Good morning readers! I'm so sorry that it has been soooo long since I last blogged but there really hasn't been much going on! That's how pregnancy usually goes! You get pregnant and then you have to go to a ton of appointments but they really don't tell you anything new except things look good and the babies are growing.
I am now 22 weeks along and since they will induce at 37 weeks, I only have 15 weeks to go! So I guess that's exciting! Trust me, if they were my babies I would be much more excited and nervous but they're not and I've done this a couple of times now so I feel prepared! :)
Like I mentioned, they will induce at 37 weeks which means Monday, February 20th is the magical day. However, my doctor likes to do "high risk" inductions on Tuesdays so that puts estimated delivery on February 21st! I know I said high risk, don't panic, I'm only considered high risk because it's twins...everything else is fine! I also say estimated delivery because they can always change your due date through out a pregnancy.
The twins are doing great! They are growing as they should be and are very active! They have found my bladder which isn't very nice but that's just part of it! I work 50 miles from home and one day on my way home they decided to use my bladder as a trampoline. I had to pull over 1/2 way home to literally run into Best Buy to use the restroom! Then I had to call Daryl when I was exiting the highway to get home so he could open the garage door so I could get to the restroom faster. That day has been the worst so far but now I try to stop drinking water about an hour before I leave work so hopefully I can make it home!
I have had 2 vaginal births with my boys and I'm hoping I can have a vaginal birth with the twins. Baby A, the little girl, will be born first. If she is breech they won't be able to flip her and that means a c-section. This really has me concerned. I know that women have c-sections all the time but the biggest surgical procedure I've ever had is a tonsillectomy and it's a lot to accept. So everyone please keep your fingers crossed that she cooperates and is head down and ready to go come February!
Now onto a not so happy conversation. I have been having an issue with my IP's. It's almost as they are non-existent. I hardly ever hear from them and when I do it's very brief & to the point. This is VERY frustrating for me. If you have met me in person, you know I'm very opinionated, loud, outspoken, & not afraid to share my feelings. I understand that some people are more reserved than I am but it's really strange to me. I don't understand how you can have a girl carrying your unborn children and not email or call at least once a week to see how she and the babies are doing. People try to make me feel better about the situation and say "well, maybe they're busy?" but I have something to say about that...I'm having YOUR twins and if you think you're too busy now, what's going to happen when they're here??? Life isn't going to get any less busy when they arrive! It's only going to get worse! I mention this because I want anyone who's reading this, a potential surrogate or even potential IP's, please keep this in mind when you decide to carry someone else's child! I don't regret doing this and yes I want to do it again but I want to make sure that my future IP's understand that I expect them to be more involved. I understand that my IP's have moved out of state and it's not as easy as jumping in the car and coming to an appointment. However, they missed the most important appointment of a pregnancy. My appointment in October was the anatomy scan. This appointment determins, for sure, the sex of the babies, their size, etc. and they didn't come. My IP's had plenty of time to make an effort to come to the appointment. They knew 5 weeks in advance when the appointment would be, they could have been there.
I do have to say a HUGE thank you to Gayle East my agent! She is amazing and I'm so glad I have had the chance to work with her! She drove up to go to my anatomy scan with me and she has always been there for me if I just needed to talk! I don't know how much F&J pay her but it needs to be more than what she gets! Trust me, she's worth so much more!
My next appointment is December 1st and I will get to do the exciting glucose test...yay (sarcasam).
I hope everyone has a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by!
Much love! ~Melissa
A Surrogate Mommy's Perspective
Lilypie Ticker
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Friday, September 9, 2011
The Best of Both Worlds
Good Morning Everyone! I hope everyone has been doing good from the last time I was here!
I went to the doctor yesterday and F&J's twins are looking great! They actually look like babies instead of shrimp! :) They gave me some sonogram pictures to mail to F&J but I have to share with y'all also!
I got to meet Dr. W yesterday for the first time. She seems to be very sweet and energetic! I'm very excited to have her as my OBGYN!
We started the sonogram and Baby A was first up. While Dr. W was checking Baby A out, I saw something very familiar. Baby A is definitely a BOY! I have 2 boys of my own and I know what little boy parts look like on a sonogram! Dr W. confirmed what I saw so there is no doubt that Baby A is a boy! At this point I can honestly say I was a little disappointed! Like I said, I have 2 little boys and one day I would like to have 1 more baby and I hope & pray it's a little girl! This may sound silly but I hope if I give someone else a little girl, maybe God will bless me with a little girl of my own, when the time is right! Fingers crossed, we still have another chance to give F&J a girl because after all there are 2 babies in my belly!
