First Appointment with ORM

We had the mock transfer, SIS, and uterine blood flow tests this morning; followed by our teaching appointment. Everything went pretty well! My uterus looks great and the catheter used for transfer was easily inserted, even though it was quite uncomfortable. They did mention that the left side of my uterus seems to have restricted blood flow so they are going to have me do acupuncture. I'm actually pretty excited about that! Acupuncture is fascinating to me so I'm excited to get to experience it. 

The teaching appointment was exciting for me. We went over some paperwork and then we were taught how to give the injections! There are two types of injections I will have to do- subcutaneous and intramuscular. The subcutaneous injections are really small insulin needles that I will inject into my tummy myself. The intramuscular injections are much larger and will be injected in my bum. I could probably do them myself but I'm going to have Mark do them for me. I was worried he would be too intimidated (he hates needles!) but he did great at the practice and I'm sure he'll be a wonderful nurse. Beforehand, I thought the injection teaching would leave me more anxious but it actually made me feel more comfortable about the process. 

Mark and I waiting to be seen this morning

I have an appointment with an OB on Monday to get medically cleared and have my blood drawn. After I get the results from my blood tests, we will start working on my med calendar! 

I got an idea I really like from another surro mom's blog that I'm going to start doing. At the end of each blog entry she had a tally of all the medications/needle pokes she had done at that point. So here's my tiny tally so far! 

Birth Control Pills- 7 

The First Dose of Meds

Yesterday I started my first instructed medication from ORM: birth control pills. My period started 4 days ago (I was so stoked!) and next Friday (11/21/14) I'll head into ORM for some tests. They'll look at my uterus to make sure there aren't any physical limitations, check uterine blood flow, and do a "mock transfer"- where they'll insert a small catheter into my uterus via my cervix; like they will do for the real transfer. 

I've heard these procedures don't take long but after I'll have a "teaching meeting" to go over the IVF treatment and show us how to administer the shots. 😳 I'm a little nervous but I know it'll be just fine 😊 

Before I can start any of the injections, I have a long list of blood tests that I need to get processed, along with a physical clearance from my midwife. I plan to go get my blood work done on Monday or Tuesday and should have my clearance back by Friday. 

We skyped with M and S yesterday. It was great to see them and we plan to skype every Saturday, at least. We even got to meet M's sister and they were able to see the boys! We're hoping to purchase a tablet soon which will make skyping easier. Right now we're using my iPhone which has limited sound and a relatively small screen compared to a tablet. 

I want to send a huge shoutout to M & S's families! Hi everyone!!! I'm so happy you're reading this blog and I can't wait to meet all of you some day! I know we'll get to meet some of you when M & S come for the delivery but hopefully we can meet the rest of you when we visit France after the babies are born. If any of you would like my email address, please ask M or S for it! I'd love to chat with you!

I'm so excited things are moving along! Next thing I know I'll be delivering babies into the loving hands of their fathers ❤️

Meeting the Guys!

The guys (I will call them M and S) came into town two weeks ago and we all had a blast together!  On Sunday, October 18, we spent the day with them at the zoo.  The drive there was so nerve-racking.  I worried about all sorts of silly things like 'what if they don't like what I'm wearing?' 'what if I say something embarrassing?' 'what if they hate the zoo?'.  Mark was great at snapping me back into reality and helping me down from the anxiety cloud I was floating on.  Hugging them for the first time was magical.  It just felt right and that made me even more excited to help them build a family. I can't say enough great things about M and S.  They are so funny and well versed it's ridiculous.  I know with everything in me that they will make the best dads to these babies/this baby.

Mother Nature was very great to us and gave us a perfect sunny, 72 degree day to explore the zoo before unleashing her downpours for the fall season.  We explained that this is not usual weather for the end of October but it seems that Paris has a similar climate to Portland so I think they were enjoying the sun just as much as we were.  We explored the zoo and got to know each other more and more.  Mark and I were both interested in their culture and it was so fun to learn about the differences!  We're hoping to make a trip over there some day after the kid/s are born.

We laughed and walked and got pooped on by some Lorikeets; you know, all the usual Portland Zoo stuff!  A lot of the zoo was under construction (great things happening at the Portland Zoo!) but that didn't really bother me because I was just so happy to be walking and talking to these guys.  After the zoo, we drove down to Hawthorne St. and ate at The Waffle Window.  I had stressed considerably about where we were going to take them out to eat.  I thought about all the fancy restaurants downtown, with all their glitz and glamor, but Mark and I both decided that we wanted them to get to know us for us and we are not "glitzy, glamory" type of people.  The Waffle Window seemed like a great option because it's something that will probably be new to them and, with the nice weather, we were able to sit outside and enjoy the sun.  Luckily they loved it! We were able to talk about our backgrounds, where we came from, what we believed in, and how we became the people we are today.  I have so much admiration for these guys.  Surrogacy is not legal where they live so they have had to really persevere through some hardships to get the family they deserve.  It wasn't long ago that they thought they would never have a family so knowing that I will be a piece in their puzzle to becoming parents makes me feel so honored and fortunate.

We wanted to meet again before they left so we decided to go to dinner at my place of work, Riverview Restaurant.  It was probably the best double-date I've ever been on. :)  It was a downpour that day so we sat next to the fireplace to eat good food, drink good wine, and enjoy each other.  M and S were so sweet to us the whole time they were here.  They brought presents for both us and our kids and wrote us a heart-touching note on the back of an adorable card.  They kept saying that they really appreciate us and are happy we would do this for them.  I can't express enough how thankful I am for THEM!  And how much I appreciate THEM for trusting me to do this!  Anyone who knows me, knows that all things pregnancy and birth is my passion.  I live, eat, and breathe birth.  Being able to have the opportunity to carry and birth kids for someone else is a blessing to me!  I feel honored and grateful and humbled that these men would let me help them form a family.  It's just such an amazing thing that we are embarking on and I really can't get enough of it.

One of the coolest things about them being here was being able to sign the final contract together at dinner.  A lot of international surrogates/IPs aren't able to sign the contract together because of the distance.  It was perfect timing that we were able to have the contracts ready to sign while they were in town.  It was quite special for me.

It was sad to say goodbye to them but we have been staying in contact with each other via email and will be skyping once we get our computer set up and a skype account made.  I am currently waiting to hear from ORM about the next steps and will be doing some other legal stuff to get us all set up to continue.  So far things have gone so smoothly and I just pray that it continues to go that way because these guys deserve this :)