The One with Thing 1 and Thing 2

I am officially PUPO - Pregnant Until Proven Otherwise!

Hubs decided to take the day out of work and come for the transfer, so we headed out this morning.  I had to go in with a full bladder to allow them to get the best ultrasound picture of my uterus.  Man, was I uncomfortable!  We sat in the waiting room for a little while and I was having trouble sitting still because I had to pee so badly.  The nurse finally came out to get us and told me I could go and pee a little if it would make me feel better.  Uh, you don't have to tell me twice!

I got undressed from the waist down and got up on the comfy table.  Dr. Bow Tie was the one doing the retrievals and transfers today, so Hubs finally got to meet him.  Hubs had a bunch of questions for him, one of which being about mixing up embryos and making sure we were getting our babies and not someone else's!  Dr. Bow Tie talked to us about what would happen during the transfer and also talked about the decision to transfer one or two embryos.  He said one of the worst parts of his job is causing multiples because of the risks involved.  Twins are the "least" risky in the world of multiples, but still pose significantly more risks than a singleton birth.  That being said, he told us that we obviously have a greater chance of getting pregnant if we transfer two embryos.

Hubs and I had talked about whether to transfer one or two over the last couple of days.  He is worried about the risks, costs, and complications that can come with twins.  I have those same feelings, but was leaning toward transferring two embies because of the increased chance of pregnancy.  I think Dr. Bow Tie helped make the decision for us when he said that, of the embryos that we did not transfer, none of them may make it to freeze.  He wasn't speaking about our case specifically, but rather referring to the strict criteria for choosing which embryos to freeze.  They will only freeze embryos that are pretty close to perfect to increase the chance of them surviving the thaw later.  When Hubs and I heard this and thought about the reality of having to go through this whole process from the beginning again, we both knew we wanted to transfer two embies.

So, Thing 1 and Thing 2 (as they will be referred to from here on out) were officially transferred into my uterus this morning.

Here's to hoping our little ones don't end up with blue hair!

The embryologist picked the two best embies, each of which were 8-cells at this point (the perfect number according the Dr. Bow Tie).  Using the abdominal ultrasound picture as a guide (which jammed on my bladder perfectly!), Dr. Bow Tie inserted a small catheter that was loaded with Thing 1 and Thing 2 through my cervix and into my uterus.  He told us we may see a small "flash" on the screen when the embies were transferred.  I absolutely saw that flash and two little perfect dots on the screen.  It was one of the most amazing things to witness.

I had to rest for 15 minutes before they would let me go home (after having one of the most amazing peeing experiences of my life, of course!) and Hubs and I just sat in the room and marveled at the fact that I was now PUPO.  The embryologist gave us a little plastic disk that was the top of the dish our two embies were in before they were placed in the catheter.  Something else to add to our memory box!

There's me all freshly PUPO and holding the top of our embryos' former home.

I have to call the lab on Thursday to find out if any of our embryos made it to freeze.  Today, I am resting on the couch, enjoying spending some time with Hubs and hoping to make Thing 1 and Thing 2 comfortable enough that they will want to hang out for 9 months.

We greatly appreciate everyone's thoughts, prayers, cards, texts, emails, flowers, treats, meals, and good wishes.  We are so lucky to have amazing family and friends and could not be more grateful for the support during this time.

I will be posting during the 2ww (two week wait) about thoughts/feelings/random things.  I already have a date for my beta blood test that will determine if I am pregnant or not.  We will be keeping the news, good or bad, to ourselves for a while after we get it.  I'm sure we will need time to process everything.

For now, I leave you with yet another "Friends" clip.  My best friend offered to sing this to Thing 1 and Thing 2.  They are already quite loved.

The One with the Update

Just a quick update about how our embies are doing today.  I talked to the IVF lab a few minutes ago and all 9 embies are continuing to develop very nicely.  After fertilization, the cells start to divide.  On day 2 (today), they like to see the embies between 2 and 4 cells each.  She told me we have 4 embies that are 2-cells, 3 embies that are 3-cells, and 2 embies that are 4-cells.  All of the embryos are of very good quality.  That is great news for our little ones!

She let me know that we are going to do a transfer tomorrow (Monday) morning at 8:45 am.  This is a 3-day transfer.  Sometimes, they stretch this out to a 5-day transfer to watch for more dividing, but a 3-day transfer is more common.  Hubs is going to go back to work tomorrow, so my mom is going to come with me for the transfer.  So, I  return to the center tomorrow morning with a full bladder and have one or two little ones (we decide tomorrow) put back inside my ute where it (they) will hopefully take up residence for the next 9 months.