Now Baby B's turn...will it be a boy or girl? Considering it is still a little early and I don't go for the actual Anatomy Scan until October 11th we don't know for sure but Baby B did not have "little boy parts"! We're not 100% sure but Dr. W is pretty sure that Baby B is a girl! YAY!
I called J after the appointment to tell her the good news but unfortunately she didn't answer so I got back to work and emailed F&J to tell them the good news. I didn't know if they wanted to know the genders or not so I asked first. I heard from J this morning and they wanted to know even if it was just a guess so I emailed her back with the unconfirmed results. J seems very excited to get the best of both worlds in one pregnancy! So congratulations F&J, you get one of each! I honestly can't express how happy I am for them!
When Dr. W was letting me know her findings I was (am) thrilled but it was a totally different experience for me than what I'm used to. These are not my babies and I could tell the difference in excitement had they been mine. It's a really interesting feeling. It was like my best friend telling me that she was pregnant with twins but I'm carrying them. I don't know if that makes any sense but that's the only way I can explain it.
Now for the fun part...pictures! Here was go!
I went to the doctor yesterday and F&J's twins are looking great! They actually look like babies instead of shrimp! :) They gave me some sonogram pictures to mail to F&J but I have to share with y'all also!
I got to meet Dr. W yesterday for the first time. She seems to be very sweet and energetic! I'm very excited to have her as my OBGYN!
We started the sonogram and Baby A was first up. While Dr. W was checking Baby A out, I saw something very familiar. Baby A is definitely a BOY! I have 2 boys of my own and I know what little boy parts look like on a sonogram! Dr W. confirmed what I saw so there is no doubt that Baby A is a boy! At this point I can honestly say I was a little disappointed! Like I said, I have 2 little boys and one day I would like to have 1 more baby and I hope & pray it's a little girl! This may sound silly but I hope if I give someone else a little girl, maybe God will bless me with a little girl of my own, when the time is right! Fingers crossed, we still have another chance to give F&J a girl because after all there are 2 babies in my belly!
Now Baby B's turn...will it be a boy or girl? Considering it is still a little early and I don't go for the actual Anatomy Scan until October 11th we don't know for sure but Baby B did not have "little boy parts"! We're not 100% sure but Dr. W is pretty sure that Baby B is a girl! YAY!
I called J after the appointment to tell her the good news but unfortunately she didn't answer so I got back to work and emailed F&J to tell them the good news. I didn't know if they wanted to know the genders or not so I asked first. I heard from J this morning and they wanted to know even if it was just a guess so I emailed her back with the unconfirmed results. J seems very excited to get the best of both worlds in one pregnancy! So congratulations F&J, you get one of each! I honestly can't express how happy I am for them!
When Dr. W was letting me know her findings I was (am) thrilled but it was a totally different experience for me than what I'm used to. These are not my babies and I could tell the difference in excitement had they been mine. It's a really interesting feeling. It was like my best friend telling me that she was pregnant with twins but I'm carrying them. I don't know if that makes any sense but that's the only way I can explain it.
Now for the fun part...pictures! Here was go!
Baby A's Sweet Profile
Baby A saying "Hi Mom & Dad!"
Baby A's Heartbeat of 152bmp
Baby B's Heartbeat of 158bpm
Baby B's Sweet Profile
Baby B-It's a Girl????
Well I guess that's it for now! I hope everyone has a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by!
Much love! ~Melissa
Friday, August 19, 2011
Update: I'm so far behind!!!
Okay, okay, I know I have not updated in a couple of weeks! Shame on me! We have been super busy though!
August 2nd I had a sonogram and everything looked great! The babies look like little shrimp with big foreheads! :) I was able to see and hear the heartbeats again. I really like that sound!
I am finally off of all of my meds excluding baby aspirin & of course the pre-natal! YAY! Unless you have ever been on the meds you probably won't understand but it's disgusting! Having to wear a panty liner everyday when you're not having a period sucks!
Thursday & Friday of last week and Monday of this week I took off to start potty training Caleb. It has actually gone really well! Other than a diaper at night & for nap he has got it down! Yay Caleb!
