My oh my, where do I even begin with the magic that unfolded on Transfer day?
First of all, it’s truly amazing to be this far in my surrogacy journey. I have dreamt of this for many years and the fact that I have been successfully matched with THE MOST perfect couple and working with THE BEST agency is literally what makes this experience so amazing.
Once we were clear on the legal end, all the fun stuff could start happening. My Intended Parents asked that I undergo an ERA first. This ERA (Endometrial Receptivity Assay) would allow the fertility clinic to take a biopsy of my uterus (endometrial lining) to determine how my body would react with the embryo transfer. It was basically a mock (practice) run that launched me to start Estrogen one week and go in for bloodwork and a lining check and then start Progesterone shots the following week. This process wasn’t long for me as my lining appeared to be exactly how they wanted it. *Insert happy dance. Pending the ERA results, the clinic would have a good idea of when our transfer date would be and while we waited, I had a small window of not taking the hormones. I was more excited about the no needle to the bum cheek. Before I blinked, our transfer day was here. My instructions read: January 18th at 9am. Come on a full but comfortable bladder. I’m about an hour and 15 minutes away so my bladder was just perfect upon arrival.
I was greeted by my sweet Intended Mother who so graciously came baring the sweetest homemade treats that she baked for myself and the staff. Like.. where did she come from?!? She is so incredibly thoughtful and kind. ALWAYS.
I don’t know why I felt like a teenager going to prom at this point. I wasn’t nervous in a “I might throw up” kind of way, I was nervous in an excited/butterflies kind of way. Excited that this moment was finally here. That THIS was it. I was finally able to help this beautiful family that I have LOVED getting to know make their baby. It was honestly perfect.
I did not opt for the Valium. Honestly, the clinic that I go to has been a real dream. As soon as I checked in I went back to our room with my IM. There was calm and soothing music playing and my IM was able to chat with me while we waited. I felt pretty relaxed. I had a warm blanket over me instead of the usual disposable cloth type sheet. Our Doctor and nurses came in with the BEST energy I could have asked for. They were so happy for US. SO excited and so genuine. They came in with an image of my IPs precious little embryo and we were ready to go.
I’d say at this point, it was feeling like a normal pap. Ya know, legs spread clear across the country, I mean chair. haha. Super bright light. My bladder was extremely full at this point, and in goes the catheter. Phew. Thanks for not peeing on yourself or the Doc Brit. Dr. asked if I could put my knees to my chest. Wait.. what? I felt slight pressure but nothing major. The nurse was there with the ultrasound so we could see my uterus and voila.. embryo transfer complete. It took minutes.
My IM was able to be in the room with me the entire time. I’m saying that because Covid has made it pretty difficult for many to enjoy special moments such as this. So I am glad she was able to be there with me. It made the experience so much more incredible. We decided not to take any at home tests and have a blood test appointment set up 10 days post- transfer, January 28th. Everything is still crossed. Praying this little embryo sticks and hoping that I can keep this sweet little baby cozy for the next 9 months <3
