A Bambina or Bambino of Our Own

Trying

The next few days were nerve racking to say the least as they waited to find out how many of their eggs developed into embryos.

On the fifth day, they got the call. Both of them, shockingly, were home when Maya's phone rang.

"Carina, it's Dr. Howard," Maya called, running into the kitchen where Carina had been making pasta.

"Answer it," Carina said, wiping her hands on a towel.

"Hello," Maya said, answering the phone and putting it on speaker.

"Hello Maya," Dr. Howard said, "Is Carina with you?"

"Yes," Carina answered, "We are both here."

"Alright," Dr. Howard said, "Well, as you know, we collected twenty eggs on retrieval day, and today, we have ten viable embryos that are ready for freezing."

"Ten?" Maya said, eyes wide as she smiled at Carina, "That's great."

"It is," Dr. Howard said, "They are heading for the freezer now and will be ready whenever Carina is. By the way, Carina, your bloodwork and scans all came back normal so we are ready to proceed."

"Great," Carina said, "I will call and get my next appointment set up. Thank you Dr. Howard."

"Thank you," Maya called.

"You are both very welcome," the fertility specialist said, "And congratulations again."

"Wow," Maya said, hanging up the phone, "Ten embryos. That is so many."

"Si," Carina said, nodding as she put her arms around Maya, "It is."

"What are we going to do with ten kids?" Maya asked, suddenly realizing what ten embryos could mean.

"We do not have to use them all. I certainly do not want ten kids," Carina said, laughing, "And they might not all stick. There is no guarantee that they will."

"I know," Maya said, nodding as she kissed Carina, "I don't know why, but suddenly, this all feels so real."

"Si," Carina said, "For me too. In the next month. I might be pregnant."

"Wow," Maya said, pulling Carina close, "We should go celebrate."

"That's a great idea," Carina said as Maya started pulling on her shirt, pasta making long forgotten as they headed into the bedroom.

Unfortunately, getting pregnant was a little trickier than either of them anticipated. The two transfers didn't stick, leaving both of them slightly disappointed, but they knew it wasn't the end of the world, and Carina scheduled her third transfer hoping to have better luck, deciding to use two embryos to increase their chances this time. That one got canceled because both Maya and Carina came down with a terrible stomach virus the night before the transfer.

The following month, still deciding to use two embryos, and that if it didn't work, they were going to wait until after the holidays to try again. After the required waiting time, they were elated to find that Carina was pregnant. It was mid-October, and they decided to wait until Christmas to tell people, just in case.

By Thanksgiving, Carina was starting to feel pregnant. Her boobs were sore, she had bouts of morning sickness, and she had to pee all the time.

Both Maya and Carina were getting excited about the prospect of their new addition, and much to Maya's chagrin, Carina insisted they tell their friends and family on Christmas. The plan for the day was to spend the morning with Maya's mom and brother and the afternoon with their friends at their place.