This morning I went to ORM to weigh-in and get a calendar of what's to come. I got my vitals done, weighed in, got my height checked and met with a lady that I haven't met with before named Julie. I asked her if we had a calendar ready with starting medications etc and she said that they just finished it up yesterday! I was SO excited to hear that. I was hoping to get a calendar today. She printed it out for me and off I went.
When I get home, I called my coordinator at ORM, Marissa. She mentioned that I need to drop 10 pounds before moving forward and we would need to delay the start of meds a couple of weeks. I'm not going to lie, I was pretty bummed out. I was really hoping we could move forward and I could drop the 10 pounds (plus more) in the mean time. We made an appointment for Friday, Feb 7th at 8am to weigh-in again and go from there.
Really looking forward to getting our calendar and starting my meds to prep for pregnancy. But until then, it's time to drop some more pounds! Let's do it!
~Surro-Mama Angela
Friday, January 24, 2014
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Pre-conception Meeting set with Midwife!
One of my surro-friends highly recommended her Midwife, Samantha Miller with Kaiser Westside, which is only 6 miles away from our house. I decided to set an appointment to meet her so that I can decide on my Midwife for the surrogacy. Her first availability is this Friday, January 17th at 8:30am. I like getting things done ahead of time. (if you couldn't already tell-haha!)
I also found this awesome book, Homebirth in the Hospital by Stacey Marie Kerr, M.D. I bought it on Amazon used. I'm excited to read it. With me having three wonderful home births, this is my first experience in the hospital. I want to educate myself as much as possible so that I can still have a peaceful, less intervention, beautiful birth. I have to admit that I am nervous having a hospital birth, but I have faith all will go well.
I look forward to updating on Friday with how it goes!
Until then...
Surro-Mama Angela
I also found this awesome book, Homebirth in the Hospital by Stacey Marie Kerr, M.D. I bought it on Amazon used. I'm excited to read it. With me having three wonderful home births, this is my first experience in the hospital. I want to educate myself as much as possible so that I can still have a peaceful, less intervention, beautiful birth. I have to admit that I am nervous having a hospital birth, but I have faith all will go well.
I look forward to updating on Friday with how it goes!
Until then...
Surro-Mama Angela
Friday, January 10, 2014
Medical Screening SUCCESS!
I had butterflies in my tummy all morning... Brandon and I arrived at ORM's westside location (which is very close to us, closer than I thought!).
We checked in and waited a bit to be called back.
Once we got called back, Brandon went to do his blood work while I went into the exam room. Then he met me in the exam room after he was done.
I drank a good amount of water before the appointment as instructed for the ultrasound. One of the techs took a quick peek to see if it was full enough once they brought us back into the exam room. She asked me to drink a bit more to get it more full. Shortly after, Dr. Hesla came in and greeted us. He explained what we were going to do today, which I already read through the itinerary that was e-mailed to me so we were all on the same page.
We did the mock transfer first, then he let me empty my bladder and we proceeded with the saline ultrasound to make sure there were no polyps or anything else that may need attention before getting pregnant. Everything checked out beautifully! He said that everything looked terrific and healthy for surrogacy. It was very quick and painless.
We met with Marissa, one of Dr. Hesla's Coordinator's and she went over specifics with us on what to expect moving forward. We looked at a sample calendar with what medications to inject and take. We went over how to do the injections to prep my body for a pregnancy and even practiced with a fake piece of skin (it was just rubber). The egg donor's coordinator will be in touch with my coordinators with dates and everything by late next week. So we hope to have an exact transfer date soon! From what we gathered today it will be the middle of March. It works out perfectly because I will be attending the Sacred Doula Retreat in Sebastian, FL on March 5th-9th. Which I am beyond excited for!
March looks like it's going to be a magical month...Can't wait to help these awesome guys become Papas! Until next time...
Surro-Mama Angela
We checked in and waited a bit to be called back.
Once we got called back, Brandon went to do his blood work while I went into the exam room. Then he met me in the exam room after he was done.
I drank a good amount of water before the appointment as instructed for the ultrasound. One of the techs took a quick peek to see if it was full enough once they brought us back into the exam room. She asked me to drink a bit more to get it more full. Shortly after, Dr. Hesla came in and greeted us. He explained what we were going to do today, which I already read through the itinerary that was e-mailed to me so we were all on the same page.
We did the mock transfer first, then he let me empty my bladder and we proceeded with the saline ultrasound to make sure there were no polyps or anything else that may need attention before getting pregnant. Everything checked out beautifully! He said that everything looked terrific and healthy for surrogacy. It was very quick and painless.
We met with Marissa, one of Dr. Hesla's Coordinator's and she went over specifics with us on what to expect moving forward. We looked at a sample calendar with what medications to inject and take. We went over how to do the injections to prep my body for a pregnancy and even practiced with a fake piece of skin (it was just rubber). The egg donor's coordinator will be in touch with my coordinators with dates and everything by late next week. So we hope to have an exact transfer date soon! From what we gathered today it will be the middle of March. It works out perfectly because I will be attending the Sacred Doula Retreat in Sebastian, FL on March 5th-9th. Which I am beyond excited for!
March looks like it's going to be a magical month...Can't wait to help these awesome guys become Papas! Until next time...
Surro-Mama Angela
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Oh nerves!
So in less than 24 hours we will be heading to ORM to complete our medical testing. I was so anxious to get this going and now I am NERVOUS! Ack. I'm just over analyzing how the appointment will go.
