The Big Day

Well LH and I arrived late last night in Los Angeles. We called PB, our surrogate from the road to arrange meeting at 9:30 AM this morning for breakfast. After breakfast we drove PB to the appointment at California Fertility Partners.

At the appointment, PB went ahead to the examination room, while we waited. After she was situated, we joined her in the exam room. Jody, the embryologist wheeled in the incubator, and Dr. Ringler brought in a report and pictures of the two embryos chosen for transfer.

LH and I were allowed to view the two embryos under microscope in the incubator, before the procedure began with PB. Afterwards, we sat for an hour with PB, and kept her company while she had her mandatory bedrest. They kept her tilted on the bed head downwards at about a 15 degree angle. In a strange twist on surrealism, the TV in the exam room was on and tuned to the National Geographic channel. During the transfer, they ran a segment on cross dressing men in India, where it was normal to sleep with other men on only one holy day a year. After that show during the bed rest, National Geographic continued on with a show on stolen Egyptian antiquities.

Kim, the psychiatrist from Growing Generations, visited us during the one hour bed rest wait, and brought gifts for LH and I, as well as for PB. We received a book on an embryo's development in the mother's womb, while, PB received a silver bracelet, with a charm attached.

After the hour was over, we were allowed to take PB back to the hotel. We let her rest for a bit, while LH and I went out to get lunch and then browsed in a bookstore on Sunset Blvd. before we returned to the hotel, where PB had munchies for chocolate and sunflower seeds, which we got her from a local quickie mart.

We then kept her company watching TV, and eventually a movie before leaving her to rest for the evening. We'll see her again tomorrow, and have another day of bedrest before she can go home on Thursday.