Dont count your chickens.....

Mon 12 April

After a cramped and painful morning yesterday the swelling finally subsided along with the pain and I had a good pain-free afternoon and evening. This morning was also a lot better, just the occasional twinge and full bladder every hour.

I was back at work today after having last week off and I had to make up a reason to leave at lunchtime as today was egg transfer day. Luckily I just mentioned womens problems and my boss just let me go without question.

I arrived early at the clinic and was told they were running behind by approx 20 mins (arent they always?) I was advised to empty my bladder approx 30 mins before I was due down and to then sip 3 paper cups of water over the next 20 minutes. Well by the time they came for me I was doing a jig across the recovery room floor, again in a fluffy bath robe and funky socks. I was advised to go to the loo again so I wasnt in any discomfort and thank god I did because I wouldnt have been able to hold it for another 40 minutes. Everything that was about to happen was explained well to us both and we were offered a photo of our easter egg to keep which I thought was a nice touch and an opportunity to start our baby album very early.

When the nurse was ready hubby and I were escorted back into the 'room of doom' again I sat on the same bed, same stirrups cutting off my blood supply but this time the scan was external - a proper pregnancy scan which was very exciting and I know its daft but I was hoping to see a baby already in there, waving at me but instead I had an empty uterus next to two huge 'bunch of grape' ovaries, which apparently can stay that size for another 3 months.

The nurse used a speculum to see my cervix, she had to remove lots of 'cottage cheese' out of the way (due to the pessaries) before she could insert the catheter. the freaky thing is that you can see the catheter going in but dont really feel it. It went round a couple of bends and into my uterus. They then wait for 30 seconds while I relax before injecting some liquid containing our easter egg into my uterus. I was amazed to witness our egg being left in my uterus ready to grow but hubby didnt share the amazement because this is when he left the room, followed quickly by a nurse, apparently he was close to passing out and needed air and water - what about me? Ive got a long stick hanging out of me and I cant move!

After making jokes with the nurses about how hubby might not be much use in the delivery room while helping to push out the speculum (I had such a good grip of it she couldnt remove it herself) I was allowed back to the recovery room to get dressed. After another trip to the bathroom I met hubby back in the room. he looked pale but was smiling and apologising. He told me he thought the procedure had gone wrong because he got confused with the tubes. He really thought they had blown it and the last month had all been for nothing - bless him.

The nurse went through our list of Do's and Dont's (no housework - what a shame) We were left to get ready to leave in our own time. This is when you need tissues as the whole enormity of what you have been through hits you like a wrecking ball to your stomach and you feel happy, relieved but concerned about the responsibility of looking after this little easter egg inside. So I did what most people would do - I drove home and wrote a blog about it while the paracetamol kicked in.