Our Surrogacy in Hawai'i - Part 7
Aloha and welcome to Part 7 of our wild adventure.
Mahalo Mahalo Mahalo to all of you for your outpouring of love, support, kind words, encouragement, and prayer over the past couple of weeks. We had no idea that sharing this journey publicly would have an impact on such a personal level. Wow!
We are preparing a couple of updates to the blog and will get those posted soon. For now, I finally edited the names out of some of my video updates (I had forgotten and said the IP's names or the doctor's name in LA). I'll use Part 7 as our VLOG (video blog) update station and keep it all in the same place. It's fun to look back and see the virtual documentary of parts of the process. You'll notice a huge gap in video updates between pregnancy confirmation at the end of February all the way through 24/25 week update in July. Whoops. The lack of updates was a result of my work and personal schedule during that time. I was in the thick of a very full doula season and plus it was summer - I guess I didn't stop to do a VLOG update. Oh well. Enjoy and thanks for watching!
VLOG Update #1 - We got our calendar!
This was an exciting day in January. Those of you that know me well know that I am a planner. I like to know what is happening and schedule things in advance. The IVF calendar is an important part of the process because it sets out the dates you take your prescribed meds and when to go in for external monitoring, etc. If my body didn't respond well to the medication, then the transfer date might have needed to be adjusted.
VLOG Update #2 - Ready for the transfer!
It's an exciting day to get the "go ahead" for embryo transfer. That means, all went well and according to plan. Whew! My business schedule was very tight with birth client due dates in February / March, so I was really praying that we could stick to the original plan. Praise God, my uterus cooperated! What a relief.
VLOG Update # 3 - My first progesterone shot experience
I must have filmed this while I was doing overnights at a client's house. As you know from a previous post, I was anxious about giving myself the progesterone shots. But alas, it worked out and I was able to give them to myself. These injections did cause some bruising on my back/ hips, and I could still feel soreness for several months. Ouch!
VLOG Update # 4 - The Embryo Transfer Experience in Los Angeles
Brad and I flew to LA on February 14th and the transfer was Thursday, February 15th. I didn't want to take the Valium, but followed the suggested protocol and took it as directed right before the transfer. Pardon the loopy, Valium-induced update... I fell asleep shortly after recording that clip. Lol.
VLOG Update # 5 - Pregnancy confirmation
Oh my heart. JOY! It's so fun being happy for other people.
VLOG Update #6 - 24/25 Week Update
Well, better late than never. Sheesh. The first and second trimesters were great. The prenatal massages and Chiro adjustments absolutely help with pregnancy. We got through testing and ultrasounds around 20 weeks and now on to the third trimester. Wahoo!
VLOG Update #7 - 29 Week Update
Feeling great today! I can't believe we only have 10 weeks left to go. Wow.
VLOG Update #8 - 37 Week Update
Okay folks, it's almost party time! Baby girl is over 37 weeks (considered "pre-term" now). I packed most of the hospital bag yesterday, so now we are waiting for her arrival. I still can't believe how fast the past year has gone. It's been a very full, fun and fabulous 2018. Lots of great memories for our ohana, especially this surrogacy experience. The girls are looking forward to meeting the baby. I'm looking forward to not being pregnant anymore. Lol. It feels like the lead-up to a big game or race... now we just have to wait until she is ready to come out!
Check back here from time to time... we'll post VLOG updates here in Part 7.
In the next post, we talk about some frequently asked questions we've been getting along the journey. Read Part 8 here.
Mahalo for being part of our journey,
Jenna
xoxo
