PART OF A MIRACLE

Figured it was time for an update...

2010-08-18T13:16:00.008-04:00

It has been a while since the birth of the twinkies and I figured that it was time for an update.

I am doing well. The recovery from the C-section was different from what I am used to, having given birth vaginally 5 times previous. I don't think that I person truly understands what muscles you use in your body to do things like adjust your self while sitting or stand up after laying or sitting down, until your stomach is cut open and sewn back together. Holy h3ll!!! I am so thankful that my hubbie was able to help me so much in my recovery. I am not sure what I would have done without him. I would have been stuck on the couch FOREVER! That would have been interesting for sure. The scar isn't bad at all....here is a belly pic so that you can see for yourself.

Picture taken @ about 14 weeks post partum.

What do you think ladies?

The twinkies are doing so well!! "N" send me updated pics of the peanuts every month and they look amazing! Soooo cute! You will have to take my word for it as I want to respect "N & J's" privacy , and have not asked permission to add pictures of them.

They recently took a trip to see "J's" family, so the twinkies had their first trip on an airplane. What an adventure that must have been!

Things are going well in my world. Not sure yet what is next for me, but exploring some different options. I am excited to see what the future will hold.

Will keep those of you reading posted...

Stay tuned!!!!

Where did the time go!?!? continues again!

2010-06-22T10:01:00.003-04:00

Geez...I am a slacker.!

Now where was I?

I was completely terrified at the thought of what was about to happen. I asked my husband to talk to me to distract me from what was going on. He placed a hand on my ear, furthest away from him, and then started to talk in my other ear. He was attempting to ensure that I did not hear what the doctors and nurses were saying. It worked. He did such a good job that I didn't realize that Baby A had been born already until I heard her first cry, such a wonderful sound. They proceeded to then deliver Baby B. His delivery was a little more uncomfortable as he was high up, and still breech. I did not hear him cry. The Dr's proceeded to put everything back where it belongs. I was in pain, not just feeling the sensation of pulling and pushing but pain. I told the Dr that I was in pain and he told me that it was almost over, he was almost done. WHAT THE F*CK!? Are you serious buddy?! I should not be feeling this!

They finally took me back to a room. My husband spent a little time with me before leaving me to rest....I needed it at that point as I had been up for 37 hours. They finally transferred me to the postpartum side.

I asked the nurse about the babies, but was told that they couldn't release that information to me. What?! Are you kidding? My IP's had instructed that a note be placed in the charts that I was to be updated with whatever information about the babies that I asked. I was soooo frustrated! They wouldn't even release the weights of the babies, or how they were doing. This really started to scare me, especially because I hadn't heard Baby B cry. I started to feel really guilty that the babies had been born early. I was feeling that I hadn't done my "job" well enough and now "N & J" had sick, little ones.

I hoped that "N or J" would stop by my room and tell me how things were, but I didn't have any visitors. It turns out that they tried to come see me but the nurses had put a "DO NOT DISTURB" sign on my door without my knowledge, so "N & J" returned to their room not wanting to bother me.

The next morning came and I was so frustrated that I had no information so I texted "N". She responded right away, and said that she would be there soon. I was sooooo relieved! I couldn't wait to see her! She came down and gave me the much needed, long awaited update. Baby A was 5lbs 12oz, 19.5 inches long, and Baby B was 5lbs 10 oz, and 19 inches long. Baby A was already off any assistance with breathing. Baby B was still on the monitors and breathing assistance. I hadn't heard him cry because he wasn't breathing yet. His heart was still beating but he hadn't taken his first breath. They had to work on him and finally got him stabilized. I found out then that they found a "true knot" in his cord after he was delivered. Had we proceeded with the attempt of a vaginal birth, he would have been in trouble, and an emergency C-section would have been required. So glad that things happened the way that they did.

The babies and I were all released on Friday May 7th.

I cannot say enough times how blessed I was to have embarked on this journey with "N & J". They are amazing people, who are already amazing parents. We consider them family now, and cannot imagine not having them in our lives.

Where did the time go?!?! .....continued

2010-06-01T13:36:00.002-04:00

Now where was I?

Shortly after "N & J" arrived, my OB came back to check me. It had been about an hour since she had originally checked me. She said that I was now 6 cm dilated. She did a quick ultrasound to check the positions of the babies. Baby A was head down and Baby B was transverse (laying sideways). I was glad to hear that Baby B was making an effort to head in the right direction. I asked my OB if I could now get the epidural, and she said yes, and called the anesthesiologist. You see, during my past 5 labours, I took the longest amount of time to get from 0 to 5 cm. After hitting 5cm I tend to go pretty quickly.

After I got my epidural, they moved me to the operating room. The plan was to have me deliver in the operating room because it was twins. That way if there was any problems with either of the babies we could proceed immediately with a C-section. By this time it was close to the shift change for the OB's so both my OB and the OB that was coming on shift both came in to talk to us. I was checked again by the new OB and told that I was still 6-7 cm....ugh! Are you kidding me?! He suggested that we just move to have a C-section because Baby B wasn't in the head down position. We listened to what he had to say , and asked for a moment for the 3 of us to chat. I listened to what both "N & J" had to say, and then they listened to my thoughts about it. When the OB's came back in we told them that we wanted to continue on with the original plan to try for the vaginal birth. I was moved out of the operating room, to a room very close, to continue to labouring, and told that the OB had a C-section to perform and then would be back to check on me to see where things were at.

After what seemed like an eternity, several calls from my husband, several naps & coffee runs for "N & J", the OB finally came in. He checked me again, said that I was still about 7cm. I felt like crying! It had been at least 6 hours and I hadn't changed at all......are you kidding me?! The OB then decided to do a quick ultrasound to check on the babies positions. Baby A was still head down but Baby B had decided to go from transverse back to breech...ugh!!! The OB suggested doing a C-section. I asked for a moment to call my husband, and tell him what was going on. I told him to immediate arrangements for the care of our children. After talking to him, I then asked to talk to the OB. After addressing some of my concerns and questions, I told the OB to go ahead and start making the necessary preparations for the C-section but told them that it couldn't start until my husband arrived. I could not imagine going through the C-section without my best friend by my side. I called my husband back and told him to drop the kids off, and then to head to the hospital. I asked the nurse to bring "N" back into the room so that I could talk to her before the C-section. We talked briefly, hugged a bunch, and then she left to get ready for the C-section. The nurse then moved me back to the OR and started to get me prepared. My husband entered the room, all dressed in scrubs, and before I knew it, they were ready to start.

To be continued.....

Where did the time go?!?!

