Saturday, December 27, 2014

I have an addiction

I have an addiction and I'm not afraid to admit it. All of my fellow surrogate sisters talk about having an obsession of POAS (peeing on a stick). Before the transfer I thought, nah, that won't be me. I'll maybe do it a few times but I won't go crazy. I thought this way up until the day of transfer. LOL. Seriously...I was ready to POAS that evening. They clearly were correct and I should have just accepted the facts that I would soon feel that same way! So since Thursday, day of transfer, I've peed a lot. As soon as I got a positive I have been doing it every morning.



Yes, yes I know. You're probably thinking "wont that get a little expensive??!" Not when Walmart sells them for 88 cents!!! Oh yes! I bought a ton of those and then the clear blue digital pack of 2.

I was able to test Christmas morning and I sent a picture to my IM. They were so excited! What a great gift I was able to give them that morning/day.


So now we wait, till Monday. Praying the numbers continue to climb. I'll go once and then go back 3 times I believe for them to test my beta and make sure the pregnancy is staying. Hopefully all of this works out the way its been going!! I'll keep you posted on Monday!!

Transfer Day

Please forgive me, its been a while since I've posted. We had the transfer and we are now currently patiently waiting until Monday for beta!
 
The actual transfer was a breeze, showed up downtown Chicago at the clinic, met my IM for the 2nd time and she even gave me a transfer gift. Comfy clothes from The Gap! She's so incredibly sweet!
 
So they take us 3 back to the room. Go over some paperwork, make sure we're all on the same page about how many embryos were transferring. As the RE is explaining the embryo she goes on to say "we had 1 healthy MALE embryo." I didn't know if we would find out with all the genetic testing that was done, but we did. It was so exciting to hear it was a little boy. My IM didn't even know! Poor thing, she was almost in shock, she didn't expect her to say male. It certainly makes it even more real.
 
Transfer was done literally in about 5-10 minutes. Its amazing what science is capable of letting us do these days. We were home within an hour or two and I was instructed to be on bed rest for 48 hours. Which I gladly did! :)
 
Now we wait the 10 days for the beta results. Praying for high numbers and that the little guy stuck and made himself comfy!


 

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

2 More Days!!!!

 
 
 
We've got 2 more days till transfer!!!! Haven't received a call from the clinic on a time yet but I'll be sitting by my phone all day tomorrow till we get the call. Its hard to even believe we're up to this point already. Its so exciting!!
 
 
On another note, I started the progesterone shots. The ones I was pretty nervous about doing. They're a pretty big needle that goes into your hip. You do one shot a day up until I believe the 2nd trimester. What a long time that will be but I'll just be happy if I can make it to that point!
 
 
I'm not as nervous as I thought I would be though. I'm really calm and at peace with everything so far. With all the hiccups we've had on this journey I'm just glad I can be where I am now.
 
We're only transferring one embryo. So hopefully the little one sticks. :)
 


Monday, December 8, 2014

Second Lining Check




So I had my lining check last Friday. While my lining was at a 9....which is great. My estrogen levels were only at 86 when they really would like to see 150 at the lowest. So they added an estrogen pill to my schedule and I went back on Monday (today) for more blood work and a lining check.

Got a call from my RE and my lining is now at
 
wait for it....wait for it........
 
drumroll please.........
 



 
The RE on Friday was originally concerned though not about my lining, but about my estrogen count. I was at 86 on Friday, I'm now at.....

 
 We are SO excited and happy that as long as everything goes according to plan, the transfer will still be on December 18th. Can't wait!!! :):):):)
 

Friday, November 28, 2014

First Check

 
 
 
 
 
Small update: had my first lining check!
 
Nurse called me today and everything is low and thin :) Which is good news!! My lining was thin, which we wanted and my estrogen and progesterone levels were all low. So now starting tomorrow I'll be going on patches and lowering my Lupron dose so that we can build my lining back up. Fun stuff :) BUT..we're on the right track is what matters!
 
My next lining check will be December 5th. Hopefully the meds until then will work and build my lining back up so that we can still have the transfer set for December 18th. 

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Great Article!

I just found this on a fellow surrogate's blog. GREAT read!
 
 
 
Happy Reading :)

New Cycle

 
 
Well the new cycle starts tomorrow. I'll begin my Lupron shots every day, hoping this all works out this time. We've got 1 good, healthy embryo for transfer. December 18th is the day! I'm trying not to get too excited about it since things have fallen through lately.
 
My first lining check will be Black Friday, so hopefully the numbers come back exactly where we want them. I've got the med schedule all set up and ready to go. I've been so anxious to start again, as are my IP's! :)
 
 


Thursday, October 9, 2014

I never knew..

I never really thought about everything that could go wrong during a surrogacy journey. As you know I posted yesterday about my lining numbers. I was super excited about it and glad we were moving through this journey at a steady pace. Until this afternoon....
 
I received a phone call from my RE. She said my IP's had decided to do the PGD testing on the embryos once they were retrieved. PGD is Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis. Its basically if the doctor recommends it or the parents choose to do the testing for a wide range of genetic disorders.
 
