Transfer Report.... better late than never =D

I'm sorry that I have not updated since my transfer on Monday, but I have been very busy "resting" trying to encourage those embryos to settle in for the next so many months.  But anyways, here is how it went!

I decided this go around to do acupuncture before and after transfer as I have in the past.  If the doc says acupuncture helps, well then i'm going to do it!  If he said that going outside and eating bark off of a tree would help my embryos I would probably do that too! I guess my point is that if it doesn't cost too much and its not harmful, chances are I'm going to try it. 

As part of the transfer proceedures, you must fill your bladder completely before the proceedure.  They are able to use the ultrasound machine to see the bladder and the uterus and actually move the ute with the full bladder if they need to.   During the acupuncture I had to try and down a 33 oz bottle of water within about 15 minutes while lying flat on my back.  You should try it- its not as easy as it sounds!

Anyways, after I drank tons of water and had the acupuncture, it was time to go in for the transfer!  The ultrasound tech checked to make sure I had done my job and drank enough water, and sure enough, I had.  She then called the doc in to do his thing. 

The room that they use is pretty entertaining because you feel like your "stuff" is totally on display.  They have you on the table in stirrups and then open the embryology door. The embryology lab has to be right off of the room they use for transfers so that they don't have to "transport" the embryos to another part of the clinic.  This is all good and everything, except that it feels like everyone and their mother is checking out your stuff. 

When the doc is all ready to go, he calls for the embryologist to bring in embryos.  They are put in a small catheter with some of the medium that they use to grow them in the lab.  The doc very carefully inserts them into a specific place in the uterus while watching the catheter appear on the ultrasound machine.  They put two little air bubbles in the catheter with the embryos so that you can see the exact placement of them in the ute.  I even got a picture of them! Maybe if I can figure out how to upload a picture to this thing, I will post it! =)

After the embyos are perfectly placed, the doc gives the catheter back to the embryologist  and he checks to make sure that the embryos have been expelled.  He yells, "All Clear!" through the weird hidden door and thats it!  Voila!  With a full bladder, I now have to sit on the exam table and wait for 10 minutes before getting up to pee.  Ten minutes doesn't seem that long, but just try laying down with a SUPER full bladder just watching the minutes and see how long you last! Its probably the worst part of it all. 

The embryos they transferred were of "AA" quality and one was actually hatching!  (Yes, thats a good thing!) These are the best embryos that have been in my uterus thus far.  On Monday, there were 3 to freeze (BB quality) and there were several that they were watching because they were only early blastocysts. On Tuesday, they called us with great news that there were 4 additional grade A an B embryos to freeze!!  Even though I KNOW this is going to work, its nice to have 7 good embryos for later use.  Frozen transfers are much easier than fresh since you don't have to harvest the eggs again.... the FETs are cheaper too! 

Now I am left impatiently waiting.  I have been on bed rest since Monday and its getting kind of old.  I spent sooo much time making sub plans last week and we ended up having snow days today and yesterday! Go figure!  Oh well, at least there will be less questions at work about why I was gone for 3 days since everybody else was home for 2 of those days! 

There is always a huge discussion whether to POAS (pee on a stick) or not.  Every time I think, "I can wait... I don't need to do like 20 tests." But, that never happens.  This time I am prepared with 9 tests waiting for me under the sink.  Last time I messed around with those crappy dollar store ones, but not this time!  I only bought the FRER (First Response) tests so that I can compare how dark the line gets... if there is even a line.