Cameron started football practice Monday night. Daryl is coaching and I am team mom! This should be interesting! Have I mentioned that it's freaking HOT?! We try to keep the boys hydrated by giving them a water break every 10 minutes. Daryl is thrilled with the boys on our team. They seam to be a really good group of boys that are willing to do whatever "Coach" says! I've been dragging to potty training chair to practice because there are no bathrooms available. I wonder how many people think I'm crazy?
Cameron starts kindergarten next Tuesday! I can't believe my baby has grown up so fast! It makes me sad!
So Monday night was football practice, Tuesday was new parent orientation at Cam's school, Wednesday was another football practice, & Thursday was meet the teacher at Cam's school. I'm looking forward to tonight because we don't have anything planned!
I was finally released to my OBGYN and my first appointment was this morning. I love my nurse! I have been through 3 OBGYN's with her. I just keep following her when my OBGYN retires. Today's appointment wasn't very exciting. We just talked about previous history, diet restrictions, etc.
I'm not feeling very well. It's all very common with my pregnancies, just x2 because it's twins instead of 1. I spend my day trying to convince myself not to throw up. I hate throwing up and will do everything I can not to. I'm exhausted! I could go to sleep as soon as I wake up in the morning. Yes, it's that bad. I'm not sure how I have kept up with all we are doing right now but it's amazing the energy you can find when it comes to your kids!
I guess that's it for now. I hope everyone has a nice relaxing weekend! I sure hope to! Thanks for stopping by!
Much love! ~Melissa
August 2nd I had a sonogram and everything looked great! The babies look like little shrimp with big foreheads! :) I was able to see and hear the heartbeats again. I really like that sound!
I am finally off of all of my meds excluding baby aspirin & of course the pre-natal! YAY! Unless you have ever been on the meds you probably won't understand but it's disgusting! Having to wear a panty liner everyday when you're not having a period sucks!
Thursday & Friday of last week and Monday of this week I took off to start potty training Caleb. It has actually gone really well! Other than a diaper at night & for nap he has got it down! Yay Caleb!
Cameron started football practice Monday night. Daryl is coaching and I am team mom! This should be interesting! Have I mentioned that it's freaking HOT?! We try to keep the boys hydrated by giving them a water break every 10 minutes. Daryl is thrilled with the boys on our team. They seam to be a really good group of boys that are willing to do whatever "Coach" says! I've been dragging to potty training chair to practice because there are no bathrooms available. I wonder how many people think I'm crazy?
Cameron starts kindergarten next Tuesday! I can't believe my baby has grown up so fast! It makes me sad!
So Monday night was football practice, Tuesday was new parent orientation at Cam's school, Wednesday was another football practice, & Thursday was meet the teacher at Cam's school. I'm looking forward to tonight because we don't have anything planned!
I was finally released to my OBGYN and my first appointment was this morning. I love my nurse! I have been through 3 OBGYN's with her. I just keep following her when my OBGYN retires. Today's appointment wasn't very exciting. We just talked about previous history, diet restrictions, etc.
I'm not feeling very well. It's all very common with my pregnancies, just x2 because it's twins instead of 1. I spend my day trying to convince myself not to throw up. I hate throwing up and will do everything I can not to. I'm exhausted! I could go to sleep as soon as I wake up in the morning. Yes, it's that bad. I'm not sure how I have kept up with all we are doing right now but it's amazing the energy you can find when it comes to your kids!
I guess that's it for now. I hope everyone has a nice relaxing weekend! I sure hope to! Thanks for stopping by!
Much love! ~Melissa
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Stressed, Exhausted, & Uncomfortable
Please excuse me today but I feel I just need to vent. If you noticed my title, there are a few issues I want to talk about.
