Transfer complete, baby girl on board! #surrogacy

I have so much to update! Pull up a chair, and make yourself comfortable. You're going to be here for awhile. I will catch up first and then try to do a backup post about everything that's happened between now and my last post.

Transfer day was Wednesday April 2, 2014.

So- most awesome of all is that I got to finally meet Lovely Rita in person! She even said I could post pics of her. We'll get to that soon enough.

My youngest gave me a pedicure the night before I left for the transfer.

And my 14 year old painted my fingernails.

My lucky green and purple! 

This is my "not thrilled that our flight was delayed" look.

But then we finally boarded and I was happy again!

It's important to have a good support system when you are a surrogate. I have an awesome support system and this guy is my #1 support!

We arrived at the San Diego airport a few hours before Lovely Rita.

We picked up the rental car. They were having an upgrade special, so we got this bad boy! Lovely Rita was thrilled! It was awesome to pick her up and meet her for the first time!

Don't we make a cute couple? 

Test shot.

We went out to Benihana, my favorite restaurant, and the one in San Diego is the best!! It was so cool to se her come to life if that makes sense. Almost like a blind date on hold for 4 months. Ha ha.

(I look extra plump in this picture, boo! Blaming it on the meds)

I've been eating pineapple in the morning and at night as part of my surro pregnancy regime. (Just stuff I've learned over the years, pineapple is supposed to help with implantation) Well, I drank my pineapple that night in a Mango Pina Colada. Yum! I was really full from lunch, so I didn't get to experience the full Beninhana meal, but I got their yummy California Roll and Fried Rice. We all had ice cream for dessert.

My night before the transfer post on Instagram.

Breakfast view on transfer day.

Lovely Rita and I ordered the same yummy breakfast. I was so happy that my fruit included pineapple. 

Alright, let's go get knocked up!

We were having a blast cruising in the Mustang and I insisted we get a hair blown selfie. Although, that wasn't very fair because I had pulled my hair back.

In our private transfer party room. Me and the lovely ultrasound machine. They insert the embryo(s) through a catheter and use ultrasound guidance.

What a lovely hatching embryo. Female, by the way. They did PGS testing and this baby was top notch! I believe they gave us an 82% success rate. Wow!!

It wouldn't be a transfer without a newly designed transfer shirt, however, sadly, the one I ordered was a small fitting state and did not fit me! So, I just held it up for a picture. It says, "Is it bad that I am meeting someone for the first time and hoping I get knocked up?" The Dr walked in and seemed to get a kick out if it.

My awesome, beautiful surro friend that I have known since my first surrogacy journey (2005/2006) came to the transfer. I thought it was awesome that not only did the clinic tell my IM that we could invite people, but she was totally cool with me inviting my friend. Kari brought 2 good luck charms with her, she is pregnant with twins and due next month. She also wore green (good luck fertility color) and brought me yummy goodies. So sweet! And she hung our with us afterwards for our after transfer fries. (Another tradition that is supposed to help with implantation)

Scoot up and into position.

Time to get up close and personal. Hello Dr, nice to meet you! #slightlyawkward (but so used to it)

I was a bit bummed that this clinic didn't offer Valium. I was extra bummed when I had no warning and there's the speculum and soon after, there's the catheter. Not very comfortable. Ouch.

:(

I've had two Dr's like that now. Other than that he was pretty nice and friendly. The assistant didn't seem very friendly to me. 

After the embryo was transferred to my 13 mm uterus, I had to lay down for 15 minutes. Then we were sent on our way.

We were off to find fries and we ended up at Smashburger which happen to be my favorite fries!! Too bad I wasn't hungry enough for one of their delicious burgers. 

Afterwards, Lovely Rita stopped for ice cream and tried to talk me into getting pineapple gelato. I was too full, but I got a sample taste.

Then, back to the hotel for bedrest for the rest of the day.

I updated Instagram and Facebook with a few pics and then took a nap. Hubby slept too. Then he picked up some movies and snacks. We ordered dinner too.

Check out this adorable stork necklace a friend of mine made me for good luck.

Also good for pregnancy. A bit tart for my taste though.

More pineapple!

And then it was time for shots. I had to start Lovenox on transfer day. With my first surrogacy, the RE (Dr) did a ton of genetic testing and found that I had the MTHFR mutation/gene. He put me on Lovenox to help prevent blood clots/miscarriage. Not every Dr has agreed to put me on the Lovenox, but the times I've used it were the times I was successful, with the exception of my last transfer with my previous couple. I was impressed that this clinic agreed to add it to the protocol, since it has worked before. Lovenox is a blood thinner and is subcutaneous. It goes in your belly and stings a little. It usually leaves bruises. I will be on it plus PIO (Progesterone in Oil) for pretty much the first trimester.

