Saturday, August 20, 2011

My hopes

My appointment with my new OB is a week from Monday.  This gives us some time to get the kids settled in school this week and our son Tadhg turns 1 on Saturday.  He is walking like crazy and such a climber!!
Once I get the letter from my doctor I think I move on to the interview with the Social Worker.  I'm thinking the next week or two after this will be busy, hopefully ending with profiles of an IP. 
My hope would be that we get someone in the US.  I want to go through the pregnancy with them, hopes, ups, downs, everything.  This will be their pregnancy as well as their baby and I am really hoping we end up with someone that wants to be a part of every moment.  I would like to share doctor appointments and my growing belly. 
I am also hoping for someone having their first.  It is such an exciting thing.  Not that you aren't happy with any after that but you're also busy and distracted.  Since this is all new to me it would be fun if it is also new to them. 
Of course we know how life goes, you don't always end up with what you think you want and it still can end up being everything you need.  I may laugh as I look back on this post in the next month. 

Monday, August 15, 2011

Paperwork

All the paperwork is complete-Check.  I contacted my doctor and hospital to get medical records and they were sent in-Check.  My doctor gave me clearance to proceed because I had an abnormal pap last time around-Check.  So everything was sent to the IVF doctor to review.  I was on pins and needles because this seemed like the point where we would have an idea of where our life would be for the next year of so. 

Also work has become more of a 40 hour a week thing, instead of an always on call, travel, pull my hair out thing.  This had me thinking about taking some college classes this semester...then....the surrogacy thing kinda reared it happy head.  However, hearing they have such stringent guidelines I wasn't sure we would make it through.  My age (38), advanced as it is...my last pap or who knows what they worry about.  But.. he cleared me!! 

This was the point in the process that I told myself it becomes real...exciting...but, as I'm learning through everyone else's blogs (thank goodness) it's all about hurry up and wait.  The IVF doctor wanted a note from my OB that we've discussed the risks of having a 6th baby.  Since I've birthed 5 of our 6 kids.  There is actually a name for it, grand parity I think.  As we are positive we are done having our own kids this doesn't concern me to much, as well as knowing in any pregnancy there are natural risks we take and of course we have discussed this. (and google helps)  This seems simple enough except that my OB moved to Washington D.C. right before I started this process so I'm switching doctors to top it off.  My new doctor is unable to get me in until August 29th, because apparently he wants to meet me, which is nice but waiting is annoying for a short conversation.  Although 3 weeks is apparently faster than the 2 months most of the other doctors take as he is newer to the practice.  Who knew:) 

BUT knowing this is only a necessary consultation and the IVF doctor has already accepted me is fantastic, knowing from the surro blogs I have been reading that waiting is part of the process, knowing that the agency we are using is doing everything by the book (if there is a book for this sort of thing!) and not taking shortcuts is reasurring and knowing that before we know it we will be helping someone's dreams come true makes the waiting worthwhile.

Is it August 29th yet??

Beginning sort of

I recently started the process to become a surrogate.  It's something that has been in the back of my mind for as long as I can remember so when I finally said it out loud it just seemed to fit.  My friend recently completed her second journey.  Talking to her about her experience and knowing she had worked with a reputable agency and was so comfortable with the process to do it a second time and considering a third kind of put it all together for me.  Here was a starting point. 

My husband had commented several times how amazed he was that our friend would do this for someone.  And he loves me being pregnant but we are SO done having our own!  We have a blended family of six kids ranging in ages from thirteen to eleven months.  We love them all and have a very loving and busy family but we are very happy we are no longer getting up every two hours with a newborn and are celebrating that fact :)
 
This brings us to mid July when I submitted our application (somewhat on accident, oops).  Then figured I'd better bring my husband up to speed.  Luckily he was thrilled with the idea!  He loves to help anyone, anytime.  It just made sense to him since this is something we do so easily that why wouldn't we do this.