First, I'm stressed out! I hadn't mentioned this is my first blog but the choice of becoming a surrogate was an easy choice for me, however, it wasn't as easy of a choice for my Grandma. The day that I called my Grandma and told her...let's just say I didn't get the response I had hoped for. It started out pretty amusing to me because when I called her she happened to be watching the movie "Baby Momma"...you know the one with Tina Fay & Amy Poehler? If you haven't seen it you need to because I thought it was hilarious! Well I thought this would be perfect chance to tell her my decision. Well guess what, it wasn't! I don't think I have ever had my Grandma that mad at me in my entire life! She just could not and would not listen to anything I had to say and it ended up with both of us angry and her saying "I'm sorry that you don't respect my opinion, goodbye!" then she hung up on me. :( Not a good way to end a conversation! My mom was an OBGYN nurse for a good portion of my life. She absolutely loved her job and it fit her wonderfully. SN: If my mom were here, it would make my life so much easier! Now back on subject, I tried to explain to my Grandma that I thought my mom would be so proud of me! In fact I KNOW that my mom would be proud of me, I have no doubt about it! Like I mentioned in my first blog, she is the biggest support for me making this decision. So I tried to soften my Grandma with this statement which had no affect on her. Well since that day, I still talk to my Grandma every week however, she has never mentioned that day or asked me how it was going again. So what's a girl to do? I'm afraid if I call her and say "Surprise I'm pregnant with twins and they're not mine!" she would just hang up on me and never talk to me again. I don't need that stress so I thought maybe I should write her a letter. I did and mailed it yesterday. I called a couple of family members to warn them that she would probably be calling within the next few days pissed off at me. I did tell my Grandma that I would love to answer any questions she may have if she wanted to talk to me about it. Hopefully she will be open with me. If not, I guess we go back to having our heads in the sand...I HATE that option! So I guess next week you will get to hear how that went!
Second, I'm exhausted! I was tired when I was pregnant with both of my boys but this pregnancy is kicking my ass! Probably because it's twins but it still sucks! I want to go back to sleep as soon as I wake up, I want to go to sleep on the drive to work, I want to sleep through lunch, I just want to sleep and with a job, husband, & 2 little boys it's pretty much impossible! My husband has had strep for 2 days so he had been quarantined away from the boys and I. Well, last night work had a going away party for a girl that is leaving us so I was out a little later than normal (I left the party at 8 and got home around 9) and when I got home, now that Daryl is allowed to have human contact, he was a ball of energy when I got home! When we crawled into bed I couldn't get him to hush! He just wanted to talk and all I wanted to do was sleep. So today I feel like I was hit by a bus! Hopefully I will catch up on sleep this weekend and not be as tired...HOPEFULLY!
Third, I'm just uncomfortable! I think it's my chair at work. I feel like I can't breathe! After I eat I feel like it's sitting just below my boobs! I know I felt like this with my other pregnancies but I know it wasn't until the last couple of months! If it's this bad already...oh dear! When I get up and walk around it gets better so I try to so that as much as possible during the day but then it looks like I'm not working. Oh well, I guess I will just have to deal.
I'm sorry that you have had to read nothing but bitching today but I'm trying to be as real as possible! Pregnancy is hard and it's not always wonderful but the outcome makes it worth it! Plus, you're reading it and no one is making you! :) I appreciate each and everyone of you taking the time to listen to my ranting and raving! My cousin Traci told me to keep a journal of my thoughts and feelings so that is what I'm trying to do! Some days will be more amusing than others but I hope you stick with me! Much love! ~Mel
First, I'm stressed out! I hadn't mentioned this is my first blog but the choice of becoming a surrogate was an easy choice for me, however, it wasn't as easy of a choice for my Grandma. The day that I called my Grandma and told her...let's just say I didn't get the response I had hoped for. It started out pretty amusing to me because when I called her she happened to be watching the movie "Baby Momma"...you know the one with Tina Fay & Amy Poehler? If you haven't seen it you need to because I thought it was hilarious! Well I thought this would be perfect chance to tell her my decision. Well guess what, it wasn't! I don't think I have ever had my Grandma that mad at me in my entire life! She just could not and would not listen to anything I had to say and it ended up with both of us angry and her saying "I'm sorry that you don't respect my opinion, goodbye!" then she hung up on me. :( Not a good way to end a conversation! My mom was an OBGYN nurse for a good portion of my life. She absolutely loved her job and it fit her wonderfully. SN: If my mom were here, it would make my life so much easier! Now back on subject, I tried to explain to my Grandma that I thought my mom would be so proud of me! In fact I KNOW that my mom would be proud of me, I have no doubt about it! Like I mentioned in my first blog, she is the biggest support for me making this decision. So I tried to soften my Grandma with this statement which had no affect on her. Well since that day, I still talk to my Grandma every week however, she has never mentioned that day or asked me how it was going again. So what's a girl to do? I'm afraid if I call her and say "Surprise I'm pregnant with twins and they're not mine!" she would just hang up on me and never talk to me again. I don't need that stress so I thought maybe I should write her a letter. I did and mailed it yesterday. I called a couple of family members to warn them that she would probably be calling within the next few days pissed off at me. I did tell my Grandma that I would love to answer any questions she may have if she wanted to talk to me about it. Hopefully she will be open with me. If not, I guess we go back to having our heads in the sand...I HATE that option! So I guess next week you will get to hear how that went!
