Zebra

Insems are going well!

Much better being in a house and not a hotel room!! Also...instead of the Instead Cups we are using a Diva Cup....It feels so much better and makes more sense to me! I just couldn't seem to place the Instead up correctly without leakage. *blahhh* the Diva Cup is completely air tight!

I absolutely love going to the IPs house! June gets into everything--but they love it, IF plays with June nonstop!! Oh, and, the food is always aaaamazing! I LOVE FOOD!!

Funniest thing during this insem: on day one (at 7AM), IF was doing his "thing" while IM was watching June...IM slipped into the shower before work and, as we have it set up, I go to "my" room and prep myself, IF finishes and yells to IM, IM runs over, grabs the goods, and hands it to me and closes the door. THIS time, however, IF kept yelling for IM who was in the shower!! Poor guy..I think he thought we left!!

Side note:
I never wrote about this (I've been slacking), but a few days before insems, Frank and I visited the IPs for dinner. IF made Frank margaritas...three. IDK WHAT he put in them, but WHOA! I don't think Frank has been THAT drunk, EVER!! And, Frank definitely didnt' anticipate on getting that tossed, after all, a 200lb man vs three margaritas?!! Poor guy, he has vowed to never drink tequila again.

Home Insem Numero Dos

Here goes our 2nd cycle doing home insems. I am extremely optimistic. We can do this!!

We are going to do 5 insems...3 during high-fertility, 1 on ovulation, and 1 last attempt.

I am SO excited!! I have to wake up SO early tomorrow though. Frank is opening at work...a bright and early 6AM. That means I have to wake up at 5AM, get June into the car and Frank to work by 5:45AM....then drive 45 minutes to Fremont to do the insem. On the bright side, I get breakfast! I LOVE breakfast!!

STUPID HPT!

Home pregnancy tests should be illegal.

They really are habit forming. Thankfully my IPs bought a total of 55 tests (Amazon sale...). I have been doing 1 test every morning for the last 2 days. Yeah, okay, I started a bit early, but I am impatient!! All pretty clear negatives...I'm hoping and hoping that I'll get something soon!!

I'm not too upset, as this was basically a trial-cycle and insem practice. We figured out what worked for us, had a great weekend and now that we actually have all of our supplies, if we need to do another round, we will be prepared!

7ish more days until my expected period...Let this be wishful thinking that it DOESN'T come!

On another note...

I've been taking my Fertilitea and Fertilaid religiously as directed Fertilitea 2x a day and the Fertilaid 3x a day. I had started doing both 3x a day and ended up with horrible headaches, uterine cramping and the worst fatigue. 10 minutes after drinking the tea I would already be fighting sleep. Now that I've changed things around, I feel way more comfortable. Wake up at 9AM, heat water, steep tea, take Fertilaid, take Prenatal, take DHA, take Calcium, drink tea with a spoonful of honey. Then, at 3:30, take my 2nd Fertilaid. And before bed, heat water, steep tea, take Fertilaid and drink my tea with a spoonful of honey in bed. ZzZzzzz....

Phew.

So, 8 more days until I can start doing pregnancy tests (12 days until my expected period)....I am SO excited!

My weekend in Fremont was great. My IP's placed me in a nice hotel with my daughter, fed us well, and made sure I was comfortable throughout my stay. I couldn't have asked for a better weekend!

I'll admit, the first insemination was very....weird..Embarrassing mostly. Advice for any new traditional surros....when using the Instead Cup, remember to take gravity into consideration. I actually accidentally squeezed some of the semen out when placing it and got really weirded out!! I'll admit, I gagged. No offense, I.F.!! I learned from that point on...get the sample then turn the lights off, hold my breath and place it. 1, 2, 3. Same process for removal.
It happens, being grossed out. But...I guess at that point I realized; This. Is. It. And no matter how icky or gross, the best placement means a better chance at a pregnancy and one step closer to providing this amazing couple with a child.

Oh, and... Aside from the little accident, nothing was weird about the experience, nothing icky, nothing sexual (if you were wondering). Very professional. If anything, it was weird that everything WAS so serious! We are so "chillax" and fun all other moments!!

Highlights of the weekend:
L: Do they REALLY ride elephants through the street in India??
I.M.: Oh no!! Not any more!! Just cars!!
L: How boring.

L: Okay...Is the Kama Sutra REALLY that big of a deal?
I.F.: OH YEAH. Every 8th grade boy has a copy and looks at it and laughs. BUT if parents find it...Ohhh man...

