We talked

I talked to the IM on Sunday and I couldn’t be more excited about all of this. She is such a perfect match for me. We both were raving about how wonderful Agency For Surrogacy Solutions is. We love how they have such a personal touch in the matching process! You’re not just a picture with a questionnaire on their website for everyone to look at, but a real person. They took the time to match the IP’s beliefs with mine.

I leave on Tuesday for California for the transfer which is scheduled for Friday the 5^th.  Our Heavenly Father has been so gracious; leading me to the agency, the IP’s, and California. I was born and raised in California and still have family there who I get to see!

My direction has changed a bit. I’ve been praying so hard for the transfer to work and no more than 2 babies that I forgot about praying for my IM. She has been through such a long emotional journey trying to conceive. I pray for peace for her as well as a positive pregnancy test in a couple weeks.

That was it!

I had my first “big” shot today, and it was nothing! I didn’t feel a thing. I thought that the little needle was easy but the big one was a breeze. I do have a word of advice: DO NOT go on You Tube and watch how to administer it. It scared me so much that I had to lie down to have my friend (she’s an ER nurse) give me the injection. I was shaking like a baby only to hear her say I’m done. That was great to hear! I’m still amazed at how easy this all is. I’m just praying that the transfer works.

I was telling my husband yesterday that I was going to start my new injection today and that one of the side effects was irritability. I told him not to worry since the Lupron was also supposed to cause irritability and I’ve had no problems with it. He chuckled and said it wasn’t irritability, it was HELL. We both started laughing! I have to say what a blessing my husband is…not one complaint during my so called “mood swings”. He learned to just keep saying “yes dear.” I just love that man I married!

Hot flashes

The hot flashes have begun, and I’m only 31! I thought I was doing well with the meds and not having any side affects except for memory loss. Wow, I was wrong. The hot flashes have started and I didn’t even notice until yesterday, as my kids are always wearing a sweater in the car and have blankets on in the house. I keep the AC cranked on high in the car, and wear shorts all day. The day I really start going through menopause I’m moving to the North PoleJ

I’ve also have never felt so heavy, not fat, but heavy. It’s like I have weights on my legs all day. My runs have been so slow that on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. My 4 mile run took an hour. I was getting so fed up with my slow times that I told myself that the medicines were not going to slow me down anymore. On Tuesday, I ran 4 miles in 35 minutes. Accomplishment, I love it!

The biggest complaint I’ve had is I’m so tired! I don’t ever remember a time in my life that I’ve been this tired. I’m taking a 2 hour nap every day with the little ones and I’m in bed by 9pm. It’s funny. Child #4 got a birthday invitation for Friday from 12-2. The only thing I could think of is are you kidding me? That’s my nap time. We are going to show up for an hour and then it’s nap time for us. Other than that, things are going so well and very easy. The doctor said that everything looks great and I’m exactly were I’m supposed to be. I’m looking forward to my 36 hours of bed rest next month!

So Relatable

October 15th is special

Today is national pregnancy and infant loss day. It doesn’t seem that many people even realize that a day even exists like that. October is usually known for breast cancer awareness, which is great too. I hold this day dear to me, as I have suffered from miscarriages.  I understand the pain, loss and future plans you had for that child are lost in just a moment.

It got me to thinking that there’s not a day for those who can’t have children. Those who are infertile or just struggling to get pregnant and can’t. I can’t even imagine what it would feel like month after month of trying only to have AF come for a visit. That, I’m sure, would have the same feeling as a miscarriage. Your hopes and dreams for a child you have not conceived are lost in that month. My heart just breaks for those not able to have a child, as my children are the world to me and I couldn’t begin to imagine how quiet my life would be without them. I’m the opposite…my husband looks at me and I’m pregnant.

I’ve never been more proud to be a surrogate and help a family’s dream of having a family come true. I’ve found comfort in the Natalie Grant song Held.

What's my name?

