During the embryo transfer, the doctor uses a very small catheter guided by ultrasound to place the embryos inside the uterus. During our transfer, they printed a picture labeled with “B” for bladder, and “E” for embryos (actually the air bubble where the embryos are – they’re too tiny to see), and we got to keep it. I have never had a pregnancy ultrasound picture that I got to keep. All of our pictures before this one were the sorts of things doctors don’t let patients keep: empty sacs or an empty womb where a baby should be.
This picture is different; it’s actual proof that our embryos started out in the right place – proof that we have done absolutely everything in our power to have a baby that is genetically our own. This picture is worth thousands and thousands of words. Words of hope and possibility and life. This picture makes me feel like this could be the first positive step towards holding a baby of my own. It feels like a real pregnancy.
Monday is the pregnancy test, so we have less than two days left to wait. By Monday afternoon we’ll know if either (or maybe, just maybe, both) of the embryos implanted. Then in a few more weeks, maybe we’ll have another good ultrasound photo to add to the album.