2010-05-18T11:14:00.004-04:00

Has it really been 2 weeks? How is that even possible?

For those of you who don't know yet, I delivered the twinkies 2 weeks ago on May 4th, 2010. I am not really sure why it has taken me so long to return to write a blog post, but I suppose that it is better late than never.

Where to start?

On May 3rd , I had been feeling kinda "off" throughout the day. Nothing was really wrong that I could put my finger on, just felt a little out of sorts. I had received an email earlier in the day from "N" saying that they had received a message from "J 's" dad who was updating their family tree and had entered the twinkies into the tree with a birthdate of May 3rd. I now think that his little faux pas jinxed me!

At around 10pm ish that evening, I started to feel some mild contractions. They felt somewhat like Braxton Hicks contractions, just slightly more uncomfortable. My husband and I started to time them because they seemed to be coming in a regular pattern. I sent my husband off to bed, as he had work the next day, and I was unsure if the contractions would continue or would just stop, as they had been doing lately. I decided to try and lay down to see if that would put an end to them or not. It did seem to slow them down slightly but they didn't stop completely. At around 3am I decided that maybe it was best that I go for a visit to labour and delivery just so that I could be checked. I had no idea if the contractions were doing anything but for all I knew I was already walking around dilated, and didn't want to chance the delivery happening at my home. So I wake my husband up and tell him what I am thinking. He agreed that I should go. He said "You have never gone to the hospital in the past and it been a false labour so follow your gut and get checked." So off we went.....stopping at Ti.m Hor.tons on the way of course!

Because it was the middle of the night and I was unsure of whether or not things would be a "GO", I asked him to delay slightly in calling "N & J". My husband brought me to the hospital and then returned home (on my insistence!!) to try and get some sleep in case I was wrong, and he had to go to work. I arrived at L & D, checked in, they immediately took me to a room, and got me on the monitors. I asked who the Dr on call was and was surprised to find out that it was my OB! I could see on the monitors that the contractions were measuring fairly strong, and were coming about 5 minutes apart, so I texted my husband, that he should probably call "N & J" and let them know what is going on. He called them and then texted me back, said that "N" had answered on the first ring, and they were on their way. My OB came in a checked me and said that I was 4 cm. She said that it was possible that I was already walking around dilated, so she would check me again in an hour to see if I had made any changes. About 20 minutes later "N & J" arrived and I gave them the update. The seemed to be in a state of shock. Of course being woken up at 4 am, and being told that the babies that you have being waiting 5 extremely long years for, might be making their arrival will do that to you.

To be continued.......

35 Weeks & An OB Appointment

2010-04-29T12:50:00.002-04:00

I can hardly believe that we have made it to this goal....35 Weeks.

It seems so surreal to even utter those words, and even more surreal to think that in a matter of what could potentially be as short as a couple of hours, to as long as a couple of weeks, that "N & J" will finally have what they have been dreaming about for the last 5 years....their 2 precious little peanuts.

I had an OB appointment yesterday, and "N & J" were FINALLY both able to attend the appointment with me. It is always so great to be able to see them, and have a chance to chat while are waiting to be called in for the appointment.

The appointment went well. Blood pressure is still good. My weight is up another whopping 2 lbs. The big ol' belly is measuring a ginormous 42 cm which translates to 42 weeks.....holy cow!!! I am scared to see how much bigger that it can possibly get. The babies sound great...Baby A had a heart rate of 143 bpm and Baby B had a heart rate of 138 bpm. Baby A is still head down and Baby B is still breech.

We chatted briefly about the delivery options for the babies, she asked what the opinion of the High risk OB was. We told her what was said, she agreed with his opinion, and so we are all on board with a vaginal delivery being attempted, situation permitting. Please readers, cross everything that you have the ability to cross, that the little peanuts both co-operate!

My OB has also asked me to go in for weekly NST's (Non Stress Tests) until the babies are delivered. I have my 1st one tomorrow. Hopefully both of the babies cooperate, and they can get some good tracings on them.

My OB thinks that things are looking really great, and is hoping that I will have the ability to bake these babies until May 16th. I personally am not so sure that my wee frame can endure too much more , and think that she is a bit crazy, but I guess that only time will tell.

In any case, arrival of the "N & J" peanuts is 17 days or less away!!!!

It's Official

2010-04-22T14:53:00.005-04:00

We have made it to 34 weeks!!
Completely, and Officially!!

You see "N & J's" due date calculator, as well as the High Risk OB calculations have me at 34 weeks as of Monday (3 days ago).
My due date calculator, as well as by my OB's calculations have me at 34 weeks as of TODAY!!
So by every way imaginable we have now reached 34 weeks!!'

This very important milestone means a couple of things for all of us.

First.....it means that I am able to deliver the twins at my local hospital, which is literally 5 minutes down the road from me. Very important statistic, when you factor in that this will be my 6th...yes 6th delivery.

Second....it also means that my OB, who we all are very comfortable with, and trust will have the opportunity to be the delivering doctor.

YAY!

We have also officially been discharged from the care of the High Risk OB's care, therefore complete care has been transferred back to my OB.

We had our last High Risk OB appointment on Tuesday. We had an ultrasound of the babies first so that they could to do a biophysical profile on both of the babies, and check their presentation.

The babies both scored 8 out of 8 on the biophysical profile. Baby A is still presenting head-down and her weight is approximated as 4lbs 8oz. Baby B is still presenting breech and his weight is approximated at 5lbs 2oz.

We asked the High Rick OB about his thoughts about delivery. He said that ultimately it is the comfort level of the delivering doctor that will determine what will happen. He also stated that if I arrived at their hospital with the current presentation of the babies, as well as my delivery history; 5 previous uncomplicated vaginal deliveries that he would suggest a vaginal delivery attempt of Baby A and an external version of Baby B, that is if he doesn't turn after the delivery of his sister. We will not attempt a breech extraction of Baby B. Therefore, if Baby B decides that he won't turn or shows signs of distress, we will proceed to deliver him by C-section.

A vaginal delivery of both babies is ultimately the delivery situation that "N", "J", and I have in our minds as our ideal. I am so thankful that we are all on board and comfortable with the same plan. We are all however prepared to change the plan, if required. Some have questioned why I would want to potentially recover from both a vaginal and C-section delivery. My answer to that is that there is no guarantee that I will have to recover from both. I am completely confident in my body's ability to be able to deliver both of the twins.

I guess that only time will tell when and how these babies will enter this world.

Quick Blurb and a belly pic!!!

