I still feel amazing! Absolutely NO side effects from the lupron injections. I honestly still have been in fabulous moods and I kept help but wonder if this is from the lupron! Not that being happy is unusual for me.. but I just feel extra happy!
I started the estrogen patches on Thursday. I haven't noticed anything odd with those either! They are just small patches that I wear on my abdomen and change every other day. The worst part of these is taking them off! OUCH! It's like an extra sicky bandaid. But, so far, if that's the only pain I've had.. I will take it!
The transfer is just over 2 weeks away! It's gonna be here before we know it! I have another ultrasound on the 5th & at that point they will check my uterus lining again. Hopefully it will have thickened up and we will be on target for the transfer! Fingers crossed!
Thanks for reading.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Monday, October 22, 2012
3 short weeks away!
Quick post:
I went to the fertility clinic today and had a quick ultrasound to check my lining. Everything looked good... I think my lining was about 6mm. From what I have read online about embryo transfers.. the higher the #, the better chance of a successful transfer. I asked the nurse today what # they like to see and she said anything over 7 is good. So, let's hope my lining gets a little squishier in the next 3 weeks! :)
They will do a follow-up ultrasound on the 5th to see if it thickened. I start my estrogen patches on Thursday. They are 2 dots that I will wear on my abdomen and change every 2 days. After a week of wearing them, I will start wearing 4, to double the dose as we get closer to the transfer.
The lupron injections have seriously been CAKE! I have been giving them to myself in the evenings and I don't even feel the injection in my thigh; not painful at all. So far the only 'side effect' I have noticed is just being in extra good moods! I would love if that kept up.. I am not complaining! :)
That's all for now! Hard to believe we are less than 21 days away from the transfer!!!
Have a good week!
I went to the fertility clinic today and had a quick ultrasound to check my lining. Everything looked good... I think my lining was about 6mm. From what I have read online about embryo transfers.. the higher the #, the better chance of a successful transfer. I asked the nurse today what # they like to see and she said anything over 7 is good. So, let's hope my lining gets a little squishier in the next 3 weeks! :)
They will do a follow-up ultrasound on the 5th to see if it thickened. I start my estrogen patches on Thursday. They are 2 dots that I will wear on my abdomen and change every 2 days. After a week of wearing them, I will start wearing 4, to double the dose as we get closer to the transfer.
The lupron injections have seriously been CAKE! I have been giving them to myself in the evenings and I don't even feel the injection in my thigh; not painful at all. So far the only 'side effect' I have noticed is just being in extra good moods! I would love if that kept up.. I am not complaining! :)
That's all for now! Hard to believe we are less than 21 days away from the transfer!!!
Have a good week!
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Easy Peasy!
Day two of the injections and everything has gone smoothly! The Lupron injections have been very easy for me to do. I was concerned about if I could give myself a shot but it really isn't bad at all!
Lupron has quite a list of side effects... so I have prepared myself (& friends/family) that I might become a loony in the next few weeks! However, so far, I have felt great! I actually feel like the Lupron makes me feel happy! haha. A shot of happy? :) Is that possible? :) I doubt it. I am sure the crazy side effects will kick in soon, but we shall see.
I have been chatting with a gal who is in the same place in this process as me; she actually has her transfer just a day after mine. She has been on the Lupron a week longer than me and she said she hasn't noticed any side effects. I hope that continues for me too!
I got the progesterone stuff in my package of meds too... and yikes, those needles definitely look a bit scarier! We will see if I will be able to keep those up for 10 weeks. I might need to switch to the suppositories. I won't need to start the progesterone until a few days before the embryo transfer, so I have a few weeks left of just the easy Lupron! :)
Alright, that's all I have for tonight!
Lupron has quite a list of side effects... so I have prepared myself (& friends/family) that I might become a loony in the next few weeks! However, so far, I have felt great! I actually feel like the Lupron makes me feel happy! haha. A shot of happy? :) Is that possible? :) I doubt it. I am sure the crazy side effects will kick in soon, but we shall see.
I have been chatting with a gal who is in the same place in this process as me; she actually has her transfer just a day after mine. She has been on the Lupron a week longer than me and she said she hasn't noticed any side effects. I hope that continues for me too!
I got the progesterone stuff in my package of meds too... and yikes, those needles definitely look a bit scarier! We will see if I will be able to keep those up for 10 weeks. I might need to switch to the suppositories. I won't need to start the progesterone until a few days before the embryo transfer, so I have a few weeks left of just the easy Lupron! :)
Alright, that's all I have for tonight!
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
And it all begins!
