30 pounds lost in 2 weeks!

I went for a 2 week follow up for them to check my c-section incision. Everything looked great. I topped the scale the day before the due date at 212 pounds and on Thursday, I weighed 181 pounds! Damn! awesome! I'm still supposed to take it easy for 4 more weeks. It would be great to lose around 10-12 more pounds AND be in healthy shape. I am feeling good.

Where is that big belly?!

gone, gone, gone! Instantly, so is the tailbone pain and acid reflux! hallelujah! I got out yesterday to visit my mom. Today was a cool, but beautiful day, so we took a walk around our pond and the kids played outside. Felt good to get some fresh air!


Here is a reminder what I looked like 2 weeks ago! :)

I am doing pretty good. The last few days, I have done little housecleaning tasks. My husband, Brian, worked from home all week. I am not supposed to drive for 2 weeks. Brian did go in to the office Friday morning for a quick meeting and things did not fall apart. :) I have weaned myself down from a ton of pain pills to only 2 Ibuprofen every 5-6 hours. The last few days, I have been transitioning (from sitting/standing and getting out of bed) without grimacing in pain. My incision area is still sore, but manageable. My sister had her c-section a month ago and said there are days that she will pick something up and still feels pain in her incision area. I want to take the recovery seriously as I don't want any problems to develop.

I still have a little belly pooch, of course, but I am feeling skinny already! I have yet to try on my jeans since I have been wearing comfortable clothing to not bother the incision area, but feeling good! I am interested in seeing what my mood and physical state is after all the crazy hormones subside. With the addition of thyroid medication, I am excited to see what my energy level will be. (They discovered I had low thyroid early on during the comprehensive medical exam and after getting levels where they wanted, I started on other hormones to get ready for the embryo transfer.)

My hormones have flared on and off the last couple of days. I have been weepy at nothing or minor things. For example, I read an obituary for an old couple that the woman died on Thursday and her husband died the following Saturday. Then, someone posted a clip from the movie The Notebook (one of my favorite movies) and it got be crying. Just stupid, random crap. Oh, oh, oh, and Brian used the words hormonal in a conversation with me and I was offended and started crying. Poor guy! lol I can still laugh at myself and realize that it is crazy hormones taking control, so I am not all worried. I always like to pay attention to my emotions though. I can't go and get all depressed - got too much stuff to get done!

1 week ago

1 week ago, I delivered a beautiful baby girl to a wonderful family.

BEFORE Grace arrived, her mom often times stated it felt surreal. During that time, it felt very real for me as I was carrying her. Now, I think it probably has switched. I feel that surreal feeling. It has only been a week, I am still recovering from the delivery, so it should still be very real for me. However, sometimes it feels like a world away, like a dream ...it is surreal.

I have spent my recovery time relaxing with the kids, watching shows on Netflix, reading some quilt magazines and books, putzing slowly around the house doing minimal tasks, and contacting friends online.

I think surrogacy will be in my blood for awhile. I appreciate my friends that have been there since the very beginning, offering words of encouragement. It is awesome that some people have followed me from the time I expressed interest in it to the the delivery. Truly awesome! Thank you friends for sharing in my experience! I have enjoyed reading other people's blogs and connecting with new people. Just this past week, I have met 2 new people because of this adventure.

I have communicated with Grace's family via e-mail and everyone is doing very well.

My breast milk came in and my breasts were VERY uncomfortable for 2 days, but it has started to fade. I still have some sore areas and need to further dry up, but nothing like I imagined it was going to be. I am feeling a bit more hormonal these last 2 days. Weepy at nothing and silly, minor things. Looking forward to that passing!

Very happy mom and dad!

LOVE this picture!

My labor/delivery/recovery

I called Thursday morning to Labor & Delivery to see if they had room for my scheduled induction. They did. I called the parents who had to travel approximately 3-4 hours. They started on their way. Brian (my husband) and I arrived at the hospital at 7 AM. They started Pitocin, I started walking around the halls.

I kept in touch with the parents until they arrived around 10:30-11 AM. Things were progressing nicely. Contractions started getting uncomfortable - I received an epidural sometime in the afternoon when I was dilated to 6.5. The dilation kept increasing nicely.

It was time to push. Mom grabbed my hand, we looked at each other, and both started crying! I pushed through 3 contractions, then was asked to push through 2 more contractions. After the 3rd contraction/pushing, they were having trouble picking up baby's heart rate. The pushing was not moving baby far enough down - she kept slipping back up. They tried to put monitors on the baby's scalp - she had a ton of hair! Every time they did pick up the heart rate, it was very low and had them very worried. They discussed vacuuming, but baby had slipped back enough it was difficult to grab onto anything. I vaguely remember catching a glimpse of momma's worried face in front of me. I felt disoriented, they put an oxygen mask on me to help both me and baby. After 5 hard pushes, they felt an emergency c-section was needed. I shook my head yes, that was fine, but had already turned inward to my own world. I vaguely remember being wheeled away to OR.

It was REALLY weird. I could hear little bits of pieces of everything that was going on, but mostly kept my eyes shut, and remained in my "safe world", so I would not panic/freak out. I could hear them saying I was one of the most calm patients they had ever worked with. I opened my eyes once, could see the real world, the bright lights, the blue cloth in front of me, felt weird, and quickly closed my eyes again. I felt my hair being rubbed and hand being held, most likely all by Brian. They gave me a Benadryl shot in the left arm, but then I felt tingly in my right shoulder. Nobody knew what that was about. I tried to massage it a bit. I could feel the pressure of the cutting, tugging, sewing me back together. Brian was impressed with being able to see my pink eggplant uterus just flopping around outside of me - he has commented about it several times.

Supposedly, it was like the wild west baby draw. They were very impressed with the response time and how quickly they got baby out. I could hear the baby crying, the mom apologizing to me and thanking me for giving her a baby girl, everyone commenting how BIG she was after weighing her in at 9 pounds, 3 ounces! Her APGARS were high - she was very responsive. She was okay! They named her Grace.

I could hear Brian talking to someone on the cell phone filling them in on the events. I then apparently slept for 2 hours in recovery. The nurses were all very nice and praised me for how hard I tried, how calm I was, and what a great gift I gave.

While wheeling me from OR recovery to my extended recovery room, they stopped by the nursery and held up baby Grace. She is BEAUTIFUL - wonderful olive skin and head full of hair! At that time, the daddy was able to get Grace and bring her back to their room for the family to hold for the first time. The hospital was able to set up the family in the room next to mine, so nice! They brought Grace over to meet me later that evening and I held her for the first time. ABSOLUTELY PRECIOUS!