2010-04-20T09:13:00.002-04:00

We have our final (hopefully) appointment with the High Risk OB today. We are also hoping to have him weigh in on the delivery option situation just to have another opinion. Thankfully we are all on the same page about how we would all like the delivery to play out. I will update things after I get back from the appointment.

BUT.....

I thought that I would leave a small token to the picture stalkers....

Here is a belly pic that was taking @ 33W 4D......ENJOY!!!!

OB Appointment

2010-04-16T06:57:00.003-04:00

I had another OB appointment on April 14th with my regular OB. "N", unfortunately was not able to come the the appointment, as it was in the middle of the day, and her bosses are still dinks!
"J" was able to attend the appointment with me, and was able to ask some questions about the different delivery situations for the babies.

Again, the appointment was very routine, blood pressure was good, weight is up another 2lbs (Yikes!!! Never weighed this much in my life!), and the ole' belly was measuring 39 cm =39 weeks. I must say that all around, this is the biggest that I have ever been. I guess that it is to be expected with carrying twins but man o man!

The babies are doing well. Baby A's heart rate was 136 bpm, and Baby B's was 143 bpm. They are sure making their presence known in there, with one or the other kicking up a storm constantly.

As I said prior, a discussion about the options for delivery was had but I will save that for another post.

Next appointment is with the High Risk OB on Tuesday, April 20th where, if all is well, I will be discharged from their care and complete care will be returned to my regular OB.

I am happy to have made it to 33 weeks!

Another Ultrasound

2010-04-13T11:37:00.004-04:00

I had another ultrasound of the babies on April 7th. They did the ultrasound to check the length of my cervix, to preform a biophysical profile, and check the overall growth and position of the babies. These ultrasounds are getting more and more uncomfortable, every time I have another. I think that this is partially due to the fact that I am a petite person and don't have much fat on the ole' rib cage and partially due to the fact that there are 2 peanuts in there with their parts smushed into any spare room that they can find, even if it is in my rib cage!

Everything looked good as usual. Fluid levels were good, cervix was still long and closed.

Baby A, bless her, is still in the head down position, with her spine going up the outer, right side of the belly. Her arms and legs are in the center of my belly on the right of my belly button. Her heart rate was good and they are estimating her weight to be approximately 3lbs 9 ozs

Baby B, was still breech when the ultrasound was done. His head is in the center area of my rib cage, by the sternum. His spine goes down the center of my belly along the left side of my belly button, with his arms and legs towards the outer, left side of my belly. His heart rate was also good and they estimated his weight to be approximately 4lbs 4 ozs.

I am glad that the peanuts seem to be liking it in there, and continue to look good. I hope that they will decide to continue baking in there for a little while longer!

Update...

2010-04-09T23:20:00.003-04:00

I had another OB appointment on the 31st of March. It was a pretty routine appointment. I was weighed....gaining approximately 3lbs in 2 weeks. She measured the ole belly...up 1cm, so measuring 37 weeks. She listened to both of the peanuts heart rates....they were both 160 bpm.

She asked me if I had any signs of labour, to which the response was "NO". She talked briefly about the way that the delivery situation would play out at the hospital when the time came.

Pretty routine as far as appointments go (thankfully)....next appointment is on April 14th.

Still plugging along...

2010-03-24T12:36:00.002-04:00

The last 7 days have seemed to fly by, partially due to my amazing pillow and my new found sleep, and partially due to having 2 appointments to attend.

The 1st appointment was with my regular OB on March 19th. The appointment was pretty standard. She checked my weight (ugh), checked my blood pressure (great as usual) and then proceeded to listen to the babies heart rates. Baby A was 156 bpm and Baby B 150 bpm. She then measured the big ol belly...I am measuring approximately 7 weeks ahead. I was 29w 1d and measuring 36 weeks....ugh....not sure how much bigger the belly can get! She also went over the 1hr Glucose test results.....and proceed to tell me that I scored just .2 away from the range..... .2 can you believe that! She asked me what I had ate or drank before going for the test. I proceeded to confess my sins...and she told me that I would have to go for the 2hr Glucose test in order to rule out Gestational Diabetes. Man o man! So I went for the test on Saturday. What a procedure that is....

For those of you who don't know, I will explain what is involved. First you have to fast for 12 hours.....12 freaking hours! That in itself is cruel and unusual punishment to put a preggo lady through. Then you get your 1st blood draw. They do this so that they have a fasting level. They then make you drink this lovely "orange Cr.ush on steroids type drink". You notify the lab techs that you are indeed done drinking the lovely concoction, they set a 1hr timer. After the 1hr is complete they draw your blood again, and set another timer for 1hr. When that hour is complete you have your last blood draw. I am not sure where the tech that was poking me got his license to be able to take blood from people but I think that it should be revoked. Both of my arms are now a lovely shade of green, yellow, and purple! I called my OB's office on Monday to let them know that I had done the test over the weekend and asked that they call me when they received the results. The secretary called in the afternoon, and drum roll please...............
I PASSED!!! No gestational diabetes here!!!

The 2nd appointment was yesterday (March 23rd) with the High-risk OB. "N" was able to come to the appointment briefly with me (her bosses are still a**holes!!!) The appointment started with an ultrasound. The scan was to look to see if one or both of the babies were cephalic (head down) or breech (bum down), to do a Biophysical profile on each of the babies, and to check the all important length of the cervix. The tech started the scan and discovered that Baby A is still head down (YAY!!!) with her feet planted firmly under my right rib cage! Baby B has decided that he wasn't happy in the head down position and has done a flip, so he is breech with his head under my left rib cage!

She then did the BPP (biophysical profile). The BPP measures the babies heart rate, muscle tone, movement, breathing, and the amount of amniotic fluid around the babies. The babies each scored a 8 out of 8....yay peanuts! Baby A had a heart rate of 146 bpm and is estimated to weigh 3lbs 1oz. Baby B had a heart rate of 162 bpm and is estimated to weigh 3lbs 7oz....total baby weight of 6lbs 8oz's. My body is nearing the highest amount of baby weight that it has ever carried. My biggest baby was 6lbs 14 oz. Hopefully the ol body just keeps trucking along!

Finally the tech did the cervix check and my cervix measured 3.3 cm, long, closed and no change with fundal pressure. It measured 3.8 cm 6 weeks ago....not much change, so I think that is good! She asked me if I was prepared to go the long haul. I said that our goal was to at least make it to 36 weeks.

We got to briefly speak with the High risk OB, literally spoke to him for about 2 minutes. He said that everything looks great and that he wanted to see me back in 4 weeks. If everything is still great at that point, then I will be released back to my OB for complete care. They are currently doing shared care, just in case the babies decide to make their appearance too early to be delivered at my local hospital.