Last week we finalized the parentage agreement (contract) with our attorneys! We ended up signing on the dotted line on Thursday. It felt so good to have that part completed :)
I have been in contact with the fertility clinic and we are all set to start meds tomorrow! Then, the embryo transfer is scheduled for November 12!! EEK! I can't believe it's all.really.starting.
Tomorrow morning a mail order pharmacy will deliver ALL my meds for these next several weeks. I will be getting Lupron, Vivelle, and Progesterone. The viville will be a patch I will wear on my abdomen and the other two are injections. Tomorrow evening I will start with my first injection of Lupron. I will give myself one injection everyday for the next 3-4 weeks. I will stop my birth control pills on Saturday and then on Monday I have a followup ultrasound in Illinois.
I can't believe we finally have a date set! Just 26 days away!
I am planning to blog a lot more from this point forward. I will be blogging all the details of the surrogacy. I created this blog so my friends and family can follow along thru the journey, but also to keep this as a journal for any current or future surrogates out there. Surrogacy is a pretty complicated process. I found comfort being able to read about others experiences!
One thing to mention is, with an embryo transfer, there is no guarantees that I will become pregnant. So, I would love if you would take a minute to pray or send some positive thoughts about it. I know that both Frank and I would be devastated if this transfer failed... so please keep us in your thoughts this next month!
Thanks for reading!
I have been in contact with the fertility clinic and we are all set to start meds tomorrow! Then, the embryo transfer is scheduled for November 12!! EEK! I can't believe it's all.really.starting.
Tomorrow morning a mail order pharmacy will deliver ALL my meds for these next several weeks. I will be getting Lupron, Vivelle, and Progesterone. The viville will be a patch I will wear on my abdomen and the other two are injections. Tomorrow evening I will start with my first injection of Lupron. I will give myself one injection everyday for the next 3-4 weeks. I will stop my birth control pills on Saturday and then on Monday I have a followup ultrasound in Illinois.
I can't believe we finally have a date set! Just 26 days away!
I am planning to blog a lot more from this point forward. I will be blogging all the details of the surrogacy. I created this blog so my friends and family can follow along thru the journey, but also to keep this as a journal for any current or future surrogates out there. Surrogacy is a pretty complicated process. I found comfort being able to read about others experiences!
One thing to mention is, with an embryo transfer, there is no guarantees that I will become pregnant. So, I would love if you would take a minute to pray or send some positive thoughts about it. I know that both Frank and I would be devastated if this transfer failed... so please keep us in your thoughts this next month!
Thanks for reading!
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
What about adoption?
First off- a quick update. Both Frank & Steven/I have been appointed attorneys to get started on the contracts. We are hoping to have the contracts signed by Oct 19 & that will put us on track for an early/mid November transfer.
Secondly, I wanted to blog about a topic that I feel like comes up in the back of peoples mind; and not everyone has the 'guts' to ask.
"Why not adoption? There are so many babies out there to be adopted. Why do you feel you have to turn to surrogacy instead of adopting a baby in need of a family?"
First off, my husband is adopted. Adoption is a wonderful thing. Steven and I talked about adoption before we had kids. We made an agreement that we would adopt if we couldn't have our own biological children. I really think adoption is beautiful & I LOVE hearing successful adoption stories. However, there is a very real reality to adoption. Adoptions fail. Not everyone can adopt. Adopting is a very tough process. Adoption is very expensive & not guaranteed. When adoptions go through, they are beautiful & so rewarding. But, adoption just doesn't feel right to everyone. For Frank, adoption would be extremely difficult since he is a single man; only 3 countries in the world even consider letting a single man adopt. And, not all families have come to terms with the fact they can't have their own biological children. So, I feel that I can help someone else have a biological child if thats what feels right to them. I got pregnant easily. I never had to really, honestly, sit & have that talk about "what do we do now?" We never had a doctor tell us there was a problem with our fertility issues. I don't know what we would do if we were put in that situation. But, if adoption wasn't the route we wanted to go, I sure as heck hope I would have somewhere else to turn. Surrogacy.
I've been following several surrogacy blogs lately & I recently found one that the blogger is a surrogate for her brother & sister-in-law because during the birth of their first child, the mother was very ill & had to have her uterus removed. She still has perfect eggs but no where to carry a child. So, for them, their journey to having their own biological children just wasn't complete yet. They are expecting twins around Christmas. If you are interested, you can view their blog, here.
