Take a Shot

Tonight is the night before the egg retrieval which means that it also marks the first intramuscular (IM) progesterone in oil (PIO) shot I need to give myself. To be honest, this is not something I've been looking forward to at all. I was a nurse for 5 years and have given thousands of shots, however, none of them were pointed at me! There really isn't much I can say that makes this easier or less than what it is.

So, what is this?

This is a medicine that aids in pregnancy (it is naturally produced with natural pregnancies). Since I am undergoing a medically induced pregnancy, my body needs the added boost of synthetic progesterone in order to support a pregnancy. This is part of the contract that I signed when I agreed to be a surrogate for B & R. 

It's also a freaking big needle used to draw up 1mL of a really thick liquid of which I am then supposed to inject into my thigh or fanny.

What am I thinking?

Before I get too worked up over the whole injection thing, I grab a trusty ice pack and start freezing a 6 inch area of my thigh. (As I've said, I've had lots of experience giving shots and know some of the tricks to ease the pain). 20 or so minutes later I'm drawing up the medicine and cleaning my site. Shot #1 done! Now I'm off to spend some quality time with a heating pad on the site to help work the medicine into the muscle.

Ugh, really not my favorite experience. What kind of person willingly agrees to puncture themselves every day for a couple she's been introduced to only 4 months ago? Shots, raging hormones, medicines, procedures, stretch marks, heart burn, increased thirst/decreased appetite, exhaustion...

Then, realization hits me as I'm putting my children to bed. My little one softly murmurs "Lubbs you mommy" and I just melt. To help a couple experience the love for their child, to assist a couple who naturally cannot have a child in creating a family. That is what this is all about. The "lubbs you" and the child's snuggles. It's all about inviting a miracle into our lives.