Beta results

JSo I went in today and had my initial blood work done ( to check the pregnancy hormones in my blood) I asked the clinic what the required level is to be "pregnant" and was told a minimum of 50. I went and had my labs done and then it was the hardest part.....waiting. So I finally got the call....our beta results were 581:) So we will check the blood levels again on Wednesday to make sure that they are raising correctly. They should double by then. Thank you for praying with me and for me during this journey. 

So far I have had one day of nausea but other than that I have had no nausea or lack of energy. I know that it is still early but things are going so smoothly. 

Merry Christmas to all

I hope that everyone is having a Merry Christmas today so far. Our family woke up bright and early and opened presents and had breakfast (breakfast casserole that I cooked in the crockpot last night). It was so easy and so delish. Plus I didn't have to cook anything this morning so that was a plus.

I know that I am a bit behind but it has been crazy around here. So for the good news we had our embryo transfer on 12/17/15. We transferred two healthy embryos. I had laser acupuncture before and after the transfer. I was unsure what "laser acupuncture" was also and was slightly nervous, but it was completely painless. Pre transfer we also did a few of the regular acupuncture needles in my stomach. Everything went perfectly without any complications. Now we just wait until Monday 12/28/15 for our first beta Hcg. Only 3 days away and I am so excited. I will be sure to update everyone sooner this time. I hope that all of you have a blessed Merry Christmas.

Its all coming together perfectly

I have so much to tell you guys that I don't even know where to start. So first of all we are officially medically cleared and approved to begin the cycle. Well actually we were medically cleared about 2 weeks ago(I know I am way behind on updating you). So typically from the time that you are approved to start the cycle till the transfer is kinda a whirl wind because of all the lab work, ultrasounds, and medication that changes weekly. So I will try to catch you up and not leave anything out.
 
-I got the thumbs up to stop taking my birth control pills on 11/20.
-On 11/23 I had to go have a baseline ultrasound of my uterine lining (it is suppose to be thin at this point) and lab work. The ultrasound and lab work come back and was perfect. So I started taking Estrace twice a day and a baby aspirin once a day on 11/24 in addition to my prenatal vitamins and Levothyroxine (5 pills daily so far).
-On 11/30 I had repeat lab work to make sure that my estrogen and progesterone levels were normal. They returned perfect again (YEAH). That night I started taking the Estrace 2 tablets twice a day (7 pills a day).

So that catches us up to present day. My next step is lab work and ultrasound (they want my uterine lining to be nice and thick at this point) on 12/7/15. Depending on the results of this lab work will determine if we will continue with transfer on 12/17. YUP that's right we are planning on an embryo transfer in less than 2 weeks away!!!! WHEN (because my mom always said speak things as though they are) the results come back normal we will have a alot of medication changes and trip planning. So everyone stay tuned until Monday. 

Contracts. . . Medical screening . . . COMPLETE :)

John and I on the airplane

So I know that there has not been much to post lately but there really hasn't been much to report...until now. We have officially finished the contract phase. I feel like the contract phase went very slowly this time, but none the less it is done YEAH. The next step is the medical screening... oh wait I am pleased to say it is also complete.  :)

John and I traveled (location will be kept privately due to privacy reasons) to do the medical screening last week. We flew out Thursday evening and flew back home Friday evening. I tend to get slightly nervous when I am in a small space but I am proud to say that I did well on the airplane and didn't freak out. On the trip there everything went smoothly the only hiccup we had was on the way home we sit on the airplane in taxi for 60 minutes (that was slightly hard to keep my anxiety in check) but I did :)

At the medical screening we both had lab work done (they took 7 vials from me and a whopping 3 from him), we met with the Dr (I really did like him a lot), he went over the expectations and the procedure and of coarse my medical history. Then it was on to the saline sonogram (everyone who was around me knew how nervous I was about this because it was so painful the first time) well I am pleased to say it was pain free this time. He reported that the lining was nice and thin like expected and no fibroids. (My uterus came through for me again). After that we met with a super sweet nurse practitioner and she went over my medication schedule and the injections. As of right now we do not have a transfer date scheduled but hopefully we will know something in the next few weeks. They have to wait on all mine and Johns lab work to come back and make sure it is all normal.

Although it was a super quick trip we were able to spend some time with the IP and let me say they are truly amazing. They showed us around their home town and opened up their home to us. I feel like they are so easy to talk with which makes this journey so exciting. So the next phase will be to start the medication and schedule a transfer date. I will let everyone know when I find it out. Thank you guys for keeping us in your prayers with this journey.

Baby steps

I have noticed with this process that you have to have a lot of patience. There is a lot of stop and go and sometimes even two steps forward and one step back. But it is all part of the experience. As my parents use to say growing up "It builds character".

But the good news is we have a Medical screening date next month. They have called in the birth control and I have picked it up just waiting on my monthly friend to visit (at the beginning of October) What the medical screening consist of is I will fly to the IVF clinic with John and they draw blood, do a saline sonogram (not excited about this part), and do education on injections (its standard part but I do believe I got that part). But I am most excited about meeting the IP's in person! I have been able to text and face time with them and they seem so nice and easy to get along with.


