FET #1

My first ever IVF transfer was a success!

Our day started off with us enjoying our continental breakfast at Holiday Inn Express. It is just ok, as most free breakfasts are, but I'll take saving some money when I can! After checkout, we took the train from New Jersey in to the city, and then a subway to the clinic (aka Alderaan). It was a beautiful, brisk, sunny day in New York City. Perfect day for becoming pregnant!

We arrived at Alderaan 30 minutes early. This was by sheer accident, as you can never really predict the timeliness of public transportation. Especially that pesky train from NJ to Penn Station, which always seems to be going slower than normal for one reason or another!

After a little stint in the waiting room, I finally got called back. I had to sign a few papers, and then I got to see a photo of my baby! Here is his/her first photo:

He/she looks just like me! My expanded blastocyst baby.

After I changed into my sweet, pink gown, amazingly sexy blue hairnet and matching blue booties, I headed into the procedure room (looking as if I was ready to hit up the red carpet!!).

Alderaan has some fancy equipment. Especially versus my local, sad-excuse-for-an RE's office. The table that you get up on has some crazy leg stirrups! Not the kind you pop your feet into... you have to lift your legs up and put your thighs (right above the knee) into them. The table sits low, so you feel even more exposed than ever.

Once I was in the VJJ-exposure contraption, the embryologist came over to me and introduced himself (totally my ideal situation for meeting people, especially men, for the first time! "I'm Kara, and this is my vagina! Nice to meet you!"). He then told me that he feels like this will work because my embryos is a good-looking one! I know he really has no way of knowing if this will work, but I'll take those positive thoughts, thank you!

The doctor came in then, and told me what to expect. The embryologist moved to his corner station where his microscope was set up. On the wall in front of me, there is a flat screen monitor. I was able to see what the embryologist was doing at his station. I saw him squeeze the pipette that housed my embryo into a dish. He then zoomed in on the little tiny embryo, and I got to see a close-up on the screen. It was magical.

He then used another pipette or syringe to gather the embryo back up, and then handed it over to the doctor. By that time, there was already a speculum all up in me, and the doctor had "cleaned out the area." He had used an u/s wand to get a look at my uterus. Once he had the syringe with the embryo in it, he popped it (yes, scientific terminology here!) through the catheter and into my ute! Voila!

The doc then handed the syringe back to the embryologist, and I watched him expel the remaining fluid into the dish. He then said, "All clear!" Apparently my embryo made it out of the syringe! Success!

After the procedure, I headed to the recover room. I relaxed, meditated, and thought plenty of positive thoughts while sitting in a comfy recliner with my feet up. After about 40 minutes, the nurse came by to give me instructions, paperwork, and the photo of my baby. She also had a syringe with her.

The syringe was an hCG booster shot. I was totally not expecting this! My plans for testing and not having to worry about a trigger shot were foiled! But, I'm quite glad I got the booster shot. I've heard positive things about it, and it can't hurt, right?

So, the nurse shot me in the ass with hCG, I gathered up my belongings and headed out. After changed, I went out to the waiting room and showed Buster the photo of our baby. He looked like a proud papa!

After a 7 hour journey, we made it home last night. It was an exhausting and exhilarating day!

Even though I got the hCG booster shot, I am still going to continue on with my plan of POAS every day. This morning was no exception.

I peed on a Dollar Store test, as well as one of those new 88 cent tests from Walmart. The hCG booster shot I received was 0.6 ml, which I think is equal to 6,000 units, but I'm not certain. This morning, I got a faint line on the Dollar Store test, and nada on the Walmart test. I was quite surprised at this. Regardless, I will be monitoring these tests daily.

My beta is scheduled for Friday the 25th.

My pee sticks for your viewing pleasure (to clarify: 1 day past transfer & hCG trigger. The line on the $ tree test is the booster shot!):

Dollar Store test with a faint line, 1 day past transfer & hCG booster shot.

Walmart 88 cent test with nada, 1 day past transfer & hCG booster shot.