We can’t sleep…. We can’t sleep….

These past several days have been filled with so many questions and wonder. Kevin and I have taken our guess as to how many eggs will be retrieved from our donor. Kevin says 18, I say 14. We both find ourselves reading many articles pertaining to this stage of retrieval. We have also researched the process in between the fertilization and the implantation. The embryos’ will be monitored by Dr.Samit for three days to observe the growth of each one. Within these three days the cells division takes place. Each embryo should have six to nine cells divided within itself. The slow growing or fragmentation has occurred within the embryos, these will not be used for implantation. A fertility doctor wants the strong, minimal fragmented embryos. Doctors here in the United States prefer to what five days of growth. This is the “blastocyst” stage. This makes it easier for the fertility doctor to determine which embryo(s) will implant and develop.  It also insures less risk of multiple births. India is different. The standard growth time after retrieval is three days. After which each embryo are then graded. Depending on the intended parents, we have the choice to choose up to five embryos to be implanted at one time. The remaining embryos’ are then clinically frozen for future use.
It’s been a few days since I’ve last spoken to Angel, I’m becoming concerned. So Kevin and I called Lexi and we received her voicemail. We left a message asking her to please call us back with any updates from the clinic.
As for us, it’s a wonder how our feet haven’t left the ground yet. We are floating on cloud nine. This beginning has become all of what Kevin and I do. Literally, we have surrounded our life around having a baby. We are basing this all on assumption that we will get lucky on our first try. We constantly talk about becoming parents.
From the names to the education we will provide him.
We too surf the web. Most of our free time is spent learning and absorbing as much as we can for this step of our IVF.
 Yesterday I was researching how IVF became started and by whom. Going through an article on line we came across something very interesting. IVF began with a British biologist Robert G. Edwards who created in vitro fertilization with a colleague, Patrick Steptoe, a gynecologist and medical researcher. The pair's efforts led to the birth of the first "test tube baby," Louise Brown, on July 25, 1978. Since then, over four million babies have been born through IVF. Because of these two men, thousands of family’s are able to have their own baby through his research. It just amazes us what science and mankind have created throughout time.
I too think because we are beginning IVF I am hearing more talk of it now a days. I hear it on the news, magazines, blogs, newspapers and conversations from other women that surround me. Just the other day I was in a department store’s fitting room and two women were talking about the one’s surrogate. True story. I think this coincidence goes along with that saying” because you are currently experiencing the newness of something, you will suddenly see or hear about it more around you.” Either way, we both are enjoying the talk of others. We don’t feel so alone and segregated by our choice to have a family through IVF.
As for the “waiting game”, we are sure Dr.Samit and his team is doing everything possible to assure us a healthy baby. As for updates, we will request that they are sent to us a little more frequently. What can I say, we’re worry warts!