I had an interesting day with a little short term memory loss. I’m thinking that might be one of the effects of Lupron. I was signing my children in at church and completely forgot their names, ages and even forgot my name. Since we go to church every week they know us well, so we all had a good laugh. It did leave me with a strange feeling. Then I did laundry all day. Well, before I went to bed I went to get the toothpaste from my bathroom drawer, and there were all my husband’s socks! I don’t even remember putting them there. Again, all I could do was laugh…Just hope I don’t forget where I put my children.J

Lupron a success

1^st dose of Lupron I’m proud to announce was a success! I knew that Lupron would be easy for me to do myself since it can be done in your stomach. The joy of having 5 children means a little extra skin and loss of feeling in your stomach. Another plus is the needle is so small, so no pain as the needle goes in. The only negative I had was it did burn shortly after the injection, but applying a heating pad after helped a lot. I only wish the other shots that are coming had needles that smallJ

Winnie the Pooh

For some reason Winnie the Pooh crossed my mind today. It made me think about that in surrogacy you seem to get so many different reactions from friends, family, and even strangers. Which lead me to think that people are like the characters from Winnie the Pooh. Crazy I know, but if you think about it it’s true.

You have Eeyore who’s smart, but keeps to himself. Kind of like your neighbors on their opinions about what a surrogate really is. Then there’s Tigger who’s one of your good friends, who’s bouncy, and full of excitement about what you’re doing. Then there’s Piglet who I would think is like the IP’s, just going on a long adventure and hoping for a good outcome. You have Rabbit who I think is your agency keeping things together and organized.

I think surrogates that blog and help educate people are like Kanga and Owl, warning others of danger, offering advice and opinions. I think I have a movie I need to go watch!

The Meds. Arrived

Yay! The medication arrived today! I’m in shock just how much medication is needed for the whole process. I was very excited about receiving all the meds, but couldn’t believe the size of some of those needles! The only thought crossing my mind was “wow, my butt’s going to be hurting!”….  The major concern I have about all the meds, is how my body will react to so many in a short amount of time. I will have to wait and see. At least I don’t have to worry about my husband or myself doing the shots wrong. My good friend is an ER nurse and she’ll have the duty of giving me injections. Here's a picture of all my meds and needles.

My Agency!

If you’re looking for a wonderful HONEST agency, try mine. Agency For Surrogacy Solutions. I really did my homework when looking for an agency. I wanted someone who wasn’t just a receptionist to answer my questions, but a person who was in charge. I not only received a call back, I spent over an hour on the phone with Kathryn who answered all my questions and addressed my concerns.

The part I love most is both the owners Kathryn and Lauri have used surrogates themselves. They know the process so well and are very open about every process along with my case manager. When I went to California for my medical and physiological evaluation, I was greeted by Lauri with a big hug at the doctor’s office. I felt like a close friend or family member due to her warm greeting and conversation. She stayed with me through every procedure which meant so much to my husband and me.

If you need an agency, do your homework, read blogs, go to Surrogate mom’s online and educate yourself. I did just that and couldn’t be happier with my decision. If you might consider using Agency For Surrogacy Solutions, tell them you heard about them from Jen’s blog. If you have any questions, I would love to answer them for you!

I'm a Gestational Surrogate

I’ve had a lot of mixed reaction when telling friends and family that I’m going to be a surrogate. The first major question is how I can give the baby away. Let me tell you that I’m a gestational surrogate, so it’s not my baby. A gestational surrogate is one who doesn’t use her own eggs, but one of the IM or egg donors. The embryo is that of the IM and IF or of donors… There is NO way I would ever give any of my children away! The baby will not be biologically linked to me or my husband. Like I’ve told my kids I’m going to be babysitting someone else’s baby in my uterus, and when it’s born I give it back to their mommy and daddy.

How It Began

Becoming a surrogate is something I’ve always wanted to do since I was in high school. I watched on Dateline a story about surrogates and it made me really think that one day I would love to do that. I’ve watched my aunt struggle 14 years after the death of her daughter to have another child. She had miscarriages, failed adoption and nothing worked. It made me think more about being a surrogate, even more, so I could help her. I myself was not done having children, so I knew that I couldn’t emotionally do it for her. I love being a mom and hope to complete someone else’s dream of one day being a parent.

I’ve since completed my family! I have 5 children and love every minute with them. It was in December 2009 that I had my well woman check up and my doctor asked me if I was ready for another. I paused and realized I was done having my own, but missed being pregnant more than anything. That’s when I came home and told my husband it was time for me to become a surrogate. I started researching every agency under the stars, background checking who worked for the agencies and finally found one I loved! One of the owners talked to me for over an hour and answered all my questions. I was still breastfeeding my son, so I wasn’t able to be matched. I finished breastfeeding in April and was matched a week later with a great couple.  We flew to California in July to have my psychological evaluation and medical screening. All went well and then we had the wait game for a couple months.

I’m excited to say that we now finally have a date for a fresh embryo transfer. It will be November 5^th.  I’m now just waiting for the meds to arrive.