Screening in Sight

I'm growing rather tired of these piddly updates... but it is what it is right now. 

Here are the basic points to be made:

•  I passed the glucose tolerance test just fine.  I will probably be sent for nutrition counseling during my next pregnancy, but definitely no sugar issue when I'm not gestating another human. 
• Screening is on the horizon.  I spoke to the clinic today and we have an opportune date in mind, but I need to find out if we can make it happen between childcare, dog sitting, and my husband missing work.  Hopefully we can get a firm yes/no on those things very soon so we can secure that appointment and travel plans.

That's really about it right now.  In the mean time I'm still requesting more copies of medical records, and playing out theoretical scenarios about what time of year I could be pregnant, and how each possibility would affect our schoolwork, family vacations, etc.  Such is the norm for a surrogate!

Shameless

I bet most of you are on Facebook.  If you wouldn't mind doing me a solid, Please vote for me in this Growing Generations photo contest!  It isn't really surrogacy related, but simply photos of "the day I became a mother".  Please follow The link and click on VOTE.  That's it!

Thanks a million!

....again

Not quite a full month since my last post... but I have a minute of quiet so I'm taking advantage.
So, we are officially into the 'work' of getting approved to be a surrogate, again.  I have been spending some time making phone calls, sending emails, and even getting blood work already!  In most cases, a potential surrogate would have all of the necessary blood work done on the big day of screening.  The RE that the agency works with got copies of my newest OB history (he is out of the picture around 12 weeks, so he doesn't know anything that happened after week 12 of my first surrogacy) requested I have a GTT (3 hour glucose tolerance test) before he was ready to confirm me for official screening.  The insurance company that is used for the surrogacy decided to exclude gestational diabetes for me this time, even though I was never diagnosed with it over 4 pregnancies.  Though I passed the 3 hour test last time, the specialists were not convinced there isn't some kind of sugar issue contributing to my habit of growing extremely big babies.  The RE knows that my pregnancy had NO complications, but it is something that we ended up inducing the birth so early because of the baby's size (termed "macrosomia").  He will proceed in the mindset that, even if I did have hidden gestational diabetes, it was well managed through my healthy diet and the baby and myself handled delivery perfectly fine and there were zero side effects or complications.  He does, however, want to just make absolutely sure I have no standing sugar issue that would be taking too much of a risk to get pregnant again.  I'm quite certain that is not the case, and that test is straight up torture, but I totally get his point.  At any rate, I had the test done yesterday, so we will await the results there.

The second request from the RE out in California is that I get a letter from my OB, simply stating that she has seen me recently for a check up (true) and that she sees no reason to state that I shouldn't be going into another pregnancy at this point.  Basically he just wants a doctor that has seen my recovery and my current state of health to confirm that I'm all good before a lot of time and money is used to bring me out there for the full screening.  The OB's office said I should be able to get that letter sent out to me early next week.
So, hopefully I will have some news about heading out for screening in about a week.  I'm not sure how quickly the lab here will get the results of my GTT to the fertility clinic, and then how soon the doctors there will be able to go over them.  Hopefully that's a short and sweet step in the process.  The hours spent sitting around, enduring a massive sugar high and subsequent crash, leaving me in that 'hit by a truck' state the rest of the day, certainly weren't fun.
My agency has already talked to me about a set of IP's they have in mind.  Once we get that letter from the OB and the blood sugar question cleared up, we just *might* be on our way to a match quite quickly!

In the meantime, I'm going to be playing around with a new idea for the blog.  I recalled watching a few 'vlogs' when I first began researching surrogacy, and it was a pretty cool thing to be able to see and hear these other ladies.  Most helpful was watching some of the videos of people demonstrating their self injections.  Well, I'm not cool enough to inject myself, and my husband despises that job with a passion, so I doubt he'll submit to recording it.  But, I am considering recording at least some of my updates in 'vlog' format and posting here, rather than the writing.  I'm no pro at writing, so I thought that might be a tad more interesting.  Obviously, that will only be an option on good hair days!

Mundane

Well friends, I'm afraid this is going to be a rather boring entry.  Really, I'm updating just to update.  It's been over a month, so I'm due for a check-in. 
In short, nothing is new!  I have submitted all of the paperwork I can submit at this point.  I'm waiting for my OB records to be forwarded from my doctor to my agency, and they will forward to the insurance company to get my pre-approval.  The plan is to have me go out to California for medical and psychological screening in May.  The timing actually works really well.  I wanted to wait 1 year from the birth of my first surro-baby before starting again.  That is both because I feel it's healthiest for my body to give ample time to heal, and also because it is such a massive decision.  I didn't want to jump into another surrogacy out of excitement, without really considering all sides.  Screening in May was set in stone when I decided to get a couple new tattoos several weeks ago.  There is a time frame you must wait after getting tattoos before you can pass medical screening.  I got lucky that it all coincides, and I will be eligible in May, right when I had hoped to get started.

