It's in there!

Aaaaaannnnd it's done! Our 2nd transfer happened yesterday! (And of course, my 1st transfer led to my 19mo toddler.) So officially - our 2AA embryo which was fertilized the same day as my living, breathing CHILD, was just thawed and transferred to my uterus. It's an AMAZING thing.

It's in there! Let's hope I get Prego!!

The day went basically just like the last time (which I linked to in my first paragraph so if you want details, go read that one).

When I did my last transfer in 2014, it was at a different location than we went to this time. So this new location was N-I-I-I-I-CE compared to the previous. My acupuncture location had also moved to the same building as the fertility center (they were together at the last one too) which makes acupuncture pre/post transfer SUPER easy.

Acupuncture:
With my last pregnancy I did acupuncture for almost my entire pregnancy - starting with twice a week in the first trimester and moving to once a week/every other week after that. Because of that, I'm obviously very familiar with this acupuncture practice.

I called them up, basically like I did last time, to come in once before my transfer (I could have been treated for a couple months prior and it would certainly not have hurt anything, but my insurance only covers a maximum number of sessions/year so I preferred to concentrate those on the transfer/pregnancy rather than before.)

The day of the transfer they suggest you do an acupuncture session before the transfer and then do one after the transfer. I love this actually - because I step out of my acupuncture sessions feeling so calm and relaxed and being relaxed is very important during the transfer.

The day is here!

The Transfer Day:
Transfer appt: 12:30pm (check-in 12:15pm)

For transfer they want your bladder full as it helps to guide them as they look at the ultrasound picture during the transfer. So about 10:30am I measured 16oz of water into my bottle and started sipping on it.

We scheduled my acupuncture (typically about a half hour session) for 11:30am. So I spent my half hour doing acupuncture and then as soon as they were done I took my valium. Dr. A wanted me to take a valium about a half hour before the transfer because this also helps to keep you calm so that adrenaline doesn't make your uterus contract and mess up the transfer!

By now it was 12pm so Hubby and I walked over to the fertility center. It was all so calm and quiet and not stressful. The new (to me) facility is beautiful. We were escorted into a waiting room beyond the waiting room - my guess is this is for discretionary reasons. Then escorted into the transfer room. I joked in my last transfer that the room was no larger than a handicapped bathroom stall but this room was MUCH larger. Like the size of a normal exam room.

I really had to pee at this point. Actually I did even during my acupuncture and was wondering if I could pee "a little bit" out but I decided not to - didn't' want to mess everything up! It's a good thing too because the nurse who was assisting said that my bladder was "Perfect"! Said nurse got me all situated in the giant-chair-with-stirrups, which actually reclined much more this time than I remember being last time.

Dr. A came in and handed us our baby's first picture!

Hopefully, hopefully a sibling for our LO!
Our 2AA embryo all ready for transfer.

We gazed at the photo which is even more meaningful to me now, because I have seen it come full circle. I remember getting this same photo at our first transfer and now I think of all the hundreds of thousands of photos we've taken of our "5AA" AFTER birth! So incredible.

Then we got down to business! Just like last time: speculum (fun!), catheter, everything cleaned out and in order and we wait....
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and then the embryologist comes in! I had to sign some forms (yes while holding that position) and then we were good to go.

I know last time Dr. A was able to get pictures for me that she printed but I guess she can no longer print photos of the ultrasound pictures, SOOOOO if you want to take any photos of the little tiny shining embryo that now rests inside your uterus - you'll have to do so with your own camera pointed at the screen. And no, you can't actually SEE the embryo (it is microscopic). What you see on the screen is the liquid surrounding the embryo.

I was asked to rest there for a little bit (maybe 5 minutes) and then I could finally head across the hallway to relieve my bladder! WHEW!! And insert a Crinone (which I had brought along from my stash at home). That'll be 3 Crinone applicators today.

And then we were out - and heading back to acupuncture for another session.

So relaxing...no really!

I think we were leaving the fertility center by 1:45pm. It all happens so fast!

Taking it easy was much harder this time around than for our first transfer because now, of course there is: Kiddo. Kiddo is extremely demanding and always NEEDS Mama. Mama is by far the favorite all around. But Hubby is great and very good at distraction (he is well seasoned by now.) So after we got home, I ate my half a pineapple core* and settled into my bed to watch some movies and TV shows while listening to toddler squeals and daddy chuckles out my window. I felt like I was getting away with something!!!

Dr. A suggested I not carry anything heavier than 20 pounds, if possible, up until my first ultrasound (2.5 weeks after transfer). Lemme tell you: it is going to be IMPOSSIBLE to not carry my almost-30 pound monster around. IMPOSSIBLE. But I shall try my hardest. Today and yesterday (since this is implantation time) I am being quite strict about the carrying thing, but I may ease up a little by 4 days past transfer since implantation should be completed by then (you can find information about the stages after transfer, on my first transfer blog post which I linked to in the first paragraph). The not carrying my child, is just not something I can sustain so we'll see how things go over the next few days.

If and when we [hopefully, hopefully] get pregnant again, I don't think I'll have the time to do weekly posts through my pregnancy like I did with my first born, but I will still try to keep track of these days post-transfer.

In fact, here's a little bit about yesterday and today for you since you're chomping at the bit:

Day of Transfer:
Felt very gassy and my stomach was very gurgly. I took it SUPER easy. Watched TV all afternoon while Daddy played with LO. Tried to remain in a reclined position as much as I could today.

1 Day Post Transfer (today):
Not as much of that gassy feeling. Actually felt totally normal so it was hard to not do my normal things. I didn’t leave the house but I was up and around a little more - still not carrying/lifting LO, but prepared meals and made a simple dinner for us. One thing that was noteworthy is how tired I was. I took a 2 hour nap (very unlike me). It seems odd since I wasn’t too tired yesterday. Is the valium kicking in a day late!? I may have felt a tiny bit of cramping - but I swear I was feeling that before the transfer! LOL.

Eat the core of a pineapple (only) to aid in implantation

*Pineapple core: you may recall from our first transfer, that I consumed the core of a pineapple over the days after my transfer. This stems from the "Eastern Medicine" portion of my transfer instructions. The core of the pineapple (not the meat) contains bromelain, an enzyme which can aid in implantation by acting as a blood thinner/anticoagulant and also acting as an anti-inflammatory agent. Cut a pineapple widthwise into 4 pieces, then use a cookie cutter to remove the core. Eat 2 of these core pieces on an empty stomach, the day of your transfer and the day following your transfer: therefore 1 entire pineapple core within 2 days time. (Last time I ate it over 4 days instead of 2: 2 years later, instructions have changed!) Don't eat the meat of the pineapple (supposedly tropical fruits should be avoided in early pregnancy if you follow an Eastern Medicine diet) just the core and only those first 2 days.

And that's my post for Transfer #2! I'm still in disbelief that we're going through all of this again. But it's happening and there is certainly no turning back now! :)