Pick up aka egg retrieval

Sorry I haven't posted in few days, I have been taking it easy and being lazy!
On the 27th we didn't have to do anything except take our vitamins.
So in the early hours of Wednesday, November 28th we woke up to take the Ovitrelle. Funny thing, I woke up at 0354 looked at the clock that we have yet to change since the time changed and kind of panicked! I threw the covers back and thought OH NO we missed the time, it's almost 5 as the clock read 0454 then I quickly calmed down and thought no that clock is an hour early...so then I laid there wide awake waiting for my alarm to go off to wake Cliff and us head down for the injection. Those 10 mins took forever! Finally it was 0400 and the alarms started going off! At 0410 we went downstairs to prep the shot which was to get it out of the fridge. I swabbed my stomach and we waited for 0415 to hit and then Cliff gave me the shot! We said wow we have gotten good at this and now we are done with injections :) 

When I woke up the next morning I didn't have to do anything besides take my inofolic and have a normal day. That evening I had to take one 500mg of Cipoxin (antibiotic) and then Thursday was the day.

Thursday, November 29th I woke up took another Ciproxin and my vitamin (inofolic) I made myself a bacon (petit jean bacon, yes we have some :) we smuggled it back in our suit case), egg and cheese sandwich, a cup of apple juice and a cup of coffee. I couldn't eat past 0900 so I had to get some good food in me to last til after the pick up when I could eat again! This definitely hit the spot! It was so good! We left our house about 1430 and arrived at the hospital around 1500 we were a little early but we were both anxious and since it was a different place we wanted to have plenty of time to get there. 

We went inside and checked in, they directed us to some seats to wait. Then a nurse came out and took us upstairs where she gave us some paperwork to fill out while we waited again. We are trying to fill the paperwork out, it's all in Italian so Cliff pulls his phone out and uses an app that you hold the phone over the words and it translates it cool right, so as I am filling out the paperwork they come get Cliff....I have no idea where he is going or when he will be back so I just sit waiting! Then shortly after he was taken back maybe 5-10 mins someone comes to get me. I am taken to a room with 4 beds, I am given some paper covers to wear. I was allowed to keep my shirt on which was nice but I had to put the paper smock over it, a hair net on and some little booties that went up almost to my knees and were hilarious looking! I crawled in the bed and waited....and waited and waited for at least 30-40 mins which seemed pretty long and boring! They wheeled in a girl and she switched beds and laid there like she was asleep, I assumed she just got back from the procedure room. Then they came and got me, I walked back and they made me hand some of my paperwork to some of the doctors, I felt like a little kid handing in my permission slip. Then I walk into the procedure room...I was a little scared as the bed looked different from American beds and I had seen one in a pamphlet and thought it looked a little scary but to my findings it is actually more comfortable than American ones, instead of foot stirrups  you put your legs in these stirrups that hold your knees so you rest your lower thigh, knees and lower legs on the holders and your feet kind of dangle. There is the anesthesiologist and 2 nurses in there prepping and telling me to get on the bed (yes they spoke some English) I hopped up on the bed and saddled up. She starts covering my legs with cloth bag type things...my entire body ended up being covered with cloth tarps and bags and covers except my left arm and my boobs up basically! So to say the least I felt covered and warm :) The anesthesiologist inserts the iv and had the warmest hands, he was very kind and comforting! Shortly after the doctor walks in and says boun giorno and the anesthesiologist says there is the Doctor, The Man! We chuckle and then the anesthesiologist says ok I am going to start and about 30 seconds after that he says ok you will start to feel it, I say ok yes I do and he says bye-bye! I laughed and that's all I remember until waking up and telling the girl next to me I think they got 10!!!! After about 30 mins of laying in the recovery room half out of it I tell the girl next to me, I think I was only dreaming I don't think they told me anything. She says yea I think you did dream that! 

So I wait in the recovery room for about an hour and a half....boring, I should have brought my phone in to at least play a game! They check my blood pressure, it's perfect! They bring in some delicious warm lemon tea and then finally Cliff comes in and we chat for a min then he went outside because it was so incredibly hot in there. Probably about 30 mins later I was released from that room to wait for an appointment with the doctor. I go outside to get Cliff, we go back inside the sauna and wait for about 30 mins.

We are finally called into the doctors office. They perform an ultrasound on me to check and make sure everything looks ok, everything was perfect. The biologist comes in and tells Cliff his semen sample was above normal in all areas that they check. Awesome! Then they tell us they were able to collect 10 follicles! Amazing! They say 9 look viable! We were so pleased and I was pretty giddy! They said to take an antibiotic when I got home and continue every 20 hours until all of the antibiotic was gone. Also I needed to start the vaginal progesterone gels (Crinone is the medical name and they gave us a box of 15) each night until transfer and now to take 400mcg of folic acid daily! And of course to take it easy!

They called us on Friday to tell us results of the follicles. They fertilized 6 and said they were all very active and viable. They were very pleased with the results they got from us! As are we! They said that in the next few days 30% usually survive but they would call back on Sunday and let us know how everything is looking and when we should expect the transfer (Monday or Tuesday)! 

So we wait and I take it easy!

I wasn't really sore when we left the hospital but by the time we got home I was getting sore and I thought I was ok when I woke up on Friday but I was wrong, as I moved around a little I noticed I was very sore! I definitely laid around. Today (Saturday) we got out of the house and went to the store for a few things...it was nice to get out but I was slow moving! I am assuming I will be sore after the transfer too but that will keep me still and quiet for a few days! 

I still can't believe we are here! It's all finally happening! Cliff and I were so excited they were able to retrieve so many follicles and that we have 6 fertilized that look active and viable! Praise the Lord! God is so great and has definitely been with us on this journey! We aren't finished yet and we still have a long way to go to actually have a baby or two or three ;) but we can't believe we are almost to the point to find out if pregnancy is accomplished or not! One step at a time....next step transfer then you can bet your boots this girl will keep her feet up and do nothing to risk the embryos not sticking! Not sure I will stop praying! 

I told Cliff last night that as of now we have 6 kids...we both laughed and thought wow! What if they all survive the next few days, what will we do, how many will we implant...God will lead us to the right thing!
Excited!!!! And now that I have done half of the procedures I am not one bit nervous for the procedure part of the transfer! Thank you Lord for getting us this far! Please be with us over the next few days and weeks and bless us with pregnancy! Thank you all for your prayers!