Transfer Day, January 28, 2010

Dexamethasone (1 tablet in the AM)

Prenatal vitamin

Folic Acid

Progesterone injection (in the PM)

**no E2V suppository tonight....will begin Progesterone suppository tomorrow night.**

Keith and I just split the best piece of cheesecake ever made, complete with white chocolate and strawberry sauce. We were too full tonight after our steak at Saltgrass, so we ordered dessert to go.

What a day! We arrived at the clinic at 2:30 and was taken back for my normal "get undressed and put on the gown with the opening in the back" routine. Keith kept me cracked up today. As he was helping with my gown, he said "well, Victoria doesn't have any more Secrets, does she?" That IS the truth. I've been naked with my legs in stir-ups far too much lately. And hopefully, I'll have many more sets of stir-ups in my future.

The lab tech came in and gave us an update on the two embryos. One had completely stopped growing at 9 cells. The other was growing slowly but was still of good quality. She said if it were to be left another few hours that it would probably start hatching and turning into a blastocyst, so she said she would go into the lab and attempt to "help it along" before transfer.

Here is a picture of our sweet little embryo before the transfer.

Once we were taken to the transfer room (Keith got to go back with me today,) the lab tech and Dr. Saleh came in. The tech said she looked at both embryos again. The bad news was the 9 cell embryo was still not growing and had not changed at all in two days. The other one, however, had successfully started hatching and was in early blast stage. From what I have read, the embryo has a better chance of attaching when at this early blast stage because this is the stage the embryo is naturally in when it reaches the uterus during natural conception. Dr. Saleh said he did not like to transfer embryos that are no longer growing. It can sometimes hinder the good one from attaching. So with this, we went with his advice and only transferred the one happy embryo. The process was really miraculous. Dr. Saleh was guided by ultrasound. I kept my eyes closed most of the time trying to relax and stay calm. Keith watched the ultrasound screen the whole time. After the catheter was placed, Dr. Saleh guided the embryo in through the catheter. Keith saw a white dot shoot across the screen. He said "was that it???!" It was! Dr. Saleh turned the screen around and explained to us what were looking at.....the uterus, the lining, and there it was.....the small white dot. Right where it needed to be, he said.

God provides us with exactly what we need, with the amount we need, when we need it. No more, no less. This experience was a perfect example of Him providing. We began with five eggs, two fertilized, and we transferred one. It only takes one. He only needs one.

I feel really good tonight. I keep thinking I feel "twinges." Keith said it's probably just in my head. Dr. Saleh said I shouldn't have any cramping from the transfer. So far, I haven't. I thought at first I was feeling some cramping while we were in the holding area after the transfer, but I'm still sore from the retrieval. I think that is what I was feeling. Either that, or as Keith thinks, it's the embie in there hanging on going "weeeeeeeeee!!!!"

We'll be coming home tomorrow. I had a great nap this afternoon, so I hope I'm able to sleep well tonight.

Here is a picture of me prior to transfer. I'm still not any more fond of these hair net hat things than I was in July. But in my opinion, my butterfly earrings added a nice touch. I started to post the first picture Keith took. My earrings were tucked in my hat. When I realized that, I made him take another picture.