Meds Update... Surrogate Side

Meds came!

These lovelies commence this evening when I begin Lupron injections. I've been taking birth control pills for the last week. 

According to my meds instructions, I will continue with the Lupron and BCP combination until I take my last BCP on the 25th. I'll continue the Lupron and should get another (!) period a few days later. Once I get my period again, I'll start my estrogen regimen; oral pills twice a day and a patch that gets changed every 3 days. 

After about 7-9 days of being on the estrogen and Lupron, I will be scheduled for an ultrasound to measure my uterine lining to be sure I am responding to the hormones appropriately. If I measure well, I will continue meds as originally instructed. If I'm thin, the nurses will have me increase my dosage and schedule another ultrasound for monitoring. 

From there, our clinic will be in touch with me and let me know the day of K's egg retrieval. On the night of her egg retrieval, I will stop Lupron and begin my progesterone injections. You know, the huge needles into my backside... 

On that same night, I will also begin some other meds; Doxycycline and Medrol. These pills are to prepare my body for the "assisted hatching" technique that the embryos will undergo. (In essence, assisted hatching entails poking a little hole into the outer shell of the fertilized embryos to help them hatch and implant better.) The Doxycycline is an antibiotic to help fight against infection and Medrol is a steroid  to help prevent my body from rejecting the embryos. 

I will continue all of those meds (the Doxycycline and Medrol are only for 4 days) throughout the first trimester should pregnancy occur; and we are HOPING it does!!!!

Until next time, world!

A miracle was born... Surrogate Side

... 1-year ago!! Today is Charlie's birthday! 

Can you believe the blessed day everyone was waiting for happened exactly ONE year ago?! K&J were given the greatest gift in the world at 4:26pm on a snowy, wintry cold night in the Northeast. I experienced the worst pain in my life, but couldn't have been anymore content just ONE year ago. 

The little man has grown into a bundle of scrumptiousness and has the most beautiful blue eyes one could ever wish to have. Charlie has been welcomed into a world of complete love and admiration; what more could one want? And I was lucky enough to be a part of creating that reality. 

The little family was able to hold their long-awaited miracle on Christmas morning; eager to witness the magic through him in years to come. 

Not only was it Charlie-man's first Christmas, but it was also K&J's first Christmas as parents. A first of many firsts yet to come. 

Our next venture is to make K&J parents of TWO! We have a bit of an update to share. Small steps, but I'll be starting birth control pills when my next period starts in order to align my cycle with K. After two weeks of birth control, I will stop the pills and begin Lupron injections. 

If you recall from our last (successful!) fresh transfer, which resulted in baby Charlie, the injections are done in my belly fat with a small, thin needle. These injections don't hurt much at all. I was very fortunate to avoid any ill-effects of the medicine last time and hope for the same this time around. Fingers crossed!

During the time that I will be on Lupron, K will undergo her her portion of the cycle. (Be forewarned - I know very little, if anything valid, about K's cycling, but I'll give it my best shot.) She will be put on meds to stimulate her follicle production and be monitored to track progress. Once everything is where it needs to be, she will endure the retrieval. From there, the eggs will be fertilized and left to "grow" for a few days before being transferred into me. 

Right before the transfer, I will be instructed to change up my meds, but we can go into that once I get my full protocol. We have a tentative transfer date for mid-February; they're thinking around the 19th. 

Stay tuned!