Kokopelli

The day of my transfer was overall uneventful but I wanted to share a few quick stories from that day so that I don't forget.

My mom had to take me to the appointment because Nate had already flown back. I didn't have any idea how long the wait would be, so it's a good thing my mom brought her ipad to keep her busy.

I was taken back and given a pill to "relax my uterus", I know they told me what the medicine was, but I can't remember what it was called. Then they asked me to undress from the waist down, as per usual, but I'm glad that I asked how long the wait would be. When she told me 15 minutes, I knew I couldn't make it. I had wanted to make sure my bladder was full enough so I had downed a liter of water in the car on the way over to the appointment. She told me to go and let a little out, so I did.

I waited another few minutes for the doc to come in, but after a quick abdominal ultrasound, he told me my bladder looked like Lake Michigan and my uterus looked like tiny Chicago by comparison. I joked with him that it was ironic that he should use that comparison because I'm originally from Chicago.

I thought he was just going to have me go pee a bit more, but instead he whips out a catheter. Now, I've never been catheterized before, so I didn't know what to expect, but he said it was easier to get my uterus the exact straight shape he wants if he does it rather than letting me pee. He drained my bladder into a pan and handed it off to a nurse and told a quick anecdote about dumping it on a woman's husband's cashmere sweater. The removal of the catheter kind of pinched and I peed pink for a day or so, but overall it wasn't bad.

He called in the embryologist and told him to "load one up" for me. The embryologist brought in the catheter and with a bright flash on the screen the job was done. They checked the catheter and it had gone in.

Once the transfer was done, which was painless and quick. He used the mouse on the ultrasound machine to draw a heart shape around the little white line he told me was where they put the blastocyst in. He printed the picture and gave it to me, I carried that around all day! I tried to scan it, but you can't see the light heart drawn onto the picture.

After the transfer, he told me I had to lay and rest for an hour before I could go. He rubbed my stomach and showed me the charm around his neck, it was tucked in under his tie, so I never saw it before. I knew what it was right away, it was a Kokopelli charm, the Native American fertility god.  They are all over New Mexico! I just never thought to buy one or wear one or do anything with one. He told me that he wears that charm so that the fertility gods will always be on his side. It seems kind of corny now, but at the time, it made me so glad that I trusted him with all he had done so far.

It was really much less eventful than I thought it would be. But I do want to make sure that I remember it.