I pushed the morphine button a lot that night and got some good rest. The next day, they took the morphine drip away, started on Narco and Ibuprofen, took the catheter out, and had me walk to the bathroom. SUCK - it hurts! One good thing about c-sections is that they irrigate and suction your uterus out a bit while they are in there, so there is a lot less bleeding afterwards. My vaginal/vulva area is not sore either, so that is nice. The pain in the incision area sucks though!

I stayed for 2 nights in the hospital. The family was able to take Grace home after 24 hours. before they left Friday evening, they brought Thai food to my room and shared dinner with me and presented gifts to my family - super sweet! I also got to feed and hold Grace again.

Many nurses were interested and asked questions about the surrogacy experience. Everyone was really nice and helpful.

I came home Saturday evening. It feels good to be under warm blankets and answering e-mails. My husband is being wonderful and supportive. I feel very loved and cared for. I continue to move around like a 90 year old woman, but feel that the incision area is slowly decreasing in pain. I have LOTS of gas build up from surgery and look forward to all this passing! It helps to get up and walk around and work some of this through. My breast milk has started coming in today - that has been uncomfortable! I have kept a snug bra on and put ice packs on them tonight! I imagine tomorrow will NOT be pleasant!

It makes me smile when I think of Grace with her perfect family. They are all beautiful! I am very proud to have been a part of this journey!

I am surprisingly feeling alright about the c-section. I may have felt differently if this was my first child and having a chance at a vaginal delivery greatly decreased afterwards. I don't like the unexpected change in recovery...I know what to expect with a vaginal delivery and this recovery is keeping me from things I would have otherwise done more quickly. It is all okay though, as I believe I will recover eventually and a beautiful, healthy baby is with a deserving family.

Now, I am off to take more pain pills, go pee, rid some gas, and all that fun stuff! :)

Hold you over till I can post more. ;)

me and surro-baby Grace, delivered 12/8: 9 lbs, 3 oz!
she is beautiful! Look at those chubby cheeks and head FULL Of hair! Amazing lil' girl!
I am waiting to hear from parents if they are comfortable with me posting pics with them in it and I will post about the birth story soon. As for right now, I am going to take my sore belly to bed and get some rest. :)

Baby Grace is here!

Hi All. Just a quick note to say that Grace was born Thursday evening at 5:49 PM via emergency c-section, weighing 9 pounds, 3 ounces! Everyone is healthy. Baby Grace is home with her wonderful, loving family. I am home as of this evening and recovering. I will provide more details and some pics when I get a chance. I am very honored to have been a part of this journey! Looking forward to posting more later.

Baby coming today, I think!

We will be going to the hospital here in a few minutes to hopefully have this baby sometime today. Parents are hopefully driving safe and staying sane on the way here. I will update as I can. YAY!!!! :)

40 weeks - no baby yet!

Had an appt today - I gained 3.5 pounds in 3.5 days!!!!! My blood pressure was 131/84. I was dilated only 1 cm, but they said later pregnancies can move quick. I was 80% effaced - she said my cervix was thin and she could feel the baby's head low in my pelvis! After poking around on me, the baby's heart rate was running high, around 180, so they had me do a fetal stress test. They monitored baby's heart rate, movements, and any contractions. Everything checked out okay - she just guessed it was from poking on me. I had some contractions, 2 - 14 minutes apart, 2 - 8 minutes apart while being monitored. They said it does not distinguish between REAL and Braxton Hicks though. She stripped my membranes, initially it hurt like crazy, but after taking some deep breaths, she was able to rotate around the entire cervix. I have felt crampy since leaving the appt. and have had some contractions, but nothing regular. I would say tonight in the middle of the night real labor will begin, but I have felt this way for 2-3 weeks, so only this baby knows!!!! OMG! Anytime now!!!!

39.5 week belly pic

still no arrival of baby, so these belly pics from today will have to do..... :)

39.5 week doctor appt

We all want to meet this baby!!!!! Today I had a doctor appt.

I gained 2 pounds since last week's appt!!!! My BP was 118/82. Baby's heart rate was 145. The doctor made a guess that this baby will be 8 lbs, 6 oz! OH my!

I have extra mucousy discharge, but still no bloody show. My "contractions" are more crampy. My next appt. will be with a midwife on Tuesday, the 6th. The doctor wants me to have dilation checked and possibly strip membranes. He has scheduled an induction for Thursday, Dec 8 if baby has not arrived by then. I will need to call early that morning to see if there is room for us and if there is, we could go in. The doctor thinks I will go into labor before then, but we will see.....He said he would really like to be there for this delivery and plans on being gone Friday the 9th for a week, so if we are comfortable with inducing then he would like to do it on Thursday before he leaves.I bet it will happen this weekend! ;)

39 weeks - no baby yet

Feeling almost every symptom in the book and this baby is trying to bust out big time, but no real labor yet! Everyone is super anxious to meet this lil' one. The mom told me she woke up the other night dreaming she heard the phone ring, she went to check it, NOTHING! I will try to post when I am in labor, not sure how crazy things will be though. I have an appt on Friday.

38 week appt.

No exciting news from today's appt. Everything seems fine. My blood pressure is good at 110/72, only gained half a pound from last week, baby's heart rate was 136. I am measuring right where I am supposed to be - 38 weeks ( I think I am enormous!) Baby's head remains down like it should be. No internal exam done - they usually don't check dilation until closer to the due date. My next appt is not till next Friday - let's hope this baby comes before then. ;)

OMG - I am WIPED out!

Overall, I am feeling good. No REAL problems. That end of pregnancy tiredness has hit hard though! I doze a bit in the afternoon usually and often fall asleep with or right after the kids go to sleep, around 8 pm! I then sleep until 6:30 AM. I should be getting plenty of rest, but dang! I am a big ol' lazy bones! lol My tailbone pain comes and goes. Right now, it is coming - ouch! :) I swear I feel this baby gives kicks to my cervix sometimes. I envision my mucous plug popping out like a cork out of champagne! lol I am hanging in there!

37 week appt.

I had an appt today. Everything was great. My strep B test was negative so that is good. If I remember correctly, as long as there are no problems, the baby can leave after 24 hours if this test is negative, otherwise needs to stay 48 hours for monitoring. My blood pressure was 118/80. Baby's heart rate was 142. I gained 2.5 pounds in 6 days!!!!!!! ALL baby, I swear! lol I am feeling enormous! :) They scheduled the next 2 weeks of appts.

The doctor is out next week for Thanksgiving vacation. He will be back on the 30th. He expressed that he would really like to deliver this baby as he has never delivered a baby via surrogacy and would love to be part of the experience and meet everyone involved. It was very sweet.

VERY soon this baby will be here!

