HCG – 230!

I went to Melbourne for my second blood test with my mum and little S. We took the train which I haven’t before (I’ve taken trains obviously I mean from our new house which is 40 mins from a train station). S was excited by the train ride. I think being unrestrained and having a good view of the scenery was the mainly what she enjoyed. We waited in the city so my mum could be with me when I got the call before she headed back to where she lives around an hour from Melbourne.

I got the call – HCG levels more than doubled from 94 to 230! So I am now in a much better range. I can’t feel too excited yet. I need to hear a heartbeat. Actually I probably need to feel labour pains to feel it’s real. But I am happy to get this far.

the day of ET

  I woke up on transfer day with a blood nose that just would not stop. It made me feel sick. It bled off and on for the entire time that I was trying to get ready. Great start.

I was late for acupuncture. I decided to try it again. The evidence seems to be there for pre and post transfer. Months ago I had tried it until I ended up with an injury to my foot (I couldn’t move my toes for a week) plus the acupuncturists were kind of rude. The new clinic was lovely. No awful comments. I did flinch a lot with the needles but the acupuncturist was nice about that unlike at the previous clinic.

I stupidly escalated my stress and anxiety by not being able to find a park when I moved my car before the transfer. I cancelled work (I’d planned to go in but once I was speaking to my boss on the phone I realized I was still sick and needed the day off).

Two embryos were transferred; a blastocyst of “average” quality and one that was just getting towards blastocyst stage. My doctor said it had a cavity but it was too small to see on the microscope that we viewed it on in the procedure room. I was told that while the other four were still alive, that they had not developed to day five and most likely would not be frozen.

It’s disappointing that this will probably be my only transfer for ICSI round two, but at least I know that I am transferring one healthy embryo. While I had six to transfer last time, they were mostly day two and chances are out of the lot I probably only had one or two that would have survived to day five. It’s a lot of cost, and time, and heart break to keep transferring little cell clusters that just aren’t gonna make it.

I had acupuncture once more before I left, a hot chocolate at a nearby café (the acupuncturist insisted I do this – I like this one) and now home to the couch, eating soup and watching Netflix. The acupuncturist said that I should watch a comedy tonight (I have read that somewhere) as it’s also meant to increase your chances.

So for this TWW (or 11 day wait) I’ll be trying: mostly warm and healthy foods; good sleep; (attempted) avoidance of stress; acupuncture on day ten; and no yoga classes this time (call me paranoid but my early miscarriage happened after yoga last time). Fingers so crossed!