by the way.

*this is lengthy*

 

 

 

So blogland friends, I've got news. I already know that by looking at that tiny foot you are thinking that I'm going to say that I'm pregnant. This is not true. Yet.

 

I'm going to (hopefully) be getting pregnant. But! I am not going to be having any more children. I am going to be a gestational surrogate.

 

Wait. What?

 

First of all, let me explain what that even means. A gestational surrogate is a woman who becomes pregnant through In Vitro Fertilization, with an embryo that is genetically unrelated to the surrogate herself. She carries the baby, and delivers the baby for his or her parents.

 

How on Earth did I ever think of doing this? Well, to be honest I first read about surrogacy in an article in Glamour magazine quite a few years ago. At the time I was busy making my own family, so I just kept the idea sitting in my head. Last year, it came back to the front of my head. I brought my idea to Yosi, and he sat with it for quite some time. After learning more about surrogacy, and seeing how serious I was about pursuing it he jumped right on board.

 

Well... then what? Well, that's when I started actively trying to find a family to help. I was shocked to realize how many couples struggle with infertility. Enter, Jack and Jill.

 

* a word about privacy before we move on * Jack and Jill are clearly not their real names. I highly value their privacy and will refer to the intended father as Jack, and the intended mother as Jill. Instead of a pail of water, we are all on a journey to fetch a baby. I also will not be using specific dates or places. I ask that those of you who I know personally will also respect their privacy by not leaving such details your comments.

 

How does this actually work? I first connected with Jack and Jill in the spring. We exchanged many emails and phone calls. During the summer, Yosi and I were lucky enough to have them here for a weekend. It was so wonderful to be able to sit down and talk and really get to know each other.

 

While there are so many factors to consider, it seemed as if there wasn't even a question. I knew that these would be the people I would help. They are the most caring, warm and fuzzy, down to Earth people. They will make such fantastic parents, and I am incredibly honored to the in the position to help make that happen.

 

Since deciding to move forward there has been lots and lots of legwork. I will make various posts in the near future about certain big events of the pre-game happenings, but it's safe to say that it's busy and boring and incredibly important all at the same time.

 

     So where are we now? We are actually getting very close to the embryo transfer. Before the procedure there is a lengthy medication protocol that I have been plucking away at. This includes pills, shots, gels, and lots of doctor appointments and blood draws.

 

Next month, after spending these next few weeks getting my body all hospitable, I will fly to East Coast for somewhere around five days. The transfer itself takes about four minutes, but the following days are best spent lying in bed and eating pineapple (more on that later). After that, I'll fly back home and ten days later I'll go in for a blood test to see whether I am in fact pregnant. If so, I will be pregnant just the same way I was with the boys. I will have doctor appointments at my local clinic and deliver at my local hospital.

 

This is a lot to take in, so I'm going to leave it here for now. Don't worry though, I am going to make it a point to document this journey from start to finish. I think it will be a great way to share the journey with those who are far away, with Jack and Jill, and with those interested in gestational surrogacy.

 

Until next time,

Carmen