Almost 37 weeks!

I will be 37 weeks on Tuesday! I am very tired, get out of breath easily, and my tailbone is KILLING me! It is an incredible feat to turn in bed these days. Other than that, I am feeling great! ;) VERY soon, I will feel a TON lighter, look forward to some glasses of wine and good sleep, and seeing this wonderful baby in the arms of his/her parents.

36 week appt.

I had an OB appt this morning with the doctor. Everything checked out great. I gained 2.5 lbs in the last 3 weeks and swear it is ALL baby! My blood pressure is looking great at 124/80. Baby's heart rate was at 153. They did the strep B test. They have always been negative in the past. Baby's head remains down and is sitting low, not yet engaged though. The doctor made a guess that I would go a couple of weeks early - guess we will see. The plan is if it is during office hours or when he is on call when we deliver, the doctor will deliver, otherwise, as long as there are no complications, the midwives will deliver. At this point, they have me going in weekly.

Here are some quilts I have made for big brother at home waiting for his new sibling and for the baby I am carrying. I am putting them in the mail tomorrow to send to the family - hope they like them.

The momma said they redecorated his room in boats and fish, so hopefully it goes well with his decor.


up close of fabric


back


The baby's room is decorated orange with dark brown accents.


up close of fabric


back


folded and ready to be sent!

35 weeks!

This baby will be arriving before we know it! Braxton Hicks contractions are crazy! I would be really surprised if we make it to the due date, but I have said that before with my pregnancies and no such luck of those babies coming earlier!

My 4 year old took these pics during our walk in the woods today- this is as good as it gets. ;)

33 week appt.

This coming Tuesday, I will be 34 weeks. Last week, I had an ultrasound and midwife appt. The baby's momma and the baby's aunt came to the appt. It was so nice to see them again. There were no problems reported from ultrasound, baby is head down, my blood pressure remains great and baby's heart rate is great. Everyone wants me to get a flu shot so I need to get that done. We discussed labor & delivery options. The plan is for the momma to spend the night in the room with me on the pull out bed and be able to care for the baby immediately. I have my Strep B test next appt. If it is negative, the baby can leave the hospital after 24 hours, otherwise will need to stay 48 hours.
The big news is that this baby is ALREADY measuring at 5 pounds, 15 ounces - basically 6 pound baby! The midwife estimated an 8 pounder for sure! Oh my! My biggest/last/3rd child was 7.7.
On the way home, I was filled with emotion as this journey is nearing the end. It is difficult to explain all the emotions involved with surrogacy. Sometimes I feel detached from it, just performing a "job", then other times I grasp the significance of it all.......wow, it really is amazing. Lately, I have felt the desire to have a baby to love. I wish my sister who is due in a few weeks lived closer so I could love on her baby - she lives 14 hours away. I do NOT want another baby to raise - no way, just to love on. It is very weird - all these feelings. The feelings for this baby IS different from what I felt for my own children - I loved my children and knew the responsibility that I would have after their birth to continue that love and nurturing. I care for this baby and feel responsible for it's well-being while it is with me, but will be ready to pass this baby on to it's parents to love and nurture. My body and hormones are telling me to prepare to care for a newborn, but my mind tells me the reality of the situation.......we are also VERY done having children for ourselves, so the desire to have another one for ourselves is NOT there. However, it is weird to feel that feeling of wanting to be around a baby to love on. Does anyone understand this????
We are all getting super excited to meet this baby and add a wonderful addition to a great family!

Hippy Girl

31 weeks today!!!!

Random Belly Pic in the Park

almost 31 weeks!

30 week doctor appt.

I had a general appt. with my OB physician today. I gained 5 pounds since last appt. Finally starting to gain some weight! My blood pressure was great at 108/60. Baby's heart rate was fine at 147. My thyroid levels and the blood sugar test to check for diabetes at my last blood draw was all within normal range - no problems. The doctor said it felt like the baby's head was already downward. I asked if at this point if the baby could flip. He said it is not likely, but with a stretched out/veteran uterus, there is a chance.

I am generally feeling good. I am waking up usually 3 times through the night to go pee, but usually can go right back to sleep. It really irritates me though when my last bathroom visit is so close to the alarm going off at 6:30 AM! lol My first born child really screwed up my tailbone with his 32 hour labor, so every pregnancy afterwards, the pressure on my tailbone is very uncomfortable. I have my husband try to massage it and I try to get it to adjust by rolling on it, but seldom find comfort. :( I joke with my husband that the best thing to do would be to put his hand up my butt and yank my tailbone off.....for some reason he does not find that appealing. lol

I have had some acid reflux, have been really tired again, and had some hormonal craziness again. All signs of me being in 3rd trimester and delivery right around the corner! :)

29 week pics

My 2.5 year old daughter looks likes he is being sucked into the gravitational pull of the belly - she looks so petite next to that belly! lol


Pics taken by my almost 4 year old son - explains the off angle. ;)

Whew! I waddled through the woods on this walk and was worn out afterwards! I guess I am getting big and pregnant, huh?

26 week belly pics

Starting to feel that 3rd trimester tiredness approaching, other than that feeling good!

Ultrasound

Things appeared to be just fine, The baby is measuring at 1 pound 4 oz. Chicken nugget was a wiggle worm today! Heart rate was 143.

I got blood work done today to check my thyroid levels. I will get those results at the appt tomorrow.

The doctor mentioned that there was a little bright spot called a intracardiac echogenic foci. It is found in roughly 3-5% of pregnancies. It may be just a calcium deposit, they're almost always benign and usually disappear eventually. It has no effect on heart function. It is just a spot that the ultrasound can pick up sometimes, especially with the more specialized procedures. It CAN be a marker for downs syndrome or other genetic disorder. The doctor was NOT concerned, there are no other physical signs/markers of abnormalities. He said genetic testing is available if desired, but did not think it was concerning or necessary since there are no other signs. He just wanted us to know since he had seen it. Thanks for having us worry about probably nothing! He wanted us to return in 10 weeks. He wants to make sure that the baby is growing as it should. He mentioned that with IVF pregnancies, there is a slightly higher chance of pre-term labor.

Here is a couple of links that talks a little more about it.

http://mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org/ncal/Images/GEN_US%20EIF%20handout_tcm63-9941.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echogenic_intracardiac_focus

Breastmilk after surrogacy

This may be weird to some, but one of the things that have been most uncomfortable for me about the surrogacy is the fact that I will have breast milk and no baby to feed! I feel like it is such a waste. I am a BIG advocate of breastfeeding and feel bad that I will not be able to share the wonderful goodness of breast milk with the baby I carried.

