Pregnancy weeks 1-12

The first 12 weeks of my pregnancy have been both the best and some of most difficult weeks of my life. When Nik and I made the decision to start in-vitro fertilization, we knew that the only way we would feel comfortable spending so much money and time investing in our future as parents was if we went to the best. In our case, that meant driving the three hours up north to San Francisco on a frequent basis.

Our decision to go to Pacific Fertility Center was well researched and probably deserves a post of its own, but it finally came down to the fact that we fell in love with our fertility specialist, PFC had some of the best statistics in the country, and they had every single certificate/license/specialized whatever that a fertility center could possibly have. The most important part of IVF is the lab in which the embryos are created. If the lab is not reputable, the chances of success decrease.

Weeks 1-4

For two weeks, Nik and I spent approximately 4 days a week in SF. We would commute up for a day, come back to Fresno so I could go to work, attend grad school, then turn around and drive back up to SF and spend the night with our dear friends to make an early morning appointment with our doctor. The process of IVF was rigorous and challenging, but at the time we were so caught up in the excitement of our adventure that it never really dawned on us how difficult this time actually was. On day 14, I had surgery and all my viable follicles were extracted from my ovaries. By day 19, we had 2 embryos transferred and I received my positive pregnancy test on day 28, September 17th.

Weeks 5-8


Until around week 6 I felt amazing! I was walking on air due to my elation, I felt certain that this had worked and we were finally going to get the baby we so desperately wanted. I had tons of cravings, never felt sick, and the only "complaint" I had was being extremely tired. By week 7, I got what my arrogance deserved. I felt miserable. Immediately I started feeling sick constantly, no morning sickness for this Mama, it was sun-up to sun-down nausea. I felt exhausted, even on a couple of occasions I fell asleep at my desk, and never wanted to eat. When I went it my for 8 week appointment, I had lost weight and had key tones in my urine indicating my body muscle was breaking down. My doctor put me on high-risk and I had to come in every two weeks to be monitored. By week 8 it was all I could do to make myself eat. I was put on bed rest after I started having dizzy spells and even came close to passing out at Costco. Thankfully, after having my blood tested it was determined that the baby was great and I was doing well with all my levels. My doctor assumed that with my blood level increasing and being such a tall woman that my system was very confused.

Weeks 9-12

This continued to be a very difficult time physically for me. I started getting some new symptoms including headaches and migraines. I continued to feel nauseous and dizzy, but the fatigue did wear off. Still no cravings and all strong food aversions. But the most incredible things happened, I got to see the baby move for the first time, hear its perfect little heartbeat, and feel a connection that I hadn't felt before. The rate that the baby was growing and having appointments every two weeks really gave me an opportunity to see the little Viking's progression. Nik and I are so grateful to have had that experience. The doctor was always very impressed with the activity and heartbeat of Baby Beer, which put us at ease and gave us a sense of pride. By the end of 12 weeks I hadn't gained any weight, but I definitely have a bump :)

Here is a picture of the belly bump at week 12. I kept asking my doctor if he was missing another baby, but he assured me this was normal given how thin I am naturally.