Our Little Nemo

Remember the opening scene of Finding Nemo - when Coral and Marlin are revelling in their new home and their soon-to-be-born children, then the evil shark comes by and attacks it all? There is one tiny little egg left at the bottom of the ocean - and Marlin scoops him up and says "I'll never let anything happen to you..."

Well, we have our own little Nemo.

Yes, I know, I know - how corny can you get, right? But that is exactly how we feel about this little embie that is now (hopefully!) nuzzling in inside of me.

We did our transfer yesterday afternoon, and we were so anxious that we could hardly stand it. The clinic had said the day before that if something were to happen between Day 2 and Day 3, they would call us to cancel the transfer. So when the call didn't come yesterday, I let out a deep breath and prepared myself for our trip to the clinic.

First order of business - getting all showered and cleaned up without scented products. Embies and scents, apparently, are not a good mix. So no cologne and minimal deodorant for DH and no deodorants, perfumes, body lotions, etc. for me.

Secondly - a full bladder. My appointment was for 1:30 p.m., so my instructions were to empty my bladder at 12:30, then drink two or more glasses of water. Let me tell you - this was waaaay more difficult than having a scentless body. Normally, I have a pretty strong bladder - but the mere thought planted in my head that I was drinking all of that water and couldn't pee it out was making me anxious - thereby, exacerbating the "I have to go!!!!" feeling...

We checked in to the clinic right on schedule, and while I was sitting in the waiting room with DH, I was in immense pain. I hobbled over (literally - no exaggeration...) to the receptionist and begged her to ask the nurse if I could pee just a tiny bit. She told me to go immediately, I was able to make my way over the bathroom for some sweet relief.

When I got back out, DH had already been taken into the procedure room to get changed, so I joined him. After getting changed into a hospital gown (and DH into scrubs), and after some paperwork, we were ready to go - except for one small problem.

I could still barely sit, my bladder was hurting so badly.

The nurse noticed and told me my bladder shouldn't be full to bursting! She gave me a specimen cup to fill - instructions were to fill it twice - and then stop. I can't tell you what a relief it was that I was able to do that!!!

Okay - now on to the good stuff!

We entered the transfer room and the RE said "We've got an embryo needin' a home right now!" and the embryologist said "Yeah, and it's a big one!" I couldn't believe my ears. Big? What did she mean?

Apparently, our embie had been working hard all night long, and as of transfer, was at 12 cells. She brought over a black and white photo for us to keep, and I couldn't believe my eyes. There was our little Nemo - a cluster of cells. Very little fragmentation, and nice, round cells. I almost burst into tears. With all of our worries that this little guy wouldn't make it past Day 2, this was what we were presented with. It really was a miracle.

We got to watch on the ultrasound screen as they placed our embie into my uterus. It was magical, and a moment that I will never forget. DH was so moved that he started to tear up. He held my hand tightly, and at that moment I felt such a peace going through my body that I knew everything was going to be alright.

We asked the RE and embryologist some questions about the fact that our little guy was at 12 cells - is this a disadvantage? Is there much fragmentation? What grade would you give this embryo? For the most part, the answers satisfied us. Although 8 cell embryos are the ideal, this one still has potential (according to the RE). The embryologists said that there was a little bit of fragmentation, but that some had already been removed while they were doing the assisted hatching. She gave the embryo a Grade B - not perfect, but not bad, either.

The transfer was followed up with some rest, and then it was time to take Nemo home. We were so thankful and so happy - I think we floated on cloud nine for the rest of the day.

And so the wait begins...with our little Nemo.

We continue to pray and thank God everyday for this miracle and opportunity. We know that we're not out of the woods, yet, but we remain hopeful and optimistic. I have looked at the picture a million times already - wouldn't it be wonderful if the next picture of Nemo was an ultrasound one?

I really need to thank all of the wonderful girls out there that have supported me and continue to support me through all of this - I can't even begin to tell you how tremendous it has been to turn to you for advice and encouragement when things seem to be negative at every turn.

Please continue your prayers...