I considered donating, but I do not pump well. I pumped a little with each of my 3 children, especially in the beginning to get my milk supply up and when I was away during feeding time (which was hardly ever). I just never responded well to the pump - didn't get as much out as if I was feeding the baby naturally. If I could be a wet nurse for a baby during the day, I so would do it. A child that lived close that I could feed 4 times a day or something like that.......

A friend of mine was a La Leche League leader and passed on my circumstances to the another leader. I talked with her last night and she gave me some helpful information.

Here is what I remember from the conversation:
try NOT to stimulate your nipples/breast before delivery/soon after.
It is NOT recommended to bind the breast - this could lead to mastitis - wear a supportive bra
If I get engorged, hand express ONLY to relieve pressure/get to a level of discomfort you can live with, don't totally empty, otherwise your breasts will increase supply.
Ibuprofen can help with inflammation, but it is not recommended for the 1st 4 weeks after delivery. Take Tylenol for pain. Ibuprofen is a closer relative to aspirin and can cause hemorrhaging if taken after delivery. Be cautious with Tylenol as it can cause liver damage if taken too much.
Cold medicine with pseudo-ephedrine may be helpful to dry up fluid. This is the kind that is behind the counter now that you have to sign for as it can be used in making crystal meth. She said even just a couple of doses have helped some women she has worked with.
Sage tea or eating sage herb may be helpful.
Ice on the engorged breasts may help.

She said I may get differing opinions from hospital staff, but this is what she recommends based on the current research she has done. I suggest doing your own research and make informed decisions for what is best for you.

She included a couple of good videos about hand expression of milk to relieve some of the engorgement.
http://newborns.stanford.edu/Breastfeeding/HandExpression.html
http://www.breastfeeding.com/helpme/helpme_video_hand_expression.html

Hope this is helpful. I would be interested in hearing what other people plan on doing/what they have done.

21 week belly pics

Well, I wanted to take a 20 week photo, but I was not happy with my sweaty, homely, appearance last week, so it never happened. I didn't want week 21 passing by without getting a photo, so alas - here they are. I figured I better not wait till I looked good, just take the damn pic already! lol

Lil' chicken nugget is moving around letting me know of his/her presence! Mixing this heat and my growing pregnant belly has not been a good combination - not been getting things done especially around the yard! It is a bit more uncomfortable to get good sleep too. I don't expect these things to get better......

I am loving my curvy belly and breasts- went and got a bikini top to wear with my swim shorts so I could show off my belly. lol I think a pregnant body is pretty damn sexy, if I do say so myself. I think my husband thinks so too. ;)

Dream

I was having an ultrasound, but it was being done in water in a tub. I started bleeding and freaking out all worried. The technician and staff present were not worried, telling me they knew someone who delivered a 6 week old fetus and it survived. I did not believe them, but they were adamant. I delivered a baby girl and her parents named her Brooke.

Pre-natal appt

Today's dr. visit went well. My blood pressure was great at 110/66. The baby's heart rate was fluctuating between 147 and 153 - just fine. I actually LOST 3.5 lbs! What the heck?! The doctor was not concerned about it as the baby is measuring where he/she should. He said I have plenty of time left to get all bloated. :) I guess all the weight is going where it should - to the baby as he/she is measuring at 19 weeks 4 days. I suppose it has been due to how active I have been this summer.
My TSH (thyroid levels) were very low at .24. I thought I felt "off." He decreased the 2 extra doses a week to no extra doses, just 1 tablet a day and I am to be rechecked in 4 weeks. Hope this gives me some extra energy!

19 weeks - ultrasound

Today, I had an ultrasound. It was with a specialist. I guess the doctor recommended it since I am 36 years old. I guess I am considered old for childbearing! The mom, her 4 year old son, and the mom's sister made the few hour drive to come to the appt. It was so nice they could attend. The ultrasound was very comprehensive. The baby looked great, measured at 19 weeks, 4 days. Sorry, I have no pics to post as the momma took them home. The doctor recommends I return in 4 weeks for another ultrasound to focus on the heart. Supposedly there is new research that shows an increase in heart defects with IVF pregnancies. I got lab work done to check my thyroid levels. I should have the results tomorrow. I also have an appt. with my OB doctor tomorrow for a general pre-natal appt.
After the appt. today, I picked up my kids from my mom's and met with the baby's mom, aunt, and big brother at a local park for a while. It was so nice to visit and have the kids play together.
The parents did not want to find out the gender of the baby. However, I learned that the mom's sister calls the mom chicken, so the baby has been named chicken nugget. :)
I will update after tomorrow's appt and plan to post a 20 week belly pic.

16 week pics!

16 weeks! This baby will here before we know it! Things are going well. I am in contact with the mom often via e-mail. I am feeling good. The next dr. appt.will be the big ultrasound. I am enjoying the summer with my own kiddos. Life is good. Damn, I am looking tan from working in the yard and taking the kids to the pool!

14 week OB appt

Things went great at the appt. today. I had my TSH (thyroid) levels done in the morning,so they had the results in the afternoon at the appt. Last month, they had wanted me to add an extra dose of medication 3 times a week. Well, the levels were a bit low, so they changed it to 2 extra doses a week and want me to have levels rechecked before next months appt.

My blood pressure and the baby's heart rate was great. All within normal range and sounded good. My weight stayed the same from last month - I expect that to change soon!

The next appt will be the big ultrasound. They are supposed to call me back with an appt, but it should be in the next 4-5 weeks. After the appt, we will be meeting with the OB.

I have found it to be more uncomfortable to get to sleep already! Just can't find a comfortable position. Already pulled out my body pillows and extra support pillows! lol

After the appt, I met up with a girl who is starting the surrogacy process. She had her medical screening and has moved on to the legal stuff. She has 2 kids similar in age to mine. We had a nice visit and hope to see her again.

That is about it. My belly is growing!!!!! I will definitely be taking more pics at 16 weeks!

12 weeks!

This baby is the size of a lime now! I SWEAR I have felt flutters the last few days. I know, I know, it should be too early, that a doctor would just tell me that it is gas or something. Well, I still think it is flutters! Looking forward to the next appointment!

2nd OB appt.

Yesterday's appt. went great. Lab results from Tuesday all are within normal range. My blood pressure was good today -122/78. My urine today was within normal range(they check it before every appt). They listened to the heart beat through my belly/uterus - baby's heart rate was great. My uterus is sticking up just a tiny bit - exactly where it should be. Based on the 5 day embryo transfer, they calculated the due date Dec 7th. I return on Wed, June 8. I am supposed to have my thyroid levels checked before this appt. This will be the first time meeting the actual OB doctor. He will be working in conjunction with the nurse midwives. They did want me to take an extra dose of thyroid medicine 3 times a week. It is their standard protocol during pregnancy. I will start that tomorrow morning. The appt.that happens in July will most likely be another ultrasound - about18 weeks along. Right now, the parents do NOT want to find out the gender of the baby. I havn't decided if I will find out or not. We are all doing good!

