My transfer appointment was scheduled for 12:40pm and the office offers acupuncture both before and after to assist with relaxation, so my actual arrival time needed to be 11:40am.
They provide some instructions that tell you to wear a "comfy shirt" and to bring socks for the transfer. They also instruct you to drink 32oz of room temperature water after my arrival and before the transfer.
Okay first things first...do I wear a dress? Do I wear a shirt and leggings? What's up with the comfy shirt thing? I finally decide that the acupuncture will probably be similar to a massage and maybe make ya strip to your under bits...(I really didn't do much research on acupuncture before I arrived) and figured I'd probably be in a gown for the transfer so...LuLu Lemon leggings and a comfy shirt it was!
I arrive on time with my husband and promptly use the restroom as I'm instructed to do. The acupuncturist came out very shortly thereafter to welcome me back. I asked if there was another waiting room for my husband to be closer and she said he was welcomed to join me in the room for acupuncture! Sweet, come on back babes!😜🥰
She welcomes me into this room, which has wall to ceiling windows and a beautiful view of the Gilbert Temple! I was so enamored with the view that it took me a minute to notice there wasn't a bed or a table...but instead a reclining type chair covered in large pads...(the kind that you typically have under your bum after delivery).
She instructs me to sit down and take off my shoes. As she talking to me about...who knows what I suddenly feel a small ping of pain right on the top of my head, I look over and she seems to be just going through her items like nothing happened...so I thought weird I wonder where she's going to stick these thi...(ping, ouch) I guess my ears were next!
It wasn't a lot of pain, but like a quick twinge or sting then it immediately went away. Except for my ears...I pretty much always felt those ones (3 in each ear).
Okay so now the fun part. She asks me to lift up my pants so that my shins could be exposed. (Remember I'm wearing LuLu leggings...which are meant to suck you in) I reach down and do my best not to create a tourniquet under my knees folding my leggings up.
I barely felt the ones placed in my shins or toes, then she asks me to pull up my shirt and expose the part of my stomach between my belly button and my pubic bone. (I've had a lot of kids...this is the part I call my apron aka FUPA and remember what LuLu Leggings are intended to do? Make that part look better by disguising it!)
So I look at her blankly as I'm trying to think of a way to do this without losing circulation to my entire lower half 🤣 and without looking like a stuffed sausage! Well after a few seconds I realized I didn't have many options...now that the needles are already in my feet and legs. So I pulllllll down on the leggings and as expected the sausage like tummy spilled out of it. I could only imagine what her view of me was! Haha my view wasn't good and I could only see from a downward angle...which I'm very sure was better than an upward one😜! (I feel like I kinda gave up my dignity years ago with the delivery of my large babies...so it is what it is at this point.) Meanwhile, she's sticking six needles in the fun part of my tummy and asking me to continue drinking my water. (Which is NOT room temperature, nor 32 ozs, but got the job done.)
After she finishes inserting the remaining needle, she covers me in one of those first aid type thermal blankets...aka a foil wrap and lets me know that she will be back, ten minutes before my procedure. Wow- that's it? She just sticks needles in and leaves? Yes. Apparently that is exactly what she did. (I think this is absolutely normal for acupuncture. I was just unprepared and thinking of her massaging my neck or something while the needles were in...which would have been a-ok with me!)
Okay so now what? I immediately begin to hear my stomach growl...(I guess that's a sign that it's working actually) I didn't even realize I was hungry. So I kind of start to stare off and before I know it, I'm being awoken by the acupuncturist letting me know my sister and her family were outside in the waiting room and wanted to know if I was up for visitors. Children aren't allowed back, but I let her know that both my sister and her husband were invited to come back with us - as long as they knew I was wrapped up like a sushi roll - toothpicks and all!
So she leaves and now it's been a solid 40 minutes since I've been laying here and my bladder is really beginning to let me know it's full. My sister and her husband come back and chat for a bit and soon I'm realizing that it's passed the time the acupuncturist said she would be back! My bladder is READY for this transfer to take place like...NOW.
A few minutes later, she returns and apologizes for the delay. She asks me if my bladder is full and I don't even let her finish her sentence before blurting out YES! I'm ready. She smiles and says okay - that was the reason for the delay. The woman before me didn't have a full bladder and they had to wait for it to fill. So I assured her, we would be good. She quickly took out the needles and then provided me a gown, head covering, and booties to put on. She asked if I would be having a partner in the room with me and I said yes, so she handed them all booties and hair coverings also. (The clinic was super accommodating and allowed both my sister and her husband to join us in the transfer room.)
So I walk in and lay down on the table, putting my legs into the stirrups (similar to a PAP exam). I immediatly tell her that my bladder is ooober full. After a quick check, she agrees and then yells "Ready!" at a decible that completely conflicted with the reverent experience thus far! 🤣
Okay so I would say the transfer experience should be similar to a PAP...except apparently I have what is called a "high cervix" and "they don't make speculums long enough to reach my height of cervix". (I'm not sure why I've never had a problem with having my regular GYN scraping my cervix for a PAP?!) Yet these are some of the things I heard while the doctor is digging around inside me, with a nurse pushing down on top of my tummy and full bladder with an ultrasound! To say it was uncomfortable, would be an understatement. I kept apologizing because I was truly in fear that I would not be able to control my bladder much longer. (I mean, let's be real...having six children vaginally has not done me any favors in the muscle department downstairs.). The whole process was bearable, but uncomfortable. The doctor at one point was concerned he wouldn't be able to put the catheter into my uterus successfully so he asked for all recording to stop. I felt kinda bad - like there was something I could have done to make my cervix lower or something? (All my babies were high, I never dropped with any pregnancies...my doctors were never bothered about it though...maybe they just hid it better than this guy?)
Anyway after what seemed like an hour (probably more like 10-15 minutes) he found the place he needed to be and then proceeds to yell "READY"! (Like in Austin Powers when the lady yells for her son, "SCOTT!")
A door in the back opens and a nurse quickly comes in announcing the genders of the two embryo's they will be implanting and the last name of the mother and the last name of the patient, which was me😊!
He lets the room know that they can begin recording once again and draws the attention to the screen where you can see a small flash of light as the two embryo's are released within my uterus in a small bubble of air! It was pretty amazing to watch. He quickly withdrew the catheter and explained that it was a success...he was able to release them high into my uterus and the rest was up to my body.
Small white spot on the top of the
He left and I was immediately able to go relieve myself in the bathroom..phew! I really did impress myself with my ability to hold it in!!🥳. (As you can see, I like to celebrate small wins!)
Now we wait....they said the blood test is scheduled for June 29th!
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