Even though I KNOW I can successfully carry babies in my womb, I have my doubts because of my nerves. I feel like my uterus is going through a serious interview tomorrow and there's no way to prep for it! I've been giving my uterus a pep talk, "C'mon uterus, don't let me down! Don't let my IF's down!". I have to keep reminding myself that whatever happens, happens for a reason. Just go with the flow. I just don't want to be a disappointment to anyone. I've been so optimistic this entire time. And now, a day before the medical screening I'm thinking that all hell is breaking loose in my body-haha!
I hope that I can leave ORM tomorrow relieved and confident. And hopefully have a better timeline of when I could be pregnant. I just like having dates on my calendar to look forward to and know that it's going to happen. (I'm weird like that) It just makes me feel better.
Anyways, time to do some meditation and BREATHE..... I will update tomorrow after our appointment!
Surro-Mama Angela
Even though I KNOW I can successfully carry babies in my womb, I have my doubts because of my nerves. I feel like my uterus is going through a serious interview tomorrow and there's no way to prep for it! I've been giving my uterus a pep talk, "C'mon uterus, don't let me down! Don't let my IF's down!". I have to keep reminding myself that whatever happens, happens for a reason. Just go with the flow. I just don't want to be a disappointment to anyone. I've been so optimistic this entire time. And now, a day before the medical screening I'm thinking that all hell is breaking loose in my body-haha!
I hope that I can leave ORM tomorrow relieved and confident. And hopefully have a better timeline of when I could be pregnant. I just like having dates on my calendar to look forward to and know that it's going to happen. (I'm weird like that) It just makes me feel better.
Anyways, time to do some meditation and BREATHE..... I will update tomorrow after our appointment!
Surro-Mama Angela
Friday, January 3, 2014
ORM Medical Testing NEW DATE!
I received an e-mail this morning from Heather at ORM and the new date has been set for next Friday, January 10th at 9:15am. YAY! Three days earlier than we initially had set.
That deserves a whole new blog post! That's all I have to update for now...
Until next time!
Surro-Mama Angela
That deserves a whole new blog post! That's all I have to update for now...
Until next time!
Surro-Mama Angela
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Hello "Aunt Flow"! Cycle Day 1
Well my cycle decided to start a week before it was due. I called Heather at ORM to let her know that I started. She said that we'll need to reschedule my medical testing appointment for sooner since I started earlier. The timing of my cycle has to be between a certain amount of days for the testing.
The Pre-Cycle Testings consists of:
Sonohysterogram (SIS)- This procedure is used to determine if there are any abnormalities of the uterine cavity that could interfere with pregnancy. The optimal time for the test is just at the end of menses and before mid-cycle (typically day 6-11 of cycle). I will need to take an antibiotic the morning and evening of the procedure to prevent the unlikely chance of an infection.
Mock Transfer- This procedure is done to determine the ease of passing the embryo catheter. The optimal time for this test is in the middle of your menstrual cycle (between days 12-15). I will need a full bladder for this procedure.
Doppler Ultrasound- This procedure is performed to determine resistance to uterine blood flow. Studies have demonstrated that increased resistance is associated with lower blood flow and lower chance of pregnancy. In the case of resistance we can use a particular acupuncture protocol which has been shown to potentially increase chances of pregnancy. It's best to do this test in the middle of your menstrual cycle (between days 12-15) and is often done at the same visit as the mock transfer.
I was also informed to start my birth control pills this Saturday, cycle day 3. The pharmacist wasn't very clear on when to start and said the first Sunday after my flow. Good thing I asked Heather to confirm. So I will start that on Saturday morning when I take my prenatal vitamins. I haven't taken birth control pills in SO long. I hope it doesn't affect me much.
Hopefully I will get a new date for my medical testing at ORM tomorrow! Brandon and I also have to do blood work and measurements on Monday, Jan 6th for our life insurance policy for the surrogacy. So many steps, but we are getting closer and closer!
Until next time....
Surro-Mama Angela
The Pre-Cycle Testings consists of:
Sonohysterogram (SIS)- This procedure is used to determine if there are any abnormalities of the uterine cavity that could interfere with pregnancy. The optimal time for the test is just at the end of menses and before mid-cycle (typically day 6-11 of cycle). I will need to take an antibiotic the morning and evening of the procedure to prevent the unlikely chance of an infection.
Mock Transfer- This procedure is done to determine the ease of passing the embryo catheter. The optimal time for this test is in the middle of your menstrual cycle (between days 12-15). I will need a full bladder for this procedure.
Doppler Ultrasound- This procedure is performed to determine resistance to uterine blood flow. Studies have demonstrated that increased resistance is associated with lower blood flow and lower chance of pregnancy. In the case of resistance we can use a particular acupuncture protocol which has been shown to potentially increase chances of pregnancy. It's best to do this test in the middle of your menstrual cycle (between days 12-15) and is often done at the same visit as the mock transfer.
I was also informed to start my birth control pills this Saturday, cycle day 3. The pharmacist wasn't very clear on when to start and said the first Sunday after my flow. Good thing I asked Heather to confirm. So I will start that on Saturday morning when I take my prenatal vitamins. I haven't taken birth control pills in SO long. I hope it doesn't affect me much.
Hopefully I will get a new date for my medical testing at ORM tomorrow! Brandon and I also have to do blood work and measurements on Monday, Jan 6th for our life insurance policy for the surrogacy. So many steps, but we are getting closer and closer!
Until next time....
Surro-Mama Angela
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