I always thought that if I knew someone who could not conceive that I would help them to have a baby, I love being pregnant that much, lol I had no idea that you could be a surrogate for people that you originally did not know. Until, one day I was reading this little free paper that comes to our house once a week and there was an add for surrogate mothers. I called the number for more information. Here it was placed by an atorney that acts as an agency for matching surrogate and IP's (intended parents). I requested an information packet and set out to feelMark out to see what he thought of the idea. Well, he was pretty much all for it, as long as I DID NOT have to bring a baby home, lol
So, the packet arrived, I filled out the application all but one question. When was the first day of your last menstral cycle? Well, it was due in a couple of days so I decided to wait and have the most accurate date for the application. Well, I waited and I waited, and I finally took a HPT (home pregnancy test) and low-n-behold, I was pregnant with our little girl! So, I did not send in that application, lol We had Mackenzie and I put ht esurrogacy on hold til she was 18 months, then the urge to be prego again started to hit, so I decided to give that aganey a call and request a new application. I sent it in May of 2006, got a call 3 days later for an over the phone interview, got my first profile sent to me 3 days after that, and spoke to the PIP's 3 days after that. We hit it off right off the bat! Two weeks later Mark, the kids, and I were driving to NYC. Well, not quite but we did visit there.
We met the IP's in person on that trip. I had all my testing done in one shot, turned in all my medical records, and went home to await the call from the RE (reproductive endocronologist) saying that I was accepted and what the next step was. That was July 7,2006. The office was closing for the month of August for a remodel of their surgical suite so we had to wait til Sept to start the protocal.
Oh, I should tell you a little about the IP's...
The mother had 3 kids of her own from a previous marriage, they were 17 b, and 9 yr old b/g twins. their father left for work on morning and has never returned. He worked in the twin towers! The father had no children of his own. He was married before and lost his wife to cystic fibrosis. The night of his wifes funeral his friends took him for some drinks and there was a woman there with her friends as well. They migrated to one another due to their losses, they became friends in grief and later fell in love! The IM (intended mother) was not able to carry on her own and her eggs were already getting "old" so we used an ED (egg donor) and the IF's (intended father) sperm.
Ok so, I am part of an online community of surrogates called www.surrromomsonline.com and we have names for all the different transfer months. I should have tranferred on Sept 29th so we were the Sept. Sunflowers, which I thought was perfect because I love sunflowers. Well, the ED needed a coule of more days to stimulate so we ended up transferring on Oct 3, 2006, 2 perfect embryos. I started testing on HPT's on 3dp4dt (which translates to 3 days past a 4 day transfer) and on 5.5dp4dt I got my first BFP (big fat positive) and at my first BETA (blood test for HCG) at 14dp4dt it was 1320 and we immediately knew it was twins!! That of course wasn't confirmed for a couple of weeks but we knew, lol
Short version of the pregnancy is...I felt tired but great up til 9 weeks when the puking began, at least 5 times a day for the next 9 weeks! I had never experienced M/S (morning sickness) before in any of my own 3 pregnancies, and let me tell you IT SUCKED!!!! Ok, so that finally went away and I was feeling very tired, even though the 2nd trimester is supposed to be the time your energy comes back, well mine never did, and I was extremely thirsty all the time. Well, I failed my 1 hour glucose test by 4 points, so my OB sent me for the 3 hor test and I failed 2 of the 3 blood draws so I was diagnosed with GD (Gestational Diabetes). I ajusted my diet and checked my numbers 4 times a day, never had to go on meds so that was good. I got RLS (restless leg syndrome) and pregnancy induced carpal tunnel, which was the worst part I think. Other than thoughs things the pregnancy went pretty well for a twin pregnancy. I did develop High blood pressure the last month before delivery, spent 3 days int he hospital on bedrest and to monitor for protein in the urine which would have indicated PreEclampsia, which I did not have, It was just PIH (pregnancy induced hypertension) As long as I laid on my left side most of the day my BP was pretty good. I was sent home on modified bedrest (laying on left side as much as possible, but I was allowed up to pee and shower and to eat. I made it to my schedule 38 week c-section with no more problems.
2 hours before section
Katie and Michael where born on May 31, 2007 and weighed in at K-6lb11oz and M-7lb9oz!! Yeah, BIG for twins!!
I do get occasional updates, of course I have to be the one that emails the parents first but they do respond and send pics.
1 week old
1 month old
not sure how old here
or here
family christmas card 2007 babies were about 6 months old here
and that is the last that I have gotten, I am due to send them off an email request for updates, they are now over 9 months old!
Thats, of course the cliff notes version of that journey! I will do better with this one, I promise! lol
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