Day 16: Fertilization

2nd March 2016

It really is nothing short of Divine intervention: my steel-encased egg has apparently fertilized with one of Erroll’s wayward swimmers, overnight in a Petrie dish at Conceive Clinic, under the watchful eye of the Embryologist who plays pleasing Quranic verses related to fertility while she does her thing. I know; I’ve heard the melodies four times now.

Today’s wait to find out about the fate of my lonely egg was mind blowingly nerve-wracking. I just had to get out of the house; do something fun and invigorating. It was my Aussie mate Kate who entertained me throughout the crucial hours before I received a call from the clinic late in the afternoon. ‘You are to scheduled to arrive at the clinic by 10:45am tomorrow Alice’ a voice told me while I pushed Kingsley in the pram with one hand, the other holding my phone and wind coming off the Arabian Gulf whistling so loudly that I could barely make out anything.

I was still not knowing whether the egg fertilized, this being yet another fear of mine and hurdle number 10 on this whacky journey so far. With so many sad stories I was reading on a secret Facebook page I have (stupidly) joined dedicated to IVF/ICSI concerning the trials of hopeful mothers, I attempted all day to remain calm/numb to my damn mind turning sour with pessimism. So I asked the girl on the line again ‘has my egg fertilized? IS MY EGG FERTILIZED, PLEASE TELL ME’ I yelled in the end.

The panic in my voice must have alarmed the girl who quickly got a nurse to call me back. The egg got fertilized, she assured me. But to me this was no time to scream victory. Not at all. Will the transfer be successful? Will the little embryo stay? Will I be declared pregnant in a fortnight’s time? With a tired and hungry Kingsley still needing my attention, we managed all sorts of chores before heading home to my new regimen of meds now that embryo transfer is booked in.

A jab of anti-coagulant in the belly + a corticosteroid pill down the throat + a pessarie of progesterone up my clacker. I am now ready to receive you, embibaby number two…

Kingsley aged 2 years 2 months at our local playground

Kingsley, our first embibaby who stuck around, aged 2 years 2 months at our local playground