Transfer Update: All Is Well...

There is a lot to be thankful for today...our four embryos did well overnight and three of them grew nicely while the other one stayed about the same (it didn't degenerate so we were thankful for that). We tried to stay up for the news but Dr. Kadam and Goral emailed us late last night after we went to bed with a summary of the procedure. So this morning we woke up and found out that 1 B and 3 C's were transferred into our healthy, triple layer surrogate and all went smoothly. Each emby got a little help from a procedure called Laser Assisted Hatching or LAH.

This is where a small laser creates a very precise hole in the zona (or shell of the embryo), to assist in hatching and implantation. The zona usually hardens after being frozen and thawed so it makes it more difficult for the embryo to break out of its shell. And just for the record, the zona is not a living part of the embryo, so it does not harm the embryo at all.

So...we've got LAH and fluffy, triple layer walls!!! Sounds like a recipe for success. Grow Baby, Grow! Pregnancy test on November 2nd.

Namaste.

Triple Layer and Fluffy...

Another update, this one on our healthy surrogate: Triple layer lining measuring 9.5mm and ready for transfer! 

"Thank you..."

Grow Embryos, Grow!!!

I thought I would send it out there for everyone to think positively about -- we've got four embryos that survived the thaw! Here's to being thankful that they will continue to grow in culture until tomorrow, have a successful transfer and grow like crazy in our surrogate's womb.

We'll get an update tomorrow night. Goodnight...

Thaw Baby, Thaw!

Well tonight we'll find out the results of the thaw on our embryos. There was some delay in surrogate prep but now we are on schedule to thaw tomorrow and transfer on Thursday. We should know the results of survival by tonight before we go to bed...and then will have to make a decision on what to transfer by the next morning.

My friend gave me some advice about staying positive and talking about a positive (healthy) pregnancy even before it happens. Every morning before she was pregnant she got up and said "Thank you for this healthy pregnancy"...well, needless to say, she has a beautiful little boy, Jack Henry. Sign me up...(thanks Les!)

So today we say, "thank you for this healthy pregnancy, and thank you for successfully thawing all these great embryos to transfer in to our healthy surrogate..." We are so lucky to have another good chance, "thank you!!!"

I can tell it's working already...we are going to be dads!

Second Attempt...

Today is Discoverers Day (Columbus Day outside of Hawaii) and I couldn't help but ponder the title of our blog -- Looking for Baby.

Looking?...Discoverers?...hmmm. Call me superstitious but I'm working every angle here. I may have to change the title to Discovering Baby!

I know, I'm strange. I think this surrogacy thing is making me crazy.

So anyway...in celebration of Discovers Day and continuing the quest as we look for this baby, we are officially fired up for our second attempt! Which happens to be this week. Today we found out that our surrogate is ready for embryo transfer so most likely a pregnancy test will be at the end of the month. Let's hope these embies persevere like Christopher Columbus and thaw like champions and discover the new world of a nice, warm, fluffy uterine wall!

Let's make some babies!!!!!!

A Big Thumbs Down...

This morning we received word from the clinic that our surrogate had a negative test result.  Crap. Double crap. Crrrraaaap!!! If I wasn’t in my car when I got the email I would have dropped to the ground and flopped around like an alligator…talk about a Manic Monday -- sheesh Ganesh!

Ok, time to regroup.  This is obviously devastating and a big surprise (especially considering we transferred five very good embryos), but we are not giving up.  Over the next few months we are going to work hard to make parenthood happen for us.  We feel we have at least one more shot with the embryos frozen in Mumbai, so we’ll set things in motion for another surrogate asap.  We’re trying to schedule a call with the clinic soon so we can get some recommendations and next steps, including an indication of why this didn’t take on our first try.  I understand this is not an exact science, but we want to gather as much information as possible to get it straight in our heads (though I’m not sure that will ever happen).  And we know there is some hope in using the B and C embryos we have frozen, just our odds are not as good.  There are success stories everywhere, so that helps a bit.

Along with moments of insanity and fits of anger and sadness, there are a several things that eat away at our hearts and minds right now…

1.  The fact that we lost such good embryos – 3 A’s and 2 B’s!  OUCH.

2.  Was our surrogate prepped well enough?

3.  Was there something that went wrong on the egg or sperm donor side? 

4.  How will our embryos survive the thaw?

5.  And lastly, I HATE breaking bad news to people that have been so supportive.  Kelsey was such a hard call to make, though she took it very well, even on her birthday.  And I just labored over having to call Bill to tell him the news, as he had just left the house when the email came in.  I wanted to be there to hug him and be comforted and reassured by him.  He’s my rock.

All these issues, questions, excuses, endless projections and wondering of what will be are like bumper cars in my head.  And really, at this moment, what we are left with is the same answer we received this morning…Unfortunately, it's a negative,...I am sorry :(

But do not fear.  We are back on our feet.  This adventure WILL continue.  Stay tuned.