A Birth Story; Suzie's story

Here's a note that West Coast Surrogacy surrogate, Suzie, wrote to her fellow surrogates after the birth of twins.


Hello Ladies,
Sorry for the delay, but here's how things turned out!
I was scheduled for my c-section on Wed at 3PM. I woke up early at 5
to have my "last meal" and went downstairs. After I was finished
eating, I noticed that I felt a little "wet" and went upstairs to
change my underwear...wondering if maybe my water broke.
I decided to stay up for a little bit to "monitor the situation" and
started getting ready. After doing my make-up, I didn't feel anymore
'leaking' so went and laid back down....with a towel under me, just in
case!
I woke up a little before 7 and felt a little more damp so debated on
calling my husband to come home early...he usually gets home at 9ish
but the lights go on at the fire station to wake them up at 7. I
decided not to call yet and got up to finish doing my hair and to get
the kids ready...my Mom was picking them up at 9ish to go see Thomas
the Train and keep them for the day.
I continued to have a small drip for the rest of the morning but
decided to hang out, figuring that even if I went to the hospital
early that they'd make me wait until 3 when surgery was scheduled. My
hubby went upstairs to take a nap (turns out he was up since 5 for a
car accident on the 10 anyway...) and I laid down on the couch.
At about 10:30 I got up to use the restroom and had a small 'gush' of
water so I immediately called the Doctor, Amy, my IP's and headed
upstairs to wake my hubby. I continued to have intermittent leaks all
the way to the hospital but no contractions..even up to surgery time.
At the hospital they bumped my surgery time up to 1:45 and we were
able to confirm that my IP's would be allowed into the OR. Before
surgery I met my IF's Mom and sister and was able to say HI to IM's
Mom and 2 daughters before we headed off to get ready....
In the OR things were really relaxed....the anesthesiologist gave me
my epidural and then they covered me all up and 'raised the curtain'
so that the surgical area was obscured and then they let in my hubby
and IP's. At 2:12 Baby A made his 6lb 8oz first gurrgly cries,
followed by Baby B 1 minute later weighing 5lbs 6 oz. It was
wonderful hearing those first cries and then within a few minutes
being able to see my IP's get to hold their babies for the first
time! I don't think there is anything that I have ever experienced
that was as uplifting besides the birth of my own children.
The babies had good APGAR scores and were 19 and 18 inches
respectively. Baby B ended up having a low blood sugar that corrected
after one dose of glucose and Baby A had some jaundice....but there
were pronounced "Perfect" by their pediatrician on Saturday.
They brought the babies in to visit me that evening...I was still
unable to move anything besides my arms, so they placed the babies on
either side of me on the bed. The following day they brought them to
see me in the morning and when my Mom came to see me, IM took her to
their room to introduce her to the babies. That evening before they
got released, they brought the babies and a couple beers over and we
all celebrated (IM and I did not drink since she is breast feeding and
I was drugged!). My husband and I walked them to the elevators when they
left and it was such a happy picture to see them leaving together!
Mom in the wheelchair holding both babies, Dad carrying the carseat
and big sis taking pictures of everything! I thought that I might get
emotional, but I haven't once felt "sad" that the babies are gone!
They have been texting me and sending me pictures ever since Thursday
and I am sure that we will get together soon!
I was released on Friday afternoon...less than 48 hrs after my
surgery. Apparently that is really quick, it's usually 3 days. I
think that since I didn't have a baby to look after that the doctor
thought it would be safe to let me go early. I haven't had any pain
from the incision sight, but girls let me tell you! The gas pain that
builds up after a c-section is astonishing! I never knew gas could be
so painful! Today was the first day that I didn't cringe when the car
hit a bump...which is good because I had to go to the doctor to have
my staples out this morning.
When my kids got home on Friday (Grandma had them when Daddy picked me
up), the first thing my 4 year old did was run up and put her hand on
my tummy. Then she lifted my shirt up and asked if the babies were
gone. I said Yes and then showed her my "owie" so that she'd
understand why she still couldn't jump on Mommy. She was happy that
the babies had "gone home with their Mommy and Daddy" and that I was
home...but she said my belly was still big! LOL...my 3 year old
looked at my belly once, echoed her sister and then moved on! They
have both seen the pictures on my phone and don't seem to have any
concerns at all about where the babies have gone. They were unable to
see the babies due to new regulations on visitors because of
H1N1...they couldn't even come into the waiting area in the hospital
to visit me but they were excited to spend 3 days with Grandma so
didn't seem to mind too much!
Well, that's pretty much it! It was just as amazing and rewarding an
experience as you could ever ask for and I can't wait for the rest of
you first timers to tell your stories!! And....I only have 12 more
pounds left to lose!

How to become a surrogate

If you are reading this, you are obviously doing your research and gathering information before making the commitment to be a surrogate — good for you!

The agency you chose to work with will play a very important role in your experience as a surrogate. I recommend that you interview at least 2–3 agencies before choosing to align yourself with one.

