The Nitty-Gritty

Okay, that last post was scary. I've been having this psychological hiccup where I think telling anyone that we are pregnant (I will interchange the "I" and "we" because while C is not physically carrying this child, he is carrying me, sometimes literally, always emotionally, mentally, etc., so I'm sorry if "we" are pregnant annoys you) will automatically result in loss of said child. This is not a rational fear. But it sort of is after a miscarriage when you had to go back and untell everyone. And again, my therapist said I'm fine (how I love those words - they sound SO L.A.).

Facts:
We received a positive beta. It doubled perfectly 48 hours later.
We had a vaginal US at 6wks2days that showed one very strong flicker of a heartbeat in a blobby thing.
We had a second vaginal US at 8wks2days that showed the same strong heartbeat inside of a gummi bear looking thing (arm and leg nubs & the beginning of a spinal cord!). RE then told us to find an OB.
I went to meet a highly recommended OB and I had a third US at 11wks exactly (not that said OB or staff can figure out the dates on an IVF pregnancy if there is no LMP, but I know the exact DATE OF CONCEPTION!) and there was this baby looking thing with an excellent heartbeat and what appeared to be arms and legs and tons of other development. Wow.

Alternate facts: I'm usually a slender-ish person (good genes/high metabolism - I take zero credit) and IVF did a number on me, especially my ovaries. They got really big, like externally discernibly big. And since I was pregnant, I kept feeding them HCG hormone and they won't go down. So I'm bloated or I look pudgy or a tiny bit pregnant - and I have since forever ago. This distension also hurts. I'm not sure why - the stretching maybe? My abdomen hasn't NOT hurt since egg retrieval. Around 5wks, I started to get shooting pain from my butt down the back of my legs, so I waited two weeks and then saw one of the PTs that I work for (and I had to tell her) and it's some sciatic nerve/sacrum issues that probably won't just go away.