What this means for me....well its not great news and not horrible news. My RE said I need to cancel this cycle and stop all my meds I'm on because it will take several weeks to get the results back. My IP's had always said they wanted to do the genetic testing on the embryo's but apparently my coordinator at the clinic didn't communicate that to the RE. If they continued with me on meds my lining then would probably be too thick. So...I am back to square one. As disappointed and upset I am that this wasn't caught by the clinic, I believe everything happens for a reason and its all in God's timing.
 
Basically I will wait to get my period and then start back on birth control then start up again on Lupron, patches and pills and so on. So now the transfer will be pushed to November or December, depending on how the testing goes and the thaw of the embryos once I'm ready to go.
 
I really never knew all the different situations or scenarios that could come up during all of this. I know things can't go according to the way I want them to go but it really is disappointing. This is my 2nd cycle we've tried and the first time it was the embryos not making it through thaw and now this. I'm determined that this will happen, one way or another though. I have to keep reassuring myself that things could always be worse, right? 

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Lining Check

 
Went in for my lining check this morning. Was a tad bit nervous about my results (which I will get to in a minute) but much to my surprise there was no reason to be nervous at all. As she was doing the ultrasound she said things looked pretty good. Told me my lining was a little thicker on one side but that she would say it was about a 10-12. Instant relief was all I felt.
 
If you're not familiar with all of this stuff, usually a doctor wants your lining anywhere above a 10. Now all doctors are different but you always want something greater than 10. Which is what I have!
 
Once she was finished I did some lab work and then I was finished. My RE called me later this afternoon and said my doctor had reviewed the results and said that things looked perfect. My lining was at 11.5 which was wonderful. Yes, I asked again, "Perfect? So I won't need to add any other new meds? Just stay on the Lupron and the patches?" She said I was correct and my next scan would be October 15th.
 
 
 
 
 
So back to when I said I was nervous about what my lining was going to be. During my last cycle they had me on Lupron, patches, a couple different pills during my lining scans. My number then was 12.6. I thought for sure this time on less meds my numbers maybe wouldn't be that great. But apparently I was wrong. Which I don't mind being proven wrong in something like this. Haha!
 
So this time around my number is lower than last time but I'm feeling pretty good and things are going according to plan and I'm definitely okay with that.
 


Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Got the Call!!!

Got the call to go ahead with adding more meds to the cycle. I went on Monday morning and had my scan done for my lining and blood work was also done and everything looks great!

I was waiting to hear from my IM on her ultra sound today and blood work she had to have done in order to see if we were both okay to move forward and she text me this afternoon with "We're good to go!!" followed with a couple happy faces :):)
 
I'm so excited to begin again and I'm really praying that this time there aren't any problems and things all happen for us. I'm ready for this journey to really begin. I feel like I've been waiting for a while now. All in God's timing though, right? Right :) I just have to keep reminding myself of that, daily! haha
 
So I'll lower my does of Lupron a little bit everyday and then I'll be adding the Minivelle Patches on my stomach. They're not too bad, about the size of a quarter, the only pain about them is the sticky stuff that is left on your skin that you have to scrub off! Other than that, most of this part of it is a breeze.
 
So, as long as everything goes well we could be looking at a transfer date of October 19th-25th. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers, I know that I really want this to happen for my IP's and I know they're ready to make a baby as well :)

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Lupron Shots..

Have begun..which aren't bad at all. I remember the first time I did it at the start of my last cycle and I was SO nervous and watched a billion different you tube videos just to make sure I was doing the injection the correct way and it took a few tries until I actually stuck myself and I thought "really? this was all? I was freaking out over nothing?!?!?"



I'm basically doing a Lupron shot every night until my RE instructs me not to. I've got my first lining scan on September 29th, so hopefully my numbers are good again :) I can't wait! I'm sure my IP's can't wait either!

Yesterday was also the last day for BC pills. Praise the Lord!! I hate being on birth control, but its part of the protocol so no big deal. But if you know me personally you know that BC pills and I do NOT mix! haha..there were days I would often feel like a different person and I was SO quick to snap or be moody with anyone and everyone! But I can say goodbye to these!! :)



I'll be sure to update once I get a call on my lining numbers Monday afternoon! Can't wait! :)

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Meds Calendar has Arrived!!!

YAY!!! My IM and I have been waiting very patiently for the clinic to get the medical calendar sent out and actually started. So when I received this...
 
I was one happy camper!!! :) It feels like its been months and months waiting to get this. Now that we've got it though we really are just praying it all works out! So please, do us a favor and keep us in your thoughts and prayers!
 
I'll start up on Lupron September 19th, honestly it may sound crazy, but I'm so excited to start pricking myself again! HAHA :)
 
As you can see with a fresh cycle I will start on meds and then when we get to a certain point the IM will then be on meds and as we go as long as our numbers all look great then we can go ahead and they will retrieve the embryos from my IM and the transfer looks to be anywhere from October 19th-25th. AH!!! Can't wait!

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Bad News..

