I wrote the following before my 1st embryo transfer as a surrogate. I wish I had written more about my first experiences.
This is part 1 in what could be a 3-4 part series of journal entries.. if you think I should go on.
11/18/05
I feel a bit anxious as we get ready to depart. I'm with my husband and we are flying on Southwest Airlines to San Jose California. From there we will be driving a rental car to San Fransisco. (area) Tomorrow morning at 10:00 am I have an appointment at Zouves Fertility Center.
This is all part of my journey as a surrogate. This is something I've felt destined to do. I was matched with a couple in July 2005, shortly after moving to San Diego. I've been taking a series of pills and shots to prepare for tomorrow.
Two days ago 31 eggs were retrieved from S______ who is the mom I am helping. From those eggs, 16 embryos were created. They will probably transfer 3 in the hopes that 1-2 will implant and survive.
I am very excited about this journey; however as reality hits, butterflies begin to flutter.
We have arrived and picked up our rental car which we upgraded to a Gold PT Cruiser. (seemed fun and cool at the time lol, not that Gold would have been my first choice for any car)
We will be meeting K_______ and S________ for dinner tonight. This will be the first meeting between John and them. I have met them twice.
We went to Red Robin for dinner- yummy. John and I love that place, especially the clam chowder. It was K______ and S______'s first time. They said they liked it. They are vegetarian and both found something good they could eat.
We laughed and chatted like we were all old friends. It was nice.
It is now 9:30 am November 19, 2005- Saturday. We will be leaving soon to go to the fertility clinic. We will discuss how many embryos to transfer and then the transfer will be at 11:00.
My hip/butt is sore from shots, but other than that I'm feeling good and excited for today's events.
It is now Sunday November 20, 2005. Yesterday Dr. Zouves transferred 2 high quality embryos. When we first found out how high quality the embryos were K_____ and S_____ were both overcome with joy and emotion. It was an awesome sight. S______ hugged me and K______ shook my hand as usual.
We all walked down to surgery and I changed into my patient gown and was given a Valium. We were all in gowns and surgical hats.
We were told we would be able to take pictures and video tape the procedure. (Yay!)
Transfer took place at about 11:20 am. We were able to leave at about 12:00 pm. I felt fine- no pain or discomfort. I wasn't sure what to expect. I just felt normal, but awe struck that I was basically just impregnated.
Luckily no morning sickness yet. Hee hee.
I did my strict bed rest yesterday. Today I am taking it easy and doing a little bit of sightseeing (while resting in the car) before we head back to San Diego. John is taking very good care of me and I'm happy to have his company. I am also grateful for his love and support.
We ended up going for a nice drive into San Francisco and eventually found Chinatown. We would have stopped to explore, but I can't be out walking all over the place. We were able to go see the movie Walk the Line about Johnny Cash. Afterwards we ate at Red Lobster, another of John and mine's favorite restaurants.
It is a bit of an odd feeling of responsibility to be carrying someone else's child(ren). I will do my best.
I have more restrictions early on than in a regular pregnancy.
We are on the plane to go back to San Diego. I had to change seats because I was sitting in an exit row and would have been required to lift the door (in an emergency) which is about 50 pounds. One of my orders is not to do any heavy lifting. I wonder about my daughter Jessica who is almost 2 and weighs about 35 pounds.
I hope that both of these embryos continue to be healthy and end up in live twins. That would add to this experience.
If the pregnancy was indeed successful, I wonder how long until the morning sickness kicks in.
Next week I will be taking beta tests to confirm pregnancy and to check levels. I will still have to continue my shots which I'm not looking forward to. I am quite used to them however.
My mom flew in to watch the kids while John and I were at the embryo transfer. I get to spend four more days with her and one will include Thanksgiving. There's a lot to be thankful for at this time.
We had a great time with my mom. She was a huge help and made a lovely Thanksgiving dinner.