There likely won't be anything worthy of another post until the travel plans for screening are made.  It feels like way off at the moment, but I'm sure that will change once the travel plans are made!

Much love to you all for continuing to follow me through these boring parts.  I'm sure it's boring to read.  In real life, though, it's been a wonderful year - watching that little boy I gave birth to growing up to such a handsome little guy (in pictures from across the world, of course!). 

Innaugural Post

The nerves have kicked in.
The apprehension! 
The unknown.
The excitement!

It is with goosebumps that I type this very first post pertaining to my "Journey #2".  That's right, folks.  It's still growing moss, but the ball is slowly beginning to budge.  I have finally made up my mind.  I am going to go ahead and apply to Growing Generations for a second surrogacy.  I've put a lot of serious thought into it, and I believe this is what I'm meant to be doing. 

It's ironic, that I feel like I have more things to be nervous about now, as an experienced surrogate, than I knew to be nervous about when I was going into my first round.  Two years later I have met dozens of amazing surro-sisters and intently listened to and read their stories through blogs and surrogate groups.  Surrogacies do not tend to go from idea to birth without a hitch or two along the way.  I was extremely lucky that so much of my experience was absolutely perfect.  We adore the new branch on our family tree.  We would do this again for them in a heartbeat, but they are good in the baby department right now.  I will be matching with a new 'intended parent' (IP).  We can only hope that we are blessed with another IP or IP's as full of love and respect for me and my family as our first IP's were, and still are.  We can only pray that the first transfer attempt is successful.  We can only wait, with baited breath, to see the end of a healthy pregnancy with a healthy baby.  Having shared the positive, hopeful, and sometimes sad feelings with these fellow surrogates I have met in the last 2 years, I now have more what-if's to consider possible.  None of these, however, put a dent in the true reason for becoming a surrogate in the first place.  Love.  Like all parents, I love my family more than I could ever illustrate.  If I can be the person who helps another family come to be - it's absolutely worth the what-if's.  It's worth the inconveniences.  I just know that if I didn't try to be that person again, while my body is capable, I would look back on my life and regret giving up the opportunity of a lifetime. 
Today is only one tiny little step.  My husband and I only had the final decision-making conversation just last week.  I don't actually want to get started for at least a couple months.  My beginning application has been submitted today and soon will begin the rather mundane tasks of gathering medical records, etc. 
I appreciate each of you that reads this and whatever positive thoughts and prayers you feel compelled to send out, for a successful and healthy "Journey #2".

Twice Born - finished

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The second half definitely did not disappoint!  I finished reading the book Second Born, by Margaret Mazzantini yesterday.  Let me tell you - it was hard to let it take so long!  Books like this make me temporarily long for my "old job" (pre-kids) where there was always a lunch break to read.  I couldn't breeze through this one.  There was a lot of history, geography, and language that simply isn't common knowledge and/or vocabulary for me.  The surrogacy theme was not at all what I expected, and I think I love the book all the more because of it.  The storyline was not easy to predict at all, and the book beautifully describes the emotions of the main character (the woman who wants to use a surrogate to become a mother herself).  I am definitely recommending this one.

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Twice Born Update

I talked here recently about a trailer I saw for the movie Twice Born.  Well, I'm about 1/3 of the way through the book now, and loving it!  I have to admit, I often go for quick, semi-brainless reads.  I like books I can read fast, because I am typically distracted by kids and have a hard time following complicated plots.  This book is not one of those.  I struggled getting into it because of the frequent use of foreign names, etc.  I'm NO good at geography or history.  I might not have continued very far if it weren't for my personal interest in books with a surrogacy theme.  (I just might have searched our library system and requested every. single. book. that came up in searches for surrogacy, surrogate, and surrogate mother.)  I haven't even gotten to anything related to surrogacy yet, but I'm seriously enjoying the book.  It is beautifully written.  The author does a great job of keeping things clear, even though the setting does jump around quite a bit in location and time. 
I am so anxious to get to the part that includes a surrogacy, but I truly am enjoying the beginning half of this story.  I thought I would recommend it here before I even finish it, and I'll come back later to tell you all how I feel about it once the surrogacy aspect enters the story.