1st OB appt.

Today's appt. was simply meeting with a teaching nurse. We reviewed my past records, updated stuff, etc.
They gave me a folder that explained services available and a list of OTC medication I can take during the pregnancy. I drank my orange glucose drink, got blood work done to check glucose levels and got another HIV test. If I don't get one, they will stick the baby after he/she is born. I also had to do a urine sample. Hopefully the nurse will discuss all the results with me at Thursday's appt. I imagine they will listen to the heartbeat on Thursday too. Looking forwardto hearing that heartbeat again!

Starting to look pregnant!

As I am typing, I glance down at my belly and it looks more than fat.....it looks a little pregnant! :) I have been holding/resting my hands on my belly a bit more and several times in the last couple of days I have caught a look of my profile and yep - my pregnant belly is starting to show. yay! Looking forward to my first OB appointments coming up.

3rd pregnancy ultrasound and 8 wk. belly pics

The 2 sonogram pics look very similar, but there is one that looks like it has more of a face. I swear I thought I saw little limb buds when they were doing the ultrasound! We are considered 8 weeks along! Everything looks great - great growth and heart rate.



I will take some belly pics along the way so people can see my growing belly - will try to at least once a month. I included some shots of belly today but they did not turn out great. I'll try to find a better spot to take the pics. The shape of my belly has definitely changed, not really "showing", but a slight little pooch that I have to put my jeans under to be comfortable......

Doctor orders

The results looked great from today's ultrasound. I am to return in 1 week for a 3rd ultrasound, discontinue my Estrace, decrease my Crinone to once a day, continue on my baby aspirin, Synthroid, Selenium, and prenatal vitamin. I am to choose an OB and make an appt. for 3-4 weeks from now. I'll have to do some research as I used midwives with all my pregnancies. That is about it! Looking good!

2nd ultrasound = heartbeat!

I had my second ultrasound this morning. The parents drove down from Chicago area to be present with me. I gave them a book from our library for their son about being a big brother. They gave me some salad dressing as I have been craving salad much more than usual lately. I think it is safe to say it is officially a pregnancy craving and the momma wanted to satisfy my craving. :)
Well, I am considered 6.5 weeks along. The embryo measured at 7 weeks. We were able to see a fluttering heartbeat and hear it! It always amazes me that this lil' tadpole creature has a heartbeat already! The heart rate was 117, which is within normal range. Everything appears to be moving nicely along. I will wait to hear from the doctor's office so they can discuss the results with me. I believe I have to get one more ultrasound in a week or two and I get to decrease some medication.
I am thrilled for the parents! So good to see them and see the smiles on their faces.
I have no pictures since the parents took them, but it was so cool to see a growing lil' bean in there!

First ultrasound

Great news -everything is developing as it should. The gestational and yolk sac were both present and measured exactly right on track - 5 weeks. Things are looking good for keeping this little baby warm and cozy. I am to return in 1.5 weeks for another ultrasound. If all looks well, they will decrease some medication.

Sesame seed

Considered 5 weeks pregnant (it is counted from would have been the date of my first day of my last menstrual cycle). The embryo is the size of a sesame seed. Can't wait to see a healthy lil' seed in 2 days!

Babycenter.com states:
"Embryo is now made up of three layers — the ectoderm, the mesoderm, and the endoderm — which will later form all of his organs and tissues.

The neural tube — from which your baby's brain, spinal cord, nerves, and backbone will sprout — is starting to develop in the top layer, called the ectoderm. This layer will also give rise to his skin, hair, nails, mammary and sweat glands, and tooth enamel.

His heart and circulatory system begin to form in the middle layer, or mesoderm. (This week, in fact, his tiny heart begins to divide into chambers and beat and pump blood.) The mesoderm will also form your baby's muscles, cartilage, bone, and subcutaneous (under skin) tissue.

The third layer, or endoderm, will house his lungs, intestines, and rudimentary urinary system, as well as his thyroid, liver, and pancreas. In the meantime, the primitive placenta and umbilical cord, which deliver nourishment and oxygen to your baby, are already on the job."

Great news

It is official! I am a gestational surrogate! 2nd beta test came back with increased levels, in the upper 150's - the little embryo is settling in nicely! Hoping for an easy pregnancy! I go in on Friday, April 8th for ultrasound! They said I will have 3 consecutive, almost weekly, ultrasounds. They said they might be able to see the heartbeat on the 2nd!!!!!! I am to continue on my current medications until further notice. I am feeling tired today, but the nausea is A LOT better. However, I am having small snacks through the day to keep something on my tummy and I think that is helping. April 8th seems so far away!!!

Note to self

Eat small snacks throughout day to keep something on my belly to keep nausea at bay.

I am freaking tired and peeing a lot!

dang! I vaguely remember 1st trimester tiredness, but geez! Isn't is convenient to mostly forget those things?! I went to bed last night at 8:15 PM, woke up at 1:20 and 4:30 to go pee, then had to get up at 7 to get my oldest off to pre-school. I would say almost 11 hours of sleep should be PLENTY. Oh no, I want to nap SO badly - hard to do with 3 kids under 5. I think it will be another early night for me. I am guessing those beta numbers will be just fine tomorrow - feels like the growing embryo is using all my body's energy to make a nice, warm, safe place to live for the next 9 months! Looking forward to hearing those higher numbers tomorrow!

I am pregnant!

My beta test was 59.5. I go back Wednesday. As long as the numbers look good, no more blood work and I will have an ultrasound next week. I am to continue on my current medication until further notice. Let's hope this lil' embryo is getting good and established! Very exciting!

Faint positive home pregnancy tests!

I took 2 yesterday and 1 this morning. They were all faint positive!!!! I am actually looking forward to getting blood work tomorrow! Crazy, I know!

The top one is a really faint plus sign and the bottom 2 need 2 lines to be positive and it is there faint on the left. Hopeful for good beta numbers tomorrow!

Getting to know me.....

On another surrogacy blog I follow, they had a getting to know me post, so I wanted to follow suit. A couple of years ago, I did a list as many things as you can about yourself on my family blog, so copied and pasted this and updated it. Enjoy!

My name is Carla.

I was born on 6/10. I am 35 years old.

I weighed 7 lbs. 3 oz and was 19.5 inches long, my mom's biggest baby.

I married Brian on 10/4. We have been married over 7 years.

