Recap of Transfer and Other Info

So here we are about 2 1/2 days past our 5 day transfer!  This is an exciting time for everyone involved and I just know that there are people here in the States and also across the pond waiting for an update as to how the transfer went!

My friend Melissa and I traveled north on Monday after I dropped one kiddo off at the bus and another in Virginia at his Nonnie's to play while Melissa & I went to DC.  We stopped and visited a friend in the hospital with pregnancy complications.  Actually I say we met a friend, but it was my first time meeting her!  She is going to be my new neighbor when we move this summer and chance had us 'meet' online before we actually moved in!  She will be having her baby boy on Tuesday.  She has had some pretty serious complications and by her motherly instinct, she is protecting this baby boy and has been in the hospital for weeks.  She has a condition called Percreta.  She will be delivering her baby boy early (at 32 weeks) and she is in competent and good hands, but shoot some prayers up for her in the coming days!   They thought they would be delivering the little guy last night, but the issues subsided so she will wait until Tuesday-- She is one strong mama and I cannot wait to spend summer nights with her on the patio while the kids run around the yard!

After we left yummy Mexican food for the friend at the hospital, we headed to the hotel that was slightly further from the clinic than we usually stayed.  I had waited to book the room until after the lining scan as to not jinx myself!  This week is the week that the cherry blossoms are at full bloom and this past weekend was the Cherry Blossom Festival so a lot of the DC area jacked up the price of the hotels.  So we opted to stay 5 miles further outside of DC and because of the price... And because we did, we got a WONDERFUL hotel for a great price.  We were very pleased with the amenities and the quality of the staff-- they even served dinner and breakfast to all of their patrons and at dinner served wine and beer on tap to those who could consume it!  These things equaled a really wonderful stay!

This painting was hanging in our hotel room.  I am not sure if this movie was as popular in the UK, but this painting reminded me of the beginning of the movie "Look Who's Talking" when the sperm is swimming to the egg and ultimately implants in the womb and little Mikey is conceived.  During this part of the movie where they are showing the baby growing, the song that my blog is named after, "What a Wonderful World", was playing.  Coincidental?  I think not! 

We had a low key night and as I was about to step in the shower, I realized something REALLY big.  I forgot my lady undergarments!!  I could not go to a transfer with underroos.  How did I bring 3 pairs of socks from the same drawer that my underwear was in but forget the important stuff??  I thought about hand washing the pair I was wearing and hanging them to try, but instead we opted to drive 4 miles to go and buy new ones.  Of course I wore the green ones for transfer day-- after all green is the lucky fertility color!  And I found my new favorite style and cut of underwear out of this venture-- oh so comfy!

On the morning of transfer, we ate a yummy breakfast in the dining area of the hotel and headed towards Shady Grove area.  I chose to wear this Coral scarf because L & I have the same scarf (Mine in coral hers in a turquoise blue) and also our matching Origami Owl necklaces as good luck charms!   We headed for Panera Bread to meet the agency owner (Family Forward Surrogacy) and another surrogate for a cup of hot chocolate and enough liquid to make my eyeballs seemingly swim!  Next up was transfer.  The agency owner tagged along after asking me if it was okay.  When you have had a few kids, you sort of lose all modesty of anything from the neck down!  Sure!  The more the merrier!   

Top Photo Left- Me, Right Melissa
Middle Photo - Left Melissa, Right Me
Bottom  Left Me, Middle Sandra, Right Melissa

I got to the clinic at 11:45 as instructed with the strong desire to pee!!  A full bladder lets the doctor visualize the uterus better on ultrasound so I held it knowing that it would only last so long!  We went to the transfer center and put booties on and got everything ready for transfer! First up-- Paperwork!  The paperwork is a very important part of the process and though it seems tedious, the doctor and the embryologist verifies everything at least 3 times- the name of the Intended Mother, the name of the Surrogate and how many embryos are being transferred.  Dr. Levy spoke of chances and quality of embryo and he said he was very pleased with post thaw quality. He said that 90% of the cells were viable and that is great!  He said that the embryo was actually in better condition than he thought.  He also gave us about a 50/50 chance of the transfer working and resulting in a healthy pregnancy.  This seems like a no-brainer-- it will either work or it won't but this is much higher than natural pregnancy rates so I am on the 'It is going to work!' side!!

