7 Week Ultrasound!

All is well!

Went in for the 7 week ultrasound today. Scot was in the waiting room with our son and we had the IF (Intended Father) - but I'm just going to say "Father & Mother" from now on - IF & IM sound too impersonal. So, we had the father in the room as well as my life coach from the surrogacy agency - she flew in from LA just for the appointment! It was great to meet her in person.

They measured that I was at 6 weeks & 6 days - perfectly normal. We were able to see and hear the tiny heart beat! We even saw the itty bitty head & body forming. I don't think I had ultrasounds this early with my own, so it was amazing to see it in such small form! The clinic gave the father a USB of the images and I asked them to print me a couple as well. :) Here are my souvenirs:

 In the above shot, the curser shows the lenth of the body. The baby's head is

at the top curser (below the "CRL").



Here is the heart beat! Hearing this is always so amazing! However, seeing the heart on the

untrasound screen beating was extra special. :)

The father was so super excited! Unfortunately, the mother could not get out of work, but we had her on speaker phone so she could hear the heart beat and ask any questions.

I go back in 2 weeks for a 9 week ultrasound. Once all is good with that one, I will be released from the fertility center to an OB.

Until then!

Valentine

Surrogate Brunch

I had the pleasure of attending a brunch yesterday organized by my surrogacy agency to get other surrogates together & share stories.

In attendance, there were 7 of us. The Founder & Director of the agency, 5 other surrogates & myself. Two of the surrogates had recently delivered, two had just started the process and not been matched yet and the other one was just over 20 weeks pregnant.

It was fun to hear the stories of the two women that had already given birth - their ups & downs of the entire experience as well as how it all came to a conclusion. I learned that much like my own births, there is a lot that can not be controlled as things progress, which can be tricky - especially now that multiple opinions in the mix. I felt blessed with my experience so far after hearing that other people have to deal with things like distance & language barriers... even though that's what they chose in the first place.

All in all, it was a great experience to meet & get together with other surrogates!

Valentine

Seeing Double!

So the second blood test was yesterday and they had said that the goal was to see that hCG number double - and it did - plus a little more! The original hCG number was 159 and yesterday's was 331. We're on the right track! Technically, this is week 4 of pregnancy.

I have been feeling really good! Hardly any yucky pregnancy symptoms, but it's still early. I have noticed a heightened sense of smell and only slight nausea occasionally. I never had "morning sickness" with my other two pregnancies (so lucky!) so hopefully this one goes just as smooth! :)

The next step is an ultrasound at 7 weeks, which will be the week after Thanksgiving.

I will be in touch!

Valentine

This just in!!

This feels strange telling people so early-on, because my husband and I waited a few months with our own pregnancies to tell the world... but since I have decided to tell my whole story here, for better or worse, I can't exactly lie dormant for the next couple of months...

WE'RE PREGNANT!! Wooooo Hooooo!!!!!! :)

Today was the first official blood test. The IPs didn't know this at the time (they do now), but I did 6 days of home tests (patience is not my strong point) with the last one being yesterday - the day before the blood test. The last 4 of the 6 were positive, so I had a pretty good feeling going into the blood test. :)

The nurses at the clinic had said that we were looking for an hCG level of at least 50-100 and ours was at 159! HCG is the "pregnancy hormone" that doubles about every 48-72 hours early in pregnancy. For this reason, I will go back to the lab in 2 days for a re-test. This increase will show that the baby is growing normally.

I was chatting with the IF (Intended Father, in case you're new here) over text right after we both found out and I could tell they were giddy with excitement! Such a great feeling!!

It's still very early, but enjoying every success and milestone!!

Will let you know how the next blood test goes!

Valentine