Back to the IVF binder.
I have now reached the notes that lead up to my egg retrieval.
Wow; that was an exciting and yet, nerve racking and awkward time.
I was up to two injections a night, a vaginal pill, and a baby aspirin. Dan had to “ejaculate / intercourse not recommended.” I could not have anything to eat or drink (yes, that included water) from 11pm till after my 7am procedure.
And I was going to be put under for the first time in my life.
Talk about a sexy way to start the process of making a baby.
And yet, as I turn the page in this IVF binder, I am taken back to the exact moment I found out the embryology results. I was sitting in my (now) home office. I logged into my medical portal, and there were the numbers staring at me.
- 7 eggs retrieved
- 7 mature eggs initially
- 00 additional eggs matured in the laboratory
- 7 total number of mature eggs injected with sperm
- 7 normally fertilized embryos.
I had 7 embryos.
Oh. My. God.
At the time, my mind was spinning. I was able to create 7 babies!
Dan and I called our families and told them the good news. Not knowing the next steps or what would lie in store for us, we enjoyed the moment. After a blocked tube, low sperm count with low mobility, a cyst on one ovary, and a T-shaped uterus to start things out for us, here we stood with 7 embryos.
I was confused.
I was happy.
I was scared.
As I continue to read those instructions from 5/18/17, it went on to say, “Normally fertilized embryos are placed back into the incubator. We will not be looking at the embryos again until Day 5 (Today is Day 1).”
It is beyond my comprehension that my angel baby and my miracle baby, Ferris, were two of those embryos. Ferris’s story began that day. It absolutely blows my mind how we as humans are so incredibly gifted to have the knowledge, the science, the strength, and the faith to create life through in vitro fertilization.
Sure, there is a lot left in my story, and we will get to it all in good time, but to stop on this page and reflect on an incredibly personal time in my life…well, I am now honored to share it with the world. This was my single moment of success where I had a shot at motherhood.
My son is one of those 7 embryos.
I am 1 in 8.