Whew!!!

Wednesday morning I drove to San Francisco for our first ultrasound appointment.  It's a drive that should take an hour and a half.  But Wednesday was our first real storm of the season.  So it took 3 hours!   Ugh.  I'm lucky that I allowed plenty of time to get there early.  But unfortunately, it also meant that I was stuck in a car, hungry and needing to pee, for way longer than is nice for a pregnant lady!

But the appointment went great.  There is just ONE healthy baby in here.  I know that may seem like a no-brainer since we only transferred one embryo, but after having a splitter in the last journey and the really high beta numbers again this time, I was definitely worried. 

They wanted me to have another ultrasound in 2 weeks.  But then told me more awesome news....   I didn't have to drive back to the city for it!   They released me to be seen locally by my own provider!  Only one baby and I don't have to drive to the city anymore?!  I am a lucky girl.  I did, of course, triple check with S to make sure that she was okay with that.  If she was the slightest bit worried about being released from UCSF so soon then I would have handled the drive to SF again without complaint.

So now I'm all set up to be seen at the local Kaiser facility on the 29th.  S will be there too.  I went into Kaiser to have them set up the appointment and give them the paperwork that UCSF gave me.  I knew that would be much easier than trying to explain it to someone in a call center over the phone.  The ladies there were so nice and seemed very excited about the whole thing.  I'm excited for the next appointment!

Pregnant!

I had my first blood draw on Monday (9/29) and the results were good!   My beta number (the quantitative amount of pregnancy hormone present in my blood stream) was 770.  I had a 2nd blood draw on Wednesday and they like to see the number double by then.  My second number was 2,313.  That's a good sign!

Ultrasound is scheduled for 10/15.

As for me, I feel completely normal.  Wouldn't even suspect that I was pregnant if I didn't have the blood results to prove it.  =)

Baby on Board..... hopefully!

Everything was great with my lining at the appointment on the 10th.  They said I was "fluffy" and "welcoming for an embryo".   After the exam I sat with one of the IVF coordinators.  She scheduled the transfer for Monday and said no bed rest was needed.  That was perfect because I had an important meeting to attend at work on Tuesday.  She gave me my remaining meds calendar  (when to start the progesterone, how much each dose should be, etc) and sent me on my way.

After I left I texted S (the IM) and let her know the schedule.  I could tell she was a bit nervous about me not being on bed rest.  So I offered to see if we could switch the transfer to Wednesday and I'd take Thursday off work.  I figured I wouldn't mind a day at home alone.... just me and some video games!

We got to UCSF with a bit of time to spare so we sat in the garden courtyard and waited.   (The same garden courtyard where Jackson fell into the fountain.)  My Valium started to kick in which I thought was pretty funny.  I had to put my book down, look at all the pretty flowers, and just enjoy it.   Even made Scott take a selfie with me! 

Then S met us and within a few minutes we were upstairs and on our way.    I got into my snazzy outfit.... hospital gown, hair net thing, mask, booties, and the same "good luck" transfer socks that I wore last time around.  Then they put me in this heated chair and put a warm blanket over me.

They're trying to get me to relax.... which seems a piece of cake with all this combined with a Valium...except that I have a bladder that's about to burst at the seams!   They have to do an external ultrasound while placing the embryo and that requires the full bladder.  Seriously, I was sure I was going to pee on the doctor.  Luckily it's only a 10 minute process and then I can go directly to the restroom.

After the transfer my IM took us to lunch at this Vietnamese restaurant that I'd had my eye on for a while.  Delicious, except that an IPA would have made the meal perfect.  Oh well!

So now we wait.   We've agreed not to do any home pregnancy tests and we'll wait for the blood results on the 29th.  That is SO fine by me.  I'd much rather skip the daily stress of testing.  For now I'll just try to go about things as usual (minus the beer and raw tuna...) and try not to over-analyze every little thing.  Like the way I fell asleep the moment I got home from work Friday and then woke up enough to eat and see the kids, and then went back to bed at 8:30,  or the slight cramping I've felt, or the way I've wanted to burst into tears out of the blue.  I'm reminding myself that I'm taking progesterone which can cause all of the pregnancy symptoms.  We'll find out a week from Monday.

Oh, and here's a picture of the guest of honor.  She's a 6 day blastocyst embryo, partially hatched.

catching up

Oh boy....  I'm going to take a moment to apologize.  So far I am really sucking at the whole up-to-date blog thing.  I have no valid excuses...

So the cliff notes version of the last 6 weeks are as follows - everything looked great from the medical screening.  Contracts went quickly and smoothly. 

We went out for our obligatory "last sushi" meal the night after we got confirmation that everyone signed the contract.  Although it's really more of a last sashimi meal in all honesty.  I can still have sushi as long as it's cooked and low in mercury (or vegetarian).





A couple days later I got my shipment of meds.  It's the only time I get excited to be delivered a box full of GIANT needles!

I started Lupron  injections (the medicine that makes my ovaries/cycle go dormant) a week ago Tuesday.  Today I had a baseline ultrasound appointment.  They found a smallish sized cyst near my left ovary so I had to give blood so they could test my estrogen levels.  If my levels were high then it could be an active ovary follicle instead of cyst and that could throw off the cycle because my body is pumping out hormones at the wrong time.  But if my levels were low then they could determine that it really was just a cyst and it wouldn't be an issue.  Luckily it was the latter!   So tonight I start with the estrogen patches to start thickening my lining.

