Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Helping

So last night Baby had to do her first injection for IVF using a little needle attached to a pen that goes into the flesh around the navel. After a couple of hours of waiting for the on-call doc to call back and explain what to do when the pen dosages don't match up with the dosage instructions (wtf Gonal-F?) it was time to do the deed. Baby swabbed her stomach with antiseptic and then stood there poised. And stood there.

"I can do that, if you want." I said after a few moments.

"Maybe that would be a good idea."

She handed me the pen, told me the procedure, and looked away. So I squeezed a pinch of her stomach and stuck in the needle and depressed the pen. This felt a little creepy. But it was also kind of awesome. This was the first time I felt like I was actually doing something to help this pregnancy thing along. Yay! I helped!

During previous cycles I mainly stood around like a third wheel while the doctor stuck his hand up Baby's hoo-ha and shot in yet some other guy's stuff. It's disorienting to feel like an unnecessary body guard during the possible moment of conception of your own kid. So I'm surprised but pleased to find that moving on to what is a more difficult, physically taxing, and 'medical' attempt to knock Baby up has at least one positive result - involving me in the process. Hopefully it will also work. Fingers crossed . . . .

9 comments:

  1. Sounds like you did great! I might have to call you over to our place when the time comes. Col can't even be in the same room with me when I have to do an injection. Hoping for smooth sailing for you both from here on out.

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  2. Yeah for shooting Baby up! Baby is brave girl. When Super S did my injections, not only did I look away, I completely turned the upper part of my body around and cried sometimes too, not from pain, from just the thought of the needle. Heres to more smooth injections and a baby soon. xoxoxo

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  3. Glad you found more of a way to be involved. Hopefully you have the magic touch!

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  4. Much hope and many positive wishes coming towards you both that this is a fabulously successful cycle. Hope the remaining shots go well.

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  5. Well done - a significant psychological hurdle has been cleared! Onward, onward!

    Fingers crossed indeed..

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  6. I'm really glad there is a positive aspect to having to do IVF. Wishing y'all the very best of luck.

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  7. It is awesome that you did the deed for Baby. I make Tam do the same, and I definitely do need her. I don't care what anyone says--it hurts! It's not unbearable by any means, but the injection stings a lot going in. The first time I had to trigger with Ovidrel, I did the same thing Baby did. I just sat there on the bed with a needle in my belly unable to push the plunger. I finally called Tam to help me, and that's our daily ritual now with all of the stims.

    Just curious, is baby on an antagonist protocol or a a Lupron protocol? I started Googling the difference last night and I really shouldn't have. All it does is leave me with doubts...

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  8. A fine question, Pom. I answered in my next post, but here, too -- it's an antagonist protocol.

    Now I'm dying to know what your googling taught you, of course....

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  9. What a great and unexpected aspect of IVF! Sounds like you make a great team!

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