Transfer Day!

We made it!  Transfer #8!   Frozen transfer #6!   We had a nice and relaxing lazy morning.   I made breakfast in bed (third day in a row) for my men.  We got on the road around 10:20 for my pre-transfer acupuncture appointment.

Got to Cleveland at 11:45.  My acupuncturist, Anne Kinchen, is THE best.  Love her.   Wish she were closer to Erie!  She got me nice and relaxed for the transfer.

Got to Cleveland Clinic around 1:00.   Popped a Valium.   Check in wasn't until 1:45 so Mike and I chilled in their gorgeous lobby.   Mike ate his lunch (I ate mine on the drive down).   There was a book fair I perused.   Then, we took the mason jar filled with coins and dumped them into the wishing fountain.   We've made NUMEROUS wishes/prayers on that same fountain before. One of which was before Victor's transfer!   These are our last two embryos, so we thought it quite appropriate to use an entire jar of coins. 

We went up to the second floor around 1:35, checked in, and waited.   It was around 2ish when they finally called us back.   

I got naked from the waist down, put on the gown, and put on my new narwhal socks!   Mike and I took our customary pics of each other flashing the transfer number with our fingers.   

Met the doctor who was doing my transfer and then got wheeled back to the operating room (no operation required for this procedure tho). 

Once in the room the sonography we checked my bladder.  Looked good!   The doc then did a mock transfer to make sure the catheter would go in smoothly.  It did!   Then they flashed my embryos on the tv screen.  The little blobs looked adorable.   They handed the catheter to the doc.  He put it in and once he measured it to be a good distance in, he squirted in the puff of liquid carrying my babies!   The embryologist checked the catheter to make sure none were stuck in it (that happened to me once).  Clear!    They gave us a printed photo of our babies, the Petri dish they were thawed in, and wheeled me back to my room.

Only laid for about 3 minutes before I decided I just HAD to pee. 

Got dressed and back in the car for post-transfer acupuncture.   That session was amazing. Fell asleep!

Got back in the car and almost home as I type this!

Think sticky thoughts for my babies!!!  <3 <3 <3 <3 

Driving down!

Jar o' wishes! 

Our wishes working hard in the fountain!  (See video a the bottom.)

Mike and I in front of the fountain!

Flashing the #8 for transfer number 8!

Transfer #8!

The little dish they thawed our babies in.

Our beautiful boy and girl babies!  I am not sure who is who. These embryos were twice vitrified (frozen twice), and thawed twice (PGS normal)! I hope they're strong!

Thinking positive!!!!!!!!!!!

 each one is a prayer and a wish 
Posted by Lauree Sundberg Schloss on Monday, February 22, 2016

Tomorrow is transfer day!

Tomorrow is transfer day!  

Ramblings:

I had my last of 4 uterine massages today.  It was immensely relaxing!

I started lovenox last night.  From my google scouring, most RE's start it on CD 6.  I'm well past that, so let this party start!

I also started the CCRM antihistamine protocol of daily claritin and twice daily pepcid.

Should I wear my narwhal socks or flying pigs socks?

Transfer is at 2pm tomorrow.

Acupuncture is at noon tomorrow and immediately after transfer.

Joined a plethora of FB pages that post inspiring quotes.  Here's another good one that I swear was made just for me:

Thaw/Biopsy date set!

Baby steps (no pun intended).... but we finally have our thaw and biopsy date set for our 4 remaining frozen embryos (to have them PGSed).  It will be this coming Monday 2/1!  The lady mentioned they'd send the cells to Genesis either that day or the next day.  Then, give or take a day or two, 7 days later we should know the results.

I'm on cycle day 26 today, so my period should start in 3-5 days.

I am having weekly uterine massages starting tomorrow with Danielle of Momassage.   This should help the blood flow to my ol' ute.   I had some sessions with her before our transfer last June.  Implantation was at least "successful" that attempt, so hopefully it will be with this coming attempt as well!

I am not doing acupuncture this attempt as I did it for over a year between 2014-2015 and we all know how that worked out.  :(   Plus it was super duper expensive and very time consuming.  And, after a month or so of starting it, the sessions really never left me feeling super duper relaxed like they once had.  So I'm over that.  I will definitely do acupuncture sessions the day of transfer (before and after) but nothing until then.

Think that's about it!  I'll update you guys when anything happens!

FET #5, transfer #7, in less than 48 hours

Nothing crazy to post just needed a place to let out my anxiety!   So I decided to do the claritin and pepcid - what could it hurt, right?  I am doing just ONE extra medrol (instead of DAYS worth like last try in March).  Haven't decided about ibuprofen pre-transfer yet, but this article is making me sway towards doing it.  

I have acupuncture tomorrow (Tuesday) at 9:30 and then a uterine/general massage at 2:30.   I also have a pre and post transfer acupuncture on Wednesday.  I have thrown everything possible at this cylce (and a ton of $$$).  Please, if you are reading this, and are someone who prays, I beg you to take just 20 seconds right now, before you finish reading this post, to say a quick prayer for Mike and I.  It would mean the world to us!!!!

I am officially on 6 days of stay-cation starting today!  I begged Mike to help me stay as stress free as humanly possible in those days.  It will be 5dpo through 9dpo that I'm off.  PRIME PRIME PRIME implantation window so I want my core as stress free as possible!

FET Efforts

Just wanted to document things I've done this cycle (in case it works) as this will be my new go to list for future FETs (if we were ever blessed with "left over" frozen embryos after having 2 babies, of course I'd try to convince Mike to let me transfer them)....  in no particular order...

• Weekly acupuncture
• Acupuncture pre and post transfer
• Weekly uterine massage with castor oil CDs 5-14
• Fertilitea
• Lots of water
• TSH under 1.0
• 20k steps a day until CD 14, then down to 15k steps a day
• Pineapple core smoothies starting night before transfer for 5 days
• Follow clinic's medrol instructions (don't go rogue like FET #4) (added ONE extra day)
• No caffeine for many months
• No alcohol for many months
• No sex (sorry Mike) transfer cycle
• Scratch cycle before (tho started AF only 3 days after, 5 days full flow after)
• 10mg claritin/day (SP) starting 2 days before transfer
• 20mg pepcid AM/PM (SP) starting 2 days before transfer
• 1dp and 2dp modified bedrest
• 1.5 valium 1 hour before transfer, added 0.5 valium 30 minutes before
• Zita West pre transfer, post transfer, TWW guided visualizations

Things I'm still up in the air whether I should do them....(didn't end up doing either)

• Lovenox starting night of transfer
• 200 ibuprofen 90 minutes before transfer