please be aware that our posts are not written in "real time." We need to take time to process everything ourselves before sharing it. This post is all about what happened after our first IUI with donor sperm back in February. You can read about the whole process here. 😊
Remember back in school when your teacher demonstrated the length of three minutes by making your class sit in complete silence? Those 180 seconds DRAGGED ON.
How much do you hate waiting in line for what seems like an eternity at Starbucks for your caffeine fix? (Pro-tip: place your order via their mobile app and pick up in the store rather than drive-thru. Thank me later.)
Here's one we can all relate to: How annoyed do you get when you have to wait on hold for what seems like F-O-R-E-V-E-R just to talk to a customer service representative?
We're not good at waiting, are we? I mean, how could we be when we live in a world where basically everything we could ever want is at the tip of our fingertips? We're hard-wired to want immediate results and instant payoffs.
Need groceries? Hy-Vee can be at your house within a day with your order.
Hungry? DoorDash will arrive in 27 minutes.
Out of toilet paper? Target delivers.
Need a last minute gift? Amazon Prime will ship it to your house in 1-2 days.
Enter: The Two Week Wait (TWW)
2 Weeks // 14 Days // 336 Hours
The TWW is the excruciating two weeks after the IUI where all you can do is WAIT.
I'm a task-oriented person. I live by lists and find an odd amount of joy in checking things off. Cleaning lists, work lists, to-do lists, and now, infertility lists.
So, after the IUI, naturally, I made a list of all the upcoming tasks:
February 15 (~one week later): go to clinic for progesterone test
(Progesterone is a hormone made by the ovaries that help make the uterus ready to support a fertilized egg. To measure the level of progesterone, all you have to do is give a blood sample. So, basically it tells you if you ovulated. It also gives the doctor a good idea on if the medication you may have taken (Clomid or Femara) worked for you. I waltzed into the clinic, gave them a vial of blood and was on my way. Easy peasy. The nurse called later that afternoon with results. My progesterone level was 31, which is GREAT!)
February 20 (two weeks later): no period? Take at-home pregnancy test
February 22: positive test, or not sure? Go to clinic for hcg test
Now, if I could have made a list of everything I would feel, imagine, dream and think during these two weeks, it would have looked a little something like this:
February 6 (day of IUI): Do I feel any different? Will I feel any different? How do I know? I mean, this is the actual first time I've had sperm in me.
February 7: Omg, ow. How long will the pain last? Forever? Terrible cramps and soreness from the traumatic experience with the speculum. Speculum: 1 Teri: 0
February 8: Husband: Want me to bring you Jimmy John's for lunch? Me: Sur––NO! I could be pregnant and I shouldn't eat deli meats!!!
February 9: My dogs are EXTRA clingy today. You know they have a sixth sense right? Maybe they know I'm pregnant.
February 10: Gosh, is it February 20 yet?
February 11; 2:45 a.m.: Just had a dream I got my period. Woke up devastated and unable to fall back to sleep.
February 12: God please. God please. God please. Please let there be a baby in me.
February 13: Hm, I feel nauseous and I'm really tired. Google: Is nausea and fatigue a sign of early pregnancy?
February 14: I'd normally have a glass of wine to celebrate Valentine's Day with my hubby, but not this year. After all, I could be pregnant.🤷♀️
February 15: Dreaming of the "maybe-baby" in my tummy. What will she look like? What will we name him? Maybe it's TWINS!
February 16: I've got to be pregnant. With all we've been through thus far, this is going to be our big break!! One and done.
February 17: My right boob feels different. Is this a sign of pregnancy? (Frantically pulls up Google)
February 18: I'm spotting but I Googled it and read it could be implantation spotting.
February 19: Still no Aunt Flo. I'm not supposed to take a pregnancy test til tomorrow.... Pees on stick. Waits the 3 minutes for result (talk about time dragging). NOT PREGNANT.
February 20: Wake up, take another pregnancy test. NOT PREGNANT. Take another test later in the day. NOT PREGNANT.
February 21: I'm definitely pregnant. Aunt Flo IS NOT HERE. Just spotting. THE TEST MUST BE WRONG. (takes 3 more tests)
February 22: I'm bleeding more today, but Aunt Flo is so late to the party. Calls clinic for hcg blood test. NOT PREGNANT.
NOT PREGNANT NOT PREGNANT
NOT PREGNANT
🥺🤬
I took six (yes SIX) pregnancy tests toward the end of this TWW. And I was completely exhausted. Seriously. Look at my face in the selfie on Feb. 22 above. EXHAUSTED.