We could use all the sticky prayers and vibes you can offer!  I'll do another update tomorrow after I am officially transferred.

P.S. TMI alert: These vag pills are terrible.  I am buying stock in Always panty liners and I feel gross!  Just a little nugget of info for your Sunday morning.

The One with All the Details

This post will give all the nitty gritty details of the egg retrieval on Friday, along with the latest on our little embryos.

Hubs and I left our house around 6:30 on Friday morning and took the short drive to our RE's office.  

Can you feel my excitement about needles in my vag?

We checked in and were directed upstairs to the floor where the retrieval would take place.  After a few minutes, the nurse came out to get me.  I said good bye to Hubs, wished him good luck with his dance with the cup, and headed off to be violated with needles.  

The nurses had me change into the oh-so-glamourous hospital gown and got me a warm blanket while I waited for the doctors.  I met the RE who was doing the retrieval and the anesthesiologist.  The nurse asked me a bunch of questions and the anesthesiologist got me outfitted with an IV (finding a vein was once again an issue).  I walked into the operating room and got up on the table.  The anesthesiologist told me he was going to add the sleepy medicine to my IV and that it didn't take long to work.  I remember the ceiling looked like it was moving and the next thing I know, I woke up in the recovery room.  Apparently, he wasn't lying about the meds working quickly!

The awesome nurses were there when I woke up and told me to just rest for a little while.  I think I fell back to sleep for a bit and when I woke back up, I felt pretty groggy but in very little pain.  The nurses checked on me and got me some water and crackers.  I asked about how many eggs were retrieved and they told me 13.  I was happy with that number considering we had 10 measurable follies at the last monitoring appointment.

As I was sitting and relaxing for a bit, Hubs walked into the recovery room.  I wasn't expecting to see him until I went back out the waiting room and the nurses said they brought him in because there were no other patients on the floor and they thought I would like to see him.  Hubs filled me in on how his part of the baby making process had gone.  He complained to the nurses that the DVD player in his room o' fun wasn't working.  Good thing he had his phone with him for his viewing pleasure!  Needles in the vag vs. porn on the phone...totally a fair division for this process!

The nurses had me use the bathroom and I got dressed after they took out my IV.  They also called the lab to check and make sure we had enough swimmers in Hubs' sample (he was worried about this).  The lab was very happy with the sample and told us that they were going to ICSI the eggs that afternoon.  ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) allows the embryologist to inject a single sperm into the egg allowing for the greatest chance of fertilization.  We were told to expect a phone call on Saturday with an update.  I didn't take any pain meds after the surgery so the nurses said I could take Tylenol at home if I needed it.

Hubs and I headed home and I spent the entire day on the couch.  I watched movies, napped, and sent out a bunch of emails and text messages about how things had gone.  I kept myself hydrated with lots of water and G2.

Check out my stylish hospital bracelet.  Hubs and I had matching ones.  We decided to keep them to start a baby book if this crazy process works!

I woke up from a nap definitely needing the Tylenol and it helped with the cramping.  I really can't complain too much about the discomfort considering what some women go through after their retrieval.  

This morning (Saturday), Max was up bright and early and Hubs got up to play with him.  I got out of bed to take my first Endometrin pill.  This is a progesterone supplement that helps my body to get ready for the transfer and maintain a pregnancy.  I have begun referring to this as the "vag pill."  It is a suppository and has to be inserted 3 times a day at 8-hour intervals.  Add it to the list of super fun IVF meds!  I'm feeling much better today and have just a little cramping.

Around 9ish this morning, I got a call from the IVF lab.  The embryologist told me that of the 13 eggs that were retrieved, 11 were mature.  They ICSI'd those 11 and 9 fertilized normally.  The two that didn't fertilize normally may still develop overnight, but we just have to wait and see.  So, at this point, we are working with 9 embies.  We may end up with less than that once all is said and done, but we are thrilled with that number at this point.  The lab will call again on Sunday and let me know how our embies are doing and when we can expect to do a transfer (either Monday or Wednesday).

So, now we wait and pray and hope that everything continues to move forward.  I am taking this all one day at a time and I feel really good about everything right now.

Back to the couch for more lounging.  Continued prayers are greatly appreciated.