Reflections of my 2nd Transfer!
As the days passed by, marked by sore intramuscular gluteus injections and routine two-hour round trips, I found myself immersed in the familiar rhythm of another embryo transfer journey. The anticipation culminated on the day of the HCG blood work, a pivotal moment tinged with both hope and apprehension. Having previously worked in women's health, I had been monitoring my progress at home with urine tests. The positive result initially brought relief, but my heart sank as I noticed the line wasn't darkening as expected. Despite my growing unease, I kept this concern private, respecting the intended parents' desire for
Embryo Transfer – Part 1 of 2
After weeks of medications, messages, and countless emails, the day of our embryo transfer was finally scheduled: Cinco de Mayo (5/5/2023). Of course, no margaritas for me this year! The anticipation was palpable as I boarded yet another flight to Connecticut, a state whose sights I was becoming familiar with through these visits. Arriving on the evening of May 4th, I enjoyed a peaceful night's sleep, knowing that the next day held a significant milestone on my fertility journey. The morning of May 5th dawned with a mix of nerves and excitement. Scheduled for bloodwork and the embryo transfer, I
Delivery & Post-Birth!
My OB allowed me to be scheduled to be induced at 39 weeks so that we could appropriately plan for the parents to be here. Labor was pretty intense, but made it to 6cm dilation before I requested an epidural. My husband and the IP’s were in the room the entire time. They started Pitocin at 8:30am and by 12:00pm, baby girl made her arrival. OMG!! It was a beautiful moment!!! It’s something about the end of something that makes you reflect on the entirety of the journey. I was so happy but sad at the same time. I was
Recovery Period
After birth comes the recovery / postpartum period. I did find this to be more challenging than expected. While the birth was the same as my first (natural with stitches), I feel as though the recovery is longer and dragging to feel 100%. The restrictions also made it a bit of a challenge (no driving, no lifting, no housework etc.) It also felt weird not having a newborn to occupy my time. I’m a person that always needs something to do and sitting around doing nothing left plenty of time to think. I found myself the first few days /
Eviction Day
While birth is an entire topic in itself and everyone’s experience is different, I was scheduled for an induction at 39 weeks. The induction went smoothly (prior experience with my own) and I had the baby within 8 hours of being at the hospital. Birth is painful, but the outcome was more than I had imagined filled with beautiful emotions. My husband and the intended parents were in the room during labor, and as we welcomed new life, the three of them were crying full of happiness. It was an amazing experience to feel that is really indescribable. Watching the
The IVF Process & Our Cancelled Cycle
Towards the end of June, legal clearance was just around the corner so I messaged the fertility clinic to ask when I should take my placebo birth control pills. They responded with an overview of their current transfer protocol, but told me not to trigger my period just yet. Once legal clearance was "issued" by NYSC and reviewed by a supervisor at the clinic, we were full steam ahead. I was to call them on Day 1 of my cycle to schedule a "baseline" appt which could be on cycle day 2, 3, or 4. A few days later,
Q & A : Surrogacy!
How has this pregnancy differed or been similar to my own pregnancies… Going into surrogacy I didn’t initially think it would be much different than my own pregnancies. It was very different for me physically and emotionally. Taking a daily injection for 10 weeks, that alone was quite a journey. The hormones from the injections seemed to amplify my pregnancy symptoms. I was more nauseous and fatigued than with my own pregnancies. I wasn’t able to eat anything, and smells were very hard to deal with. I felt very sick/nauseous until I was done with the injections. I was a
Third Trimester
This felt like the longest stage to get through. The heartburn, the weight you’re carrying, the leg cramps and pain, the lower pressure, constantly having to pee, on top of caring for a toddler and working full time. This was a lot, mentally and physically. The amount of milk I drank for the heartburn was insane (1-2 gallons every week and a half), and the growth of the baby happened so quickly. I carried low and somewhat considered “tiny.” I felt big though, and as though I was running out of space in there, and uncomfortable. I gained 40 pounds
Labor & Birth
As the end of the journey became closer we were able to plan more, I was at 4cm and with bad weather happening around me, IPs the doctor went ahead and scheduled an induction. She did a membrane sweep two days prior to induction. The IPs drove up and got a hotel room for them and for myself and mom (she was my support person). We were all right down the road from the hospital. Induction check in got pushed back an hour and a half. So 6am we arrived at the hospital and got to our room. After all
Second Trimester!
The beginning of the second trimester was a little rough as I had nausea and headaches for the first few weeks into it. I was throwing up a lot and not feeling the best as normally described by most. I traveled to Florida by plane, and I was so nauseous for every flight, that I learned my lesson and did not travel after that. As I got further into second trimester that all seemed to resolve, and I was able to enjoy some parts of it. I started feeling more movement around 23 weeks. It felt like a normal pregnancy
