This morning I woke up anxious and nervous and excited. This afternoon I am a proud Mama to 14 eggs.
We had to get to the clinic by 8:45AM for a 9:30AM egg retrieval (ER). I was in the waiting room for about 2 minutes before they took me into a more hospital-like room. A nurse had me sign some papers, get into a gown, took my vitals and started my IV. By the time all of that had been done, Lenny joined me while we waited for my turn.
About 15 minutes later they wheeled me into another room and the nurse told me she was going to give me medication to make me sleepy and she put the oxygen mask on. I vaguely remember the doctor coming in and asking me some questions, and then the next thing I knew I was back in the same room I had started in. Lenny was sitting in the chair and there were crackers and ginger ale on the table next to me. He told me that I had been back for several minutes and was only "out of it" for a couple of minutes.
I felt very uncomfortable. There is no way around it. It felt like really strong menstrual cramps on steroids. The nurse came in and asked me how I was feeling. I told her I was pretty uncomfortable so she gave me some Tylenol and a heating pad. I started feeling better, but it was a consistent enough pain that I didn't feel like talking and I just tried to breathe through it and find a comfortable position. The doctor popped in and said that I'd feel cramping because he took a good amount of eggs out, but he said that this was the worst that I'd feel. They gave us the "bio sheet" with our stats for the day. Everyone seemed very happy with the 14 eggs, including us!
After maybe 15 minutes the nurse helped me to the bathroom and then I got dressed. I was pretty hungry at that point so we stopped to pick up subs on the way home. I had to walk pretty slowly to get inside the house but once I sat down I felt fine. I spent my afternoon drinking water, watching TV and taking naps on and off.
It's almost 5PM now and I'm feeling 65% better. Still achy and moving slowly, but honestly it all doesn't even matter. I am feeling SO blessed that everything went well today and they were able to get 14 freaking eggs. I can't wait to get our fertilization report tomorrow but I know that we both are feeling incredibly relieved and lucky. This is really, really, really happening.
In 5 short days I will be "pregnant until proven otherwise," which is pretty fantastic.
It's also weird to think that about 8 miles away from where I sit, our very first babysitters are watching the kids. I hope that they are behaving.
Some tips for ER:
1. Not to be gross, but my "beat post-ER constipation" plan worked. Yesterday I ate a few prunes, homemade veggie soup with lentils and a ton of water and Gatorade. I'm happy to report that I've already gone to the bathroom since I've been home.
2. Bring socks. I wore flip flops there and my naked feet were cold.
3. Plan to take it easy the rest of the day. Make a date with your couch and rent a good movie.
4. Make sure that you have food and drinks at home waiting for you. I had a Gatorade waiting for me when I got home and after 12 hours of no liquids I was very happy to see it.
5. Take a deep breath and give yourself a high five (and your husband or partner). You have made it through the hard part!
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