Never use google to figure out what your body is doing.

Ok, actually, in all honesty, fellow bloggers and IVF future mamas on the web have been extremely helpful at filling in the blanks for us…

Searches like, “Am I supposed to be extremely uncomfortable following egg retrieval?” Or “What is the best position to sleep in after egg retrieval?” Have been really insightful. Because of these searches I learned things the doctor and nurses never told me… like, sleeping sitting up until the ovaries’ swelling goes down, it may be hard to get back to usual activity the next couple of days, drink lots of Gatorade and eat a good amount of protein, and how about: P.S. (excuse the TMI) you’re going to be super constipated and it’s going to feel like knives when you pee.

Yes. It’s been an awesome 36 hours at the Hutchings’ home.

But I’m pushing through the pain and have a very understanding dude.

So, thanks for that Dr. Google. It saved me some serious discomfort. Oh hey, fertility clinic nurses, love you, but just tell us like it is. You’re going to be in excruciating pain during post op and you really shouldn’t just take one day off work, but several.

Now, to the findings…

We heard from the embryologist via a icy facts only email at noon today… (I get it, they are just doing their job… but I’m on pins and needles here)

“Hi Jessica,

This is the embryology lab from Ovation Fertility in Las Vegas and we are writing to you today to update you on your fertilization results. After your retrieval yesterday there were 15 mature oocytes to inject out of 15 total retrieved. Today you had 11 oocytes with fertilization. We will continue culturing your oocytes and hope to see development into embryos. We will give you a final update after we have a final blastocyst count (6-7 days from now).”

Mmm. k. So, is that good???? I mean, I think so…

Here is where google is not so friendly. Some people with 11 of these oocytes with fertilization come out with zero embryos, some with 5-7, and sometimes all of them work.

I can do like my grandpa taught me and think, “Don’t expect anything.” Or, I can be the eternal optimist…

For our thousands of dollars and my seriously aching ovaries, I’m going with the ladder.

One thing is certain, I need to get my mind off of it the next 6-7 days or I’ll go mad.

Go ahead, distract me. 😂

My ovaries had a big day today.

While I experienced the ultimate Shabbat nap under anesthesia, Dr. Shapiro went on an egg hunt. He injected each of the 32 follicles and drew out 15 beautiful potential eggs.

Earlier in the morning, we provided a sample from the Chazzband (we’ll use this as Jeremy’s nickname, Chazzan’s-husband).

When I woke up in recovery, I was relaxed and felt like I was drunker than I’d ever been. I kept wanting to see my blood pressure, and remember asking the nurse with slurred speech (is my pulse too high?). Who knows why I thought of that. She was sitting next to me watching a reality show about fishermen on the high seas. I passed out again and woke up to her calling my chazzband that he could come back and get me.

As always, he was gentle and patient. He listened closely to the do’s and dont’s for the rest of the day. We went home and I slept another 3 hours.

Since then, I’ve been bloated beyond measure, uncomfortable to the point of painful when I go to the ladies room, and while tired, also anxious.

Now, we wait.

I wait out the swelling. (The follicles are beginning to bulk back up with fluid and it’s kinda awful).

We wait for news. Within 48 hours we’ll know how many of the 15 eggs fertilized and within the week we’ll know how many embryos we made.

It’s now in the hands of the embryologist and Ribono shel olam, Master of the Universe. It is out of my hands.

Shavuot begins tonight. A festival holiday where we celebrate in the sweetness and the responsibility we were given when we received the Torah.

For me, this Shavuot reminds us to have hope, be ready for great responsibility, and savor each sweetness we receive in this life.

May we study intensely, look within ourselves, and eat all the cheesecake. Chag Sameach.

Thanks for joining me! This is the story of my struggle with infertility. I’m not quite sure where it will lead but the goal is that in sharing my story, it may help/inspire/support others who are also yearning to be parents and making an effort to make that a reality.