Update!

I wanted to drop in and just write what's going on. We received the 12 week scan and all looks good!! We are leaving for India in 2 days to meet with the frro.... I'm nervous about everything!!! I have been hearing a lot of stories about international surrogacy and obviously the media brings out all the negative ones! I am afraid that it will disrupt our goal of 1. The baby being fine and delivered. And 2. Bringing the baby home!! Praying all goes smoothly... Will update once on my way to India!!!

Five days left for the 12 week ultrasound

Ahhh,

Okay our first trip is booked for Oct 11th-Oct 16th...we are flying from newark ewr to new delhi...YUP! That is very short trip to India! We are going for paperwork due to the FRRO wanting to meet the parents now...but I had reached out asking our clinic for our 12 week scan before we go!
I would be devastated if I travel all the way there to find out it wasn't going to work out.  I am super nervous and anxious about our scan this friday...two things I am praying for is 1.The baby is okay 2.the baby is healthy. There is nothing I can do but wait...so here I go! Trying to keep busy...I have to go pick up our little Liam from school soon.  We are so grateful for him and hopefully we will be able to give him a brother or sister to bug!

TRIP TO NEW DELHI BOOKED

Hello all!

Okay so we have booked our mini five day trip to New Delhi to meet with the FRRO and get the exit paperwork in order..We do not officially leave until after the 12 week check up and ultrasound! We leave Oct 11th for a few days! Nervous about the flight since I absolutely hate flying and barely get thru 2 hour flights....this one is 16 hours I believe...Ahhhhhh....so nervous...especially because there are no promises...This does that ensure that there will be no problems after we go...we have 2/3 rds of a pregnancy go...Today we received an email from the doctor stating

"Surrogate is doing fine. Looking forward to see you".

The clinic is very sweet and so are the doctors and hospitality company but they are very short and sweet.  I have asked them this week via email if the surrogate has moved into the surrogate house. And that is the email I receive..I wanted to write back "you didn't answer my question! "
but hubby told me to be grateful and try not to be so hands on....But I do not think I am being ridiculous....I guess I'll voice my concern once I get there....It is still bothering me so I may shoot them an email anyway...lol Back and forth I go!! So stressful yet exciting this whole journey is!
Sincerely,

Kay

I AM BACK!!--- Our journey with international surrogacy continues

After our surrogate suffered a miscarriage I was heart broken and have been feeling lost for this last few months.  Although we immediately decided to start the process again the financial and emotional destruction that the first miscarriage caused had left a scar. The wonderful clinic and Dr. Rita Bakshi gave me a better price so we could afford another implantation.  The surrogate they prepared this time got a virus a couple days before implantation....ALL that stress and all that waiting for what felt like forever...I had to start again! What I mean by again is I had to wait for them to prepare another surrogate.  NO matter what anyone says...you have to have a little bit of a hands off approach when it comes to international surrogacy.  I did not get to choose my surrogate because while they prep a few, they only pick the one with best uterine lining....Long story short I ended up waiting until July 22nd 2014 for another implantation.  The photo they sent me of the surrogate had me a little worried because she looked a little overweight...But after they assured me that she wasn't (Not sure still lol)...I left it up to god and my wonderful clinic to do the work! 
Two LONG weeks later we got another positive!!! The HCG levels 14 days post 5 day transfer were 1149 and two days later 2289.  Still the next few weeks were emotional torture...Because the last time we had made it this far and got the bad news at the 6.5 week ultrasound.  We received an email three weeks later and the ultrasound was "fine" (using their words).  There was a heartbeat...139! So here we are nervous and anxious..the next test will not be until 12 weeks (3 more weeks to go!!!).  

SO you would think okay they are set and things have to start to look up! Well, originally when we started this process...we decided to mail our embryos so we would only have to make one trip to pick up our baby.   Ever since last months THAILAND SURROGACY CASE ( australian couple does gestational surrogacy in thailand, picks up only the healthy baby and leaves twin brother back, after background checks the media finds out the intended father was a pedophile--although he says hes reformed)....THE INDIAN government decided they needed to meet us NOW!!! Look, I am not here to judge...but it really drives me crazy when one couple ruins it for everyone.  I am not in their situation nor do I know who is telling the truth...All I know is NOW WE HAVE TO GO TO NEW DELHI IN OCTOBER...ahhhhh

I don't know if I have mentioned this to anyone earlier but I HATE FLYING!! ABSOLUTELY DREAD IT!!! We booked our trip for OCT 12-16 for New Delhi and are staying at Hyatt Regency New Delhi! But boy am I dreading the flight!! 16 hours in a tube in the air with complete strangers.  I have written to United Airlines and asked them for an upgrade...I seriously doubt Ill be getting one but hey why not ask ..you never know who is on the other side of the email...I guess I will be drinking bacardi the entire way there and back to calm my nerves!! hehehehe...
I called the clinic and spoke to the hospitality guy and explained that I would like them to do the 12 ultrasound scan before we go...I would hate for us to have to travel all the way there and find out something went wrong....I know I am being so negative...but I am tired of getting my hopes up!
Its so weird because besides Alex's and my moms NO ONE KNOWS....of course you all..I see that I have many views...and I encourage those who read this to leave me a comment, maybe share with me what your journey entails, any support I can give or receive it wonderful.I will be posting more often! Fingers crossed!