For now though, I will just keep plugging along!

Sleep troubles......and a new BEST FRIEND

2010-03-22T15:00:00.004-04:00

As I am sure that you can imagine.......
My small frame + twins = trouble sleeping.
I was finding that although I was completely exhausted by the end of the day, I still spent most of the night tossing and turning.

I started to look online for some maternity pillows but to my disappointment, the ones that I was interested in getting were on US sites and sadly didn't ship to our igloos located up here in the great white north...aka Canada.

During our lunch a couple of weeks ago, "N & J" and I were talking about my sleep problems and they offered to help in the research department. Within a couple of days we had found a pillow that looked absolutely amazing and "N" placed the order for it.

The pillow aka my new best friend arrived about a week ago, and I have been in sleep heaven ever since....

Thanks again "N & J"!!!!

Another milestone reached......

2010-03-12T11:02:00.005-05:00

Last Saturday, March 6th, I got to have a long overdue visit with "N & J". It was so great to be able to see them, and catch up. Even though we email and talk on the phone several times a week, it is always so much better to be able to see them.

We went out to lunch together, chatted about the babies, the upcoming appointments, and the things that they have left on their "To-Do List". It is so hard to believe that we are down to the single digit countdown of weeks left until the wee peanuts arrival. Crazy!!!

I am so thankful that we (as of yesterday) reached another goal!!! 28 WEEKS!!! The babies, if born now would have an 80% survival rate, compared to the 50% survival rate @ 24 weeks. I am so very thankful for every additional week that we are able to keep these peanuts baking inside. Having never carried twins before, I must admit that I sometime wonder how well my tiny frame will accommodate this pregnancy. Thankfully there have been no issues, and no signs of preterm labour to speak of.

Our next goal is 30 weeks....

Also, since I am being harrassed by a certain set of somebodies (you know who you are!!!), for being a belly pic posting slacker, here is a belly pic for your viewing pleasure.

Taken yesterday @ 28 weeks!!!

ENJOY!!!

OB Appointment @ 27 weeks

2010-03-09T15:29:00.004-05:00

The babies and I had an OB appointment last Thursday @ 27w. We started bi-weekly appointments since we reached the 24 week mark. It was pretty routine as far as appointments go.

We went over the last ultrasound report, which was done when I was 25w 0d.
The babies were both head down. Both of the placenta's are nicely out of the way of the cervix, which by the way is still a long 3.8 cm....YAY! Baby A (GIRL) was measuring 25w 5d, had a heart rate of 146 bpm, with an estimated weight of 783 grams (1.7 lbs). Baby B (BOY) was measuring 26w 0d, had a heart rate of 148 bpm, with an estimated weight of 900 grams (1.9 lbs)

The OB weighed me....I have gained approximately 17 lbs to date. She measured the belly...I am measuring approximately 33 cm (6 weeks ahead). My blood pressure was great, and overall things are looking good. She also listened to the babies heart rates during the appointment. Baby A had a heart rate of 147 bpm and Baby B had a heart rate of 159 bpm.....yay for strong babies.

We talked again about the signs of preterm labour that I should watch for, confirmed that I hadn't had any of them, and talked about the different options that could present themselves during labour. She guesstimates that I will be baking these little peanuts until 37 weeks, and that she will end up having to induce labour. I hope that she is right, but for now I am just taking things week by week, and even sometimes day by day.

Long Overdue Update...Part 2

2010-02-23T13:43:00.003-05:00

I told you that it wouldn't be too long before I came back....

Now where was I?!

Last week, I had both an OB's appointment, as well as an ultrasound.
The OB's appointment was quite routine, blood pressure check, and hearing the babies heartbeats. Everything is good with my blood pressure, and the babies. Baby A had a heart rate of 145bpm and Baby B had a heart rate of 147bpm.

We discussed the findings of the High Risk OB and she was very pleased that Baby A's placenta issue had corrected itself. She said that all we have to worry about now is that Baby A will decide that she wants to head herself in the right direction so that we will be able to go for a vaginal delivery....please cross your fingers, toes, and whatever else that you can manage!

I also had an ultrasound done to check the growth of the babies, and their fluid levels. I will be having ultrasound every 2-4 weeks so that we are able to monitor the babies growth, since we are unable to do that accurately from just measuring my belly. I hope that the babies decide to keep up the good growing.

I am happy to report that everyone is looking good and growing in proportion to each other. At the time of the ultrasound the babies were both head down, which explains the extreme amount of kicking to my ribcage! Hopefully they decide that they like it that way and don't decide to change their directions.

I am so thankful that the babies are doing so well. The pregnancy feels like it is flying by. I can't wait to finally see the babies in "N & J's" arms. What a moment that will be!

Long Overdue Update...Part 1

2010-02-19T09:47:00.005-05:00

I just realised that I have been such a posting slacker. The last couple of weeks have really flown by. I suppose that it helps when you have lots of different appointments to keep you busy!

I will do my best to remember the details of all the different things that have happened during each of the appointments.

First things first...
We were finally given an appointment at the High-Risk OB's office for February 9th, 2010. When I arrived at the appointment, I met up with "N" who was able to attend the appointment with me, as it was close to her work. "J" was not able to attend the appointment because he was travelling for work. We got all checked in and then they directed me to the ultrasound department so that the doctor would have "real-time" information about the placenta situation before he talked to "N" and I. The ultrasound scan consisted of a cervix check, fluid check, placenta location check, and of course a good all over view of the little peanuts!

I am happy to report that everything looks GREAT!!!! And in even more awesome news, "N" was finally able to be present for the entire ultrasound, without having to feel like she was banished to the waiting room and only getting a moments view of her babies. The fluid levels on both the babies are good, my cervix is an excellent 3.8 cm, both babies are growing well and in proportion to each other. Baby A...the little princess weighed 1.4 lbs, and Baby B....the little prince weighed 1.5 lbs. We got to hear both of the babies strong heartbeats....I don't think that those sounds ever get old!

On to the biggest news from that appointment.....NO PLACENTA PREVIA!!!!!! Not complete, not partial, not even low!!! Does that rock or what?! They said that they absolutely have no concerns! YAY!!!! We met with the actual Dr. for about 3 minutes total. He described the options that we had regarding care. He said that we could just resume going to my OB for 100% care or that they could do something called "shared care". We opted for the shared care option, at my OB's suggestion because in the event that the little peanuts decide to make their arrival earlier then my local hospital can handle, then I have option to go to deliver the hospital that he is affiliated with that is equipped to handle early arrivals. Positive news all around!!!!