So after the medical screening we will fly back home and wait on the contract to be finalized and for the IVF clinic to give us a transfer calendar. So although it seems like not much is happening there is slow forward steps happening.

Can it really be this easy?

Lets me think I feel like a lot has happened since I last blogged. Lets see the IP IVF clinic received my previous journey's file from the fertility clinic in LA on 8/21/15 and approved me to be a surrogate through their clinic and my IP received my profile the same day. On Saturday I had my BIG 3-0 birthday. Then on Monday morning 8/24/15 I received the best news ever, that the IP had looked at my profile and would like to face time with us. So on Monday evening John and I face timed with them. From the time that I read their profile I just had this feeling that they were the exact couple that I had been looking for. So we had our face time "meeting" and of coarse I was so nervous I thought I was going to vomit (I didn't). But it went so smooth and she was so easy to talk to. Like I got butterflies in my stomach (don't laugh). I am actually smiling just thinking about it. So yeah we are officially MATCHED.

The next few steps are a lot of paper work but the most exciting step is going to meet them in person. I am not sure when that will be yet but I will for sure let everyone know. I know that I keep saying it but I really do feel at peace with this journey. I do feel like it is a little bit easier since I have been through these steps one before :)

***So my kiddos have been in school now for 2 weeks and they all seem to enjoy it. Joslyn made the advanced women's choir, Hunter made the travel baseball team, and Logan is playing baseball but this year is pitching machine. I am so excited about all of their activities.

Do you like me?

As many of you remember from the first journey this is not a quick process. It has many steps. Some go very quickly and some not so much. So the initial application process is complete. The initial contract phase is complete. The phone interview phase is complete.  

John (my husband) and I at a baseball tournament.

Now onto the fun part, the matching process. This is how the typical matching process works.  Circle( the company that I am using) will send me a potential couple's (IP) profile and send them my profile. We both review it and decide yes or no that we would like to move forward. Now matter how secure I find myself this phase always makes me so nervous. I find myself thinking "Will they like me?" "Will my profile show what type of person me and my family are?" "Will they think that I am good enough"  I know it seem silly but I still do it. I get butterflies in my tummy and all. I have been praying that I will be matched with the perfect couple.

So I received a potential IP couple profile by email on Thursday afternoon. John and I looked over it and talked about it and we think that they are perfect. (Due to legal reasons I am not allowed to disclose any of their information) But take my word for it they seem to be what I am looking for. So this couple has decided that they do not want to view the potential surrogate's profile until their IVF clinic has approved me. So now I am just waiting on the clinic to approve my file. When I get word I will let everyone know :) It is so exciting to be able to have all of you to share this journey with this time.

So that is my surrogate journey update now how about a life update :) We have all been busy with getting 3 kids ready to start school. I officially have a 1st grader, 5th grader, and a 7th grader (I am not sure when she grew up but I have a child in Jr high this year!) We have almost everything ready for them to start school Tuesday. We have bought school supplies and new clothes. We have met their teachers and toured the schools (yes they will all be in different schools this year). I have been busy today trying to make sure their rooms and clothes are clean. Now I just need to meal plan and grocery shop and I will officially be ready. So that's all I have today for you guys.

Step 1 complete.....onto step 2.

So there is not a lot to update at this point. We have been working on all of the initial paperwork. Although I am a returning surrogate the still have to redo a lot of the paperwork. We had to updated my original application and change a few things that I do not want this time around. We are almost done with that and then we will be onto the next step...Legal department.

So I said that doing this blog I will be honest and I guess I need to be 100% honest. I have kinda of been dragging my feet through the paperwork stage because I was having second thoughts with doing another journey. So I had to sit down and try to figure out why. I think I have finally figured it out. The reason why I want to be a surrogate again is to help a sweet couple have a baby that they would otherwise not be able to. I want to develop that bond and go through this pregnancy with someone who is just as excited as me. This sounds silly but I want that special experience that everyone talks about. So why was I feeling so conflicted about it. Well this is what I came up with.....

I am more worried about what other people will think about me than what I want. Will they think I am crazy for doing it again? Will they think I am just in it for the money? That's when I realized that I was considering not doing it again for all of the wrong reasons. Why do I care so much what other people think. It is me and my family (and some friends) who have to deal with me pregnant again. My family and friends are supportive of it so I think that is what truly matters. My support system. So I want to thank everyone in advance for all of your support that you have given in the past and will continue to give.

 

It's been way to long

So I have been meaning to get on here and blog but it seems like I have been so busy lately with work and my kids baseball. So due to legal reasons I am not allowed to discuss my previous surrogacy journey in detail but I do plan on hitting some highlights that I faced, so I was thinking how about we start fresh with a new journey. Yup you heard me correctly I am signing up to be a surrogate again!!!! But this time I am determined to blog the entire journey so that I can share this journey with all of you. I am currently in the beginning phase of the process and am just now filling out the application but I am so excited that I wanted to let everyone know so that you can be looking for future blogs. EEk I am so excited to be back again.