WE ARE PREGNANT!
- Laci Compton
- Oct 29, 2018
- 6 min read
OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH, Oh my gersh, its real! Do you ever wait for something for so long, or better yet, dream of something for so long, that when you finally get it, it doesn't feel real? I have wanted to be a surrogate for so long, and have had so many hurdles to jump that it felt like it would never happen; saying out loud that I am pregnant feels like I am hearing an echo from someone else. It's so hard to comprehend...well until I breathe fresh morning air and immediately start dry-heaving for no reason, I will admit morning sickness makes it feel a little more real.
SO WE ARE OFFICIALLY PREGNANT, and I am so sorry that this blog post took so long to write. The amazing parents of Baby K asked that we not say anything until 12 weeks, and I could not have agreed more. Putting all of this out on a blog feels vulnerable, and the last thing I wanted to do was announce I was pregnant early, and then if something happened, have to write a blog post about how I was no longer pregnant. But it has been a long, long time, and I have so much to fill you in on! The videos of my shots, what transfer day was like, finding out I was pregnant, and all the bits of information since then. Now would be a good time to grab your favorite drink, maybe a snack, and settle in for a read...I had to do the same just to write this thing. Ok, here we go...
The last time I blogged about surrogacy was July 11th, or about 3.5 months ago, and at that time I was feeling very discouraged because my med levels were off, which meant transfer was off. It was so hard getting a blood draw every two days, for weeks, to only be told you had to go to get stuck again, and things were not right. Fast forward about a week after writing that post and my levels were PERFECT (please read that in a sing-song voice, because that is how I felt)!!! I was elated, ecstatic, and so excited to move forward with an embryo transfer date of July 30th. I had two weeks before transfer to finish up my Lupron shots, start my Progesterone shots, and take a myriad of other medications to make my body the perfect environment for an embryo.
Shots, Shots, Shots!
As you can see shots were super fun...nope! While the Lupron shots did not hurt, the progesterone shots took some getting used too. The needles were a lot larger, and longer, and just in general scarier. To be honest though, the shots themselves rarely hurt, it was the knots, and general soreness that was a literal pain in my butt (Haha, yes pun intended!)! I have been off the progesterone shots for almost four weeks now and it is still sore back there; but after 71 repeated needles sticks, in a relatively small area, I think that can be expected!
Transfer Day
Look at this embryo...seriously is it not the cutest thing ever! And I know how weird that sounds because it looks like a hatching alien egg, but you cannot help but to bond with this little thing that is going into your body, and you know what it will become! I will admit, I showed off this picture like a proud aunt to the the circle of ladies who knew I was pregnant!
Transfer day was awesome, not only did I get to drive up the night before and stay in a cute boutique hotel in Greenwich Connecticut, I also got to have a two night mini Mom-cation! AND, the next morning, two of my sweetest friends, drove up to spend the day while I was on bedrest...I just want to repeat that these two ladies drove almost six hours (back and fourth) to lay in bed with me watching movies. I have the most amazing friends!!
The rad Dad of Baby K also drove up to be with me during transfer! Embryo transfer is the easiest thing I have ever had to do in the hospital. There was no pain, no discomfort, and it took less that a minute to perform. After signing paperwork, and talking through what was about to happen, I was wheeled back to what looked like an operating room. The Doctor inserted a thin catheter into my uterus, attached a syringe to it that held the embryo, and pushed it in. Once confirmed via ultrasound that they could see the embryo, they removed the catheter and wheeled me back to my room...science!
Back in my room I had to lay flat for 20 minutes, during which time I got to Face Time the intended Mama, and show of my amazing, lucky ConceiveAbilities sock to all the nurses!
The rest of the day was leisure...I was on mandated bed rest. This is in hopes of using gravity to my advantage, and to give the egg the best chance of attaching the uterine lining. The next day I drove home and began the 6 day wait before I could find out if I was pregnant.
While most women, during traditional pregnancies, have a two-week wait before the can test, IVF ladies only have to wait about six days since the egg and sperm are already combined and have started to grow before it is put in!
PREGNANT
I was impatient and five days later, while on vacation in Montana, I got my first positive!
Texting the intended parents that I was pregnant was the best text ever, and the conversation that followed was so filled with joy, immense excitement, and relief! Again, being able to give someone this kind of gift, a child, there is no other joy to compare it against. I was high off of that conversation for days. I of course ran to the store and bought more tests. The pictured tests above are from days 5, 9 and 10. I took many more tests in between that, but I don't assume you want to see every stick I peed on. From there I spent the next two weeks getting blood draws every 2-3 days. These were to both check my hCG levels, as well as my progesterone and estrogen levels. The first goal was to see my hCG levels (a hormone that is only made when you are pregnant) rise; which they did! At my first blood draw my hCG level was 280, a few days later it was 1,598, and at my last check it was 4,796. The second goal was to see that my body had begun to make progesterone and estrogen on its own so that I could begin to wean off of the artificial hormones that I was taking; which was happening!
The rest of our vacation was amazing! Not only did we get to be back in our most favorite place in the world (Montana), we got to be with family, hike up to one of the most beautiful mountain lakes on earth, and pick the tastiest dang berry in existence...and then learn how to jam it! And what could possible top this trip off...? We only got to meet the sweetest, most handsomest nephew in the known world and literally drown him in love for two solid weeks; it was amazing!
When we got back home to Massachusetts, I got to go into the hospital for an ultrasound to see visual proof that I was pregnant. The best parts about ultrasounds are when I get to Face Time the intended Mother, and see the ultrasound together! So far I have had three ultrasounds, and each time baby looks great, is growing, and we have a heartbeat of about 150-160 beats per minute.
Whew, we are finally here, all caught up on the story together! I have officially been weaned off of all my pills and shots, and am finally feeling "normal" pregnant instead of IVF pregnant. At this time I am almost 16 weeks pregnant, and definitely bumping out. Morning sickness has disappeared for the most part, but it still sneaks up on me at the most random of times. We just recently got back from a trip in NYC where we got to visit the family, spend time with them, and bond. The best part was their son and our daughters getting to play together. While our girls understand that this is not our baby, it is so helpful that they have met this baby's sibling, and we can talk about them getting to be together they way our girls are! Toddler K also got to kiss, and high-five the belly, and ask for a baby sister!
My next big appointment will be at 20 weeks! I am so excited for this appointment because the intended parents will be coming up for the big gender ultrasound, but to also tour the hospital where we will be giving birth. I cant wait to update you all on whether this bump is boy or girl, so look out for the next blog in about a month!
Bye for now!
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