The next day it was time to head home, but first another breakfast with a view, this time at the hotel restaurant. 

I was sad to say goodbye. I had to get a picture on this lovely couch. (?)

Lovely Rita thought this chair was fun and funky! 

Time to go to the airport in style.

The shuttle ride from the car rental return to the airport was bittersweet for me. Look at our matching bracelets Lovely Rita got us. She got one for the egg donor too.

My transfer suitcase. Ha ha!

I felt some cramping on transfer day and 2 days later felt more cramping, twinges and what feels like stretching.

How sweet is this?? 

The official blood/pregnancy test is April 11. I can't wait to hear good strong numbers.

What happened after the 3rd transfer?

Hello. I have been MIA on here. It's just too darn easy to update on my FB blog page.

I apologize. I haven't updated on here what happened after the 3rd transfer with my awesome couple. I didn't even blog about the transfer itself which was amazing really. We had everything stacked in our favor. We even did acupuncture which was awesome and helped me obtain a super thick, comfy cozy uterus. I did the whole pineapple thing before and after. Colored my hair purple and green for good luck, painted my nails to match, made us all new t-shirts, etc.  I felt extra close to my couple the 3rd round and we all felt really good about it. Only 1 of the 2 remaining embryos survived the thaw.

I of course took a "few" pregnancy tests at home which were all positive.

The beta was positive but low, so we played that game for a little bit.

I figured I'd get raw and real and Vlog about what happened.

P.S. I wish nothing but the best for them and can only imagine how they are feeling. My heart aches for them.

How do surrogates get pregnant?

It is always interesting to hear what people think about surrogacy. Most people have a different understanding of how surrogates get pregnant.

(This is my 3rd attempt at this blog post, the other two disappeared on my phone. They were brilliant, just so you know)

My most recent encounter-

Them: "So, will they extract all your eggs and replace them with the Intended Mom's eggs?"
Me: "No. They have embryos and they will transfer the embryos to my uterus."

Interesting thought though. Later I thought, "And what about the sperm? It takes more than eggs. What did they think they do with the sperm?"

I am not making fun of anyone's interpretation of the process. I find it fascinating because I never thought about it before I lived it. I wonder what I would have thought if someone had asked me before I learned about surrogacy and became a surrogate. Surrogacy is my life and I am here to help people understand it better.

What I don't like is when someone thinks that surrogates get pregnant "the old fashioned way". Nope, at least most of us don't. There are unfortunately some wackadoodles out there and TV and movies would like to think we do. There are Traditional Surrogates who use their own eggs AND carry the pregnancy. And I'm pretty sure in the old days, they did do it the old fashioned way. The absolute worst is when someone compares surrogacy to prostitution. Those people are purely ignorant!!

So then, how DO surrogates get pregnant?

I'm not an expert, but I have gone through 6 embryo transfers and I am preparing for a 7th. What I know is what I have experienced.

Gestational Surrogacy: Fresh  and Frozen Embryo Transfers

With gestational surrogacy, the surrogate is only a carrier, she does not contribute any genetic material.

 

The protocols vary, but for the most part, the surrogate will take a combination of medications, shots and/or suppositories to prepare her body and uterus for pregnancy. It is important to prepare the uterine lining for embryo implantation. If the Intended Mom is using her eggs, the surrogate and IM will usually take birth control pills to sync their periods before starting the other medications. If an egg donor is used, then the surrogate and egg donor will sync their cycles. Surrogates are monitored through ultrasounds and blood draws to make sure their body is reacting to the medications like they should. The eggs are retrieved as well as the sperm and embryos are created. The embryos "grow" for 3-5 days and hopefully get to the blastocyst stage before transferring. If the surrogate's uterine lining is nice and thick with no issues, the embryo(s) are transferred into her uterus through a catheter. Usually 1-3 embryos are transferred depending on the embryo quality. 

The surrogate is usually placed on bed rest for 24-72 hours. 

This varies by doctor/clinic. Some surrogates don't do any bed rest, some do light bed rest, others do strict bed rest. Approximately 2 weeks after the embryo transfer, the surrogate does a blood test (HCG/Beta) to see if she is pregnant. If she is, she will stay on medications/shots a little longer to sustain the pregnancy. If not, she will stop medications and if all parties agree, they will start over and try again. 

For a frozen transfer, the embryos are created the same and then frozen at day 3-5. The surrogate will not need to sync up with the IM or egg donor for a frozen cycle.Typically frozen transfers are faster in preparation. The embryos are thawed a day or two before the transfer. Not all embryos survive the thaw. Some people say frozen transfers have a higher success rate. Sometimes a fresh transfer is done, but there are leftover embryos which are frozen.

