Pray for Viable Embryos

The hardest part is over. Today's surgery was a bigger deal than I anticipated. Full anesthesia, operating room, team of doctors and nurses, etc. My sweet husband was by my side as I recovered, while Grammy and Grandfather took care of the homefront.

I must admit that I experienced more pain and discomfort than I expected, both before and after the procedure. When I awoke from sedation, I was also a bit emotional and teary. I asked Wade to call home so I could hear Liliana's precious voice. When she got on the phone, she said something she's never said before, "Kisses, Mommy! Kisses!" It was such a tender moment, exactly what I needed at the time.

The Dream Team (as I affectionately call Dr. Pineda and Dr. Silber) performed the extraction this morning and retrieved 11 eggs. Although I was hoping for closer to 15, 11 is a very respectable number.

Now we wait to see how many eggs are fertilized. Apparently, some will not become embryos due to lack of maturity and/or issues with DNA. According to Dr. Silber, very few eggs are destined to become a viable embryo when fertilized. The more I know about fertility, the more I understand how miraculous every child is. All of the conditions have to be absolutely perfect for conception and healthy development of a fetus. It's mind-blowing.

Please pray that the conditions are perfect for us on Wednesday when the embryos are transferred into my lining. Specifically, pray that at least 6 embryos are viable for transfer. If we should be so blessed, our plan would be to transfer 2 on Wednesday and freeze 4 for later use. Having frozen embryos allows us to undergo 2 more transfers in the future without having to go through the entire painful and expensive process all over again. And, of course, our overall prayer is that this transfer results in one or more healthy pregnancies.

We truly appreciate every person who takes the time to read this blog, pray for us or give us encouragement. You mean so much to us!

May the Lord richly bless you! Ramona