Second, I'm exhausted! I was tired when I was pregnant with both of my boys but this pregnancy is kicking my ass! Probably because it's twins but it still sucks! I want to go back to sleep as soon as I wake up, I want to go to sleep on the drive to work, I want to sleep through lunch, I just want to sleep and with a job, husband, & 2 little boys it's pretty much impossible! My husband has had strep for 2 days so he had been quarantined away from the boys and I. Well, last night work had a going away party for a girl that is leaving us so I was out a little later than normal (I left the party at 8 and got home around 9) and when I got home, now that Daryl is allowed to have human contact, he was a ball of energy when I got home! When we crawled into bed I couldn't get him to hush! He just wanted to talk and all I wanted to do was sleep. So today I feel like I was hit by a bus! Hopefully I will catch up on sleep this weekend and not be as tired...HOPEFULLY!
Third, I'm just uncomfortable! I think it's my chair at work. I feel like I can't breathe! After I eat I feel like it's sitting just below my boobs! I know I felt like this with my other pregnancies but I know it wasn't until the last couple of months! If it's this bad already...oh dear! When I get up and walk around it gets better so I try to so that as much as possible during the day but then it looks like I'm not working. Oh well, I guess I will just have to deal.
I'm sorry that you have had to read nothing but bitching today but I'm trying to be as real as possible! Pregnancy is hard and it's not always wonderful but the outcome makes it worth it! Plus, you're reading it and no one is making you! :) I appreciate each and everyone of you taking the time to listen to my ranting and raving! My cousin Traci told me to keep a journal of my thoughts and feelings so that is what I'm trying to do! Some days will be more amusing than others but I hope you stick with me! Much love! ~Mel
Friday, July 22, 2011
I'm pregnant with twins and they're not my husbands!? ;)
So do I have you attention yet?
Hello! My name is Melissa and this is my first attempt at blogging so please bare with me!
I would like to welcome you to my journey & perspective of becoming a surrogate mom. If you have any questions or comments for me, please feel free! I know there is some stuff that I'm going to talk about that can be confusing or hard to understand so I will do my best to answer your questions openly & honestly. If you are a friend or family member you know that I have NO problem telling you how I feel about a subject so please be the same with me!
A little bit about myself first...
I am happily married to my wonderful husband, Daryl, of 7 years. We have two wonderful little boys, Cameron, who will be 6 in December and Caleb, who just turned 2 in June. My mom passed away shortly after Daryl and I were married. I mention my mom's death because she is (even though she's not with me physically) my biggest support in my decision to become a surrogate mom.
How my journey began...
When I was trying to get pregnant with Cameron it just wasn't happening as fast as I wanted it too. It only took 3 months but it still wasn't as fast as I thought it should be (crazy, I know). I started to think about all of the wonderful people in the world that want babies as badly as I do but just can't have them for one reason or another. This thought really broke my heart, I couldn't imagine the heartache of my doctor telling me that I could never have babies of my own!
Well after getting pregnant with Cam my thoughts were put on the back burner. Can you blame me? I was busy with being a first time mommy and all the fun stuff that goes with that! Even though it was on the back burner, that doesn't mean that it was just a fleeting thought, I honestly thought about it a lot.
My journey didn't actually begin until after I had our second son. I took Caleb to the doctor one day and was reading a little magazine that I had found in the doctor's office. There was an advertisement about donating eggs or becoming a surrogate. This was exactly what I needed to assist me with my journey. After all, I had no clue how to begin the process.
I mentioned to my OBGYN that I wanted to be a surrogate and she thought I would be a wonderful candidate. I had easy pregnancies with both of my boys, I never got "sick". Don't get me wrong, everything wasn't always beautiful and peaceful but for the most part, pregnancy is a breeze for me!
