ivf transfer day take 1
On the 3rd day after collection our 3 little embryos were going strong. The Mothership and I got up early and prepared ourselves for the trip to London. We stressed about parking and leaving the dog, had a shower and did the occasional excited squeal. We were just about to walk out the door when we got a call from the clinic. Our hearts sank fearing our eggies didn’t make it through the night.
‘Don’t worry everything’s fine’ (phew!) ‘We would like to keep the embryos and transfer on day 5 so we are calling to rebook your appointment’.
I wasn’t sure if this was a good thing or not but didn’t question it and just agreed to reschedule. We spent the next few hours resetting our autistic brains and figuring out what to do with the day now that our plans had changed.
There is only one thing to do at a time like this… eat waffles and google the shit out of ivf transfer days. I learnt that a 3 day transfer gives the embryos a chance to develop in the Mothership, they have a slightly better chance of continuing to grow in there natural environment rather than the lab but if they are doing well the clinic likes to cook them on the outside for a few more days as a day 5 embryo (now called blastocyst) has a slightly better chance of successfully implanting. This made me panic. I felt attached to our eggies and wanted them to be safe in the nest. It felt like a gamble trying to get them to day 5 but we had to trust the embryologist at kings.
Transfer day take 2
The next 2 days felt like they went on forever. Every time the phone rang we thought the worst. Google told me that 1 in 3 day 3 embryos make it to blastocyst so It didn’t seam likely that 100% of our embryos would make it to day 5. We were sure we would loose at least one or two so were keeping everything crossed for that one good egg.
No phone call.
We got to the clinic for a day 5 transfer. Mothership had to have a full tank to help the process of transfer. Having a full bladder changes the angle of the uterus and makes transfer easier as well as making the ultrasound image clearer giving a good view for perfect placement. Full to bursting, I couldn’t resist the temptation to make her laugh and watch her squirm as she crossed her legs and tried not to let a little bit of wee come out.
No one had told us anything about how the embryos were developing but we were both given a hospital gown, mask, sexy hair nets and shoe covers, so assumed that it was time for the surviving eggie to get a room upgrade from the artificial conditions of the lab and take their place in the luxury accommodation provided by Mothership.
It’s actually happening!
There was no hanging around this time. The lovely nurses took us into theatre where we were asked a few questions as part of the witnessing procedure. It hit me hard at that moment, this is OUR baby. The witnessing was partly to confirm that I am the other parent. I will be the legal parent of this tiny embryo about to board the Mothership. For a moment I forgot who I was or what was happening and when asked to confirm my date of birth I got all the numbers the wrong way around. The nurse had no idea what to do, no one had ever not confirmed correctly who they are. Realising my mistake I corrected my self and the nurse could relax again. That was tense!
Mothership was comfortably on the docking station with the bonnet up ready and waiting. The embryologist came in and told us that all 3 of the fertilised embryos made it to day 5. One was of slightly better quality than the other 2 but all were viable for transfer. ‘Did you want to put in one and freeze 2 or are we putting in 2 and freezing one?’ wait, WHAT! We have 3 good eggs! That’s right people 100% of our fertilised eggs made it to day 5. I’m a proud mumma already.
Mothership was eligible for a 2 embryo transfer due to her high mileage so we had spoken about our options a lot, but we didn’t think we would be lucky enough to get 2 viable blastocyst. We decided buy one get one free was the best option for us and that one lonely embryo would have to be put on ice. On a serious note, there are risks with multiples but we did a lot of research and decided a 2 embryo transfer was the best option for us personally.
A peek inside
The ultrasound gave us a good view of the moment the embryos were implanted. Holding hands as our babies started their new journey we were for the first time, all connected….All 4 of us!
The whole procedure from entering the clinic to leaving took no more than 20 minutes. Mothership emptied the tank and we left with 2 little embryos safely onboard. We must have looked stupidly happy because when walking back to the car a lady stoped us in the street and said ‘ beautiful, just beautiful. Happy pride you two’. Who ever you are lady, thank you. You were the sprinkles on our cherry topped cake that day.
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