On another happy news......WE HAVE REACHED VIABILITY!!! I am so happy to have reached this milestone. Next goal.....28 weeks....only 20 sleeps to go!

Will update more soon.....I promise....just didn't want to write a novel all in one post!!!

A little yoga anyone....

2010-01-26T13:40:00.003-05:00

I am generally a very active person. You are usually hard pressed to find me sitting for any great length of time. So I have trying to think about activities that I might be able to find that would allow me to be a little active without endangering the "peanuts" in any way. The "peanuts" of course are my #1 priortity.

Someone has suggested that I take prenatal yoga. I don't have any prior experience with it or any other yoga for that matter so I am not sure if it would be ok. I have heard that it might help with my difficulty breathing, the twins take up a lot of room in my wee frame!

I am open to any other suggestions that you guys might have. I have an upcoming OB appointment on February 1st, so it would be great to have a list of potential options that I am able to discuss with my OB.

Thanks in advance!!!!

Feeling a little out of sorts...

2010-01-20T12:41:00.002-05:00

Ever since the diagnosis of the complete placenta previa, I have been feeling a little out of sorts. I am not quite sure how to explain it but will give it a try.

The rational part of me knows that there is nothing that I could have done to control where Baby A's placenta attached to my uterus. The emotional and pregnant side, on the other hand, somehow feels to blame for the uncessary bump and the stress that has caused, for everyone involved. No one is making me feel that way, quite the opposite, it is just how I am feeling. I hate that after 5 years of heartache that "N & J" are not able to sit back and fully enjoy the ride without any bumps. I mean really.....have they not paid there dues already.

I also find myself in disbelief regarding what I saw in "real time" and what someone who is intrepretting a still image is saying. I can't seem to wrap my head around the difference in opinion. I cannot wait until we are able to see the High Risk OB and get an accurate intrepretation in "real time" as to what is truly going on.

I am thankful that in the grand scheme of things that we are faced with a very, very managable "bump" in the road, and not a situation that is more serious.

I have decided that I will divide the remainder of the pregnancy into smaller goals....making each of them seem more attainable. The first of which is reaching the 24 week mark a.k.a VIABILITY!!!! Only 22 sleeps to go!!!

Belly Picture @ 20w 4d

2010-01-19T09:28:00.005-05:00

Since I am apparentely a belly picture posting slacker....

Here is a recent pic for your viewing pleasure! Taken @ 20w 4d!!!

I am not really sure if I look any bigger yet. But maybe just a little.....

What a week....

2010-01-08T14:19:00.005-05:00

I am not even sure where to start.....
This week has been a bit overwhelming to say the least.

Where to begin?!
N, J, and I went for our 18-20 week ultrasound on January 2nd @ 18w 2d. It was great to be able to see the babies moving around, and that they have all the parts that they are supposed to. Just to let you know that we have confirmation that Baby A is still a GIRL and Baby B is still a BOY! The little girl was measuring 18w 5d, 287 grams, with a heart rate of 162 bpm. The little boy is measuring 19w 0d, 315 grams, with a heart rate of 147 bpm. The little girl is located on my lower right and the little boy is located on my upper left.

When "N & J" were finally able to come into the room, it was so amazing to watch each of their faces while they were watching each of their babies, and the tech was describing to them what they were seeing. I just wish that they would have been allowed to quietly watch the entire scan instead of only being permitted to come in for the last 5 minutes. I am so frustrated with the backwards rules. Don't get me wrong, I understand that there are rules in place for a reason but I also think that rules should reflect the times. I mean really, I think that places should be more sensitive to the delicate nature if surrogacy and put rules in place that reflect the different options in which couples are having to turn to, to create their family. If "N & J" had the option of creating their family without me being a part of the picture then they would have both gotten to experience the whole scan. I don't think that they should be treated as outsiders just because they are creating their family in a different way.

OK...I think that I have done enough ranting....back to the ultrasound.
During the scan the tech also checked the location of the placentas for each of the babies. She stated that the little boy's placenta is located nice & high but that the little girl's placenta is located close to the top of my cervix. I asked her how close.......like close as in touching the edge of the cervix or close as in still a little distance away. She told me it was still a little distance away. She showed is on the ultrasound and we could all see that there was a small distance between the edge of the cervix and the edge if the placenta.

FAST FORWARD to the OB APPOINTMENT....
We had an OB appointment on January 6th. I was so happy that "N" was able to go into work a little early so that she would be able to attend the appointment with me. When we arrived we had a bit of a wait and so we got to chat and catch up with each other. We were called into the room where I was weighed and had my blood pressure checked. When I back down to wait for the DR to come in, I felt Baby A start to kick. I asked "N" if she wanted to feel and she said yes. I held her hand on my belly and after a moment of waiting she was able to feel her little girl kicking. What an amazing moment. I was hoping that Baby B would chime in with some kicking of his own but no such luck.

The DR came in an talked to us. She explained that I am (and the babies!) are technically her patients, and that she would make decisions and act to ensure both my health and the health of the twins. She also explained that she would do her best to make sure that everyone involved was aware and understood any issues that may come up. The DR then turned her attention to the written report of the 18-20 week ultrasound. Much to our surprise, the radiologist who interpreted our ultrasound determined that in his opinion, the placenta of Baby A is not just CLOSE to the cervix but is completely covering it in some manner......diagnoses a COMPLETE PLACENTA PREVIA.....WHAT?!

The DR explained what the implications could be for the pregnancy, and told us that we would be referred to a High Risk OB for shared care. We asked if there is a chance that the problem could correct itself, and she said that it is possible depending on how the placenta is located, whether it is laying completely across my cervix with attachments on either side of the cervix or whether it is somewhat to one side with only a corner of the placenta covering the cervix. If it is located in the 1st way there is no chance of it moving but if it is located in the 2nd way then we have a chance of it moving out of the way. We probably won't know this answer until we see the High Risk OB and he is able to view it himself via ultrasound.

Please PRAY that it is located in the 2nd manner, that it will move out the way, and that it will not cause any problems for the baby.

I have also been placed on motified bedrest, which means no strenuous activity including lifting, pushing, tugging, all of which I do as part of my job therefore no more working. My only job now is to rest, and bake these babies! Not a bad job if I do say so myself. I am so very lucky to have a husband, and children who are amazing and without hesitation are willing to pick up the slack.

I am also blessed to have "N & J". The always do whatever they can to make sure that I do not have any worries, that I have an ear to hear me when I need to talk, and make me smile when I need to. They will forever have a place in my heart. I am determined to do WHATEVER is asked of me to make sure that these babies bake as long as possible and are healthy.

