Switching up this Blog

So I have a little (actually very big secret) that I can't quite share just yet.... About 2 years ago I was introduced to the world of Surrogacy.  I knew very little about it but it was placed upon my heart immediately thereafter.   After giving it a year of thought and research I make my first contact to a surrogacy agency.  I was matched with a great set of IP's (intended parents) and then the journey began.   I've decided to use this blog to document my journey and someday share with family, friends and possibly others interested in the surrogacy process and who knows, maybe a surro baby or two :)

Let me catch you up to date...

February 22, 2013
I had my first conference call with the IM (intended mother) and we spoke for about 30 minutes.  Lots of great details shared and the connection was clearly there so forward we go!

March 4, 2013
Spoke with my OBGYN about my desire to become a GS (gestational surrogate...this is where I only provide the uterus, IP's either provide their own egg/sperm or use a donor) and he gave me the green light

March 19, 2013
All surrogates must undergo a psychological evaluation to make certain you are mentally healthy and have the right reasons for participating in a surrogacy.  It began with a 567 question quesionnaire...yep, you read that right, 567 multiple choice questions.  Then, a pyschologist performed an over the phone evaluation of myself as well as the hubs.  We passed with flying colors.

April 24, 2013
I made the flight to the IP's hometown and had a saline ultrasound performed to make sure my uterus was up for the journey.  For those of you unfamiliar with a saline ultrasound it's an internal sonogram of the uterus.  It's invasive, slightly uncomfortable, but not painful at all.  They insert a small catheter into the uterus and load it up with saline then view it.  Simple enough.  They also drew plenty of blood and ran tests for any transmittable diseases.  We also went over all the medications I would be receiving in the mail and how to administer the self injections (sounds scary, and trust me I was a little, but actually turned out to be virtually painless)

May 6, 2013
A rather large box full of medications arrived a few days ago.  This is where things started to get a lot more real for me.  I began giving myself Lupron shots, in the belly, nightly.  I was warned that it's side effect is bad headaches.

 

May 9, 2013

Surrogacy contract signed, sealed and delivered!  The surrogacy process involves a lot of legal details therefore a contract is ALWAYS necessary.  I do NOT recommend this process without one.  So many decisions to be made, agreed upon and put into writing.  I won't got into details on this ( #1 I can't and #2 you can research this area very easily) but this is not my child and I must and will always respect the IP's beliefs and wishes....also why it's very important to carry for someone that is aligned with your beliefs.  

 

May 16 2013   

On day 10 of lupron injections, the ever elusive Lupron headaches began.  I'm telling you, these headaches are fierce!  Luckily, they are short lived.  When they come they typically last less than an hour and hydration is the key to sending them away quickly.   

 

 

So there you have it, you're up-to-date on my progress.  I'm still on the nightly injections and prenatals.  Not a long going on right now.  Just in a holding pattern for the next stage...