We got married outside at a local park by the lake house overlooking the water.

We both changed our last name when we got married. We both moved our birth last names to our middle name and our married last name was a total new name combining letters from both of our original last names. We had to appear in front of a judge in court to officially change our name.

Our first son, Gareth Odin, was born on 6/19/06 after 32 hours of labor! Pushed for 3+ hours!

Our second son, Zane Orion, was born on 9/26/07 after 7 hours of labor. pushed 2 times!

Our last child/daughter, Iris Zuzana, was born on 1/14/09 - forget how many hours of labor, but it was an easy birth. pushed 3 times!

My mom almost died in 2007 due to acquiring Legionnare's disease. She was hospitalized for 3 months, with over a month of that being in critical care. She had severe pneumonia and severe sepsis. She had a tracheotomy, feeding tube, and dialysis was needed. I was pregnant with Zane and had to deliver him while my mom was still in the hospital recovering. It was a very stressful time. I am so glad she is alive and here to enjoy her grandchildren!

I grew up in Paxton, IL until I was 16 - big town of 4700 people.

We then moved to West Frankfort, IL where I finished my last 2 years of high school. I cried at my HS graduation because I felt that I had left my home in Paxton and did not have the time to establish a home in WF and felt that I did not belong anywhere.

I lived in the Southern Illinois area for 6 years - WF and Carterville.

I received my AA degree from John A Logan Community College in Carterville in 1995.

I received my BA in psychology from SIU-Carbondale in 1998.

After college, I lived in Nashville, TN for a year, working at an alternative school for kids that were dually diagnosed with mental illness/developmental disabilities.

I moved back to this area to be near family (they had all moved back while I was in college).

I was in Girl Scouts until I was in 7th grade.

I have 2 sisters; Carrie 5 years younger and Angela 11 years older.

I am an aunt. Carrie has a 15 year old son named Daniel. Carrie has just learned a few weeks ago that she is pregnant! Angela has 3 children all mid 20's: Robert, Tijuanda, and Courtney.

I am a great-aunt. My niece, Courtney, has 2 children: Sicellia and Kameron-Lee.

I played clarinet for 1 year in grade school.

We had X-mas plays each year in grade school. One year, I had the very important role of being Rudolph. I got to strut across the stage in my costume. It was some rock-n-roll X-mas theme.

My first real job was at Long John Silver's. I was employee of the month once for my awesome drive thru skills. :)

Other paying jobs I have held have been: waitress at an Italian restaurant, group homes for people with disabilities, neuroscience lab assistant, counselor in an alternative school, and case management, recreation therapy, and respite for people with disabilities. I was also a part time census worker during the 2010 census.

My first car was a Datsun hatchback that would backfire when we dragged Main St. The seniors, when I was a junior, put a huge peace sign (I was often called flower child) in shoe polish on the back window during graduation week that stayed there all summer until school started again.

For my job in the SIU Neuroscience Lab, I monitored research participants in a no smoking study. I had to collect personality questionnaires, saliva samples, freeze and ship blood samples, and order supplies for the lab.

I have been a stay at home mom since 6-06.

We have 4 cats: Marvin, Waldo, Jeremy, Jo. Jo is intersexed; has a small, crooked penis, undescended testicles, had a vaginal pouch. We went to the shelter to get a girl cat and when they went to spade her, they discovered, the cat was more male. They neutered him and sewed up the vaginal pouch because they figured bacteria could grow there easily.

We have 1 miniature poodle mix dog named Vito, who is about 9 years old.

My favorite color is the color of beet juice. I guess the closest thing to call it would be magenta.

My husband and I are both atheist - we do not think/believe there is a god. We are very science oriented and are skeptical of many things.

My little and closest sister and nephew moved to South Dakota in 2008. We miss them terribly!!!

My favorite kind of music is bluegrass/alternative country/celtic. I really like artists that write their own music. I also like female singer/songwriters with unique voices.

My husband is a libertarian. He talks to me quite a bit about politics. I am somewhat apathetic when it comes to politics. I wish I had more passion and interest in some of it.

I have been to Niagara Falls, Canada 2 times.

My favorite flower is stargazer lilies and lilacs.

Some of my favorite movies include: Love Actually, The Piano, Juno, Beautiful Girls, Sliding Doors, Amelie

My fave food is snow crab legs.

Some girl in HS hated me because I smiled too much- what?!

DC Piatt broke up with me in 6th grade because I had skinny ankles!

I met Brian through match.com. Our first meeting was for lunch at Dos Reales. Our first real date was at Allerton Park in Monticello, IL.

My fave children's book is The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton. It is about a house that lives in the country on a hill and the city grows around it. Future generation of the people that built the house see her and take her back to the country.

I was a certified sexuality educator via Planned Parenthood training. I provided sexuality education to adults with developmental disabilities. I am a strong advocate for sexuality rights.

I have always been interested in different ways of living and people who are on the outer edges of the bell curve of what is "normal", whether this may be sexual orientation, gender issues, disabilities, or anything else that may make a a person "different." I am highly intolerant of hatred towards these people based on ignorance, indoctrination, or other forms of bigotry.

I completed training to be an advocate through Rape Crisis Services.

I completed education and volunteer hours to become a Master Gardener.

I bite/pick at my nails and cuticles.

Some of my favorite nature images include trees and round hay bales. Trees seem to exhibit unique personalities all of their own.

I like to blog, take photographs, quilt, sew, scrapbook, and do other crafty things.

I like scary movies, but will not watch them by myself.

We do not have a TV set in our house. We have not had one since 2006. We watch movies on our computer monitor or projector screen.

We have canned our own strawberry jam, peach preserves, apple butter, and tomato sauce. This year, we hope to do A LOT more of this.

We have kept honeybees and harvested the honey.

The summer of 2009, we moved from a brand new home in a subdivision to a rural location. We bought 10 acres with a pond, creek, small wooded area, a cattle shed, pole barn, and a small, humble, 100 year old farm house. We intend on living in the farm house until we can afford to build a new passive solar design home further back on the property. Our time is spent fixing up the house and adding fruit, nut, vegetables, herbs to our land. We are interested in living a simple life and becoming as self sustainable as we can and are comfortable. We like our" stuff" the same as anybody, but try not to be motivated by mainstream media and over commercialized products.

We hope to pay off our debt this year and start plans for the new house in the next couple of years!

Let me know if you have any questions!

Embryo transfer performed

pic of me waiting with a VERY full bladder


and the ultrasound picture - there is a little white line (about a third of the way from the left side) of the where the air bubbles from the catheter settled in my uterus. The embryo is somewhere in this picture!!!! :)


Tonight, I have felt a little crampy, tired, and a little nauseous.

