An Agnew dozen

We are officially t-minus four days from the transfer date. On Sunday, May 26th we will be headed to Dr. Thompson's office to complete the transfer of our embryo(s), welcoming them "home." We're currently circling in a holding pattern, waiting to hear how many of our embryos can be biopsied and then again, how many of those biopsied are good for transfer. It is kind of a numbers game right now. And, we're kind of killing it.

The retrieval was very successful. They were able to collect 12 eggs, right on target with the statistic that 2/3 of follicles will produce eggs for retrieval.  Peter (AKA Gladiator of Loin Juice) provided his army of soldiers who were delivered to their task immediately. And to apparent success - eleven of the eggs fertilized, surpassing the statistic of 80% of eggs fertilize.  We are spending the next five days encouraging along our little embryos so that they might grow enough for biopsy on Saturday and so that we get a number of embryos for transfer.

One of the things I am thankful for is that I have been able to shift some stories I have had about my body this past week. At the start of IVF I had the belief that my body "did not like" synthetic hormones and that I would not be able to take them without major side effects. I had the story that there was something fundamentally wrong with my ovaries and that I would not generate more than 6 to 8 eggs in this process. I had the story that I could not handle anesthesia and that it was going to be "hard." My truth is that none of these stories are true. I was able to handle the hormones with minimal side effects. The majority of the symptoms came after the very first dose and then my system seemed to equilibrate. More amazingly, my body really responded to the medications and grew follicles faster than we all expected, moving everything up by two days. I grew TWELVE eggs that were happily harvested this week, while under anesthesia. I woke up from anesthesia feeling great after about 30 minutes, able to enjoy a sweet afternoon and evening with my honey.

So now that all of those stories have been busted as myth I am now aware that my biggest story - that I am not able to carry a successful pregnancy - could be bogus as well.  This is a big story. It is the thesis statement of my relationship with myself and my pregnant body and one that I have been working on shifting for a long while. I am aware that my self-healing has been chipping cracks into this story and I am ready to break it wide open and emerge from it with a full, happy belly.

I am using today and the rest of the week to tie up loose ends and to create the space for me to take care of my newly transferred embryos through rest and ease. I am calling in support through acupuncture and family for support this weekend, before and after the transfer. I am visualizing the most comfortable, welcoming, and warm environment for implantation and growth to happen. Both internally and externally.

Grow, grow, grow little embryos. We are ready.