Matching!
As I progressed to the matching part of this journey I was super nervous. My profile was made and looked great. Joe was great during this process. He sent potential matches. I felt bad because I said no to two couples. I had this sense of guilt but it is important decision and I wanted to be sure. Third time is a charm for me. I found a wonderful couple who I wanted to potentially match with. They agreed in meeting with me. Joe set up the zoom match call. I was nervous but I had my notebook with
Post Delivery Feels
My oh my isn’t Surrogacy a beautiful thing! My Belly Buddy made it safely into the arms of the most deserving parents on Nov 4th, shortly after his 10:57am arrival at 7lbs 4oz. Beautiful parents that have made it through many years of grief, loss and waiting to be on THIS side of their story! I’m extremely grateful to the New York Surrogacy Center for bringing this precious couple into my life. They navigated our entire journey and made it possible for me to help them grow their family. And science. Wow. Where would we be without that?! The
He’s Here! – Belly Buddy’s Arrival
Belly Buddy is officially here. He’s healthy and oh so perfect! I woke this morning to a not so ripened cervix after the balloon was in for 12 hours. Belly Bud also did a complete turn in my belly overnight and was no longer face down. The Doctors tried an external cephalic procedure which allows them to use their hands to turn the baby. It was very painful, and sadly unsuccessful. We could have waited many more hours to see what my body would do, but the fact it was moving pretty slow at the start and I was in
Pregnancy: Month 9
November 1st I went back to the specialist for an Ultrasound and a stress test. My fluid level went from a normal range of 24 to 41 which is quite a significant jump. Here we are at the hard parts again because you want to keep trusting that your body is doing what it has always done so well, which is keep a baby safe in the womb, and to continue to grow it healthy and strong until it’s ready to come naturally.. but it’s NOT my baby. So as much as I’d love to keep growing this baby until HE
Pregnancy: Month 8
Happy Halloween. I've always wanted to make a pumpkin out of my bump and this is a FIRST. It's been a WILD month for sure. We hadn't had an ultrasound since the 18 week anatomy scan and at the first ultrasound since then we're told my amniotic fluid was on the "higher" side. My OB suggested that we go back to the same specialist that did our anatomy ultrasound to make sure there isn't anything she wasn't picking up on at my appointments with her. So off to the specialist we go. Nothing appeared to be wrong with the baby, however,
Pregnancy: Month 7
7 months and another beautiful day to celebrate the milestones. Our appointments are going well and Belly Bud is growing right on track. I am feeling large and in charge and seriously can't believe we are 2 months away from our due date. It just doesn't seem real. Heartburn has been SEVERE these last few weeks. I'm fine during the day and tend to cut off eating around 6 in hopes that each night will be better. It's so bad that I wake up at random times throughout the night and have to rush to the bathroom as it's causing
Pregnancy: Month 6
6 months with Belly Bud. It's early August and we just left our Fetal Echo appointment. Both IPs joined today and it's always so lovely seeing them both. The Fetal Echocardiogram is a painless ultrasound test that shows the structure of the baby's heart and how well it's working. It's nice to get these scheduled so we can prepare ahead if they detect any abnormalities for pre-delivery planning and medical management once the baby is born. Let me tell you.. It truly is a beautiful feeling to SEE and HEAR a baby's heart fluttering. I had never been in my IM's
Pregnancy: Month 5
5 months and Belly Buddy is as big as a sweet potato and about 8 to 10 inches long. We had a full anatomy ultrasound at 18 weeks. They are quite thorough as they check the development of fetal organs and body parts. They can also detect certain congenital defects. I feel great to report that this little guy is looking and growing great! I thought once I was given the clear at my first OB appointment (after graduating from CNY) to get back to my usual workout routine, I would feel much better. It appears the bigger I am
The Process for Transfer
Everything about our first transfer was perfect. My spouse and I flew to Colorado Springs where we met up with our Intended Parent for the first time. We planned to get dinner together the first night. My spouse picked the place and made reservations. Dinner was most definitely an ice breaker. We could hardly read what was on the menu and when we received our food, it was barely a couple of bites. We all had a good laugh and decided my spouse was no longer picking our dinner spots. He called an Uber and we hit Hardees on the
The Process of Going Through Medical and Psychological Clearances
The match was official and we were all ready for medical & psychological screening. Honestly, I wasn’t too worried about what to expect. I am a huge advocate for counseling and therapy just to maintain a healthy mental state. However, I was nervous about actually completing a psych evaluation for the first time with my spouse. Let’s be honest, we are a lot more open and honest when it’s just yourself and the therapist. It took no time to get scheduled for the psych evaluation. This eased the process with eliminating the worrying while waiting. Our session was via “Zoom.”
