Well, the big day has arrived. Last night I came home to the most beautiful bouquet of flowers from my husband. He said they were my "mommy" flowers. Dare I say my husband is starting to understand romance??????????? It was wonderful. Then he took me out to dinner and we stopped by Blockbuster to stock up on movies for the weekend. 
This morning we went in to the fertility clinic. This was my first day not taking the Lupron injection. We were asked to arrive an hour early. We arrived about 10:00 AM and finally went into the surgical center around 10:15. First they reviewed the paperwork with us....stay in bed for 2 days, day 3 resume "normal" activity, but take it easy. No heavy lifting, no strenuous activity. So, they gave me my progesterone injection (yes, my hips are hurting after a week) and 2 valium. I got into a hospital gown and Jason dressed in purple scrubs. Then they explained how everything was going to work and told Jason he would be able to view the embryos in a microscope in an incubator before they were transfered. They showed me some pictures of them since I would still be on the gurney. They said they were transfering 3 embryos. They said one looked great and two needed some help getting out of their "shell". They call this assisted hatching. Basically they make a slit in shell so the embryos can come out and attach to the uterine lining. 
These pictures look much better if you have the actual piece of paper in your hand. But since I had to take a picture of a picture, the quality isn't as great. The one on the bottom left is the "best" one because it's the embryo that didn't need the assisted hatching. So, around 11:00 they wheeled me back. They re-configured the gurney so the bottom part dropped down and the stirrups came up. They wheeled in the incubator and Jason was able to view the embryos before they were transfered. They asked me to drink some more water because, aparently, you can see the uterus better if your bladder is full. They used ultrasound to help guide the catheder into my uterus and to the lining. Once the embryos were transfered they viewed the catheder under the microscope to make sure that they had all been transfered and weren't hanging out. Basically, the only thing I felt was the speculum. Other than that, I didn't really feel anything. They took out the stitch (YAY!) but I don't remember feeling it. Then they re-configured the gurney and drove me back to the recovery room. By the time I got back to the recovery room I really needed to visit the ladies room. They said I could use a bed pan or wait an hour. Thanks. I didn't like my options. I opted to wait. It was painful. It was actually the worst part of the whole thing. I was in agony. Jason, GOD bless him, was trying to comfort me, saying "you can do it," and "you're doing great. Just a few more minutes." I wanted to kill him. Now I know how a woman in labor must feel when her partner is trying to be supportive and she's in pain. Everytime he said something I felt worse. He really was being so kind and supportive. He kept poking his head out and asking the nurse if it "was time yet." FINALLY, I was able to get up and visit the ladies room. I was so happy! Then we came home and the bed rest began. So, here I am for the next 2 days, lying in bed. Trying to will the little embryos to attach and grow. Thank you to everyone who has called or emailed their support. We so appreciate your kind words!!!