Received a phone call from my IM. There were 4 embryos left that they had frozen. The doctor called her and informed here that none of them made it through the thawing process. :( What I felt instantly was an indescribable sadness for my IP's. I myself never went through fertility issues when trying to have my own children so I don't even know how that feels. This was my first really big heartache through this whole process. I just can't imagine how that feels.


Moving forward though, my IM asked if I would be on board with going through a fresh cycle. I of course am on board. I really want all of this to happen for them. So now we start with a new clinic and new doctor and thankfully, its a heck of a lot closer! Which is a huge plus! With the first clinic and doctor we were going all the way down to Springfield which was a haul! So this will be much more convenient.

So here's to a new cycle and please pray it all works out!!! :) :)

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Baseline Scans and Labs

Down to Springfield we go! My hubby had to make the trip also because they needed our blood work again and I had my first scan to see how my lining looks after being on the Lupron for a couple weeks.

On our way home I got the phone call from my nurse that there was a tiny polyp on my uterus. In order to move forward with everything, I would need to have that removed. As I hang up the phone I explained everything to my hubby. Totally bummed out, I'll be honest, it ruined my day. I was so excited to hear about my numbers and if my lining was thickening.

The next day I received a call back from my nurse, in order for the procedure to be covered, my OB would need to do it. So I get on the phone, work it out with my OB. She can't schedule the procedure till July 24th, which pushes everything else back. My IM calls me a day or two later. Basically wants the IVF doctor to do it if I don't mind. The IVF doctor could do it Monday, July 14th. Then we can continue with the meds and be on the same schedule for the transfer to take place beginning of August.

You're probably wondering like I was, what is this silly little polyp? Where does it come from? Lol...apparently its pretty common in IVF treatments. I had all of my test and scans before we started the Lupron and things were just fine. Then all of a sudden I have a polyp. Its pretty routine and I've found a lot of other surrogates have come across this issue and have it removed and it doesn't affect anything as long as they have it removed. So my option is getting it removed...Fun stuff! Really its never a dull moment around here....stay tuned!!! :)

Friday, July 11, 2014

First Lupron Shot...

I had a date with this last night and boy was I stressing about it all day.
 
 
 
First Lupron shot and I really imagined myself taking hours and hours to actually stick myself with this one. I can't tell you how many you tube videos I watched just to make sure I was comfortable with it and actually doing it the correct way. I really wished I would have recorded it but I didn't. Lol I'm proud to say it only took me about 5 minutes and I did it! I was so proud of myself. Here I had been having such anxiety all day about doing this and bam, just like that I was done! On top of my high of being able to do it, I felt absolutely NOTHING! I thought, "Really, all that stress and I don't feel a thing?" I'll take it! I know towards the transfer I'll start the other shots and those aren't much worse than these, or so I've heard.
 
 
 
 

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Meds have been recieved!!

Here we go!!! It's definitely go time! I've received the calendar for the month of July on my daily meds and shots. I've received the box of all my meds as well. (Just a tad scary, opening up all that) Fun stuff..let me tell you.


I'm nervous, yet so excited all at the time. Not too excited about the shots but I'm so excited this part has finally come. Hopefully my body cooperates and everything goes smoothly! Found out I'll still have to go down to Springfield for all the monitoring and ultra sounds until the transfer. Once the transfer takes, I will then be able to start seeing my own OB. :)

I will really try and keep this updated as many of you follow me on this journey. Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Beginnings

You're probably here because you've heard about my surrogacy journey. First off, welcome! This was a very big decision that my husband and I made and we're so excited about it.

It all started when I had contacted the agency roughly a little over a year ago. In the back of my mind I never really thought it would actually happen, I wanted to do it but I think I just thought that I wouldn't meet the requirements or something would come up and I just wouldn't do it. So I filled out all the paperwork, sent it in and didn't really expect to hear anything right away. Well I was way off...the agency contacted me pretty quickly and did a short phone interview, my thoughts on surrogacy and my expectations about the process. I was on board from the beginning but then both of my siblings were engaged within a month of each other and I was asked to be in both weddings. So I decided to put the surrogacy process on hold until the weddings were over and the agency was more than understanding and said they would contact me after January 2014.

A few weeks after the last wedding, I heard back from the agency. They had found intended parents (IP's) and forwarded me their profile. I took a look, read about them, read her letter she wrote explaining why they were seeking a surrogate and then had my husband look it over as well. As soon as we read about them we felt they were a perfect match. We prayed about it and really felt like God had arranged all of this.

I contacted the agency and they then set up a meeting. We met them and instantly liked them a lot. I remember walking out and my husband saying "I really like them, I know it was only a couple hours of meeting them, but they seem great." I agreed. :)

Since then, the past few months I've been doing all of the medical testing and have officially been cleared! WOOHOO! Now is when the contracts will be drawn up and the legal stuff will all be put together. The fertility doctor is looking at a July transfer. We can't wait!

So I hope you come back again as I update on our journey and all the many blessings God will bring us through this process. We are so thrilled and excited that everything has come together and worked out the way he has planned :)

And...bear with me...I'm new at this blogging thing and hope as time goes by, I get better at it!