From 6 to 3

Yesterday's check in, I guess you could say, went well. From the 6 eggs they retrieved, only 4 were mature enough to ICSI. And one of those four did not play nice with the sperm. Which has left us with 3 embryos. As of yesterday the 3 contenders were at 2 cells each. Because of my "age" and the number of embryos we have, we've been told we will have a Day 3 transfer.

That was a shock.

This whole cycle has been a shock.

You truly never know what is going to happen with IVF. Something I've been sharing with many of you privately. Each cycle is different and your body reacts differently to the meds each time. So when we went from 13 eggs 2 years ago to 6 this cycle, I was beyond shocked. Then to hear that we only have 3 embryos (versus 8 before) I am on edge. My nurse was very positive though, and said that our odds are quite high and the fact that 4 out of the 6 eggs were mature, is wonderful. And the fact that 3 are growing strong is a great sign.

I'm continuously reminding myself that you only need one good one. You only need one good embryo to get pregnant. I know many people view embryos as babies, which I do as well. There is life forming, and growing in those 3 embryos. Those are our children, waiting to grow. Waiting to have a chance.

Today we'll be getting a report on how those 3 made it through the night. I can quite honestly say that I am a nervous wreck. I keep telling myself to remain positive, imagine how I want things to go. That foreseeing the future will help. That staying positive and sending those little embybabies all the positive energy I can, will help them mature.

So that is what I'm doing. I'm going to picture them tucked tightly into my uterus, home safe and sound, and growing on schedule.

It's hard to imagine if all 3 grow properly, what to do. How do you decide which 2 to choose? I was asked this morning if we'll be putting all 3 in. Unfortunately, because of my age, I doubt my doctor will go for that. Nor will my husband. Day 3 transfers are apparently more prone to multiples. One of the reasons they lean towards Day 5 transfers instead. Apparently the embryo has a higher chance of splitting once in it's normal environment than in the petri dish around day 3-4 growth.

What's a girl to do?