#atozchallenge Letters to my Embryos: B is for Blastocyst

Welcome to Day 2 of the A to Z Challenge, an April blogging challenge where you aim post every day during the month following the letters of the alphabet (with every Sunday bar the last one off).

In the past I've used the challenge to blog about my infertility and the IVF process. I'm following a similar theme this year as we wait to begin the process for a Frozen Embryo Transfer, having completed a Freeze All IVF cycle in February.

We currently have nine embryos sitting on ice, my little bubbles, and this April I am blogging to them about the process of how they came to be.

Dear Bubbles,

At the time of writing these letters to you, you're currently what is classed as blastocysts. That's a very important stage in your development, more important than learning to read, or write, or walk, or talk; before we could even think about you being able to do any of those things, you had to become blastocysts.

Everyone alive today, and everyone who has ever lived, was once a blastocyst. It only lasts for up to about four days at by the time it starts you're just a bundle of somewhere between 30 to 40 cells, each one of which is growing and dividing and preparing to become some important part of your growing body.

Each step of our IVF/ICSI treatment was about getting to the next step of the process, but once you'd been created, we suddenly had to put the responsibility for the next step on you. This was something you had to do on your own.

And thankfully you did. You were strong and for five days you thrived and grew.

And now we just have to hope that you carry on as you have when we're able to put back where you belong.

All my love,

Your Mum