Belly Picture @ 18w 0d

2010-01-03T01:18:00.005-05:00

I just thought that since we had reached the approximate halfway point to our goal (of 36 weeks) for baking the peanuts that I would start to take some belly pics so that you could see the progress of my belly.

Here is the first belly pic...
(of many I am sure!)

3D Ultrasound

2009-12-20T00:03:00.005-05:00

Today N & J and I went to have a 3D ultrasound of the twinkies done.

I couldn't wait for today to finally arrive.....
It feels like forever since I have gotten to see "N". I was able to see "J" about 4 weeks ago but as I am sure that some of you are aware..."N 's" boss is a bit (well a whole bunch) of a dink and is keeping poor "N" a prisoner at her desk. I might have to hunt him down soon if he doesn't give it up!

Anyways...back to today's events. We met bright and early this morning...... and went up to the ultrasound together. After getting set up in the room. The tech began the scan. She started the scan in 2D and when she was able to get good pictures she switched to 3D. The scan started off by viewing at Baby A, and then Baby B. We were able to see the babies so clearly, and got some amazing shots. They were also able to hear the babies strong heartbeats,

During the scan "N & J" wanted to find out the sex of the babies.
The tech stated that she would not reveal the sex of the babies if she was not sure of it.
Baby A revealed the BIG news very easily but Baby B was a little more shy and made us work for it.

N & J are expecting.....

A little Girl.......Baby A

and

A little Boy.......Baby B

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so happy that they are getting the best of both worlds!
(And that my intuition was right!!!!!)

We have the 18-20 week ultrasound in a couple of weeks and will reconfirm these determinations.

First OB Appointment

2009-12-10T07:47:00.005-05:00

Well ladies (and gents if there are any of you out there reading).......
Yesterday I had the first of many OB appointments and everything is looking GREAT!!!

Luckily the OB (DR. R) that we are seeing is the same OB that I had during my first surrogacy, and therefore she is pretty familiar with uniqueness of this type of situation. She is absolutely amazing and I couldn't ask for a better doctor. I trust her completely, and I think that is extremely important especially since in this situation we are carrying twins.

We talked in general about her views and experience's with twin pregnancies. Our goal is to carry the peanuts to 36 weeks, if I go past that she will induce at 38 weeks. I am praying for an easy(ish) twin pregnancy and hope to keep the little peanuts baking as long as I can. She discussed the test results that she has received back so far and said that everything is looking wonderful. Our risk for Down's for each of the twins is really low, so that is great!

We got to listen to the heartbeats of each of the babies. Baby A had a heart rate of 156, and Baby B had a heart rate of 153. Both nice and strong heartbeats! I asked the Dr if because it was a twin pregnancy if I would see her more often and she said yes. At around 24 weeks I will start to have ultrasounds every 2 weeks. She said that this is so we are able to accurately determine that each twin is growing properly, which she is not able to do just by measuring me from the outside.

The Dr gave me the requisition so that I am able to book the 18-20 week ultrasound. I am trying to book it for a Saturday so that N & J are able to attend the appointment with me. I hate that the big bosses at N's work are being such a**holes. I don't feel bad for me. I obviously would love for them to be there but I understand that this is beyond her control. I hate that she is chained to her desk when she would obviously rather be attending the various appointments. I think that poor N (and J) have already been through so much on their road to being parents that they deserve to participate in all the little things along the way. Like they would be doing if I didn't have to be in the picture. Ugh.....

On a lighter note......I hope that the little N & J peanuts cooperate and let us know what they are! Are there any guess's out there as to what sex of peanuts that we will have?
(POLL IS ON THE TOP RIGHT OF THE PAGE!!!) HAPPY VOTING!!!!

Back to the land of the living....

2009-11-18T16:28:00.009-05:00

I can't believe that it has been so long since I last blogged....

Where has the time gone? I must say that I know where it has been spent.....I have never seen so much of one room in the house...you know the one that I am speaking of.

I am happy to report that the EVIL all day sickness is starting to let up. FINALLY. There were times where I was afraid that I would never be able to say that.

BEWARE....I think that she is looking for her next victim!!!

Not much has happened over the last couple of weeks. Although, we had our last ultrasound at the clinic, and have now graduated to the OB! Thanks goodness for small accomplishments

Here are some pics from the 9 week ultrasound....

Baby A (pictured above) measured 9w3d and had a heartrate of 176 bpm.

Baby B (pictured above) measured 9w2d and had a heartrate of 174 bpm.

Thank goodness for strong, healthy babies!

Back from the ultrasound..

2009-10-11T11:31:00.005-04:00

I just want to start off by thanking those of you out there who are reading for your thoughts and prayers .

We went to the clinic for the ulrasound bright and early on Friday morning. We were all nervous about what we would see. After a LONG wait (2 ish hours) they finally called me in. I changed, the tech took a quick peak, and then went to the waiting room to call N & J in.

N & J came in the room and the Tech started the ultrasound. She began to look around, did some measuring, while explaining to N & J what they were seeing on the screen.

N & J are expecting TWINS!!!

Baby A's sac contained a fetal pole that measured 6w1d, Baby B's sac contained a fetal pole that measured 6w2d, and both had appropriate sized yolk sac. We could also see the fluttering of both of their heartbeats!

Although I had a feeling prior to the ultrasound that we would see twins, I don't think that it has quite sunk in. I am amazed at the fact that 2 little N & J peanuts are growing inside me.

It was so amazing to watch N & J's faces during the ultrasound. Being able to see the happiness that they were experiencing is the reason that I am a surrogate.

Will post some pictures of the ultrasound soon!

Tomorrow is the day....

2009-10-08T16:54:00.003-04:00

Well....
We go in tomorrow bright and early for our first ultrasound. It is hard to believe that we are at this point already. It seems like "Transfer Day" just happened.

I am still expereincing the "all-day sickness" and I am hoping that it lets up soon. It is really hard to force yourself to eat stuff when everything that you put near your mouth turns your stomach. I have tried to eat smaller meals several times a day instead of the normal breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

On another note...
I wanted to talk to "N" before I posted anything. She has given the ok.
She had not been feeling well since the ER. After the ER she developed OHSS. They gave her medication to deal with that, but she continued to feel unwell. She then developed a fever. Last Friday she went to the hospital to see what was going on. She ended up being admitted, and put on IV antibiotics. They said that she developed an infection from the ER. She was released from the hospital on Tuesday, and is now at home recovering. Please keep "N" in your thoughts and prayers. She has already been through so much on the road to parenthood, and I just want her to be able to relax and enjoy the journey.

