today, I am pregnant ...

What a long, complicated day it has been. I went for my blood draw this morning at 8:15. I have been told several times over the past few months that I would receive a phone call with my results by 3:00 this afternoon. It was a looooong day. As the clock approached 3:00, I kept waiting for my phone to ring. It didn't. I called the office at 3:00 to find out what was going on. I was told that the results arrive at the office between 2-3, and someone would be calling me shortly. Soon, it was 3:30, and there was still no phone call. I called the office again, expressing my concerns that the office was going to close for the day and I wasn't going to know my results. That time, I was told that my results hadn't arrived (implying that other people's results had), and someone would call LabCorp to find out what was going on. As the clock approached 4:00, I was on the phone with Heather. She decided to call the Akron office to put some pressure on. She spoke with Michelle (the nurse we have been working with the whole time), who told her that the results for everyone had been delayed today, and it could be 4:30 before the results came in. Finally, around 4:30, the phone rang ...

It was Michelle. She told me that I am pregnant, but my beta hCG (pregnancy hormone) level was lower than it is supposed to be. According to Michelle, 50 is the number they look for on this blood draw. My hCG was only 19. She said not to worry, because it's possible that the embryo(s) just implanted late and that's why the number is low. There are also a few other possibilities (ectopic pregnancy or chemical pregnancy/early miscarriage). I am choosing to focus my energy on the first option ... late implantation. The fact that my hCG is 19 means that the embryo(s) DID implant, and I am technically pregnant. I have to continue taking all of my medications, and I have to go back for another blood draw on Wednesday morning at 8:00. Then, I will meet with Dr. Nash on Wednesday afternoon at 3:00, to discuss everything. Wednesday is the big day. If my hCG blood level doesn't at least double by Wednesday, then the pregnancy is most likely not viable. So, for now, I am cautiously pregnant. Here is some good info on beta hCG, for anyone who is interested.

I somehow managed to keep myself from buying a home pregnancy test, until today. For those of you who have been following this blog since the beginning, you know that this is a very big feat for me. In the past, I always tested early. This time, I think I was just too scared to test early. After my blood draw this morning, I finally bought a home test. I stared at it in its package all day. After Michelle called to tell me that I am cautiously pregnant, I decided to have my POAS (pee on a stick) moment. Sure enough, the test was positive. The line is faint, but it is definitely there. The paperwork that comes in the box clearly states that any line, no matter how faint, means pregnant. So, I finally got my BFP (big fat positive)!!

I have been experiencing waves of nausea, cramping, and headaches the last few days. These are all signs of pregnancy. I am going to focus on the fact that I am pregnant today, and I will worry about the next step on Wednesday. So for now, I am jumping for joy inside, and daydreaming about the *now more real than ever* possibility that I am going to be a Mama.