Rested

If I am not rested by now, I never will be. 72 hours of bed rest later, and I am up and around somewhat. I'll be returning to work for in-service this afternoon, and tomorrow all my little (and bigger-than-me) kiddos will return to start a new year.

On Thursday we arrived and dressed down completely in surgical gear. Tim had to wear a full blue-paper body suit that caused me amusement (particularly because I was loaded up on Valuum). They lead us to the operating room, and Dr. Gill came in and informed us that we had 12 "perfect" (yes, that's the word he used!) blastocysts. The procedure wasn't painful as they transferred two blastocysts, and Tim and I were both surprised at the emotional connection we felt to the little blobs that looked like "Boboli" pizza dough and carried our DNA.

I'll be visiting the doctor every other day beginning today to do blood work and ultrasounds as needed. Now we wait.

Amazingly...It's Time

I received a call from the doctor's office today letting me know that I am scheduled for an embryo transfer tomorrow at 12:15pm. Two embryos will be transferred into my uterus while Tim and I watch on the big screen; I will then recover (with my valuum and IBProfen) for 45 minutes before heading home for bed rest. It's surreal that the time is finally here, and I welcome the distraction that my work day brings from obsessing about the procedure. Thanks for all your thoughts!

Update

We received a call from the doctor's office yesterday, and 21 of our 22 eggs fertilized. They will grow until Thursday morning (although several will most likely not make it until the Day 5 blastocyst stage), and then the doctor should have a good idea of which two embryos will be the best options to implant. I am currently taking progesterone in oil shots along with a variety of other hormone meds, and I think the shots make me more sore than any other shots I've taken. I'm also continually fatigued, but as a friend (who is also a new mom) just told me today, "You'll be tired for the next 18 years." Guess you have to start sometime.

Tomorrow I'll be preparing for bedrest and Wednesday I'll be back at school for the first in-service day. I'm excited about Thursday because Tim and I will have the opportunity to watch the embryos be placed in the uterus and then receive a picture of them just chillin'. :) I'll try to post the picture a few days after the implantation. Thanks to everyone for your encouraging words and support!

Hatched

This morning was my egg retrieval, and I was more loopy and in pain than the last two hysteroscopies. I kind of felt as if someone had kicked me in the ovaries. Pleasant, huh? Tim, Sarah, and my sis Lindsay are taking good care of me by turn though, and right now I'm relaxing on the couch, drinking my Gatorade and watching Sense & Sensibility.

When I walked into the surgery room this morning, I noticed a long bin on wheels with a clear top. It truly looked like the incubators in which farmers place eggs that are ready to hatch into baby chicks. And that's where my eggs went, ready to be hatched. The nurse told us that the eggs and sperm incubate (separately, I believe) for approximately four hours before the sperm are injected into the eggs, making tiny embryos. So, depending on when exactly you believe life begins, you might consider Tim and I semi "mom" and "dad" by 2pm today. :) crazy weird!

So the announcement is that I had 22 eggs total, although some of these might not be mature or may have passed maturity, etc... We'll know more tomorrow after they have been fertilized. Over the next few days, I will be resting and preparing for three days of bedrest starting Thursday most likely. Let me know if you have any suggestions for bedrest activities or movies!

The "Whatever" Gene

I just took my Lupron shot, and I'll take one more at 9:30am tomorrow morning. After that, my body will do what it must to begin the ovulation process before the egg extraction on Saturday. I am hoping they can retrieve 15-20 eggs. We'll know soon!

I was talking with my sister Lindsay tonight, discussing our extremes: me, the planner and sometimes "freaker-outer" extraordinaire; her, my cool, calm, and always relaxed younger opposite. As we pointed out these differences, I told her that I hoped my baby got the "whatever" gene, the one that allows him/her to relax and let life come and go and just be.

Tim definitely has this gene, and it must be somewhere in my gene pool if my look-alike little sis has it. I'm thinking baby has at least a chance. But, hey, there must be some good in the "do-it-now-or-I-will-do-it-for-you" gene because baby probably wouldn't have a chance of getting on this earth if the "whatevers" just let life be. :) At least that's the way I make myself feel better.

Moody Me

The past couple of days have been quite a ride, especially for Tim, who has to bear with my laughing hilarity one moment and my sad anxiety the next. But no, I'm not crazy (at least not yet). It's the hormones. (The hormones offer a variety of excuses!) My estradiol is very high right now, and although I don't completely know what that means, I am assuming it contributes to the whirlwind that is me at the moment. I am hoping to take my "trigger" shot (Lupron) tomorrow night.

However, we received good news today. I can stop one of the injections, so I'm down to only two per day, and we will most likely proceed with the egg retrieval on Saturday. The embryo transfer would then most likely be the following Thursday. The reason for the delay between the egg retrieval and the transfer allows the embryo to develop to a Day 5 blastocyst, which will be more likely to implant and grow in my uterus. Of course, all is subject to change, but as of today, it looks as if I will be on bedrest from Thur-Sat, August 13-15, before resuming light activity.

I am super girl

I visited the doctor again this morning, and because they decreased my injection dosages, I now have 20-25 follicles total.  They are measuring between 12-14mm.  When they reach 16-18mm (which I expect will be in the next couple of days), then I know I am close to the egg retrieval.  The latest date I expect that to happen is this Sunday.  

The past few days I have felt tired and occasionally a bit nauseated, and my tummy is bruised and sore from constant poking and prodding (I'm up to three injections a day right now).  I'm thankful I have another week and a half of summer to take naps as needed.  

Tim is really afraid of needles (like "I'd rather just pass out right now than have to look at a needle" kind of afraid), so I've been giving the injections to myself.  Yes, I am super girl after all.  He is pretty funny though when he stands a few feet away from me, trying to cheer me on with phrases like "Go, Kristen, I'm here for you" (all the while looking away/running away as needed), while I take a deep breath and poke and prod at my stomach.  At least there's some fat there to absorb the pain :).

Hope to post news of the egg retrieval soon!!!