Transfer Day

Edit: Sunday, March 15th 11:50 we got the phone call. The embryo is not hanging around with us. :(

Today, March 3, 2015, was a big day for our family. Today was the day that we have been waiting for for 5 months. Today we transfer our last embryo to our surrogate mother, Kari. The weather was horrible. We have not had winter all winter long and March 3rd is the day mother nature decided to be winter.  It took Kari and Jeff 2 hours to get there and Dave and I just over an hour. We were all late to the appointment and everyone else was too. Kari went in at 11:20 and we left just before 1:00. The embryo was given a fair grade with a 40-50% chance of attaching. We go back on the 15th of March for blood tests to see if the embryo has made a home!

Here is the ultrasound of the embryo being placed in the uterine lining.

This is the picture of the frozen embryo. It is 4 days old.

We gave Kari three food gift cards and a bag of kisses. We had planned on taking them to Spaghetti Factory for lunch but had to get back to watch children. :)

This adventure started clear back in 2013, but more recently September 25, 2014. Kari and the kids  came over to visit Avery (4 months) and that is when I popped the question. It was very natural. Dave and I had been talking about for a month or two before. Sitting on my family room floor, I asked Kari if she would consider carrying our last embryo. This was not a total shock to her since she had offered the year before but the timing was not right. I just was not in the frame of mind to even think about it then. It is different now. We have a beautiful bundle of joy that is ours which makes everything different. I am healthier emotionally and mentally about infertility. On the 28th, at Tanner's birthday party, Kari gave us a little red bag with one egg in it and said you bet! Little did we know what a ride we were going to take together.

• We started talking with Dr. Peterson the end of August who referred us to our attorney Damian Davenport.
• We got in contact with Damian in September where we learned more about what the surrogacy process really involved.
• We asked Kari the end of September and went on vacation to Disneyland with them in October.
• November we hit it hard. All four of us had to have blood work done for every STD you could think of. Dave and I had to have a physical. We did this on November 11th and then all of it again on December 12th because they did not get the blood sent in time. So frustrating!
• We all had to meet with a psychologist - Dr. Snell. We all thought we could have filled out the questionnaire and skipped the long drive.
• Got records of Kari's history from Circle of Life for reference for the doctors.
• Kari had ultrasounds, birth control, prenatal pills, trail transfer, sonohysterogram (which Danielle from the UofU Reproductive clinic had to explain in excruciating detail to convince Kari it was actually necessary) then there are the shots and lots of them.
• Home study was started the first part of December and was finally received in hand January 19th. - so frustrating!
• We worked with Damian and wrote a legal contract of 35 pages! So boring!!!
• Everything was filed with the court January 21st and approved the 23rd!

Four months into this and we were finally ready for a calendar!

Along with a calendar comes shots and medicne :(

 

The first shots, Lupron, is what I had a sever allergic reaction to where basically I could not move my limbs. Doctors claimed that I was not allergic to it but took me off of it anyway and had to take a break for a few months for my body to heal properly. Kari handled Lupron great, it was the Progesterone that caused her problems. The day after her first shot she experienced numbness in her arm and pain in her calf. She went to the doctors and he dismissed her and told her she had MS. So frustrating! Thankfully the numbness and the pain subsided two days later. Kari says "the progesterone shots continue to be painful for days after, like I was punched and the remaining bruise radiates discomfort. But day after day I go for one more. That's the trick. One day at a time."

In the meantime, we have been making dinner for Kari and her family once a week all of February and planned to do it March too but was told not to. We are doing all that we know how to, but feel like it is not enough. As I watch Kari and listen to everything that she has to do, I can't help but think that is suppose to be me, but know that this is the way it must be. We will forever be grateful for her service. I just hope that she feels it.