God is So Good!

So, yesterday was the big dance. We showed up a little before 6:30 and got started shortly after that. It was pretty similar to any other outpatient surgery type procedure. A couple nurses got me set up and prepped, then I met with the doctor to go over the procedure and any last minute questions, then met the anesthesiologist. After that I walked myself into the OR, began getting situated on the table and next thing I knew I woke up back in recovery. I think the whole thing from start to finish took a little less than an hour. Mat and my Mom were able to watch the procedure on a screen in a small waiting room and were impressed by it all! I wasn't in recovery long before I was getting dressed and making my way to the car. I thought I'd come home and sleep all day, but instead I was actually feeling more alert than I'd expected. A couple naps here and there and some pain meds throughout the day, but today it's just been Tylenol and I've bounced back rather quickly! I'm impressed with how smoothly the whole procedure went.

I was feeling rather discouraged at the low number of eggs retrieved. I made the mistake of googling egg retrieval results and found that the average number is much closer to the high teens/low twenties even. Of course that wasn't encouraging, but I tried to keep positive. Friends and family have been great at reminding me to focus on the positive. One friend even encouraged me to pray thanking God for all he would do with these 7 eggs. I really took those words to heart and began doing that. I went with my mom today and had a massage to try to relax. The whole time I began feeling much more peaceful and at ease with things. After the massage I received a call with fertilization results! Of my seven eggs, 5 were mature, 5 were injected with Mat's boys (this procedure is referred to is ICSI), and all 5 fertilized! This was WONDERFUL news! I began crying sharing the news with my mom and our two massage therapists and we all did a big group hug! They probably thought I was a little loony, but nonetheless it was a VERY special moment! I am feeling very encouraged by these initial results and so thankful for God's goodness in all this.

So, as it stands right now our 5 little embryos stay in the incubator and continue to develop. The hope is that the cells continue to divide. Right now they are just one nuclei, but they should divide and then divide again and so on. If they continue to grow healthy they could hold off transferring them back to my body as late as Saturday. If they begin to struggle, they could be transferred back as early as tomorrow. 2 embryos is the greatest amount that would be transferred back into my body. Our prayer is that they will continue to develop and we'll have at least 2 to transfer back and best case scenario another couple to freeze for later use possibly. Please pray for these little miracle embryos that they will grow and prosper over the next few days.

I am so grateful for the many calls, messages, emails, etc. Your prayers and encouragement mean so much to us. I'm thrilled to share our news each step of the way with such wonderful friends and family. We are truly blessed!