Traditional Surrogacy

I don't know a lot about the process, sorry!  The Intended Father's sperm is used to inseminate the surrogate. I don't believe shots are involved, but maybe a few medications. (?) Some surrogates inseminate at home with a simple turkey baster, but it is more common now to be inseminated at the Dr.'s office or fertility clinic. 

So, now you know how we really get pregnant. If you need more pictures and simpler terms about surrogacy , I have a book for that!  

:-)

Once Upon a Surrogate: The Stork's Helpers

It's Beta Day Hip Hip Hooray! (5/21/13) Journey #4

*I apologize that I did not get this finished and posted on actual beta day. (yesterday) In my defense it was a long day and I was gone and driving half the day and also pretty tired.
So this starts out with my pondering in the morning before the beta and then what we found out.
-

I am starting to think that I'm not the kind of girl that has high numbers. My beta was 60 with my first surrogacy- singleton and about 324 with the twins. So I have no idea what to expect, but hoping for 100.

If you're part of the surrogacy/IVF world, you know most of us are POAS (peeing on a stick) addicts. In other words, we test at home.

After the embryo transfer you enter what is called the 2ww- The 2 week window, or 2 week wait, or the dreaded 2ww. It can be torture waiting and waiting and wondering. Some of us pee to pass the time.

For me it has been helpful to know what's going on. I do better when I know what's going on. It doesn't always mean anything though because anything can change at any time. Last time I tested at home and got positives, but they were on the light side. It ended up being a chemical pregnancy.

It's not like when I got pregnant with my own kids. I only tested at home once with my own pregnancies and then would do a follow up blood test at the nearby lab to confirm. Easy peasy. With IVF and someone else's genetics, you never know what will happen. You could be pregnant one day and not the next. That's why it's so encouraging to see the lines keep popping up and getting darker each time. That's usually a good sign! Either way, I'm always nervous to get too excited at first, even when I see the positive results.

I wasn't 100% sure if I was going to test this time. It sucks to get excited and then to lose the pregnancy. However, with my 3rd couple we had a failed transfer and I didn't get any positives, so it was nice to be prepared that way as well.

Here are my tests this time around:

(this is just what I started with before the transfer... the collection grew)

I am only posting the ones you can see... not every single test. So be grateful!  

:)

You can always skip ahead if you're not interested...

I know you're not supposed to trust blue dyes (and yes it's light) but hubby found these on sale for me at Walgreens and I couldn't tell him no. I loved that he had accepted and possibly even encouraged my addiction.

The digitals are always nice to see. Do you notice the pink lines getting darker?

I believe these were 7 days also. Aren't they cute? Pink and purple. Only oops, the pink one is an ovulation test. It looks like there's a line on the pink one, but it's a shadow. LOL.

Getting better all the time!

Oh my gosh! Look at those lines!!!

These cheap tests are 88 cents at Walmart. They're great to get it out of your system (literally, ha ha) but for some people (like me) the lines don't get very dark. They did however get dark(er).

I started getting excited!  

It's a good thing the Dollar Tree test provided this caution!

This one gave me butterflies with how fast it showed up and how dark! Great test the night before the beta.

The morning of the beta. Not bad for the cheap tests!

Just hanging out, waiting for results after getting my blood drawn.

I was hoping that Amazing Grace would call to tell me the news.

And then later Amazing Grace called with our number and I was super happy!

 (5/21/13 11dp3/5dt =62)

The clinic was happy and thought 62 was a good number. We're pregnant!

We have gotten over the first hurdle- the two-week window and now we know that we have a good number that indicates a pregnancy. Next step is for the number to double and then in about three weeks we should be doing an ultrasound to look for a heartbeat. And then we pray that we have a lovely uneventful pregnancy for the next 9 months.

Itchy bruised, knotty, sometimes sore bum/hips (from the progesterone), but a small price to pay and well worth it. 

Oh and sometimes you prick your finger..

I have been extra tired the past week. I could easily take 2-3 naps a day. I wonder if that means anything. Maybe it's just my body doing everything it can to protect the embryos and make them nice and comfortable and stress free.

I know I was super tired with the twins, but I don't remember if it was this early. Maybe I'm just getting old.
I also started feeling pretty nauseous today. Hmmm...

Please please let the numbers continue to rise and let us incubate a healthy baby or 2 or 3...

I go back tomorrow and the number should be around 120.

*Update- 2nd beta was 140! Woohoo, we're pregnant!