With West Coast Surrogacy, we conduct an initial phone interview. During the conversation, we review your health and pregnancy history, outline the program in detail and see if we are a good fit for each other. It is more important to our agency that you have the experience that you are looking for, rather than having you partner with us if it’s not the best fit.

Once the initial discussion is complete, we mail an informational packet that contains multiple consent forms and a profile questionnaire. We also ask that you submit your medical records from your previous pregnancies along with a recent Pap Smear test result. Once we receive your completed information and medical records, our agency will arrange an in-person meeting at your home.

After the in-person meeting is complete, your profile will then be made available for intended parents to view. You will also have the opportunity to view the intended parent’s profile.

Once the intended parent(s) wish to move forward, we arrange a meeting that I will attend with you and the intended parents. From this point on, you are on your way to becoming a pregnant surrogate mother!

Fertility Guidelines Updated on Number of Embryos to Be Transferred During In Vitro Fertilization

See the following article from Medscape Today:

October 20, 2009 — The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) have released new guidelines for the number of embryos to be transferred in in vitro fertilization cycles in an effort to reduce high-risk multiple pregnancies. The guidelines, based on ASRM and SART data from 2007, were published online October 19 in Fertility and Sterility.

"High-order multiple pregnancy (three or more implanted embryos) is an undesirable consequence (outcome) of assisted reproductive technologies (ART)," the guidelines state. "Multiple gestations lead to an increased risk of complications in both the fetuses and the mothers."

The guidelines are meant to assist ART programs and patients to determine the appropriate number of cleavage-stage (usually 2 or 3 days after fertilization) embryos or blastocysts (usually 5 or 6 days after fertilization) to transfer, and they can be modified according to the patient's age, embryo quality, and the opportunity for cryopreservation. They may also be changed as clinical experience with newer techniques accumulates.

The guidelines include the following recommendations:

In women younger than 35 years who have a more favorable prognosis, no more than 2 embryos (cleavage stage or blastocyst) should be transferred, and consideration should be given to transferring only a single embryo.
In women between the ages of 35 and 37 years who have a more favorable prognosis, no more than 2 cleavage-stage embryos should be transferred; all others in this age group should have no more than 3 cleavage-stage embryos transferred, and no more than 2 blastocysts should be transferred if extended culture is performed.
In women between the ages of 38 and 40 years who have a more favorable prognosis, no more than 3 cleavage-stage embryos or 2 blastocysts should be transferred; all others in this age group should have no more than 4 cleavage-stage embryos or 3 blastocysts transferred.
In women between the ages of 41 to 42 years, no more than 5 cleavage-stage embryos or 3 blastocysts should be transferred.
The guidelines also state that women with 2 or more failed fresh in vitro fertilization cycles or a less favorable prognosis may have 1 embryo transferred according to individual circumstances. These women must also be counseled about the risks for multiple pregnancies, and both the counseling and the reason for exceeding the recommended limits must be documented in the patient's permanent medical record.

The guidelines also state that data are insufficient to recommend a limit on the number of embryos to transfer in women 43 years and older.

The guidelines warn that in vitro fertilization programs that have a high-order multiple pregnancy rate that is more than 2 SDs above the mean rate for all SART reporting clinics for 2 consecutive years may be audited by SART.

This report was developed under the direction of the Practice Committee of the SART and the Practice Committee of the ASRM. Members of the ASRM Practice Committee have disclosed various financial relationships with IntegraMed, Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals, Inc; Third Wave Technologies, Inc; Wyeth; EMD Serono, Inc; Ferring Pharmaceuticals; Tokai Pharmaceuticals, Inc; Pfizer Inc; Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH; Teva Pharmaceuticals USA; Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc; Schering-Plough; Theralogix, LLC; Femasys Inc; Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc; Bayer HealthCare; and Ausio Pharmaceuticals, LLC. Members of the SART Practice Committee have disclosed various financial relationships with EMD Serono, Inc; Schering-Plough; Ferring Pharmaceuticals; Theralogix, LLC; Femasys Inc; Irvine Scientific, Inc; Incept BioSystems, Inc; and Molecular Biometrics, Inc.

Fertil Steril. Published online October 19, 2009.

Hospital error leads to radiation overdoses

Although this article has nothing to do with surrogacy, I am compelled to share it.


Click Here for Los Angeles Times

The Gift of Life, and It's Price

Multiple Embryo Transfers with IVF and the risks of twin pregnancies. In surrogacy I see more twin pregnancies than singletons. Is it worth the risk?

See the following article in the New York Times;
Click Here

Embryo mix-up

A devastating scenario for one couple calls forward their humanity and generosity to help another family.


Click Here for story

Fertility and women with early-stage ovarian cancer

Young women with early-stage ovarian cancer can preserve fertility without compromising the success and effectiveness of surgical treatment. See the attached article.

http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/healthquest/fertility-and-women-with-early-stage-ovarian-cancer