The doctor was only able to transfer 1 embryo, but he said the one looked great. I so wish there was 2 embryos transferred for greater chance of success, but we will be hopeful that this strong, beautiful embryo found a warm, cozy place in my uterus to settle in. Will be thinking of the parents while we wait. I can only imagine the anticipation!

After the transfer today, my blood pressure was little high. It decreased a bit after emptying my bladder more and resting, but was still a bit high. The doctor did not seem too concerned about it - said with the excitement and anxiety surrounding the procedure, blood pressure can be slightly higher.

I had my thyroid levels checked before the transfer and it STILL is not where they want it...crazy. They are increasing the dose a bit more. It was 4.83 last time and it was 4.54 this time. They said this is good for general population, but would like it closer to 2.5 for pregnancy. The nurse sounded a bit "scolding" on the phone, saying make sure I take my medication every day and on an empty stomach, and make sure to wait before eating anything. I have not missed a dose, take it first thing in the morning, then the shortest time I have waited is 45 minutes, but it is typically 1 hour before I eat or drink anything else besides the water I drank to take it. ugh. Hopefully, it will get to where they want it with this next increase.

So, now we wait.......I have a blood test next Monday! Can I wait or will I try a home pregnancy test????

Fertilized eggs

Quick note from the momma updating me about the fertilization of eggs: They took 14 eggs, 12 were mature and at this point there are 5 that are successfully fertilized!! She was hoping for a few more, but 5 is good, as long as they remain successful. We are hoping for a quiet weekend. If we hear from the fertility doctor, it means the fertilized eggs withered and did not succeed and grow. Here is to hoping for strong embryos!

Egg Retreival a success!

Just got a note from the momma stating they were able to retrieve 14 eggs!!!!! Awesome! Fertilization is ocurring and she should know more about how many healthy lil' embryos they have to choose from to transfer 2 to me! I am sure they can get at least 2 strong ones! C'mon egg and sperm - make some magic happen!!!!! :)

Last Lupron shot!

Don't mind my squeeky voice- does my voice REALLY sound this way?! So annoying!
Also, ignore our kitchen that is in the middle of being remodeled. :)

I decrease my Estrace tomorrow and start Crinone progesterone suppositories. I have some progesterone in sesame oil injection medicine for emergency purposes only if I start bleeding during pregnancy. That won't happen though, will it! I should be done with injections!

The mom is going for egg retrieval tomorrow! Hope everything goes well!

Making arrangements

Things are falling into place for Monday. I have a couple different possible options for childcare and one definite plan in place.

Hotel reservations have been made for Sunday night at a hotel within walking distance of the surgery center. Brian and I will be happiest with the least amount of maneuvering around the city of Chicago as possible. Brian says the best part about the city is leaving it. lol I am telling ya, since moving out to the country, I feel more and more this way too. Lately, I do not even like visiting the city! I guess I am transforming into a country gal.

I have been busy today with acquiring extra life insurance that is part of the surrogacy agreement. I had to complete an application, do an oral swab, and will later do a phone interview to complete the process.

Things are really coming together. Amazing! I completed an application February 2010 and was matched with the parents in May 2010. We are finally to the pregnancy part! I am excited, anxious, and a little nervous. Hope everything goes well!

Potential due date

based on a few calendars to determine due date, I got the same date of December 7th as the due date for a 5 day embryo transfer. This calculator determined it to be December 6th. Of course, I will not state this as the official due date - that can be determined later by the doctor. IF there are twins, it may be likely that they are born a bit early. Maybe the parents will have a Happy Thanksgiving! :)

Embryo transfer scheduled!!!!!!

Oh my goodness!!!!!! The embryo transfer is scheduled for Monday, March 21st! This Wednesday, I decrease my Estrace from 3 mg to 2 mg in the AM and PM and start Crinone progesterone vaginal suppositories in the AM and PM. I go for the transfer on the 21st and have a blood test on the 28th to check for pregnancy! It is REALLY happening! I talked with the mom this afternoon on the phone - we simply could NOT just e-mail about this! :) Very exciting!
I have to figure out childcare as my mom will be gone in South Dakota. Worst case scenario is that we find a hotel close to the surgery center, we take the kids, Brian keeps them occupied while I attend my appointment, then we be on our way home! We will figure something out!

Induced PMS and holding.....

Does anyone know the reason why one's lower back hurts when they are pre-menstrual? I have not been able to find a clear answer when searching the web. I asked the nurse during my ultrasound today- she said it might be worse if one's uterus tilts back and when the uterine lining is thicker, it is heavier and puts strain on the back muscles.......

Last night, I tossed and turned, rubbed my back and top of my butt, and finally took some Ibuprofen at 3 AM which allowed me to rest. I am taking medication right now that thickens my uterine lining, then will take medication to NOT have a period and further make my uterus all cushy for an embryo to implant. I imagine all this medication makes my lining even thicker then it would be if normal menstruation was happening.....

I have been a little irritable and somewhat emotional the last few days. When I cry easily during stupid country music songs, I am usually PMSing, and I was doing that today in the van! lol

Ultrasound and Blood work

estradiol: from 52 to 233
ultrasound: Endo Thickness-7.6 triple/echo

I am to continue on same meds until further notice. I should hear from the fertility doctor around the 15th.

Results

I had my ultrasound and blood work this morning. My endo lining on Friday was 5.5, today was 7. My estradiol levels Friday was less than 20, today was 52. Things are working the way they are supposed to!
I am to continue on my thyroid medications, prenatal vitamin, and 5 units of Lupron injection. I am to take my 1 tablet of Estrace tonight, then increase tomorrow-Sunday to 1 in the AM + 1 in the PM. On Monday, the 7th, I am to increase Estrace to 3 in the AM, 3 in the PM. On Tuesday, the 8th, I return for blood work and ultrasound. The mom starts her stim on March 6th. It looks like the target embryo transfer is for March 21st! Hopefully, it will be a great beginning to spring! I like the symbolism that it will hold if pregnancy occurs at this time. Spring is a perfect time for new life, fertility and babies!
Communication between the mom and I has increased, which I like. This is an amazing experience that we will share together!

Ultrasound and Bloodwork

I got set up with Reproductive Medicine this week. I went this morning for bloodwork to check my estradial levels and had an ultrasound done to check my uterus. Uterus looked good and results of blood work will be given to the fertility doctor by noon today. SO MUCH EASIER than last Friday!!!! I expect a call from the fertility doctor later to discuss any changes to medication.

Feeling better

quick note to say I feel mostly like a new person today!!! No one else, except Iris, has vomited- fingers crossed.
The nausea may have been from a bug....not sure. I am glad it is gone!

