Our miracle RAINBOW BABY BOY arrived 8/2018

1st IVF = BFN
2nd IVF = Baby A, born May 2015
3rd IVF = Miscarriage at 14 weeks
4th IVF = BFN
After we paid for 5th IVF, positive pregnancy without IVF!

Because the important moments in life just don’t fit in a status update! I started this blog when I was training for my first ½ Ironman, (70.3 miles) to record what I hoped would be growth and progress but ended up being a huge learning experience. Although fitness is one of the key ingredients to a happy life, it certainly isn't the only ingredient. My blog has evolved to document growth, progress and setbacks in other areas too. From my surprise proposal in Rome and wedding in the fall of 2013, to Mom's devastating stage IV cancer diagnosis and death 2 weeks after I found out I was pregnant. Who knows what shape it will take, but thanks for being along for the ride.

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Embryo Transfer Day!

I woke up excited and nervous yesterday because, after months of planning and waiting, it was finally transfer day! But I was more nervous than anything. When we had the egg retrieval on Wednesday, there were seven eggs. Of those seven, only six fertilized. Of those six, only three were normal at our last update on Thursday morning. For that reason, our doctor was recommending a transfer on day three instead of on day five. They had been left in the incubator since that call on Thursday morning, and I was anxious for an update. I was worried that we would only have one or two left.

At 8am I started drinking 20 oz of water which I was to finish by 9am. I took Trevi on her morning 1/2 mile walk, something I never miss, but was going to have to skip for the next three days. At 9am, I took my valium and Aleve. I didn't think I felt any different until we were walking to the car and I mentioned that we no longer had dandelions in the front yard. Nathan, who doesn't really know  much about gardening, responded matter-of-factly that it was because there hadn't been as much sun. The certainty with which he said it was hilarious to me, and I found myself laughing more than usual. That's also when I noticed with surprise and relief that I was no longer nervous.

Do you think they look more like me, or Nathan?
We were called back into the room and I could tell the moment that Dr. Werlin entered that he had good news. Three embryos not only made it through the last two days, but he said they looked really good! One had 8 cells, one had 7 cells, and one had 6 cells. On a scale of 1-4, with one being the best, he said they were a 1.5.

It was time for the transfer! Through the use of an ultrasound, we were actually able to see the three embryos leave the tube as they were transferred, which was pretty incredible. They looked like little orbs of light; like shooting stars as they were deposited. One, two, three. I rested for the next hour, and Nathan was given a demonstration on my new injections. My other shots were just subcutaneous, but these new ones would need to be given intramuscular and he had to give them to me.

When I got home, I was still drowsy from the medication and thankfully able to sleep from 1-5pm. Around 7pm, it was time for my two shots: 1 ml of progesterone and .2 ml of estradiol valerate. I'm also taking 4mg of Medrol four times a day, 100mg of doxycycline twice a day and baby aspirin every evening. I was really nervous about the new shots, but we iced my bum for quite awhile first and I didn't feel a thing! It was so pain free, that I questioned if Nate had administered them correctly.   

It's my second day of bed-rest and I'm doing my best to keep busy. I'm alternating between episodes of Derek, reading, crocheting and watching Investigation Discovery. It's really frustrating having to ask anytime I need even a drink of water. At least Nathan is home today...but it's going to be tough still being on bed rest all of Monday and Tuesday while he's at work. I'm also not able to go to Stanford with Mom, Dad and Nathan late Tuesday night for her three appointments on Wednesday and Thursday. My doctor seemed on the fence about the seven hour drive through the night and so we are not going to chance it. If they are going to implant, it will be within five days of the transfer, and if they don't, I don't want to wonder if it was because of something I did.

I'm cautiously optimistic that at least one of these three embryos will stick, but of course there is no guarantee. And we don't have any leftover embryos to try again like we thought we would when we started this whole process. If we're not pregnant, the hardest part will be telling my Mom who just the other day said she wants to live long enough to hold this baby in her arms. I can handle a negative test, and I know she can too...but, the toughest part would be giving her that news. So, until the test on June 18th, we will hope and pray for the best.

AmateurNester

12 comments:

  1. You all are in my prayers!! I hope at least one of those embabies will stick!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Take it easy these next few days. My fingers are crossed for you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. Off work the next two days and planning to do bed rest but its killing me already! Plus, half the articles I read say it's unnecessary...

      Delete
  3. YAY! Sending sticky embryo thoughts your way!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for linking up this week, Megan. June 18th will be here before you know it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for hosting! I hope you're right. Unsure if I should test at home and if so, when. Thoughts?

      Delete
  5. How exciting!!! Stick babies, stick! I hope the wait goes by fast and that you get some amazing news on the 18th. I'll be following for updates!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Jessica!! I'm following you as well.

      Delete
  6. interesting story for me. I'm just new here.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I wish you all the best and I hope you get a successful pregnancy. Everyone may feel like this at this time of embryo transfer. This is the most important step in IVF treatment.

    ReplyDelete


  8. Superb. I enjoyed very much with this article here. It is an amazing article I had ever read. I hope it will help a lot with all. Thank you so much for these amazing posts and please keep update like this excellent article. thank you for sharing such a great blog with us. expecting for yours. For more details about what to do after embryo transfer click here.

    ReplyDelete