I have had friends & clients who have adopted and I LOVE when everything falls into place & then suddenly, a new family member is welcomed into their loving family. But, I have also heard the sad stories of adoptions that fall thru. Surrogacy takes out a bit of that factor. Again, the egg is NOT mine in this surrogacy. I am strictly the carrier that will get this embryo to a full-term baby. I can't change my mind, because I simply can't. It's not my baby. Frank doesn't have to go to bed at night worrying about if I may decide to keep this baby. Yes, there are several other factors that probably will worry Frank crazy- but, me keeping his baby, isn't one of them. This baby is his, all his, and so once I am confirmed pregnant, he gets to begin planning his life with his baby. That is what surrogacy is about to me.
I really don't feel like it can be a conversation on adoption vs surrogacy because I think its comparing apples to oranges. I don't think they can be compared. They are so different and people choose what feels right to them. We are so lucky that this is OUR life and we get to choose what is right to US. If we were all the same, what a boring world we would live in. But, I really appreciate when people can open themselves up to new opinions. So, for those of you that are on the edge about surrogacy. Just think about if a doctor told you that you 'couldn't get pregnant', or if you woke up from a C-Section and your uterus was gone, or you were a 45 year old who couldn't adopt because of the age requirements, or a man who wants to be a dad but can't because he is single? Think of those factors and consider that not everyone has the easy, cut & dry story that we would like to think lead people to adopt. Adoption is beautiful and so is surrogacy. Neither is better than another.
Those are my words for the night. Thanks for reading ;)
Secondly, I wanted to blog about a topic that I feel like comes up in the back of peoples mind; and not everyone has the 'guts' to ask.
"Why not adoption? There are so many babies out there to be adopted. Why do you feel you have to turn to surrogacy instead of adopting a baby in need of a family?"
First off, my husband is adopted. Adoption is a wonderful thing. Steven and I talked about adoption before we had kids. We made an agreement that we would adopt if we couldn't have our own biological children. I really think adoption is beautiful & I LOVE hearing successful adoption stories. However, there is a very real reality to adoption. Adoptions fail. Not everyone can adopt. Adopting is a very tough process. Adoption is very expensive & not guaranteed. When adoptions go through, they are beautiful & so rewarding. But, adoption just doesn't feel right to everyone. For Frank, adoption would be extremely difficult since he is a single man; only 3 countries in the world even consider letting a single man adopt. And, not all families have come to terms with the fact they can't have their own biological children. So, I feel that I can help someone else have a biological child if thats what feels right to them. I got pregnant easily. I never had to really, honestly, sit & have that talk about "what do we do now?" We never had a doctor tell us there was a problem with our fertility issues. I don't know what we would do if we were put in that situation. But, if adoption wasn't the route we wanted to go, I sure as heck hope I would have somewhere else to turn. Surrogacy.
I've been following several surrogacy blogs lately & I recently found one that the blogger is a surrogate for her brother & sister-in-law because during the birth of their first child, the mother was very ill & had to have her uterus removed. She still has perfect eggs but no where to carry a child. So, for them, their journey to having their own biological children just wasn't complete yet. They are expecting twins around Christmas. If you are interested, you can view their blog, here.
I have had friends & clients who have adopted and I LOVE when everything falls into place & then suddenly, a new family member is welcomed into their loving family. But, I have also heard the sad stories of adoptions that fall thru. Surrogacy takes out a bit of that factor. Again, the egg is NOT mine in this surrogacy. I am strictly the carrier that will get this embryo to a full-term baby. I can't change my mind, because I simply can't. It's not my baby. Frank doesn't have to go to bed at night worrying about if I may decide to keep this baby. Yes, there are several other factors that probably will worry Frank crazy- but, me keeping his baby, isn't one of them. This baby is his, all his, and so once I am confirmed pregnant, he gets to begin planning his life with his baby. That is what surrogacy is about to me.
I really don't feel like it can be a conversation on adoption vs surrogacy because I think its comparing apples to oranges. I don't think they can be compared. They are so different and people choose what feels right to them. We are so lucky that this is OUR life and we get to choose what is right to US. If we were all the same, what a boring world we would live in. But, I really appreciate when people can open themselves up to new opinions. So, for those of you that are on the edge about surrogacy. Just think about if a doctor told you that you 'couldn't get pregnant', or if you woke up from a C-Section and your uterus was gone, or you were a 45 year old who couldn't adopt because of the age requirements, or a man who wants to be a dad but can't because he is single? Think of those factors and consider that not everyone has the easy, cut & dry story that we would like to think lead people to adopt. Adoption is beautiful and so is surrogacy. Neither is better than another.
Those are my words for the night. Thanks for reading ;)
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