Step 1: Becoming a Chicken

The first phase of IVF is growing massive amounts of eggs and retrieving them in order to make the embryos (an embryo is the stage between a zygote and fetus). To begin this process you need a large pharmacy's worth of medications and injections:

Meds

Every morning and night you'll need several hormone injections. Some of the medications burn like Hades so I find that it's helpful to have something to squeeze so you don't end up wanting to swat the kind person giving you the injection. My medicine-friend:

Mr. Puff

The medications will begin rapidly growing your eggs, which will in turn rapidly increase your waist size. Then you'll need a sweet husband to buy you new stretchy pants, and a sister to buy you new pj pants for when even the stretchy pants no longer stretch enough to fit your middle. And she'll also send you a card to remind you she knows what you're going through and is here for you.

Lululemon

"Sending you a hug..."

When your hubby isn't available to give you the shots, you'll need another volunteer. And since some of the shots are time sensitive, that volunteer will need to be willing to wake up even at midnight to inject you. Thankfully for me, my mom is a great shot-giver (even at the wee hours of the morning or night) and was willing to help.

[I'll spare the pictures of what two sleep-deprived women (one of which is fat and hormonal...and wasn't my mom) look like during these moments.]

Throughout this process you'll be visiting your doctor often, if not daily, for testing and monitoring. When he deems you are plump like a chicken with lots of eggs ready for hatching, he will schedule your retrieval procedure. The day before you'll want to be on the couch, with a heating pad, nauseous from loads of hormones, feeling like you're so full it's hard to even breathe, and thankful no one has to see you looking like a hippo.

Me out on a walk today

So in short, that's the first phase of IVF. Where a typical woman ovulates 1 small egg per month, I am about ready to pop out at least 20, if not more, monster ones (which is the reason for such a big midsection). Although highly uncomfortable, this is great news in the IVF world. So I'll take my pj pants and heating pad and be thankful for my abundance of blessings!

Please be praying and wishing us well as we go into this procedure tomorrow. Our main concerns are my level of pain (before and after), side effects of anesthesia, and quality of embryos made. I'll be back to post more as I know and am ready. Thank you so much for your continued support!