When the paperwork was done, next up was visualizing the uterus on ultrasound.  From there Dr. Levy prepped the cervix (essentially he cleaned it to ensure that no bacteria would pass into the uterus during the catheter passing through my cervix).  This was done with a speculum in place (which is a joy with a screaming full bladder!) While doing this, the nurse so nicely (and not so gently!) pressed on that full bladder!  The catheter was placed and visualized on the ultrasound.  When the catheter was in place, the nurse went to get the embryologist from the lab and had them bring the embryo in!  Again, identifying information was verified to ensure the correct embryo was going in!

Top left is Dr. Levy pointing where the lining of the uterus is. Top Right is Dr. Levy watching the ultrasound screen to visualize the embryo coming out of the catheter and into the uterus.  Bottom right has a dark oval in the middle-- that is the uterus.  The white line through it is the endometrial lining and the thin line to the right of the lining is the catheter entering through the cervix and into the uterus.

After the embryo was visualized going into the lining (it looks like a little bubble of air), then Dr. Levy started the timer and left the catheter in place for a minute then slowly removed it.  The reasoning for this is that studies have shown that removing the catheter from the uterus too quickly could create a vacuum and essentially pull the embryo out with the catheter.  Once the catheter was removed, the embryologist took the catheter back to the lab and looked under the microscope to make sure that the embryo had in fact left the catheter and went into the uterus.  After the catheter was removed, I had to remain flat for 5 minutes and at that point, my nurse coordinator came in to review discharge info. 

In this video-- you will see the catheter come from the right side of the screen.  It will go up into the lining (The wide white band).  From there you can see a tiny little bubble come out of the catheter and that is the air bubble that surrounds the embryo to help it come out of the fluid in the catheter.  Pretty amazing seeing life being created like this!

Oh look-- lucky socks!! But I forgot my underwear!!!

After that I was free to get dressed and YESSS!!!!! Use the bathroom!!!!!  So I did!  Then we took a moment to do some photo ops in the hallway outside of the elevator!

Their BEAUTIFUL little Embryo!! 

After transfer, Melissa and I started heading south to get my son from Nonnie's and also to get back home to North Carolina.  We stopped for lunch, got Weston then kept driving.  We stopped at McDonalds to grab some dinner because I HAD to have McD french fries.  Somehow this has become some sort of a good luck charm!  And with the fries-- You know I had to have pickles because I am pregnant until proven otherwise!

So I bet you are wondering what is next?  All of this excitement -- surely the next step isn't this exciting right?  WRONG!!  The next step is Peeing on a Stick (AKA POAS).    I am fully prepared for that.  Surrogates start peeing on sticks probably as soon as they relieve their bladder after transfer--- okay that is a bit of a stretch but just a few days after is totally normal in the surrogacy world.  Some surrogates could get positives as soon as 3 or 4 days after a 5 day transfer (5 day transfer means that the embryo was grown in a petri dish for 5 days before it was transferred to the uterus).  So of course I am well stocked for that!!!!  If I have anything to share by way of urine pregnancy tests, I will share once E&L have given their blessings to share!  The official blood test is not until April 27 though. 

Just a few tests to use!

Finally, I got home really late on Tuesday night -- a 6 hour trip turned into a 9 hour trip due to traffic and a rainy drive the whole way home!  The next day I went to pick up the package E&L had sent me.  It came the day I left for the clinic!   In it was a beautiful bracelet that says "Even though you're far away, we think about you everyday!"  Such a beautiful sentiment.  We may not be geographically close, but we communicate enough that we have closed that gap and we are close at heart!  I also got a divine smelling grapefruit soy candle and two sweet cards letting me know that they were thinking about me while I transferred!

In other news-- progesterone leaves my booty muscles sore but they aren't so bad.  I am pretty used to my bum feeling constantly sore like I did 1,000 squats.  Too bad it isn't getting toned for all of that soreness!  I am still doing 1cc of Progesterone in Oil (PIO) and .15cc of Estrogen -- both by injection.  This will continue until about 10 weeks pregnant.

Stay tuned for more news!!