My doctor had an associate that had a patient that was looking for a surrogate so, my doctor gave them my information and one day out of the blue I received a phone call to set up a meeting.
In September 2009 Daryl & I met with our potential intended parents (IP's), *Vicki & Steve. We hit if off from the beginning, it was like we were long lost friends. They called me the Friday after our first meeting to tell me that they loved me and wanted me to carry their child for them. We started moving forward with the process. They already had a lawyer and a clinic that they were familiar with. I had to find a lawyer and Daryl & I both had to go through blood test after blood test, physiological tests, and a meeting with a therapist. Not to mention all of the medications I had to be on! At some point I did ask myself, "What have I gotten us into?" but I never once had a change of heart.
To make this story a little shorter, the surrogacy with Vicki & Steve did not work out. It broke my heart to get the phone call from Vicki telling me that the doctor had told her that having a baby of her own would no longer be an option unless they wanted to use a donor's eggs. See, Vicki was over 40 and her egg quality just wasn't good enough to create viable embryos. We did attempt 1 transfer and unfortunatly it just did not take. In October 2010, I said goodbye to Vicki & Steve. I still think about them and I hope they have found peace in whatever decisions they have made since then.
As soon as I received the phone call from Vicki, I started calling everyone I had any contact with during the first attempted surrogacy that would be able to point me in the right direction. That is when I met Gayle with Surrogate Solutions. I had found an agency that could answer all of my questions and would be with me through the entire surrogacy, to walk me through the process and to be an advocate for me. With Vicki & Steve I didn't really have anyone to talk to or to guide me. That has not been the case with Gayle! Gayle has been AMAZING since the first day I met her and I'm not just saying that! Gayle and Surrogate Soultions has honestly been a God send to me in the journey of my second surrogacy! I feel as though my mom had a huge part in me finding Gayle. I could always find something wrong with the other agencies (I'm very picky) and no matter how hard I looked, Gayle and Surrogate Solutions has always been a perfect fit!
Gayle almost immediatly had a couple for Daryl and I to meet. On November 14, 2010 Daryl, Gayle, and I had lunch with my current IP's, *Fred & Jill. Things moved a little bit slower with Fred & Jill but we were all defiently working towards the same goal.
After a few ups & downs, a lot of medications, and a ton of patience (the process requires a lot of them) my transfer date was June 25, 2011. Fingers crossed! For 9 days all I could do was hope that it would take on the first try. Everyone assured me that they had no doubt that it would but after the first transfer not taking with Vicki & Steve, I couldn't help but doubt myself. One morning I woke up knowing it took and that I was pregnant! It had been 1 week and 1 day since the transfer and I was still 2 days away from the blood test that would without a doubt tell me if I were right or not! Well I gave in a took a urine pregnancy test...it was POSITIVE! I wanted to jump up &down and scream & yell because I was so happy! However, I didn't. I acted like it was bad, walked out to the car, and had a little fun with Daryl before I told him it was positive. It was amusing to see the look on my husbands face. You could tell he was disappointed until I said "just kidding, I'm pregnant"!
On July 5th I went to the doctor for my blood test and of course it said the exact same thing that the urine test did. I received a message from the clinic that said "I wasn't just pregnant, I was super duper pregnant! My pregnancy hormone levels were really high at 520." To be honest with you, I had no idea what that meant but I knew I was pregnant. I scheduled a followup blood test 2 days later and my pregnancy hormone levels had increased to 1,167! After telling Gayle, she said "I bet your pregnant with twins", which to be honest shocked me! I knew it was a possibility but I never thought it would happen! I always wanted twins but I couldn't imagine myself pregnant with my own twins after having 2 single pregnancies. It was actually a relief to know that I could experience a pregnancy carrying twins without actually having twins of my own! I know that sounds strange but it is a hugh relief to know that Daryl and I would be taking them home with us. I want another baby, and I know I would handle it if I did have twins, but can you imagine?
To explain the pregnancy hormone levels, on day one your levels should be around 150 and day three they should increase to about 300. I did my testing on day 2 and was at 520 (well over the levels of a normal day 3) then on day 4 which was at 1167! You can see why Gayle thought it was twins, my levels were just so high!
July 19th Daryl and I went for the first sonogram. The doctor asked me if I knew what I was looking at? I said it's twins! He confirmed that I was correct! I am pregnant with twins! We got to see & hear the little heartbeats and it was amazing!
