Psych Evals!

Dave and I get to drive to San Francisco for our Psych Evals on Thursday!!

Since Dave won't be able to go to LA with me next month, We are able to get our Psychs done by us! This is another big task we can check off our list! We will be taking the Personality Assessment Inventory {PAI} Test and talk with the Psychiatrist.

The PAI Test is a 300+ True/False Test that gets a comprehensive assessment of adult psychotathology. They want to make sure Dave and I are sane and can handle this big journey!

The test should only take about an hour and about 20 minutes to score! A June Transfer is looking sweeter and sweeter! Eeek!

So now we just have to wait for my cycle to start, which should be in about a week, then I head to LA a week after that for my Re-Evaluation with Dr. R!!! Then its Contract time!

Hope you all have a blessed day!

Love These!!!

So, I love All Things Surrogacy. They have a lot of great information, a forum for Surrogates & IP's and they have some seriously cute clothes!

I was going through them last night and told Dave that I wanted to get some! Here is what I would get:

My Lovely Surro Bump

On My Way To Get Knocked Up!

All Things Surrogacy Tank

Keep Calm They're Not Mine

Ice Ice Baby Sweat Pants

***Exciting News for tomorrow's post!!!!

Just a little setback...

So we have ran into a tiny set back.. 

I was supposed to fly to LA one day this week to do my Re-Evaluation with Dr., but it looks like he is completely booked for the week. So what does that mean?! I have to wait for my next cycle, which should be around May 8th.

I had only done half of what was needed because of the whole weight thing. But I get to do all of this all over again with my new Dr.

My Medical Evaluation will include: 

Medical History
Pregnancy History
Blood work
Sonohysterogram - Ultrasound of the uterus.
Explain all of the meds and process
Give me a lab slip for D to do his blood work..


Psych Evaluation will include:

MMPI-2 (or PAI) Test - roughly 340 T/F questions. None of them are right or wrong because it is a personality test.
Talk about why I chose Surrogacy.
Misc Questions.
3-4 hours for everything


So here is hoping these next few weeks fly by! I don't think I have ever wanted my period to start so fast.. Like.EVER! #SurroProbs! 

The only thing that sucks is that my Anniversary is right in the middle of this crazy cycle.. May 12th is our 6 year wedding anniversary :)

Hope everyone has a great day!!!

Just a few meds...

I have been looking at majority of the meds that are used for Infertility & IVF. I am trying to get a feel of what meds I will be taking and how they will react. I have been reading all of the side effects and am not really that scared anymore, just nervous!

Here is a list of IVF Medications and what they do. I know I will be taking at least 4 of these...

Prenatal Vitamins - Prepares the body for conception and balances out nutrition deficiencies.

Baby Aspirin - Minimizes the chance of miscarriage.

Birth Control Pills - Regulates menstruation prior to an IVF cycle.

Zithromax - Helps prevent infection and harmful bacteria.

Clomid or Femara (generic Letrozele) - Inhibits estrogen to increase the release of follicle stimulating hormone, resulting in higher rates of ovulation and pregnancy.

Repronex - Provides follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone that help stimulate healthy ovaries*

Bravelle, Follistim, Gonal-F or Menopur - Controls the timing of egg maturation, allowing more follicles to be produced*

Ganirelix - Controls ovulation by rapidly suppressing the production and action of the luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone.

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) - induces ovulation or the release of eggs in the ovaries and is the hormone produced by an embryo shortly after conception.

Novarel (hCG) - Stimulates the release of eggs in the ovaries.

Estrogen - Stimulates growth of the lining of the uterus.

Progesterone - Prepares the lining of the uterus for implantation and fosters gestation, helping to achieve and maintain pregnancy.

Lupron - Controls ovulation by briefly increasing and then suppressing the production and action of the luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone.

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One step closer...

So it looks like I will have to go back down to L.A. for a Re-Evaluation & Blood Work at the IVF Clinic and then do my Psychological Evaluation. I wish I didn't have to fly down there, but the new dr wants to see me.

I should be flying down some time next week... Eeek! I should be getting a call from the clinic on monday to schedule the appt.. This is just one step closer to getting a set date on our transfer!

So as of right now, I am just trying to tie up loose ends and figure out a plan for the kids next week. I am hoping that I can fly down on Thursday since its Dave's day off and I wont need to have anyone watch the kids or pick them up from school.

The IP's and I have started emailing back and forth! It was a sweet surprise when I checked my email yesterday and saw the first email from them... I was finally able to email back this afternoon. It has been a busy few days..

XOXO,

Conference Call!!

This morning I had our Conference Call with my new IP's!!

First off, let me say that they are amazing! I absolutely adore them already! They seem so genuine and can not wait to have a family! Once we all started talking, the nerves went away and everything went really well. I was so nervous before the call, I barely slept. Our call was at 6:30am pst and 9:30pm their time...

We were all on the phone together for about 30-45 minutes. {Me, My Caseworker, IF, IM & Their Translator} I asked questions, they asked questions. They want to try for a June Transfer, which would mean that I would start my meds in May. Once I get my Psych Eval done and both mine and Dave's blood work done, I believe we will be starting contracts!!

