Cloud Nine

Look at our beautiful embryo! It's perfect in every way! I can't believe this tiny microscopic embryo is floating around (or sticking) in my uterus right now. This is the closest we've ever been to getting pregnant and it feels so surreal.

Day 6 Hatching Embryo
after thaw, before transfer

Transfer Day

Sleep was sporadic the night before. I'd been so worried about staying hydrated that I woke up to pee about 3 times during the night. My dreams were oddly vivid as I went back in time to when I was a nanny with newborn twins. Why was I dreaming about that? Maybe because being a nanny is the closest I've ever come to being a parent? The subconscious mind is such an interesting place.

My husband was up bright and early to take care of the dog while I laid around in bed dozing off and on all morning... willing time to pass quickly. As I laid there, I planned out my attire for the day based on what was happening. The instructions said to wear something comfortable so I knew I wanted to wear yoga pants. But, what else? I've always read about women who wore special/lucky socks to retrieval and transfer. So, in the spirit of the season, I settled on wearing my witch socks. Witches perform magic, much like these doctors are doing with the science behind our transfer. As for my shirt, I decided to wear something that says, "HOPE." Because, for the first time in a long while, there is a glimmer of hope in sight. Hope that we will one day become parents. 

Hope, Magic, Science, and Faith are all working together to make this happen. Does that sound like a recipe for success or what?

                              

While enjoying my low sodium breakfast of unseasoned eggs and water (blagh!), Mr. Merman surprised me with a bouquet of roses. Happy Transfer Day to us!

I followed all of the procedures and started chugging my 32 oz. bottle of water an hour before our scheduled time. I ate another bland, low-sodium granola bar to go with the Xanax and Ibuprofen. As we sat in traffic, hoping to make it to our appointment on time, I started feeling restless. It was finally time to be maybe pregnant!  

Upon arrival, we both changed into our transfer clothes. Mr. Merman got to put on scrubs and a mask while I put on a gown and covered my witch socks with special hospital socks. 

Apparently, I didn't drink enough water. By the time they called us back, I'd had 40 ounces of water and hadn't peed in over an hour. The initial ultrasound showed that my bladder wasn't full enough. They showed me where the bladder was in relation to the uterus and explained that it needed to be fuller to push the uterus down. Having it down makes the transfer easier because they don't have to go in at such a weird angle. (Maybe it was the Xanax but I just thought this was the coolest thing ever). Back to the private waiting room I went to guzzle down more water. An hour later, my bladder was finally full enough. Thank goodness! For the record, I blame this problem on being a teacher. Holding in water and coffee for up to 8 hours (sometimes longer) has to have something to do with this. My bladder is trained not to fill up too fast. 

Anyways, we both got to go back to the operating room. I climbed up on the table and got my legs placed into the massive stirrups. (It's the same room they use for egg retrieval). The nurse gave me a heated blanket. That, along with the Xanax was making it very hard to stay awake. I was so relaxed! The embryologist came in with the picture of our embryo and explained that it had thawed perfectly. She told us that it was already beginning to hatch and was at the perfect stage for transfer. My RE was the one who did the transfer (which makes me so incredibly happy). Both her and the nurse commented on how perfect the embryo looks. Because it was already hatching, my RE told me that it would be implanting within 24-48 hours! But, the thing that keeps replaying in my mind is how the embryologist reiterated, over and over, that "this embryo is perfect and doing exactly what it should be doing." Talk about reassurance! This is exactly what I needed to hear. 

As of now, it has been about 33 hours since transfer. What if the embryo has already attached?!?!?! EEeeeeekkk!!!

The transfer was completely pain-free and easy, other than really having to pee. They placed a speculum in and cleaned off the cervix. The nurse was performing an ultrasound so that the doctor could see what she was doing. This means that I had someone pressing down on my pelvic region while someone else was sticking things in my hoo-haa. ;) My RE walked us through each step and explained what was happening on the screen. She did a trail transfer prior to the real thing to make sure that the catheter was in place and that they could easily get into my uterus. When ready, she called for the embryologist to bring the embryo. Then, she transferred it into my uterus through the catheter. "It's like a shooting star." They put an air bubble behind the embryo so that you can see it entering the uterus on the ultrasound screen. And, that was that! They printed a picture for us to keep. At that point, I wanted to cry tears of joy. It just felt so good to finally make it this far in our journey. This is the closest we've ever been to getting pregnant. I have an embryo in my uterus!

The circle shows where it went into my uterus and the plus sign shows where it's at.

Afterwards, I was instructed to pee before getting dressed and heading home. As much as I wanted to pee, I was also afraid to be pushing anything out so soon after transfer. So, I just sat on the toilet forever, waiting for my body to do it's on thing with minimal effort from me. I wonder if anyone else has done that?

GIVE ME ALL THE SODIUM!

The first thing I did once we were in the car was polish off a bag of sour cream and onion chips. I was so hungry for something tasty and just couldn't stop eating. We ran by the store to pick up another prescription before heading home.That Xanax knocked me out! I spent the rest of the day enjoying the best sleep I've ever had. When I awoke, all I could think about was ice cream. So, we made a trip to the local frozen custard shop and had a nice little treat. We ended the night curled up on the couch watching a Marvel movie until my husband couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. 

Fluffer Nutter and Pumpkin Joe Custard with Chocolate Chips

Today, we both got to sleep in. Then, we went to brunch and a movie. (Go see Mrs. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. It was so good!) Once again, I spent the afternoon sleeping. I don't know why I'm so tired but every time I sit down to read, write, or watch TV, I fall asleep. But, I'm not complaining because...

I'm officially Pregnant Until Proven Otherwise!