Official Transfer Date

  This is going to be really short and to the point. I didn't sleep well last night tossing and turning thinking about all the things I should get done before I'm on bed rest for 2 days. However, I am very much looking forward to spending those 2 days not feeling guilty about laying around on the couch and not getting up to help anyone. It is going to be lovely.
  On with the news. I received a message from the intended mother yesterday (Sunday) saying that they had retrieved 12 eggs and 10 were mature. All 10 of those fertilized and were looking strong so we have our transfer date...Thursday January 22nd. Doesn't that sound like a good day to get pregnant? I think so. This means, Thursday morning they pick the 2 very best embryos to implant and freeze the other 8 (assuming all 10 make it to Thursday).
  So, for those of you who pray, please pray for us that this will finally be the time that works. The intended parents have traveled quite a long, emotionally draining road to get here and I would love the opportunity to help make them a family. Thank you friends! Now, come on Thursday.

Transfer dates...take 4

"You have a beautiful uterus." - Nurse practitioner
Not a compliment one hears everyday but for a surrogate it is one of the best compliments we can get. This was from my appointment on Monday. Everything looked good and so I was sent home with instructions to continue all medications the same and they would call me to let me know if I needed to come back in for another ultrasound on Thursday or just give me final instructions.

I ended up going in again today just for one more peek to make sure things were still going well. "Lovely, even on this machine, which is hard to see." This NP sure knows how to make a surrogate feel good. Since we have been through this process a few times and they were a bit backed up with patients they let me go home and said they would call later with final instructions.

So, the good stuff. I get to start the progesterone on Saturday along with routine antibiotics. This will be the same day the eggs are retrieved. Once the embryos are made and resting in their petri-dish there will be a decision made on if we transfer on day 3 or day 5. I always hope for a day 5 transfer because it gives the embryos a little more time to do their cell division thing. We are looking at next Tuesday January 20th or Thursday January 22nd. I can't believe it will be in 1 week or less. January has flown by. I hope to be able to write again once I hear the final date.

Time for Meds

 
Today I get to start medication for the upcoming transfer. I am so grateful that my protocol does not include any injections this time. No needles, yay!!! Surrogates around the world are probably very jealous I'm sure. There are very rare times that women going through fertility treatments don't have to give themselves shots daily for an extended period of time. So happy that I get a break this round.
  This is the day when it starts to feel real. The tests before today are just formalities to get us to today. I will be on 2 different types of estrogen until the 12th where I return to the doctor for another ultrasound. They need to check to make sure the lining of my uterus is getting nice and fluffy and ready for the embryo transfer. They need the lining to be a certain thickness and then I will start the progesterone. This is the "it" drug. Five days after starting the progesterone we get to transfer. Yay!!! We are looking at around January 19th for a transfer (give or take a few days). I say this because the eggs may not be ready to be retrieved on the day they first think, or once fertilized they only make it to 3 days and we have to transfer then. Usually they make it to 5 days which gives them more of a chance to implant but we have to be flexible. Either way, we're getting close.
   I'm really starting to feel excited this time. The last two transfers with this family I didn't feel as confident. The way transfers work is that the first transfer they remove fresh eggs and mix them with fresh sperm and pick the 2 very best embryos to transfer and then freeze any others that are left. Once the transfer didn't take with the best embryos I felt a little defeated. But this time we have a fresh new start; new embryos and my body had a chance to take a break from the 5 months of hormones. I feel refreshed and ready to do this again. I'm excited. And I'm glad that I'm sharing this with my friends and family. The failed transfers and miscarriage were hard but they were harder because I felt alone. So thank you for following again. This is going to be a great year. Happy New Year!
  Sorry this is short...we're heading to the snow! Until next time...