05 January 2015

Steps to baby makin'

Some of you are people I speak with or write to on a regular basis.  Some of you are far flung across the globe, and still some are a few hours drive away.

I decided to write a post about the needles, surgical procedures and the results of my infertility protocol.  Ken wanted a baby for Christmas, and well we pretty much got them - kinda.

Throughout the months of November and December, I was in and out of my doctor's office with ultrasounds and blood draws to monitor my estrogen levels.  I was getting injections of medication to stimulate super ovulation, and then keep the eggs to maturity.  So two shots a day and blood draw every third day.  My arms were sore, and as the eggs were developing, my ovaries swelled to the size of large grapefruits.  

Three days before egg harvest, I could not even stand to wear jeans.  I wore the same pair of yoga pants three days in a row because it was all that fit and met the decency criteria for public wear.  

Christmas Eve was the day of harvest.  We arrived bright and early at our clinic for our harvest surgery.  I wasn't nervous.  I changed out of the three day old yoga pants and into the flattering hospital gown.  I crowned my head with a hair net and sat in the pre-op/post-op recovery area.  

My anesthesiologist (the gas man) walked me to the surgical suite and got me on the table, then inserted my IV.  He talked with me for a bit and then I was out.  

They told me I was a good patient and they were able to harvest 19 viable eggs.  Ken and I were happy.  Ken provided a semen specimen and the embryologist joined egg and sperm.  We waited 7 days and got a call that 10 of our fertilized eggs divided and are now at the blastocyst stage.

Our little embryos are waiting while my body recouporates from the extreme hormone treatment from harvest.  I will begin preparation for my implantation in about three weeks.

I hope all goes well and my uterus does its job and gets ready for my little embryos to nestle in and grow into fetuses and eventually babies.

We will know if the implantation procedure worked  about a week after implantation.

Here's hoping for a positive blood test.


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