Hale Embryos One and Two
Top Picture is of the expanded blastocyst and the bottom is the second blastocyst. You can see the baby in the top embryo on the left hand side, as well as the bottom one but it isn't as clear due to it being smaller. Both of these are about the size of a ballpoint pen tip.
Once we signed off on putting in both embryos it was only a short time before Dr. Douglas came in, he was actually about 30 mins early so we were able to get started early. Off we all went to the transfer room, which was much like the room where my eggs were removed. It was really cold, lots of equipment and a huge light. I was really glad Kevin was able to be with me during this procedure and experience it. They asked me my name and DOB about 10x's, no joke. I have know idea how some labs have mixed up embryos, this place has it down. Once he had me ready to transfer he called for the embryos to come off the incubator and the embryologist brought them in, and when she stopped she read of my name/dob before handing them to Dr. Douglas to transfer. During the transfer they did a sonogram to make sure that they were transferring them into the correct area. Kevin was able to snap a few pictures during the entire thing, below is one of the embryologist bringing in the embryos.
After they had been transferred they take the catheter back to the lab to flush and make sure all embryos came out during the transfer and didn't get stuck. Once they gave us a all clear they moved me back to the bed and laid me back at an angle. It was such an angle I felt like my hair was dragging the ground. Dr. Douglas and the nurse wheeled me back to the recovery room where I had to lay flat for an hour before we could leave. Before leaving they let us know they would call tomorrow and let us know if the two embryos we had left would make it to freeze. It looked positive but they had to wait another 24 hours before they could freeze. It will be 12-24 hours before the transferred embryos implant and they said I could feel a slight pain from that but nothing bad. I am still having some pain from the removal but they said that was normal, after all they removed 26 eggs.
On our way home we grabbed some lunch and then headed home so I could stay on bed rest. Kevin has held me to it, only allowing me to get up to go to the bathroom. I am so thankful for him and his love through this process. I don't know how I could have done it all without him. He has been so great with the progesterone in oil injections at night too. They are by far the worst shots I have had to take. The ointment is thick and takes for ever to inject. I actually sit on a heating pad before the shot so its easier to go in. One of the nurses at my work told me a trick about not holding weight on the leg he is injecting it in. That totally did the trick and last night I had little pain. The first two shots I have knots and bruises from, but overall they help the little embryos implant so we are willing to do whatever we need to!
It will be a couple weeks before we know if it worked. Even then I have a high risk of a chemical pregnancy so we want to be very cautious before telling everyone. We will actually have two blood tests. The first beta will show if I am actually pregnant and the second one will show that my HCG levels have doubled and that is a viable pregnancy. Thank you again for your prayers and please keep them coming!
Also, continue to pray for my mom. She was released from the hospital today and is in a walking cast. She will be out of commission for a few weeks and will need help getting around. Please pray for a quick an easy recovery.
Hi Katie, I just wanted to let you know that I am praying for you. I have been reading your blog and I can't imagine having to go through something like this. Sending prayers your way!
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