Well I guess that is all for now.
I will update tomorrow with the ultrasound results!

Houston we have the number!

2009-09-29T16:29:00.000-04:00

The machine has finally been fixed! Can you believe it?!
I didn't want to get my hopes up that we would get the results today. That way it would be a pleasant surprise if they came in.

Anyways when I checked my email this morning, I got a message from "N" and she said that the 2nd beta number @ 16dp3dt is..............2217!!! Yay! I think that things are looking good!

I am starting to get more in the way of symptoms. Generally, I am finding that I am getting extremely hungry, and tired. Today though the lovely morning (or all-day) sickness has reared her ugly head! The peanut (or peanuts) are really kicking my butt!

The ultrasound is scheduled for October 9th. Any guess ladies (and gents if you are reading) as to how many peanuts we will see?

Ugh.....

2009-09-28T16:50:00.000-04:00

Well....I went on Saturday for the repeat beta @ 16dp3dt. When I arrived promptly at 7:30am there was already a line up. I waited patiently for my turn in the chair, FINALLY and I mean FINALLY got the blood drawn and proceeded home. There was a different lab tech, and she moved at a snails pace!

When I got my first beta drawn at 7:00am, I got the answer by about 9:30am so I figured that we would have the answer around 10:00am. Well 10:00am came and still no answer. I finally decided to call the clinic around 11:00am to see what was going on and got voicemail! I was starting to worry that the reason that I had not received a phone call yet was because something was wrong. I refused to leave a message and waited about 10 minutes and called back. I reached the nurse who stated that the machine that processes the blood was not working! What do you mean not working!?! I thought that I might go crazy!

She said that we would likely have the results by Monday and not to worry, that she is sure that everything will be fine.

So I call the clinic today at around 1:45pm, transfer to the nurses desk and proceed to hear that the machine is still not working and that we will not get the results today either. Man-o-man! This is such craziness!

Please keep your fingers crossed that we will FINALLY get the beta number tomorrow!

And the numbers are in......

2009-09-24T13:35:00.000-04:00

I got up bright and early this morning and headed to the clinic to have my blood drawn for the beta test. They told me to expect a call with the results in the next couple of hours.

I was on pin and needles waiting for the phone to ring. When it finally rang I almost didn't want to answer it. I did of course! I spoke to my favorite nurse, and she asked me how I was feeling and I said OK. I was really unsure of what was going to come next. For a moment I panicked, and thought that it might be bad news.

She then said that most beautiful words.......that I was pregnant (well N & J are pregnant!)

I asked her what the number was and she said...........

1097....... (14dp3dt)

Can you believe it?!
I don't think that it had quite set in for me yet! I wonder if it has for "N & J".

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers!

I am slowly going crazy!!!

2009-09-21T21:23:00.000-04:00

It has been 11 days since the transfer and man it feels like a lifetime. I feel like I am 5 years old again and I am waiting for Christmas. I can only imagine what "N & J" are feeling! We only have 3 more sleeps (as my kids would say) until Beta day. I sure hope that I am able to keep myself busy so that the time will feel like it is passing more quickly!

I am pretty sure that I will be the first one on the clinic's doorstep, at least that is what I am aiming for, so that I can get my blood drawn first and the results nice and early. I am praying that the phone call from the clinic will reveal a nice strong beta number! The waiting is made much more difficult by the fact that I have not POAS.

God willing, in a couple of days we will be told that "N & J" are on the road to finally being parents!

Please continue to keep all of us in your prayers....

The deed is done!

2009-09-15T16:45:00.000-04:00

I am not sure where to start! The last couple of weeks have been filled with so many exciting things!

After the slight problems with "N 's" estrogen levels she was finally able to start her stimming medications. She reacted so well to them that the doctor decided to trigger her earlier than was originally planned. That meant that my protocol change was moved up 1 day, as was the transfer!

The egg retrieval went well! They retrieved 16 eggs, 8 of which were mature enough to be fertilized immediately. Out of those 8, 6 fertilized successfully. The remaining 8 of the 16 matured overnight and 7 of those successfully fertilized, for a grand total of 13 embies! Way to go "N"!

On Thursday, September 10th we headed to the clinic for the transfer. We were scheduled to have the transfer at 10:30am but we didn't actually transfer until around 12:00pm. They transferred 2 beautiful 3-day embies and we are now in the dreaded 2ww!

I am currently 5dp3dt. For those of you who are not familiar with this term, it translates to 5 days post 3 day (how long the embies lived in the petri dish after retrieval) transfer.

I hope that everything is going well in my body and that we will be greeted by a beautiful beta number on September 24th.

Please keep us in your prayers!

A wee bump...

2009-09-01T14:27:00.003-04:00

Some of you out there may have noticed that my ticker has gained some time instead of losing it. I thought that I would take a moment to explain why.

On August 22 "N" went to the Fertility Clinic to have an ultrasound and bloodwork done. These tests were done to determine whether or not her body was ready to start the stimming medications. The ultrasound results were good but it was discovered when they got the bloodwork results back that her Estrogen levels were too high. As a result they had to put her on a different medication to lower the levels so that she would be able to start the stimming medications. This minor bump therefore caused the slight delay for the transfer.

"N" finally got to start the stimming medications on Friday, August 28th, 2008. YAY!!!
She went to the clinic this morning for an ultrasound to see how she was progressing. Things are going well. They counted 6 on one side and 8 on the other. Way to go "N"!!!

Only 10 days to go!!!

We are on our way!

2009-08-22T12:40:00.000-04:00

The last couple of weeks have been busy, just the way that I like it! It really helps the time to feel like it is moving quicker!

I had my lining check on Monday, August 17th, and it was 13mm. Pretty good, I think....
I had only been on the estrace for 10 days. So, I think that it will be in pretty good shape come transfer time! I cannot believe that the BIG is only 14 days away. How did that happen?!

I hope that N & J are able to keep busy and stay relaxed in preparation for the transfer. I am certainely doing my best to!

A little update...

2009-08-10T22:48:00.000-04:00

I am so sorry that I have been a lazy blogger. The past couple of weeks have been crazy!

I am so glad that things are finally starting to feel like they are moving at a real pace, and not a snails pace. We are finally within weeks, 3 weeks & 5 days to be exact, of the BIG day. Luckily the next couple of weeks are filled with tons of kids activities and the odd appointment here and there in preparation for the BIG day. So I am hoping that all that activity will help the time to move faster, as I have already stated patience is not a virtue that I posses.