*during the pass-off*
L: OKAY. No eye contact!! Just go! Out the door!
I.F.: OK! OK! *speeds off*


Now that I am home and taking Fertilaid and Fertilitea, preparing for my next cycle to start, I couldn't be more anxious! I have been having "early pregnancy symptoms" or maybe a result of the herbal fertility supplements...Slight cramping, heavy tender breasts, knee/leg/ pains, and I am SO tired all of the sudden!! Maybe I am just excited and hopeful...or just plain sleepy...We will see!!

Until then...TTFN!

T-Minus 24 Hours Until....

I can't believe we have made it to this already!

I am so excited and anticipating this weekend, our first round with inseminations. Because this is the first time we will ALL be doing inseminations, I am apprehensive, nervous, excited yet calm and...well, for the lack of using 50 more adjectives, I CAN'T WAIT!!

We have made all preparations, contract is in place, insurance is purchased, and all home insemination supplies have been gathered (well, almost).

The parents have been so gracious as to place me in a hotel for the weekend, one, so I can be close to them (while they are hiding from their own parents!) and so I can center my mind and relax....Oh, and... *wink wink* become comfortable and hopefully once June is asleep (or adequately occupied), work on making my cervix accept the sample. If you are/or have researched home inseminations, you know what I am referring to, right? ;)

I am so glad that the parents are so fun, so full of excitement and know that while this is a serious matter...we have to enjoy every moment! Everyone is going to be nervous the first time around, especially the I.F.!! Poor guy...

My plans are as follows...Get to the hotel, take a nice nap (June approved nap, that is), relax and before their arrival read some "naughty" romance fiction. They say arousal aids in the process, ok?!! We're all adults here!

Wish me luck, readers....and...Keep my reproductive organs in your thoughts-err....or not... :/

And, until next time....Think Baby Thoughts!!

Anticipation

IUD has been out for a few weeks now and I've started my next cycle. Day 3, to be exact! I am a bit bummed that I didn't really thoroughly research the Clearblue Fertility Monitor before this week. Apparently I have to begin the test within 5 days of my cycle beginning...Bummer, I can't get it shipped in time!!

I am so excited to begin, this is just going to be amazing!

Unintentionally Ignorant Intended Parents

I'll never know what it is like to go through failed IVFs, or to be told that my husband is unable to produce an "army", so my disclaimer is: I don't intend to hurt any feelings.

When I had originally posted on one of the most popular Surrogacy Classifieds, I had no idea of the magnitude of replies. Within a few days I had 50+ emails, all from different walks of life. Some were genuine, some seemed "weird", and some were just--vague. Others seemingly ignored the whole entire post and replied to it anyway. I'm sure these individuals were just withered down, tired from replying and tired of reading posts. It is understandable, but, more often than not it seemed to be a "we are paying you, we want baby"-type of deal. I am not doing a surrogacy to put a down payment on a house or pay off debts (although, let's be honest, I do have my fair share of debts-I AM HUMAN!!). As a doula I could legitimately make the same per month as a standard surrogacy contract would agree to...Nothing about the money aspect of surrogacy is really appealing....I mean, hourly it is pennies on the dollar. (So, for those thinking that surrogacy compensation is the way to go for easy cash...rest assured that, well, it isn't).

If you are reading this and interested in becoming a surrogate, please do NOT give out your real/full name or emails containing them. I made this mistake, and...I'll tell you why. As a doula, within my practice, I feel professionalism is a priority. I remain open, honest and supportive of all questions and give parents and opportunity to reach out to me and to feel comfortable doing so. I guess I felt that Intended Parents were allowed to know this information... There. Are. Crazies. Also, despite many asking for phone numbers, make sure to at least trade a few emails. I have gotten texts at 12:30 AM (not from an earlier time zone!), and many other "weird" instances. I may post about these later.

When posting and deciding to become a surrogate, it is important to assess what types of families you are wanting to work with. Only straight, only Caucasians, African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Gay women/men, single gay/straight...the possibilities are endless. Going into this I also was unaware and felt it wasn't in my jurisdiction to judge someone else's family structure...But, without sounding rude, you MUST feel comfortable with the aspect of what this child will grow up into. There are pros and cons, and until you can trust and feel comfortable with the Intended Parents, Do. Not. Continue. You will be with these people in the most intimate time in your life--and the beginning of the greatest part of theirs. It is important to realize while you have had a child and given birth, this is the first birth experience they will ever have, and, (in my opinion) it should be a pleasant and respectful one (as much as one can assume-all babies, pregnancies and deliveries are different!).

As a surrogate and wanting to achieve a positive experience I had told myself to NOT settle, no matter the price, no matter the location, and after talking with a few couples near and far, I decided I would pause from posting and instead would reply to ads posted by Intended Parents.