Greg and I like to take the road less traveled. And one very long, expensive, involved road it is.
We are scheduled for the first portion of our Invitro Fertilization (IVF) surgery this Thursday morning. As I prepare mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually for this procedure I have been reflecting on the VAST numbers of people it takes to make a POTENTIAL baby. Amazing really.
1. Me
2. Greg
3. Dr. Zoneraich
4. Jen (Nurse responsible for IVF organization)
5. Phlebotomist (multiple times and multiple nurses)
6. Kristen (Financial Consultant)
7. Anesthesiologist for surgery
8. Embryologist
9. Surgical Assistants
10. Pharmacists
11. Pharmacy Consultants
12. My pin cushion belly for accepting the multiple shots
13. Multiple various nursing staff to assist in appointments
14. Aubrey - Babysat for blood draw and ultrasound
15. Krista - Babysat for blood draw and ultrasound
16. Sharron - Babysat for blood draw and ultrasound
16. JJ - Babysat for blood draw and ultrasound
17. Lena - Babysat for blood draw and ultrasound
18. Krisha - Babysat for blood draw and ultrasound
19. Erin - Babysat for blood draw and ultrasound
20. Laura - Babysat for most of the initial consultations with Dr. Z
21. My Mom - Come to AZ for 10 days to help take care of me and Emma
22. Linda (MIL) - Babysitting Emma day of surgery
23. All the friends who offer support and prayers
24. All the family who offer support and prayers
25. Emma for her patience through this process
25. Jesus and God - I think their part is obvious. :)
WOW. Interesting to get that all down on paper. We feel so grateful for all of the people that are willing and able to assist in this process. We quite literally could not do this without this group.
I've had a lot of people asking questions about the actual process that is about to occur. For anyone interested the following steps are part of IVF:
Stimulation: Daily gonadotropin injections (typically 8-11 days) stimulate the ovary to make numerous follicles which contain the eggs. Careful monitoring with ultrasounds and blood tests allow your physician to make necessary adjustments to your treatment regimen and minimize any complications from the powerful fertility drugs. Once the follicles have reached their ideal size, a subcutaneous injection of HCG mimics your own body’s hormonal LH surge which causes final maturation of the eggs prior to harvesting (retrieval).
Egg Retrieval: Occurring 35-36 hours after receiving the HCG shot, the oocyte retrieval is performed in our dedicated procedure room within our Center. A board certified anesthesiologist will provide intravenous sedation to prevent any pain or discomfort during the procedure. Under ultrasound guidance, a very thin needle is passed through the upper portion of the vagina into the ovarian follicles and the fluid containing the egg is aspirated and subsequently identified by our embryologist in the adjoining laboratory.
Fertilization: After retrieval, the sperm preparation obtained from the male partner or sperm bank is placed into a specialized culture solution with the egg. If intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is to be performed, this is when it will occur. The egg and sperm are then placed in a specially regulated incubator and observed over the next 18-20 hours to determine if successful fertilization has occurred. Once a sperm fertilizes an egg, it is considered a zygote which then develops into an embryo. The embryos are then transferred to a different culture media and grown over the next 2-6 days. Any additional procedures (i.e. assisted hatching or PGD) prior to transfer of the embryo(s) into the uterus will be determined on an individual basis. Some embryos may also be cryopreserved (frozen) at the end of the culture period.
Embryo Transfer: This brief, painless procedure involves the use of ultrasound guidance while the embryo(s) are placed into the endometrial cavity of the uterus either 3 or 5 days (blastocyst transfer) after fertilization, using a small highly specialized plastic catheter. No sedation is necessary for this procedure. After transfer, progesterone supplementation via injection and/or vaginal suppository will be taken for the next 10-12 days and a blood pregnancy test will be performed approximately 2 weeks from the retrieval date. Blood hCG levels will then be checked every 2 days for those who do have an initial positive pregnancy test. An ultrasound will be performed at approximately 5-6 weeks of pregnancy and repeated several times throughout the first trimester after which time, you will be referred back to your Ob/Gyn for appropriate obstetrical care.
12 comments:
Wow! I had no idea that so much was involved with it! You are amazing, Tammy. Thank you for your example and positive attitude.
You are super woman. You deserve the mother of the year award just for the effort it takes to get you there. And I'm happy to help out more if you need. Good luck!
So, what you're saying is that it's a SERIOUS miracle that Emma is here to entertain us all, isn't it?
You guys are such wonderful parents, and would be even if you hadn't had to go through all this to appreciate the cost of getting a sweet baby. Did that make any sense?? It was meant to be a compliment, but I have no idea if it came through sounded sane. I'm sleepy. :)
Love you--and your amazing attitude. You're a great example.
Always so cheerful, you are such a wonderful example. And Greg gets the fun part. All our thoughts and prayers are with you guys.
Tammy,
I just wanted to write to say good luck!! Which sounds so lame when you think about what you are about to do but I really do mean it :)
We have just spent the last two years going through fertility for a second baby and have experienced loss and disappointment along the way. We were fortunate enough to not have to go to IVF and just did at home injections, lots and lots of ultrasounds, numerous drugs that I took orally and many doctor visits. Sort of seems like nothing when I read what you will have to do. But all worth is since we are expecting baby number two in September. I am thinking about you and your family right now and hope that everything goes smoothly and quickly. I love to read the updates.
It is great to have that all written down for when Emma asks you where babies come from.:) You're in our prayers.
I hope everything goes well with the whole process. You truly are amazing to go through all of that to bring another little bundle of joy/ball of energy into your life!
I wish you all the best. This is an emotional thing you are doing. I've been there myself and I hope all goes well and the outcome is great. I'll be thinking of you! :)
Wow. You're in my prayers today. I'm grateful for all the people who help make this a possibility. I'd say you definitely take the cake over any kind of pregnancy story I'll ever have. Love you guys!
I just wanted to say good luck from us too. We pray that it all goes well and that you come thru healthy with another healthy little baby on the way!
Big SIGH~ I am amazed at your knowledge... pretty sure you could take over as Dr. Tammy! We are excited for you guys in all of these adventures. Well don't forget to keep practicing with just Greg too! haha. Send Emma out our way when you run out of AZ babysitters!!! :)
Best of luck recovering! I think you're so brave to do this, but I also think that the world could definitely use more children like Emma. You're doing us all a favor!
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