This past Wednesday I went to the fertility clinic to have my blood drawn and an ultrasound performed to check for suppression. Back on July 16th, I had a Lupron Depot injection, which as explained to me, essentially stops my brain from having the ability to communicate the normal ovulation signals to my body, thus giving the clinic the ability to control what my body is doing.

The suppression check went well, meaning that my body reacted as it should and is now officially suppressed. I started taking 4 mg of estrace twice daily last Friday, to help to build my lining for the transfer, and I go for my lining check on August 17th. I hope that all goes well, and we can get this show on the road!

And we wait.....

2009-07-31T15:27:00.000-04:00

When I started to embark on the beginning stages of another journey, I thought that Autumn seemed like an eternity away. Now, much to my delight, we are almost there. I almost can't believe that it is so close. I mean the "BIG" day is only 36 days away, and I don't think that I could have asked for a better journey to date.

"N & J" are truly amazing people, so thoughtful, and caring. I feel so blessed to have been chosen by them to help make their dream of parenthood a reality. They are becoming more like an extended part of our family, then the strangers they once were.

One of the things that was important to me when I started looking for IP's was to find a couple that were not in rush to move forward quickly. I wanted us to be able to take the time to get to know each other and to establish a relationship. At the same time I wanted to always feel that our journey was moving forward in some manner, no matter the pace. Luckily it has done just that! We have always had an event, appointment or task to check of the "to do" list.

I hope that the next 36 days will fly by, and that "Transfer Day" will be here before we know it......because patience is a virtue....but that is not a virtue that I posses!

Getting up to speed...

2009-07-24T14:46:00.000-04:00

I just thought that I would take a moment to get everyone up to date....

The journey that this blog was created to document is actually my 2nd journey. My 1st journey started in September of 2007, and was completed with the birth of a beautiful baby girl in December of 2008. I am still in touch with those IP's from time to time. We email each other and they send up-to-date pictures of their daughter. The journey itself has its bumps in the road at times, as I am sure that some journeys do, especially when it is a 1st journey for both sides. I mean essentially you are intertwining not only 2 sets of couples but also 4 individuals personalities. But in the end all was well, C & C were finally parents!

Now onto my 2nd journey.....

I started to talk to my IP's (N & J) in the beginning of April 2009. After some wonderful matchmaking by another blogger out there....you know who you are!

Like my 1st journey, I started the process with them, by emailing. We emailed almost daily for 6+ weeks and then we decided to move forward to talking on the phone. I think for me the conversation on the phone is a really good indication of whether or not you could be a true match. Perhaps I should explain my logic. When you are emailing someone you cannot be completely sure of the person that you are talking to. The author of the email has the option to make themselves into their ideal self. The email can be revised and edited as many times as they want to. When you talk to a person on the phone it is very difficult to fake a connection. You can't edit your conversation, and it either clicks or it doesn't. The conversation with my IM...."N", just seemed to flow. There were never any awkward pauses, or a feeling of not knowing what to talk about next. It was like talking to someone that I had known forever but had lost touch with.

A couple of weeks after talking on the phone we arranged to meet in person. We met at a cafe down the road from where I live. I must say that I was a bit nervous on the very short drive there. When I sat down with them all the nervousness disappeared. They were warm, and welcoming. My IF...."J", did most of the talking! You see, the emailing and the telephone conversation took place between my "N" and I. She kept "J" up to date about how things were going but tried not to share her personal views on me. She wanted him to feel free to form his own opinion of me. He asked me tons of questions about my 1st journey, about my family, and what I was looking for in a 2nd journey. It was refreshing to see an IF be so involved in the process. Shortly after our in-person meeting, we decided that we were officially a "match".

Since then "N & J" have met my family. We decided to make the meeting a relaxed one so we took a trip to the Zoo. It was "N & J's" first trip to the Zoo. Everyone got along so well. It was great to be able to see "N & J" interact with the kids. They are going to be wonderful parents. My kids loved them and talked about them the whole way home.

We have since had the initial screening done at the Fertility clinic. The clinic that we are working with is the same clinic that I used for 1st journey. The doctor, nurses and other staff are absolutely amazing and I am so lucky to be a patient there again. The screenings that were done include ultrasound and blood work, for both my husband and I. We are now at the contract stage. We are hoping that this stage will be quick and painless. We have also both received our protocols, and are looking forward to the BIG day! The transfer is set for September 5th, 2009!

I can't wait! It is time to make "N & J" parents already!!!

The Beginning......

2009-07-23T00:07:00.000-04:00

Well...I am not quite sure where to start. You see, I am new....I mean the squeaky kind of new to this whole idea of blogging. I am not even sure that anyone out there will read my blog but I thought that I would put it out there anyway. In any event, I thought that it would be a neat way for my IP's to feel more connected to the amazing journey that we are embarking on. This way they will have an account of the journey that they will be able to reflect back on when the details of the journey get fuzzy, as I am sure that they will after those endless sleepless nights!

I suppose, I should start with what brought me to this amazing world of surrogacy in the first place. I suppose the idea of being a surrogate first came up with my best friend Kathy, who was found to be quite ill, when we were teenagers. She is someone that I consider to be more like a sister to me, than just a friend. We were having a conversation one afternoon in her room. She was very scared about being sick and that the treatment would affect her fertility and make her unable to have children. I told her that if she ever came to a point where she had difficulty having a family, for whatever reason, that I would carry a baby for her. Of course we both hoped that it would never come to that, and it luckily it hasn't but I would still do it for her in a heartbeat. I have also had to watch several friends, as well as an extended family member suffer with unexplained infertility, and repeated miscarriage. I could not understand why I was able to have as many children as I desired without giving it a second thought and why others were made to suffer through so much heartache. That idea of being able to help someone become a parent never left my mind.

So.....
About 3 years ago I started to do some research about surrogacy in Canada. I started to once again bring up the idea of becoming a Gestational surrogate to my husband. The subject had already been discussed thoroughly, earlier in our life together, when I considered offering to be a surrogate for a member of our extended family. He was not at all surprised that I had brought up my desire to become a surrogate again. He said it was not a matter of IF I would, it was only a matter of WHEN. I am so happy that I have a husband who is completely supportive me. I would not even dream of moving forward without his support. This journey requires a lot of support and sometimes sacrifice by all members of your family. Therefore the decision to become a surrogate is a decision that was not made by myself as an individual but made by our family as a unit.

Well I guess that is a long enough post for now, I will try and post more tomorrow......

.......and I was worried that I would be struggling to find something to write about!