Not All It's Cracked Up To Be...

Another day in bed! While I thought "I will LOVE this!!" it turns out...I don't. I can only surf the internet for so long. There's only so much on TV. The reclining position causes me to doze off a lot. And laying here kind makes me obsess over every twinge and cramp. Not to mention, Gavin came down with a cold yesterday. Being up here while he's down there - or in his crib struggling to breathe because of his congestion - breaks my heart. Plus, I'm a self proclaimed expert with the bulb syringe. The best boogie sucker on the East Coast, if I can brag a little. I miss Brian, too, who I've heard laughing and playing under me.

Luckily, today I had coverage. Ed delayed going into work this morning until my sister, Bean, got here. She stayed all day and had fun with the boys. She had to leave at four, so her relief was my Mom! She stayed until Ed got home from work. It was a big relief to have help.

In my web surfing, I did a lot of research on embryo transfers. I felt desperate to find out what exactly is going on each day. If you were wondering, too, I found a great chart that outlines what should be happening!

What Happens After an Embryo Transfer?

Once you complete your embryo transfer, you will have approximately 1½ weeks to wait before a pregnancy can be detected. The following table outlines an approximate timeline for what happens during a successful pregnancy after a 3-day transfer (3dt).

3-Day Transfer

Days Past Transfer (DPT)	Embryo Development
One	The embryo continues to grow and develop, turning from a 6-8 cell embryo into a morula
Two	The cells of the morula continue to divide, developing into a blastocyst
Three	The blastocyst begins to hatch out of its shell
Four	The blastocyst continues to hatch out of its shell and begins to attach itself to the uterus
Five	The blastocyst attaches deeper into the uterine lining, beginning implantation
Six	Implantation continues
Seven	Implantation is complete, cells that will eventually become the placenta and fetus have begun to develop
Eight	Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) starts to enter the blood stream
Nine	Fetal development continues and hCG continues to be secreted
Ten	Fetal development continues and hCG continues to be secreted
Eleven	Levels of hCG are now high enough to detect a pregnancy

I am two days past transfer so I still have an anxious week or so to go! I can't wait to get back to my boys...but this feels very worth it to me. The injections, the intense (and I mean intense...ask Ed) hormone fluctuations, the blood tests, ultrasounds, egg retrieval, bloating, pain, embryo transfer, bedrest.... all of this is to expand our family for Gavin and Brian. I would be miserable if I didn't try to give them another sibling. And I'd be miserable if I didn't allow myself every shot to have another little child to call me Mommy.