Today I also got to meet P, the intended father, for the first time.  He wasn't at all what I expected, not in a good or bad way, just different.  He's got a great sense of humor and we bonded over our love of zombies.  =)

Lining check ultrasound is a week from Wednesday!   The transfer should be the week after that!

Medical Screening

Last Friday (the 18th) I had a vacation day from work planned.  So it seemed to work out great that our medical screening got booked for the same day.  That way I didn't have to miss work hours.  However one of the reasons I had the day off was so we could do a fun day trip with the kids.  So we headed towards the city early Friday morning and spent a bunch of hours at the Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito.  The kids had a blast. 
Around noon we headed over to UCSF.  When we got out of the elevator at the fertility clinic floor I saw a sign that I had forgotten all about.... no kids allowed.  Crap.  Luckily it was lunch time so there were no patients around.  The receptionist was really nice and put the 4 of us in an empty office and gave the kids some blank paper and different colored highlighters.  She said that as soon as the medical assistants returned from lunch then they'd get our blood drawn.  An hour later I had to go out to make sure they hadn't forgotten about us back in that room.  Finally, Scott and I took turns getting our blood drawn and then he stayed in the office with the kids while I did my exam.  It was quick and easy, just like last time.  They did a test transfer followed by the saline sonogram.
Once that was done I returned to the office to wait for the IVF coordinator.  When she came in she was really upset that the kids were there.  Oh well - she should have given me the heads up when she made the appointment for me and I told here we were doing fun stuff with the kids that day.  She had Scott take them downstairs to the atrium to wait for me.
She and I went over the meds and luckily I didn't have to give myself the belly shot this time.  Once again, it will be daily shots of Lupron in the belly, then estrogen patches, then the progesterone in the hip/butt.  Next we went over a tentative calendar.  We're definitely looking at a late September transfer!
The funniest part was when she realized that Scott still had something he needed to sign.  So she finished up with me and then I went down to the atrium and sent Scott up.  The kids were playing around a fountain, popping the air bubbles.  I turned my back to them for one second and ...... SPLASH!  I look over and my poor little guy (well, at 7 1/2 years old he's not that little I guess) was climbing out of the fountain.  He was soaked from his chest down.  It was so funny!
 I texted with IM later that day and she said she had already heard from USCF and they think I am "wonderful....inside and out!"
The first draft of the contract arrived a few days later.  Now I have to go though and note any issues or questions.  I'll have a consultation with my lawyer on the 31st.  Seems like it might be cutting things kind of close because I'm not allowed to start Lupron until contracts are finalized.  But I'm sure it will work out!

Not much to say.... but here's a little something

Not a lot to update at this point.  I had my psych evaluation last month and they determined I'm not crazy.  (Oddly enough the psych eval happened to land on one of the worst possible days ever for my mental state.  It took place only a few hours after my mother passed from a battle with pancreatic cancer.  But on the upside, if I was mentally stable on that morning, then I should be able to handle anything!)  Scott and I met with the IM for coffee.  She's really an amazing person and I'm really looking forward to getting to know her more.  Next Friday Scott and I will make the trip back to UCSF and undergo the medical exam.  Once that's cleared things may move quickly...for a while at least.  Last I heard we're looking at a late August or early September transfer.

Looks like this is going to happen!

Of course I can't give any details but I had a great conversation with the IM.  We both want to move forward.  So now I'm busy filling out paperwork and getting documents lined up.  Medical screenings and contracts are in the near future.  Assuming all things go smoothly we're looking at a July or August transfer! 

Look who's posting again!

So, just the fact that I’m here should be a clue….. but let’s start with a look back.

2013 was a busy year for us.  On January 6^th (coincidently Joseph’s birthday) we put an offer on a house and it was accepted!  It was definitely a fixer-upper that was going to take a lot of time and energy for a while.  Then, right before we closed escrow and within a few days of each other, I received two separate requests to be a surrogate.  I was super flattered with both offers, but it just wasn’t the right timing between the new house and the new (well, newish) job.  So I put it out of my mind again.

In August I had surgery to repair the umbilical hernia that developed while pregnant with Joseph.  I asked the surgeon if it would cause problems if I were to get pregnant again.  He couldn’t give me a concrete answer, just that it does happen to some women, but others have no problems with a future pregnancy.

As we closed in on the end of 2013 and started approaching my 34^th birthday in January, I started thinking about being a surrogate again.  Things with the house had slowed down.  I was starting to notice more pregnant bellies and think longingly about the experience.  Scott and I started talking about it again determined that if it was something I wanted to do then he’s behind me 100%.    In January I got as far as drafting an email to my previous agency to let them know that I was interested.  However we had a vacation coming up and then other family stuff came up and the email was left unsent.

Which brings us to last week…  I got a call from the surrogate coordinator from my previous agency.  T&L has some friends who are looking for a surrogate.  They didn’t have anyone in their current roster that was available so at that point they reach out to prior surrogates to see if anyone would consider helping out.  She called me first because of our relationship with T&L and because she thought we would be a good match.  I let her know that it is something I’ve been thinking about and even told her about the unsent email in my drafts folder.  We talked a little bit about what I would need in order to move forward: single embryo transfer,  prenatal care near my home town and not San Francisco (which is where the potential IP’s live), and some blackout dates when it came to the embryo transfer (I’m in accounting and I cannot take time off during month end).  I let her know that my preference would still be to deliver at the birth center but that it wasn’t a deal breaker.   She talked with the IP’s and they agreed that they want the same things!

We’ve got a conference call scheduled for this evening to see if we click!