November 9, 2020
We made it to our transfer!
The days leading up to it weren’t picture perfect. I really wish I could report that I spent my time prior to transfer feeling relaxed and pampered. But, that just wasn’t the case.
One of my progesterone shots was particularly painful and formed a huge knot on my right hip. I was hobbling around in pain with mere hours to go until transfer. Another day, I slept funny on my neck and couldn’t move it without experiencing excruciating pain! Ugh. My Lexapro withdrawals decided to amp up the week before transfer as well, and I was experiencing those infamous “head zaps” you get when you go off of SSRIs.
Despite some rocky days, somehow transfer day rolled around, and I got myself together. To ensure that your doctor gets the best view of your uterus, you need to go into the transfer with a full bladder. So they advise you to empty your bladder about an hour before transfer and start drinking a liter of water.
This being our fourth transfer, it was nothing particularly new to me. However, this time, I was a bit overzealous with filling up my bladder. I sauntered into the transfer room with an almost painfully full bladder and on Valium.
The transfer itself went well. The embryologist let me know that the embryo survived thaw well, and was hatching! I was given a picture of our cute little embryo. Baby’s first picture!
L attended it via FaceTime because of COVID. By the end, I was pretty much sweating trying not to pee on the table. I kept reminding myself of all of the hard work that I’d put into this cycle. Once it was all done, I quickly got dressed and ran out to the bathroom. My doctor and the nurses assured me that getting up immediately after the transfer was just fine.
After the transfer, I was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. L and I picked up McDonald’s fries on the way home. Eating McDonald’s fries post-transfer is an urban IVF myth. I have no idea how it started, but I’m not one to argue. Pass the fries!
I spent the rest of the day resting (with a side of googling). I was concerned about how quickly I got up to pee after the transfer was over. I got some reassurance that I didn’t jeopardize things. I was simultaneously exhausted but also pumped up on adrenaline.
We completed our FET and next up was the (very long) two week wait.