The doctors office printed me out a bunch of pics to send to Fred & Jill and I hope they enjoyed seeing them! They couldn't be there for the appointment because they had just moved out of state but I know they wanted to be! I know that Jill will come to as many appointments as possible. They will both be here for the birth though!
I got to call Jill and tell her the good news! Her reaction still makes me smile! She reacted the same way I would have, had the doctor told me I was having twins of my own! Jill was speechless! She said Thank You A LOT! She also made sure to reassure me that her speechlessness was not because she wasn't excited but because she was in shock! Which I totally understand! At this point you're just hoping that the transfer works but to find out that it worked x2 can be a little (who am I kidding) a lot shocking! I am over the moon with happiness for Fred & Jill! I know that they will love their babies and care for their babies as much as I do my own!
*Names have been changed for privacy
So as the title says "I'm pregnant with twins and they're not my husbands!?" isn't all of the drama you may have thought it was but I got your attention didn't I? :)
I think that is enough for today! Please come back and read my future posts. I'm going to try to be good and use this blog as a journal for my thoughts.
Thank you for stopping by! ~Melissa
Hello! My name is Melissa and this is my first attempt at blogging so please bare with me!
I would like to welcome you to my journey & perspective of becoming a surrogate mom. If you have any questions or comments for me, please feel free! I know there is some stuff that I'm going to talk about that can be confusing or hard to understand so I will do my best to answer your questions openly & honestly. If you are a friend or family member you know that I have NO problem telling you how I feel about a subject so please be the same with me!
A little bit about myself first...
I am happily married to my wonderful husband, Daryl, of 7 years. We have two wonderful little boys, Cameron, who will be 6 in December and Caleb, who just turned 2 in June. My mom passed away shortly after Daryl and I were married. I mention my mom's death because she is (even though she's not with me physically) my biggest support in my decision to become a surrogate mom.
How my journey began...
When I was trying to get pregnant with Cameron it just wasn't happening as fast as I wanted it too. It only took 3 months but it still wasn't as fast as I thought it should be (crazy, I know). I started to think about all of the wonderful people in the world that want babies as badly as I do but just can't have them for one reason or another. This thought really broke my heart, I couldn't imagine the heartache of my doctor telling me that I could never have babies of my own!
Well after getting pregnant with Cam my thoughts were put on the back burner. Can you blame me? I was busy with being a first time mommy and all the fun stuff that goes with that! Even though it was on the back burner, that doesn't mean that it was just a fleeting thought, I honestly thought about it a lot.
My journey didn't actually begin until after I had our second son. I took Caleb to the doctor one day and was reading a little magazine that I had found in the doctor's office. There was an advertisement about donating eggs or becoming a surrogate. This was exactly what I needed to assist me with my journey. After all, I had no clue how to begin the process.
I mentioned to my OBGYN that I wanted to be a surrogate and she thought I would be a wonderful candidate. I had easy pregnancies with both of my boys, I never got "sick". Don't get me wrong, everything wasn't always beautiful and peaceful but for the most part, pregnancy is a breeze for me!
My doctor had an associate that had a patient that was looking for a surrogate so, my doctor gave them my information and one day out of the blue I received a phone call to set up a meeting.
In September 2009 Daryl & I met with our potential intended parents (IP's), *Vicki & Steve. We hit if off from the beginning, it was like we were long lost friends. They called me the Friday after our first meeting to tell me that they loved me and wanted me to carry their child for them. We started moving forward with the process. They already had a lawyer and a clinic that they were familiar with. I had to find a lawyer and Daryl & I both had to go through blood test after blood test, physiological tests, and a meeting with a therapist. Not to mention all of the medications I had to be on! At some point I did ask myself, "What have I gotten us into?" but I never once had a change of heart.
To make this story a little shorter, the surrogacy with Vicki & Steve did not work out. It broke my heart to get the phone call from Vicki telling me that the doctor had told her that having a baby of her own would no longer be an option unless they wanted to use a donor's eggs. See, Vicki was over 40 and her egg quality just wasn't good enough to create viable embryos. We did attempt 1 transfer and unfortunatly it just did not take. In October 2010, I said goodbye to Vicki & Steve. I still think about them and I hope they have found peace in whatever decisions they have made since then.
