March 17 is a lucky day. It is St. Patrick's Day, and tradition dictates luck will come on this day. I woke up this beautiful Sunday morning, donned my knee-high four leaf clover socks and "I'm your lucky charm" green tshirt, and went with my IPs to transfer.
Our first bit of luck came in our 5 day transfer. In most protocols I have seen, clinics opt for either a 3 day or 5 day transfer. If there aren't a lot of embryos, or the embryos aren't developing as nicely as the doctor would like, they do a 3 day transfer to try to get them into a natural environment and hope they thrive there. If there are plenty of embryos and they are developing well, a 5 day transfer is preferred because it gives time to watch the embryos develop so we can transfer the strongest ones.
This is the first transfer I have had that didn't happen in the clinic itself. This one took place a few buildings away in an outpatient procedure type of place. It was Sunday morning, and only one other transfer was taking place, so it was very calm and peaceful. We walked into my pre-procedure room and found three sets of gowns and caps folded neatly on the exam table and the two chairs- one set for each of us. My IPs actually had masks they had to wear, but I got a pair of fuzzy red socks instead! I signed a bazillion papers, including one that said the "condition" I was being treated for was "procreational management" (which made me laugh). I was offered a valium, and I accepted! I drank my 1 1/3 bottles of water (the amount my bladder requires to reach full capacity), and tried to keep my bladder calm as we chatted and waited for our scheduled appointment time.
The IVF doctor came in and showed us the two beautiful embryos we would be transferring. One was already branching out, and one was about to. He said they were as perfect as could be, and gave my IPs the picture taken of them just that morning.We rolled on down the hall and into the
"operating room", even though there would be no operating occuring. I went in to the special chair, and the doctor himself got me all wrapped and snuggled into position. My IM sat just to my left, and my IF sat just behind her (where he wouldn't have to endure the peek-a-boo show!) Once I was settled, we looked at the u/s screen to our right and watched as the IVF doctor opened the path up into my uterus. As soon as the way was prepared, we turned our attention to the huge TV screen on the left wall and watched the embryologist put the catheter into the dish with the two embryos and suck them up. They didn't really want to go into the straw, and kept jumping out of it. Finally, both embryos were loaded. The embryologist came in with the catheter, and we threaded it up the pathway to the very back of the uterus. Then, the IVF doctor pulled the trigger and we watched the embryos shoot into their new home, followed by an air bubble (which you will see as a white dot in the picture. The air bubble is loaded behind the embryos so there is a visual that the embryos left the catheter. Once the doctor sees the air bubble, they take the catheter and put it under a microscope to make sure the embryos are not still in it.)
We were given the all clear, my bladder was drained for me (sweet relief), and we rolled back down the hall to our room to wait for 30 minutes.We left the clinic, hoping and praying the embryos were snuggling in to their new 10-month home.
We went to my IPs home, where they fed me lunch and helped me get situated to rest. I kept waiting for the valium to kick in, but it didn't. Well, until I fell asleep...
We had a great transfer day. I came home with my family from my IPs' house with a strong feeling of peace and calm. I am not superstitious in the least, but I do like to believe that we had a bit of the luck of the Irish with us on Sunday, and that it will follow us through to a healthy pregnancy. My wish is for my IPs to have a baby in their arms, a living, breathing piece of St. Patty's Day luck, by the time we roll back around to this festive holiday.
