Relax...it will happen!

I am in the process of preparing, both physically and emotionally, for the next week of treatment and the upcoming IVF procedures. My body will experience dramatic changes this week as my ovaries expand with a multitude of growing egg follicles. Sitting and walking will be very uncomfortable, while exercising and lifting a toddler will be out of the question. Once everything is good and swollen, the egg retrieval takes place. This procedure involves general anesthesia, an operating room and a short, but painful recovery. Three days later, the embryos are transferred into the uterine lining...and then I wait and pray for babies!

According to Dr. Silber, Dr. Pineda and all the well-intentioned friends who continually say, "relax...it will happen," relaxation truly is critical to a successful IVF. Stress hormones can sabotage embryo implantation by causing the reproductive organs to contract. They can also produce an unfavorable environment for healthy fetal development. And if I'm willing to cut out caffeine, you can bet I'm going to find a way to relax. So, for the previous IVF, I sprayed lavender fragrance all over the house and burned scented candles to set the stage. I listened to soothing music and practiced meditation to prepare for the big events. And after several weeks of my relaxation regimen, I trained myself to go from stressed mama to wet noodle in five minutes flat.

In an effort to kick-start the relaxation this time, I visited The Face and The Body in Chesterfield, where I experienced my first Swedish massage. Being a newcomer to the day spa scene, I had no idea what to expect. I'm the modest type, so I started to sweat when the massage therapist invited me to disrobe and lie nekked (as Mississippi Wade says it) on a table (under a sheet, of course). Then, she described the package and informed me that the "glutes" were included in the massage. My palpitating heart almost came to a screeching halt. Pardon me, but no one ever told me the Swedes gave tushy massages! Thankfully, Nicole set me at ease and allowed me to feel comfortable while she worked her magic. Even with an initial spike in my anxiety level, the hour of relaxation was heavenly. Thanks again to my Monday night Bible Study group for the best pampering ever!

Here's to Sweden, home of a divine massage! Blessings, Ramona

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

IVF 101

All systems are go! I completed my regimen of follicle stimulating medications last night. This evening, I inject HCG intramuscularly (yikes) to help the eggs prepare for release. Saturday is completely free from injections. And bright and early Sunday morning (6:00am) I go into the hospital for egg extraction.

As of yesterday, I had 26 measurable follicles that are steadily reaching maturity. According to the IVF team, not all follicles will contain an egg. But considering that the goal is 10-15 eggs, 26 follicles is an excellent place to start. Some women have only a few. Drs. Silber and Pineda will perform the extraction Sunday, and they'll tell me how many mature eggs were aspirated.

Then, on Monday afternoon, I will find out how many embryos resulted from the ICSI process. ICSI is intracytoplasmic sperm injection, in which each egg is fertilized with a single swimmer. For the next couple of days, the "pre-embryos" are given time for cell division.

On Wednesday, two of the remaining (some don't thrive) and most viable pre-embryos are transferred into my uterine lining. The rest are frozen (a non-technical term for a very elaborate medical process) for later use. God willing, the transfer will result in a pregnancy. If not, we will transfer two more frozen "snowflakes" as soon as possible.

IVF is such an amazing process. God has really allowed technology to do great things.

Please pray that the Lord will bless our IVF and grant us a child (or two). Wade and I truly appreciate your prayer and support.

Bless you! Ramona

The Drama Unfolds

Another day of enjoying the holiday season and baking with my little helper, Liliana. Today she discovered the joy of licking the spoon after mixing cookie dough. She is such a precious gift, especially in the midst of these topsy-turvy days. Tender moments with Liliana are constant reminders of the reason we are so willing to go through difficult treatments to have more children. There is nothing on earth better than being a mommy.

Things are looking up on the IVF front. I had bloodwork and an ultrasound this morning, and the results were better than anticipated. As of yesterday, even the great Dr. Silber was unable to explain the bleeding. The nurse said they had never seen anything quite like it. Through analysis of my hormone levels and ultrasound images, today Dr. Silber concluded that my uterine lining was shedding (hence, the bleeding) at a very odd time in the cycle. As a result, the lining is now only 4mm. It needs to be 8mm in order for embryo implantation to occur. Everything else looked great: multiple follicles are growing (slowly but surely) and hormone levels were within normal ranges.

All in all, we plan to charge full speed ahead, praying that at least 10 eggs mature (preferably more) in time for extraction and that my lining doubles in size by Dec. 20th. If the lining does not reach 8mm, Dr. Silber will extract the eggs, fertilize them and freeze them for a later transfer. The freezing technology is so advanced that less than 1% of "pre-embryos" are lost during the process. Worst case scenario: we create embryos this month and transfer them at a later date. Although that situation would be somewhat disappointing (since we'd really love the New Year's gift of pregnancy), we still wouldn't lose all the time, effort and resources we've invested so far. We're very thankful for that!

Please pray specifically that at least 10 eggs will be viable at the time of extraction (Dec. 17th) and that my lining would be ideal for implantation of embryos (Dec. 20th).

I truly feel the Lord's hand guiding this situation. And although I don't understand all the drama, I do know that He has something wonderful in store for us.

Say tuned...