The Two Week Wait and Princess Days Are Here

     Yesterday, Monday, at 3:00 pm Beau and I experienced the coolest thing ever.  We got to watch as 2 little embryos were placed in my uterus. Neither of us could believe the day had finally come and that we weren't going to do IVF, but that we did IVF. The embryo's were so microscopic that really the only thing we could see on the ultrasound were the air bubbles the doctor placed on either side of each embryo so he could ensure they were placed correctly. I am pointing to the air bubbles on the screen in the picture below.  We asked what our chances of success looked like to Dr. Foulk and he said they looked GREAT to him.  The embryos were "gorgeous", my uterus looked perfect so the rest would be luck.  Everything that could be controlled was where it needed to be.  I prefer the Lord's hands to luck and that makes me excited. 

                                                           

     These are the 2 embryos that were put in my uterus.  They are magnified 400 times!  Gorgeous, right??  It is crazy to me the instant instinct to protect that occurs when I know there is a "baby" in me.  The same thing happened the moment I got the 2 positive results during the inseminations.  Although I don't have that positive result yet, my desire to protect "my babies" has kicked in to high gear. 

     The actual procedure was very simple and painless.  I was given a valium about 30 minutes before they took me back.  I didn't get loopy or feel its effect, but I was told that was fine.  Its purpose was to relax my uterus.  Once they took me back it was the same procedure as any other visit... Everything off from the waist down and legs in the stirrups.  Dr. Foulk did a few extra cleansing things to make sure there was not a single bad bacteria in me.  Then he put a guide tube through my cervix and into my uterus.  He did this because I guess the cervix can be a little tricky to get through and in order to not cause any trauma or damage to the eggs they use a guide tube.  The tube was maybe 2 cm. around... it was tiny.  Once that was in place the embryologist that had been growing our eggs in the lab brought in a syringe with our 2 embryos.  Dr. Foulk fed an even smaller tube attached to the syringe into the guide tube and then gently pushed the embryos through and into my uterus.  There was seriously no pain...love that.  After the embryos were in I was told to lay very still for the next 20 min and then they would let me go home. 

     Before we left to go home I asked for VERY specific do's and don'ts for the upcoming princess days.  These have been my biggest stress since day one.  Dr. Foulk told us there is no science necessarily that proves laying still helps with fertility, but it is just a precaution they like to take at UFC.  With that being said he told me to lay around as much as possible, but that I am allowed to at least walk myself from room to room in order to change views....phew, that sounded doable.

 

    It is Tuesday night while I am writing this.  Princess day one is almost done thank heavens.  Yesterday when I got home I was only up for about an hour, fell asleep till 11:30 pm and then read my book till I fell asleep again at 2:00 am.  Today I was up at 8 am.  Beau's mom came to help for the next couple days so I talked to her for a few hours this morning, looked through a magazine and then asked my younger sister to bring over my nephew because he is a total snuggler and wouldn't mind just sitting around with me.  Movie Party!!!

     He left about 4:30.  Beau's mom had gone to the grocery store and put a roast in the crockpot for dinner and then left to go visit some friends.  Beau and I told her we wanted her to spend time with her friends while she was here because I don't need constant care and would be fine.  Beau of course has been at work all night, but is playing in the church basketball game at this moment and than will come home for an hour, maybe, before heading back to work.  I am soooooooo bored!!!!!!!! I've finished my book, watched some of the lamest TV shows ever put on TV, took a nap and now I am doing my blog.  I feel pretty good, which makes sitting around that much harder.  I thought I was prepared with things to keep me busy, nope.  But I honestly don't know what I want to do besides go running! My mind chant is "protect the babies, protect the babies"...over and over. 

     I am also dreading the fact that the horrible two week wait (or longer... I don't know) has begun.  After being so closely monitored for the last month there is silence from the dr for the next two weeks.  Even with all the peace I feel about this process, I HAVE to keep my mind busy or I constantly think every little tweek or twinge is a sign of pregnancy.  I CAN DO IT...right?

     Besides all my regular supplements I am still doing the progesterone suppositories 3 times a day...yuck in the discharge department!  And today I started my Heparin shots twice a day in my stomach.  The shot itself isn't bad, but the burn after is not fun.  Once I do the shot I have to put pressure on the injection site for almost 2 minutes or else I will get bruises at each injection site and look like a rotting blueberry pretty quickly. 

     The final count on fertilized eggs is 2 in me, 6-14 frozen.  The reason for the range is that they froze 6 for sure on Monday, but there were 8 more that they were going to grow through today because they were really close to freezable status.  I'll get the final count tomorrow I think.  I am grateful for those numbers because if it's not this time than we have the opportuntity to try it again for a fraction of the cost and trauma to my body!  That is a major stress relief.