Feeling yucky

I went to bed last night feeling okay, but woke up with a headache, with it quickly leading to nausea. About 30 minutes after I took my thyroid medication, I vomited. I mostly felt better after vomiting - no longer having the 'I need to throw up feeling'. However, all day long I had a hangover feeling....the one where you feel dehydrated, you kind of have a headache and slight nausea......needless to say, I did not have much of an appetite. This morning, it felt like a caffeine withdrawal headache. I had not had any kind of caffeine in over 3 days ( I usually don't drink much caffeine, but when I have nothing for 3+ days, I guess my body lets me know), so I drank some coffee and the throbbing headache eventually subsided, but a slight, dull one remained all day with the queasy feeling.....ugh! I read through all my medication side effects again and discovered Estrace can cause headaches and nausea. I started this medication last night.

hmmmmmm.....so, was this yucky feeling from my stress headache yesterday after dealing with the craziness of the ultrasound results, was it lack of caffeine, was I simply dehydrated ( I drank lots of fluid today and never felt better), was it the new medication, or a combination of any/all of those things???? I dunno. IF it is the medication, I hope my body adjusts and doesn't react this way the whole time I am taking it. Here is to feeling better!

UPDATE 10 PM:OR WAS IT SOMETHING ELSE? My daughter woke up tonight vomiting.....if my other children or husband start vomiting, the nausea may also been from something else....it sounds like a lot of fun around here, huh?

Freak out today!

Oh my goodness....what a day.

I had not heard from the fertility doctor this morning, so I called their office at 1 PM. They received the results of my blood work, but not the ultrasound. My thyroid is at 4.83 - they want it below 4, so increased my Synthroid from 75 mcg to 100 mcg.

If we did not get the results of the sonogram today, it could throw everything off, so I was freaking out. I did not want to be responsible for screwing this up! The mother and I have both worked very hard up to this point! Due to being on Saturday, most offices are closed, so I got no answers when I called the ultrasound department, OB/gyn dept, or reproductive medicine. After talking to the fertility nurse, we thought we would have to wait till Monday to deal with it. However, I was freaking out after the discussion with her and the thought it might screw everything up, SO.......I made some more phone calls. I called the general information number and let them know what was going on. They directed me to call patient advisory number who was not helpful at the time stating that other physicians can call the clinic and get emergency after hours numbers for the the physicians that are needed and they should know how to do this - it is standard protocol.......okkkkkk. So I call the fertility clinic who then calls the general information for the clinic. They had no idea what this "protocol" was. I call the patient advisory back and explain the conversation. The patient advisory wants to check with general information that the phone call was actually made....ok - yeah, I am making this crap up lady!!!!! She puts me on hold and comes back and transfers me to "communications" department. I guess these are the people who can contact doctors after hours.....????? I dunno. I talked with some lady that listened to my whole ordeal with the problems I had yesterday about the ultrasound and how important the results were given to the fertility doctor today. For some reason, the ultrasound could not be released until a doctor reviewed them from my clinic, even if the order was from another doctor????? I don't understand...I only heard bits of pieces of all the problems when getting the ultrasound done yesterday. The lady in communications found the ultrasound films in the computer, but no report. She had to make some phone calls and eventually the films were read and a simple report was sent to the fertility doctor!!!!!! whew! My endo lining was 5.5. It was enough information to be able to make changes to my meds. I am to decrease the Lupron from10 to 5 units and add Estrace and an aspirin. I started that this evening. I am supposed to get more bloodwork and another ultrasound this Wednesday and get my thyroid levels checked in 3 weeks.

After getting this resolved, I had the worst headache I think I have EVER had in my life. When I get anxiety, I tend to forget to breathe! I even felt nauseous! It took me a good hour to recover and return to feeling good. I am SO relieved that we got it resolved!

I will certainly be checking that everything is in place for the ultrasound on Wednesday and I go to the best location to have it done. Now, I am going to go enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Ultrasound and Bloodwork

Ok, a little update. I took birth control pills for 15 days ending them on Monday the 21st. I continue with the 10 units of Lupron injection, along with my Synthroid, Selenium, and pre-natal vitamin. I was to call the fertility doctor if I started my period or by today if I had not started. I woke with some scant spotting and feel crampy so expect my period any time. I called the fertility doctor this morning who advised me to go get blood work and an ultrasound today ASAP.

Today was a busy day as we had an activity to attend from 10-12. My mom was going out of town so was not available to watch the kids. The lab I go to is 45 minutes away from my house. On the way to the activity, I made a few phone calls until I found that my dad and his wife could watch the kids as long as I was there to pick up the kids by 3:30 PM. So, we had fun at our planned activity, I rushed the kids over to my dad's, rushed to the clinic to get blood work and ultrasound, and rushed to get back to the kids.

I got the blood work completed with no problem. I got some hormone levels checked and my thyroid levels checked. The lab doesn't do ultrasounds and if they get orders for one, they forward to the Ultrasound dept. They had no memory of the ultrasound order, the ultrasound dept. had no record of it, so I had to call the fertility doctor and have them fax it again. I went down to the ultrasound dept. and they had all sorts of complications with the order. First, I should have had an appt. Second, it was for an out of town doctor. Third, since it was for fertility issues, they usually have these done at another location.......ugh! I was frustrated, but remained patient as it appeared that they were working hard to get something figured out for me. They made several phone calls and found a technician who is usually over at the fertility clinic and they were able to fit me in and do the ultrasound! Thank goodness. They were checking my endo uterine lining and follicles, among other things. I got back to the kids in time for my dad's wife to get to work. whew!

I hope the results get back to the fertility doctor by tomorrow so we can make changes to medications this weekend. I am supposed to talk with the fertility nurse tomorrow. I believe the next step the fertility nurse said would be to decrease the Lupron to 5 units and add the Estrace tablet. The nurse mentioned that it would be better for me to see a physician in Reproductive Medicine while in this stage of the surrogacy process. People in this dept. would better understand the urgency of such procedures needing to be done in the same day. I wish I would have known that sooner - I do imagine things would have gone smoother today. I will remember it for next time. They said after pregnancy occurs and I have been released from the fertility doctor's care, then I can seek a standard OB physician.

I am hoping that everything looks okay with the ultrasound and blood work and we can keep moving forward. SOOOOOO close!!!!! Hope to update in the next few days.

Things I have learned

Since starting the Lupron shots, I have learned it hurts a lot less when I inject closer to my belly button, rather than the side of my belly. just saying....... :) Talked with the momma who said she has not started on any meds yet. She is waiting for her period to start, then will start medication. We are so close to pregnancy!!!!!