As soon as I received the phone call from Vicki, I started calling everyone I had any contact with during the first attempted surrogacy that would be able to point me in the right direction. That is when I met Gayle with Surrogate Solutions. I had found an agency that could answer all of my questions and would be with me through the entire surrogacy, to walk me through the process and to be an advocate for me. With Vicki & Steve I didn't really have anyone to talk to or to guide me. That has not been the case with Gayle! Gayle has been AMAZING since the first day I met her and I'm not just saying that! Gayle and Surrogate Soultions has honestly been a God send to me in the journey of my second surrogacy! I feel as though my mom had a huge part in me finding Gayle. I could always find something wrong with the other agencies (I'm very picky) and no matter how hard I looked, Gayle and Surrogate Solutions has always been a perfect fit!
Gayle almost immediatly had a couple for Daryl and I to meet. On November 14, 2010 Daryl, Gayle, and I had lunch with my current IP's, *Fred & Jill. Things moved a little bit slower with Fred & Jill but we were all defiently working towards the same goal.
After a few ups & downs, a lot of medications, and a ton of patience (the process requires a lot of them) my transfer date was June 25, 2011. Fingers crossed! For 9 days all I could do was hope that it would take on the first try. Everyone assured me that they had no doubt that it would but after the first transfer not taking with Vicki & Steve, I couldn't help but doubt myself. One morning I woke up knowing it took and that I was pregnant! It had been 1 week and 1 day since the transfer and I was still 2 days away from the blood test that would without a doubt tell me if I were right or not! Well I gave in a took a urine pregnancy test...it was POSITIVE! I wanted to jump up &down and scream & yell because I was so happy! However, I didn't. I acted like it was bad, walked out to the car, and had a little fun with Daryl before I told him it was positive. It was amusing to see the look on my husbands face. You could tell he was disappointed until I said "just kidding, I'm pregnant"!
On July 5th I went to the doctor for my blood test and of course it said the exact same thing that the urine test did. I received a message from the clinic that said "I wasn't just pregnant, I was super duper pregnant! My pregnancy hormone levels were really high at 520." To be honest with you, I had no idea what that meant but I knew I was pregnant. I scheduled a followup blood test 2 days later and my pregnancy hormone levels had increased to 1,167! After telling Gayle, she said "I bet your pregnant with twins", which to be honest shocked me! I knew it was a possibility but I never thought it would happen! I always wanted twins but I couldn't imagine myself pregnant with my own twins after having 2 single pregnancies. It was actually a relief to know that I could experience a pregnancy carrying twins without actually having twins of my own! I know that sounds strange but it is a hugh relief to know that Daryl and I would be taking them home with us. I want another baby, and I know I would handle it if I did have twins, but can you imagine?
To explain the pregnancy hormone levels, on day one your levels should be around 150 and day three they should increase to about 300. I did my testing on day 2 and was at 520 (well over the levels of a normal day 3) then on day 4 which was at 1167! You can see why Gayle thought it was twins, my levels were just so high!
July 19th Daryl and I went for the first sonogram. The doctor asked me if I knew what I was looking at? I said it's twins! He confirmed that I was correct! I am pregnant with twins! We got to see & hear the little heartbeats and it was amazing!
The doctors office printed me out a bunch of pics to send to Fred & Jill and I hope they enjoyed seeing them! They couldn't be there for the appointment because they had just moved out of state but I know they wanted to be! I know that Jill will come to as many appointments as possible. They will both be here for the birth though!
I got to call Jill and tell her the good news! Her reaction still makes me smile! She reacted the same way I would have, had the doctor told me I was having twins of my own! Jill was speechless! She said Thank You A LOT! She also made sure to reassure me that her speechlessness was not because she wasn't excited but because she was in shock! Which I totally understand! At this point you're just hoping that the transfer works but to find out that it worked x2 can be a little (who am I kidding) a lot shocking! I am over the moon with happiness for Fred & Jill! I know that they will love their babies and care for their babies as much as I do my own!
*Names have been changed for privacy
So as the title says "I'm pregnant with twins and they're not my husbands!?" isn't all of the drama you may have thought it was but I got your attention didn't I? :)
I think that is enough for today! Please come back and read my future posts. I'm going to try to be good and use this blog as a journal for my thoughts.
Thank you for stopping by! ~Melissa
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