Thank you for reading

Bad news

So our surrogate suffered a missed abortion... Baby had a weak heartbeat that resulted in it stopping. We were sooo sad but decided to pick ourselves up and possibly try again!!!
Will keep you updated... Not even sure anyone's reading this

First bloodwork!!

It worked!!!!!!!! Hcg is 776 at 14 days post day five transfer!!!! Fingers crossed!!! We had a rough week thinking it didn't work at all!!! But then Saturday morning the morning of my sons birthday party we got an email.


Congratulations your surrogate has tested positive! Attached is her bloodwork!

It's amazing how one sentence changes your everything! I know we are early and there are a lot of things ahead... But I pray to god that everything works out!!

Implanted!!!!! The wait begins!!

Okay so two days ago I received an email that two thawed blastocysts have been implanted into our surrogate!!!! Ahhhhhhhhh the wait begins!! It'll be about ten days before we find out if any stuck!!! Stressed out!! Excited! Nervous!

Okay so it's been ten days and no email from the clinic yet!! The wait is killing me but I know when it's time they will contact me. I received the contract between us and the surrogate... Everything looks great but my nerves are killing me!!!

TODAY WE FOUND OUT WHO OUR SURROGATE WILL BE!

Hi! I am not even sure if anyone is reading this! (comment please!! =) )

Okay so this morning we received our surrogates information, photo, and implantation date! Our surrogate is 25 years old, 110 lbs, and just perfect (in my opinion)...Our implantation date is April 19th! This date actually has a close place in my heart because my husband and I had our engagement party that day 6 years ago! Wow how time flies!! It is really amazing how short and sweet the emails from india are...Quick, to the point, and every time I see an email in my inbox my heart jumps a beat! I am so scared that this may not work (success rates are somewhere between 39-45% for Frozen Embryo Transfer...and I am also nervous about them putting in too many embryos! They said they are putting in 3!!!!! My fertility clinic here in NJ is saying that is wayyyy too much.  So a little nervous!! But WOW how far we have already come...This just goes to show you that ANYONE can do this...January 15 I decided to start calling clinics, shipping services and now I have gone thru IVF meds, Egg retreivals, Growing the blastocytes, shipping them, and now learning about my surrogate!!!

For anyone out there either going thru this, thinking about going thru it, or have already gone thru it Please feel free to comment! I would love the support or be able to support someone!!

Thanks!
KAY

Will be back when more info arrives!

Lets Catch up!

Hello,

So this is my first blog ever but I felt the need to share our story as it is unfolding (and for some support along the way!)....

Here is a little about us!

My husband and I (married for 5 years) have a beautiful 2 year old son whom we adore more than the world. We live in NJ. My pregnancy with Liam was very very very difficult.  I had severe Hyperemesis Gravidarum (Throwing up about a million times a day, low weight, pure misery!!) and then I got Gastroparesis of pregnancy (My stomach was literally paralyzed and couldn't process anything!!!!).  I was 75 lbs at 3 months pregnant!!! I had blot clots, blood transfusions, had 5 surgeries to implant feeding tubes in my nose down my throat, IT was 8 MONTHS of Pure misery (photos will be uploaded soon!)----I was told NEVER to get pregnant again...they did a c-section to take the baby out at 34 weeks because I was way too sick to continue. I basically lived in the hospital and when I was discharged to go home I had nurses, machines, everything.  It was basically hell on earth....Luckily our little miracle was born at 4.5 lbs but healthy as a horse...he came home with me two days later....We are sooo thankful for him...and at that moment in time we were happy with just one child.  WELLLLLL that changed about 6 months after having him! We wanted to give him a sibling...so badly!!!


So January of 2014 we decided to embark on the wonderful, scary journey of GESTATIONAL SURROGACY...

I started frantically calling clinics in India and had some very not so comforting conversations. Finally, I found the perfect clinic in New Dehli!!

They explained that I would have to do a round of IVF to collect eggs and make embryos with my husband's sperm...They also explained the whole process would be 3-4 weeks just for the egg retreival! How would I leave my son for 4 weeks and go to india!! I started researching companies that ship embryos overseas!! (thinking this is the most sci-fi crazy thing!!!) Who ships their little precious babies in a container? ME!!! I decided to go for it! I would do the IVF here and have it shipped to my clinic...praying that customs wont interject or something crazy may stop them from getting there!! I prayed a lot during all of this!

Thankfully my cycle went well and we ended up with 9 day 6 blastocysts. I am fairly new to IVF and all of this but from what I heard from friends and doctors..we were very lucky to get that many.  We were advised to send only 6 just incase something went wrong.

Last week my 6 emby babies made it to my clinic.  Financially we aren't super wealthy so we held our breath each step of the way hoping it wasn't a complete waste of money....We sent the big payment last week to prep our surrogate and plan implantation sometime at the end of this month!!!! Soo here we are waiting!!!!!

I hope my first blog wasn't all over the place!!
Would Love to hear about others and their journey...