My reaction was not very cute....I just started laughing like a maniac. I couldn't get out any words that would have sounded like I had a brain, so I just laughed and laughed. They both told us how amazing this number was and that really instead of 12 embryos, one embryo fertilized late so we actually started out with 13. AMAZING!!!
That is when we told the doctor we were certain we wanted to transfer two embryos. That is the max that he probably would have allowed us to transfer given how well developed they were. Jamie and I really wanted the best chance possible of getting pregnant and were very very open (even excited) about the possibility of twins. During the embryo transfer they insert a catheter into your uterus and place back the embryos, using an ultrasound machine to guide the catheter. Really the most painful part was the ultrasound. I had an ovary blocking the view so they were pressing the wand on my stomach really really hard. Hey whatever it takes!!! Then the doc just had me lay there for 20 minutes and all the medical staff left the room, during which Jamie and I took lots of pictures and videos to document the occasion. We consider these our first family photos. Seeing pictures of the embryos felt like a special gift from God. Not too many other people get to see a picture of their baby this early, but we did.
The embryologist let the other embryos continue to grow overnight and we had a couple still viable and living embryos that we were able to freeze! This was also astounding news, since we started off the month with only a 25% that we would even have 1 or 2 to freeze. I don't know if you remember me talking about how much less expensive it is to use frozen embryos versus going through the whole process again. I remember mourning this number and praying for us to have embryos frozen. Prayers were definitely answered here.
We began the waiting period very optimistically, because now, if for whatever reason we did not get pregnant this month, we could go back and begin using the frozen embryos. Statistically speaking we had about a 55% to 60% chance of getting pregnant at this point. It seems crazy that it is not a lot higher than this, but this was our chances of getting pregnant.
All I can say is we were so blessed. There are so many bumps in the road that we could have hit, but did not. I could have gotten ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome, where I could have been hospitalized or in a lot of pain for about a week or so, but I didn't. There were so many people who would randomly text or e-mail us with words of encouragement. There were so many many people praying and pleading with God on our behalf. We felt so loved. All I have to say to you is THANK YOU! Seriously, I don't take it lightly that people have been praying for us. It has been such an honor to just be wrapped in prayer.
The Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday after our Sunday embryo transfer seemed to creep by at a much slower pace than the rest of the month. I was hyper aware of every little cramp and I definitely had some. This can be a sign of implantation occurring, so with every cramp that came and went I was hoping for more. On Wednesday, I had taken a pregnancy test knowing that it was way too early and it was negative. On Thursday morning, I took another test and it was negative...knowing again that it was too early, but regardless I put it back in the box and hid it from Jamie. That night after a very full day of taking my students on some fun field trips, catching up with my friend Kate, and enjoying the Preview Night of the Chic Chateau, I went home and for some reason checked the test again. There was a small very very faint line. My stomach churned with butterflies. I secretly and quietly took another test right then and it was still light, but a definite positive. I wanted to scream to the world and Jamie "I AM PREGNANT." But at that point it was after 11pm and Jamie was exhausted and I wanted to tell him in a very special way so I decided to keep it a secret until he got home from work the next day. I definitely had a harder time getting to sleep that night, but somehow managed to get a couple of hours in.
The next morning the line got even darker. As he got ready for work and I sipped my small cup of coffee on the sofa, he complained about how hard it was for us to wait and I simply agreed with him. I was an actress in high school, so I think that helped a little bit to keep the poker face. I kissed him goodbye for work knowing that because of some fluke I had the whole day off to scheme a grand master reveal for him.
Part 3 blog is coming which tells you about how I revealed our news to Jamie, his reaction and if we are pregnant with one or two...
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