‘Extra’ Embryo Options
When I had my oocyte (egg) retrieval back in 2008 they harvested 29 eggs. Of those 17 fertilized. Of those 12 arrested by day 3 or 5 (stopped growing). That left me with 5. We transferred 2 fresh on day 3 – one was Aellyn. Asher and Boston were both frozen on that same day as 3-day embryos. They grew the remaining embryos to day 5 to see if we had any strong ones. We had one make it to blastocyst which was then frozen on day 5. In 2010 we thawed Asher and Boston, grew them to blastocyst (day 5) and transferred them. We have one remaining embryo in...
Read MoreQuiz: Should You Wean for Fertility Treatments?
Welcome to the Carnival of Weaning: Weaning – Your Stories This post was written for inclusion in the Carnival of Weaning hosted by Code Name: Mama and Aha! Parenting. Our participants have shared stories, tips, and struggles about the end of the breastfeeding relationship. One of my most popular posts of all time was Breastfeeding Through Infertility Treatments IVF and FET which was really my own research and decision making process regarding the topic. It is really a very difficult decision and most of the “experts” in the field are simply ill equiped to help you make...
Read MoreBreastfeeding Through Fertility Treatments (IVF and FET)
Update! I know many people find this post from a forum or google search on breastfeeding through fertility treatments! Welcome and good luck on this difficult decision. I get lots of questions about how my story turned out. I *did* breastfeed through my FET and I did not tell the doctors. I was prepared to completely lie but no one even asked (probably because they didn’t think an 18 month old was still nursing). They thawed 2 5-day embryos and grew them to blastocyst. They both survived for transfer day and 7 1/2 months later I gave birth to my beautiful twin sons,...
Read More10 Things NOT To Say To the Parent of an A.R.T. Child
A.R.T. Assisted Reproductive Technology. I’m a Mom of an IVF/ICSI baby but there are many other types of A.R.T. parents: ZIFT, GIFT, Microsort, IUI, DI, DE, DI/DE, etc. Like what NOT to say to an Infertile friend, here is what NOT to say to parents of A.R.T. Children. 1. Oh, so is she like other babies? Well, besides the fact that she turns into an ogre under the full moon? First, is there an appropriate way to ask this of anyone? Second, when all other factors are equal, IVF babies are no more at risk than any other baby. 2. She’s a Test Tube Baby? Seriously? If...
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