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Embryo Transfer
Finally the blog post you have all been waiting for... embryo transfer, the two week wait, and our final results. The last couple weeks, I have taken a break from social media. This break allowed me to focus on de-stressing and relaxation. I was able to spend quality time with my family, nurture my body/mind, and rest. This break also allowed my IPs to embrace the moment and to be able to absorb the news before I shared it with all of you.
Embryo Transfer
Our embryo transfer was March 12th at CT Fertility in Trumbull, Connecticut. I brought Marty with as my support person and the twins stayed home with their Grandma. We arrived the day before transfer so we were able to enjoy some quality time and a full night's rest. I have included a slideshow of our travels below:
The day of transfer, the air was filled excitement and love. We arrived about a half hour before our transfer time in order to be prepped and to make sure my bladder was adequately full. When it was finally time, we were ushered back to a procedure room that was connected to the lab. I put on a gown and impatiently waited for the doctor to come in. It seemed to take forever, especially with a full bladder! When the doctor finally came into the room, he sat down to explain the procedure. Then it was time to view and verify the embryos. We were able to see both embryos live on the screen, it was breathtaking. During the whole procedure, we filmed a couple videos for our IPs and took many pictures... & just like that in a flash, it was done; I was pregnant until proven otherwise (PUPO). I was directed to the restroom so I could relieve my bladder. Then we went to a separate room to rest and wait for further instructions from my nurse. My nurse came in with a printed picture of the embryos, an ultrasound picture from transfer, lab orders for when I get home, and release instructions. After transfer, Marty and I grabbed lunch at McDonald's. I ordered a cheeseburger, French fries, and shamrock shake. There is an old wives tale in the surrogacy and trying to conceive community that McDonald's Fries help the embryo stick, so I thought why not? It was quick and easy, so I could get back to the hotel for a nap. I was exhausted after our exciting morning.
After our nap, Marty and I decided to leave the hotel for dinner and explore the local restaurants. We selected a place and booked an Uber to pick us up. When we arrived at the restaurant, they had the dining room closed for a private event so we went to sit in the bar area. After taking a seat, we waited to be greeted for over 10 minutes. At that point we looked at each other and decided if a waiter does not come an greet us in 5 minutes we would leave and go to the new Italian restaurant the Uber driver suggested on our way over. Sure enough, we were invisible to the wait staff so we walked out and headed over to the new restaurant down the street. At the new restaurant, we were seated and helped right away. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was so unique. We had an incredible dinner and enjoyed every moment! Once we finished dinner, we headed back to the hotel and went to bed early.
The next morning we packed up and headed back to New York. We arrived about 6 hours before our flight home so we headed over to the Museum of Natural History. It was so incredible! I would definitely recommend it to anyone traveling through NYC! We didn't have enough time to make it through every exhibit but it was still worth it. Then a couple hours before our flight we headed back to the airport to make sure we could make it through security and grab some food before our flight. By that point in our trip we were eager to head back home to our girls.
If you have any questions about In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) or Embryo Transfer, I will be posting a few articles in the next week covering those topics in depth.
The 2 Week Wait
After embryo transfer, the worst part of the whole process is the waiting.... waiting to find out if the precious embryos stuck for the long haul. Many surrogates, IPs, and those trying to conceive call this waiting game "the two week wait". It is time in between transfer and the first blood test that confirms pregnancy. Realistically, this 'two week wait' boils down to a few short days before you can start taking at home pregnancy tests. However, testing at home is sometimes controversial due to chemical pregnancies, false negative or positive results, user error, or evaporation lines. This controversy and uncertainty is the reason many surrogates and IP's choose to not to take any at home pregnancy tests and wait for the first blood test. When discussing at home pregnancy tests with my IP's, they decided they would leave that decision up to me. They said they did not want to put any additional stress on me and that I could do whatever I felt was best. I decided that I wanted to know as soon as possible so I began taking at home pregnancy tests around 4 days post transfer. My pregnancy tests are shown below:
Our Final Results
The lines on my pregnancy tests were progressing nicely but we were all remaining cautiously optimistic. I quit testing around 7 days post transfer and waited for my first blood test. My fertility clinic wanted my first blood test at 10 days post transfer (10dpt) to be at least 50 or above and then continue to double every 48 hours after that. I have the results of my blood tests at 10dpt, 14dpt, and 16dpt posted next:
BETA HCG Blood Level
10 days post transfer = 90.0 mlU/ML
14 days post transfer = 431.9 mlU/ML
16 days post transfer = 967.4 mlU/ML
SO, THAT MEANS.....
My Intended Parents and I are so happy! It is so crazy to believe that we are pregnant. Every day when I wake up, I have to remind myself. My IP's are incredibly overjoyed but they are waiting to tell their family until we are further along in the pregnancy and passed a safe point. So for now, we are just telling my family and friends because I know you all have been dying to find out.
Thanks for joining our journey,
