It has taken me a few days to be able to find the words other than "wow!" to describe our transfer on Thursday, March 2nd.
I'll start at the beginning. :)
The day started like any other day. Surprisingly I was able to sleep for most of the night. I had no restrictions as far as food or liquid so that was good as well. (I am not a nice person when you don't let me eat! ha!)
I got dressed in "My lucky transfer shirt." How is it lucky? Well it was worn by a now good friend of mine, Leslie, for her transfer just a few months ago. They transferred two embryos to her and one is growing like a weed so I can only hope it had some luck left. If this is successful, we get to pass it on to another lucky surrogate. We've dubbed it "the sisterhood of the traveling transfer shirt." We are dorks and we are okay with that!
Had to get a picture with my rock before heading out the door. This man right there is so supportive of me and this adventure. I would not have been able to do this without him!
Tucker saw a picture being taken and of course needed one too. As of now, we have not talked to them about what we are doing. If everything is going okay in a few weeks, then we will start to talk about it with them.
As I stated on my last blog, Danielle drove up to Naperville with me. E(intended mother) was so excited to meet her and thanked her for sharing her story because it is what inspired me to do this in the first place. We quickly made an IKEA run right before the appointment. I needed some new storage options for daycare and knew exactly what I needed. I don't think I have ever been in and out of IKEA in under 20 minutes before!
We got to the appointment a little early so we spent some time in worship in the car before heading in. We let Pandora do her work and then specifically chose "Thy Will" by Hillary Scott before heading in. Danielle hadn't heard the song yet and of course got super emotional about what we were about to go in to do. It helped me center my thoughts on God and that He has this. If it is His will, this little embryo will cling on tight and not let go!
Seriously, if you haven't heard this song, check it out
here.
So we got our act together and headed inside. First up was blood work. We went upstairs and did that really quick and then went downstairs to the surgery center. We met E and P(intended father) at that time. They brought me a beautiful bouquet of PINK flowers! (Have I mentioned yet that the gender of the embryo is female? E and P chose to do genetic testing to get the best embryo possible. Many actually didn't pass the tests, in fact just this one did. While doing that, they fond out the gender!)
It is about 11:15 at this point and the transfer is scheduled for 12:15. One thing I know I forgot to mention was that I had to have a full bladder for the procedure. This creates contrast on the ultrasound and allows the doctor to see the uterus better. The nurse told me the day before to have a full bladder. I asked her how much and when I should drink liquid. All she could tell me was everyone is different so they don't have a requirement. So what do I do? I google it. Google tells me to drink 32oz of water from 10:15-11:15 (an hour before my procedure so that it is nice and full). Well, by 11:15, I need to go to the bathroom, bad! I was pacing and sweating. :)
About 11:30 E and I were called back into the prep room. We were given these fabulous outfits to wear and spent the next 45 minutes talking and laughing. Over the course of 45 minutes, the nurses let me let "a little bit" out. It was hilarious. The nurse asked me if I lot I could go just a little and make it stop as to not empty my bladder. I was willing to try it. Wow is it hard! :)
At 12:15 the Doctor comes in to greet us. He informed us that the embryo survived the thaw. It had been frozen for almost two years and E let out a HUGE sigh of relief! I can't imagine getting to this point and it not even making it to implant so I am glad that part is behind us.
The doctor and nurses then took us back to the room to transfer the embryo. E sat next to me and held my hand the whole time. The doctor explained each step as he was doing it and we cried and cried when he said it was in there! Now it was time for my body to do it's job!
(The embryo is the large ball thing. If you look at the bottom, it looks like it is hatching which is a good sign, I am told! The arrow is pointing to an air bubble in my uterus where it was placed. The embryo itself cannot be seen on ultrasound due to it being so small)
The procedure itself is actually very simple. It is similar to an annual exam (for you ladies out there) They use a speculum to look at your cervix and then clean the area before inserting a small catheter. Honestly, I didn't even feel it. The embryo is then placed in the catheter and inserted into the uterus. The doctor then checks the catheter with a microscope to make sure the embryo is still not inside before saying he was done.
We were then taken back to our room where I was finally able to go to the bathroom and empty my bladder completely! The doctor came in to discharge us and told me that I can resume normal activity right away.
I told E I was wearing a "lucky transfer shirt" so she wore Believe! They were both so excited to have this part done!
Let's go little embie! Stick in there!
Danielle and I after transfer! Embryo is in there! Now grab on tight and don't let go!
After the transfer we headed to Portillos. This was a request by Danielle and I! We maxed out on great food and of course brought some cake home for Dan!
Upon arriving home I was on a complete adrenaline rush. I had tucker bring me all of the daycare buckets while I sat in the middle of the room reorganizing! I was finally able to fall asleep that night, but it took me a while.
Friday, I took a half day to relax just a little bit. After not sleeping the night before I needed a nap. Although the doctor said I could return to normal activity, I don't think they fully understand what goes into daycare. So I thought it would be best to rest one more day.
So far this weekend, I am feeling great. I have had some mild cramping and blasting which they said to expect. It has been hard to not analyze every little pain, twinge, or feeling I get.
Also, a huge shout out to my neighbor and great friend, Julie. Dan was out of town last night so she delivered my injection for me! Thank you!!
Tomorrow, Monday, I have a blood test to see what my hormone levels are at. This will help the doctor determine if my medicines need to be changed at all. Then on Friday, I will go for the pregnancy blood test. We should know by the end of the day on Friday if this was successful! If it is positive, I will do repeat blood work on the following Monday to make sure my levels are still going up!
Please continue your prayers. This is going to be a very long week waiting for the that test! Pray for the Intended Parents hearts that they are covered in God's love and that this little embryo keeps hanging on!
