Still going strong

As of yesterday (Tuesday-day 3), all 16 embryos were going strong, with the exception of one that was a bit behind. Dr. Stoelk said that they all looked very, very good--"top of the class." Most were between 7-8-and 9 cells (0ne that was just 5 cells) and even a couple that were at the "compacted morula" stage. Click here to see a compacted morula with a brief definition. Embryos typically reach that stage on day 4, but looks like we have a couple of overachievers in the bunch :) Ahem...the apple doesn't fall far from the tree ;) We are praising the Lord for these blessings! He is the giver of life. IVF can only bring us so far in this journey, so we are fully dependent on the Lord to breathe life into our little ones.

Today's update (day 4) was excellent as well!! Many of our embryos are now at the "compacted morula" stage and one is even an "early blastocyst." Click here to see an early blastocyst and read a bit more. It appears that 2 of our little ones are lagging behind, so my doctor is not sure if they will keep on trucking. They have only gained one cell from yesterday to today, which is a strong indicator that they are slowing down :( The miracle is that we still have 14 healthy embryos on day 4!!!! Thank you, Lord!!! We will continue to focus on the positives and be thankful for each one that the Lord gives us. Most of our embryos are grade 1 (the best) and a couple are grade 2 (still good). This is incredible.

We have decided after much prayer and talking it over with my doctor to transfer our very best 2 embryos tomorrow morning. We had been discussing transferring 3, but my doctor is extremely hesitant with me being young (for IVF) and the high quality appearances that my embryos possess. My doctor had 2 of his patients get pregnant with triplets in August, which is never an ideal situation. It's definitely a gamble to put 3 in, and we have decided it is best not to take that chance and risk the health of our babies and myself. We have waited so long to be pregnant and have children, it's just not worth it. With that said, it was still not an easy decision. After all, our limited experience is that we could have put 7 embryos in last time and not one would have implanted. Even though they all looked great, it was still not to be, for reasons only the Lord understands. In my doctor's 20+ years experience, he has witnessed triplets implanting too many times to gamble with someone my age and with great embryos. So, 2 it is, and we hope and pray that both implant and grow to be healthy babies.

With all of this excitement regarding our embryos and the possibility of us being parents, it is still difficult to truly rejoice in the midst of the tragedy taking place within my family. My grandpa will most likely not be with us much longer and we are heartbroken over this sudden decline. We thought we would have more time and hoped to spend Thanksgiving in MN, but that will be too late. If I could have gotten on a plane after my egg retrieval, I would have in a heart beat, but I could not leave my embryos. So, time has been ticking away, and it pains me to be so far away from my family.

I am grateful that my transfer will be tomorrow, so that I can spend Thursday and Friday resting before I leave on a plane for MN. We have decided that it is best for me to be with my family and we grieve together, versus waiting until grandpa has passed or the funeral arrangements have been made. Paul will bring me to the airport in Seattle (2 hours away) on Saturday morning and I will stay until Monday, October 26th. Paul will continue working through next Wednesday, then he flies out of Seattle on Thursday the 22nd. Then, we will both travel home together on the same flight back to Seattle on Monday afternoon, October 26th. We hope that the funeral will be held while we are there. So many uncertainties. Whew. I'm so glad that we have the Lord and can cling to His promises that He will never leave us or forsake us. We are taking quite a few faith steps, but we are resting in the fact that God is in control.

Transfer:

Tomorrow, Thursday, October 15th at 9:30 a.m.

Prayer Requests:

*pain and discomfort would be minimal for grandpa

*strength for my parents as they take care of him at home

*comfort for our family who is grieving

*for Lisa and Dr. Stoelk to choose our 2 very best embryos tomorrow

*for a smooth transfer

*SUCCESSFUL IMPLANTATION, please!

*safe travels for all of us--many family members traveling from out of town, including my brother from Switzerland tomorrow

Love and blessings to you.