When we were talking and asking questions, I told them that I have a Surrogacy blog and that I will be updating it as things move along. I also told them that I will not display their names or put pictures of them up on here. They were pretty excited about this. They said that it will help them connect with me and the pregnancy more. This made me so happy! When I logged in to write this post, I checked the audience and there were some hits from where they are! This made my heart swell :)

We talked about multiples and if they would like to be in the room when I deliver. They were very grateful when I told them that it was up to them if they wanted to be in the room. It will be their baby/babies and they deserve to be in that room!

So for now our check list consists of this :

- Complete my Psychological Evaluation.
- Complete Mine and Dave's Blood Work.

Thank you for all of your sweet comments and prayers!!

Me, Nervous?

Why yes, yes I am...

Things have been racing through my head since Friday when we got the new IP Profile. Will they back out? - Will they not like us after the conference call? - Will we not like them? I know that this is all normal, but I can’t help but think about these things.

Wanna know what else I am nervous about?!? Those damn Progesterone & Lupron Shots. It’s not that I am scared of needles, because I’m not. I just don’t think I could build up the courage to stick myself with a massive needle, at least two times a day.

{Video via YouTube}

This is where my nurse friends come in handy! I have already told them that I plan on having them give me my shots. At least the one that goes in my behind ;) To be completely honest, I think it’s all of the YouTube videos that I have been watching that are freaking me out. I just need to stop watching them!!

Once I get that bfp, I will have to keep taking one of the shots until I hit 12 weeks. The bruises and knots will be worth the look on my IP’s faces when they are holding their baby in their arms for the first time! 

Our New Journey!!

Sorry for the vague post on friday. There is only so much I can talk about before Conference Calls/Contracts. I am currently waiting for my caseworker to email me the day and time for the call.

So the first time we were matched, it was 11 days from the time our paperwork got to our agency to the Conference Call. This time, it was ten days! Since my bmi is under 35 but over 30, my caseworker is limited to whom she can send our profile to. It all depends on the IVF Clinic the IP’s go through. I have been busting my ass with the weight loss and can’t wait to get started!

When I first saw the email, I got super excited when I read the names. I thought to myself “OMG, I am going to be a Surrogate for Two Daddies!!” Well, when I opened the profile, I realized that the names fooled me. Haha! Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore these IP’s already! I feel a sense of calmness with them, something that I didn’t really feel with the last IP’s. They are more laid back and seem like a lot of fun! It helps that one of them speak English! Dave and I had thought a lot about if we were going to be open for International Couples or just United States. We both felt that everyone deserved to have a family and a lot of other countries don’t approve of Surrogacy and some are even illegal.

I feel more excited this time around too. I think that because I have been through the beginning stages recently, I know what to expect and can put myself out there a little more. This couple is ready to move forward, like now! So what does that mean, you ask? Well, let me tell ya! If you are new, here is how it will all work…

Conference Call – We will ask each other question’s, get a feel for each other and decide whether or not we want to go forward. We will also find out when they plan on coming out for the Egg Retrieval and Embryo Transfer! After we find out that date, we will find out when I should be starting my meds!

Psych Evaluation & Medical – I will have to fly back out to L.A. and do my Psych Evaluation. I am not sure if I will have to do another Medical Evaluation, since I did one on November 30^th. The only reason I might have to do another one is if it’s because I had lost all of the weight. They will also tell me what meds I will be taking and how to administer them. But I will find out more on that soon.

Contracts – Our Lawyers will write up the contract and both parties will sign. This is when it really gets official!!

Start Meds – I will be starting Birth Control Pills, Progesterone & Lupron. They will either be Injections or Suppositories.  I will have to be on these meds for about a month before the transfer and up to 12 weeks pregnant.

Embryo Transfer – I will fly down to L.A. for the transfer and stay there for a few days. I will more than likely be by myself since Dave is starting a new job and won’t be able to take the time off. So we will more than likely have to hire a babysitter. 

So now we wait....

Amazing News!!

Got an email from one of my caseworkers about a potential couple wanting to work with us!!

I looked it over and sent it to Dave..

We have agreed to work with them!!

We are matched again!!!!

More info to come...

New Profile Pics!!

Since I have lost over 20lbs, I decided that it was time to put new family pictures in our profile :) So we went over to my dads yesterday before my luncheon with my surrogacy group.

Here is the first picture we sent in:

And here are the ones that we took yesterday!!

Hopefully we hear something soon!

I didn't want to watermark the pics a bunch of times, so I just used the ones from my family blog.. lol

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Back to square one...

Well, we are now back to the beginning of our Surrogacy Journey.

I just got off the phone with my caseworker. The IP's {former ips} want to try and have a child on their own. Do I feel mad? Absolutely Not! I am actually happy for them. I wish them nothing but loving prayers and positive vibes during their journey to have a baby.

My profile is active again and will be shown to couples. We are praying that a couple falls in love with our family and chooses us soon! There are a lot of couples looking at Surro Profiles, so fingers are crossed! My Caseworker said that it could be tomorrow, a few days or a few weeks for us to be matched again. We were matched with our first IP's within 11 days of our agency getting our paperwork.

This is definitely not the end of my Surrogacy Journey. It's just a little bump in the road and everything happens for a reason. So for now, I will focus on losing more weight and just pray that a new couple chooses us!

Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers during all of this!