IVF Update #12

We never officially updated the GoFundMe page or our blog about our embryo transfer. We had posted stuff on Facebook, but I decided we better have the whole story here.

Ever since doing blood work and getting the go ahead on the transfer I had to start taking progesterone pills – vaginally, twice a day. Last year we did progesterone shots. It was a big old needle (like the size that we give shots to the cows and horses with), and it had to go in my butt/hip area. Daniel had to administer these for me because the angle was too awkward for me. We were kind of excited to do these vaginal pills instead of the shots, but now I’m not so sure. I ooze all day, it is smelly, it’s kind of awkward and it needs to be at exact times. I feel gooey and gross all the time. And after the transfer I start doing 3 a day. So fun…

On Sunday, July 24 we drove down to Utah. Luckily Daniel has a very sweet cousin that let us stay the night at her house. We had a 9:30 AM appointment on Monday, July 25 for our frozen embryo transfer (FET). For the FET I don’t have to take any drugs or anesthesia (glad about that!); I just have to have a full bladder and we have to wear some awesome hairnets and hospital gowns.

Last year when we were doing the transfer I took the “full bladder” advice very seriously. By the time I had gotten changed into the gown I was bursting at the seams, but the nurse said to hold on because they needed it full. Well, unfortunately for me the doctor was running late. I had to lay there, with my legs up in stirrups, and my lady parts just exposed, and I’m about to pee myself. And the urge to pee got stronger by the minute…20 min later the doctor comes in, starts putting stuff inside of me and pushing on my belly. I honestly don’t know how I was able to hold my pee.

This year the transfer went much better (and I didn’t come with such a full bladder)! The doctor was coming in just to do our FET. When we got there our nurse told us that they thawed out two embryos and they both survived and looked well. In the picture that we have of them you can notice that one is farther along/thawed out faster, but the nurse assured us that they were both in a good phase. So we quickly changed into our hospital attire and got all set up for the transfer.

Everything is very official. The embryologist has to come in and confirm both of our identities (Daniel gets to be at the bed next to me for this one). Also, we have to confirm that the name on the petri dish is ours. I’m grateful they do this because I don’t want any sort of mix up! That would be awful! Then the nurse does a belly ultrasound to see if my bladder is full. This time mine wasn’t. Oops. They gave me a water bottle to drink and said they’d check on me in five minutes. So there I am again, lying on the bed, half naked, with my feet up in the stirrups. Thankfully I didn’t need more than the five minutes to get a full bladder. There are 2 reasons for the full bladder: first, it helps straighten out the uterus so that the catheter can go in smoothly and to the correct place. Second, it helps get a better ultrasound visual of the catheter.

Now that my bladder is ready and we’ve confirmed who we are, the doctor sanitizes me, clamps me open, swabs around inside, and then inserts the catheter. While he is doing this, the nurse is doing a belly ultrasound on me. The ultrasound shows the catheter going in and the doctor uses the image to get the catheter in the correct place.

Then the embryologist, in the lab in the next room over, displays our petri dish on the TV screen, we verify it is ours, and then we get to watch him pull our two embryos into a straw. Obviously we are seeing it magnified, because they still are teeny tiny. He then brings the straw into the operation room and hands it to the doctor. The doctor then inserts the straw into the catheter, which is inside of me. He pushes them in as we watch on the ultrasound image. You can actually see two teeny, tiny white dots that are our embryos.

And that’s it. They are done, and for now we have twins inside of me.

The nurse takes me to the bathroom because they know that after sitting there with a full bladder and my stomach being pushed on from the ultra that I definitely need to pee. It is funny though, my mind says “No! Keep your legs crossed and don’t let those embryos fall out!” And my body is saying “Pee! Pee! I need to pee!” Eventually my mind realizes that I’m being irrational and nothing is going to “fall out” and the fact that I really have to pee.

We change back into our normal clothes and we are sent on our way. I’ve been doing research on how to have a successful IVF and a lot of what I read said that studies have shown that doing activity immediately after transfer will increase your chances of staying pregnant. That isn’t super easy for us because we have a 4+ hour drive home. But just a few blocks away from the clinic was this cute little garden/park. We strolled around it, enjoyed the peacefulness of it and said a bunch of prayers for us and our little embryos. Then we got in the car and drove home.

Then the waiting game begins…Don’t worry, we will let you know what the outcome is.

Aren't we so sexy when we make babies? Fingers crossed that these two little embryos stay in and grow into health twins!