The big day - embryo transf

My appointment at the clinic is at 10.50 today and I want to make sure we get there in plenty of time so dad is coming down super early and we're heading off. Thing is I forgot it's the Antique Roadshow on the seafront today and the roads are snarled. I get a very panicked call from dad as I'm having a very calming shower to say he's stuck in traffic but fortunately I think he was a little worried of being late more than anything and he was here 15 minutes later, still plenty of time for us to get there.

In the car on the way over I take my diazepan pill and hope to hope it's going to work, I've never taken anything like that before so I have no idea what it's supposed to do or how I'm supposed to feel but I don't really care as long as the procedure goes ok and without a hitch.

The reason for a full bladder is so they can use an ultrasound to help them see where it's all going. When I went back to the doctor for my follow up appointment she did say then that if we had to go down the IUI road again then it would be ultrasound guided so hopefully that makes things lots easier.

As soon as I arrived I was called through to the first room I was in before and asked to change into a gown and dressing gown again. I was actually expecting to see people here that were here on Monday for their egg retrieval but it seems I 'm the only one, that's a bit odd isn't it? So then the mind starts to wander and I'm thinking if they're not in today then they must be on the 5 day transfer, but why? I don't understand a lot about it all to be honest but it seems to be a 3 or 5 day transfer and when I asked the nurse she said it depends on the development of the embryos and how many eggs are collected. If you don't get many eggs then they want to put something back and if they wait till 5 days then there may not be anything. Ok, that kinda makes sense but I also know the lady in the cubicle next to me got 6 eggs, just one more than me so I wonder why she's not back. Of course as well there's a possibility that perhaps sadly none of her eggs fertilised, I really do hope that wasn't the case. Of course that's a real worry and has been for me, in fact it's a real worry at every step. For me I wondered if they might not even get any eggs, then when they got 5 that was amazing, then there's the thought that they may not fertilise, then of course when 4 did that was fantastic again and then there was the worry again that the 4 may not survive till Thursday!! So many things going on in your mind, so many possibilities and so many what ifs.

So I don't know why I seem to be the only one there this morning, I'm just grateful that I am.
After I'd changed into the gown the nurse came and spoke to me and said there'd be a bit of a wait before I went through, that's fine but I'm just worried about getting too full a bladder and then weeing when they insert the spectrum. I don't know how long I waited but the nurse kept coming back in and I kept hearing people going back and forth in the corridor but still no more women into the waiting area.

After what turned out to be an hour, I think, the nurse popped in again and asked me if I needed the loo, she said I could let a little out and I have to say I was glad of the opportunity, I may have let out a little more than I should of but I was expecting to go back into the waiting room again so could drink more water but as I came out of the toilet the nurse was there to bring me into the theatre area.

There was just two nurses and the embryologist there, no doctors or anything and it was quite relaxed and informal. Within a couple of minutes I was on my back again with my legs in stirrups and I'd say within about 10 minutes it was all over. I wish smears could be like that.

The embryologist told me that they were transferring two embryos, one was an 8 cell and the other a 6 cell. I have to say it doesn't really mean a lot to me as I don't really understand it all but he assured me that that was very good, later when I looked it up on line it was in fact very good. Apparently 8 cell is exactly where they want an embryo at 3 days to be. Yipeee, please let this be it.

Fortunately I didn't have to have too full a bladder and they were able to see everything perfectly, one nurse was doing the ultrasound while the other inserted the spectrum and then the catheter. That all went swimmingly. Last night I did some tapping (!), I'm trying desperately to make my situation and the way I feel about some things better and I was advised to try some tapping about the procedure and it should help so I don't know if it was that or whether it was the diazepan or both, I don't know and it doesn't really matter, either way it worked. The embryologist then passed the nurse the tube with the two embryos in and they were inserted easy and quickly, they even gave me a picture from the ultrasound which was a really nice touch I thought.

As soon as it was done I was up and allowed to finish off going to the loo! Some sites and accounts I've read on the internet say you're asked to lay flat for an hour and then you've got to have 2 days of bed rest. Well that definitely wasn't the case here. I'm glad really as two days of bed rest would have been awful for me. It is a bit strange though as when I had the IUI I was told to lay still for 15 minutes but with this procedure straight away I was up and getting dressed.

Dad was waiting in the waiting room for me and apparently when he dozed off one of the receptionist asked him if he was ok, and I guess just checking he wasn't dead! Oh dear, poor dad.

We stopped off again on the way home for a sandwich and then later in the afternoon dad took me to my acupuncturist appointment and that's it, I really have done absolutely everything I possibly could. Now I just have to wait. I take a test a week Monday, the 3rd June. Wish me luck.