You are NOT going to believe the email that I received from SCI today. As you already know, my beta was something like 689.41(I don't feel like looking at my old post to see) - well, that translates to all four of my embryos actually taking. I received an email saying that Dr. J saw 4 pregnancy sacs. Check out the email below. Can you believe that?!? I can't believe that all four took/ I've only seen that on one persons blog. Anyway, I'm very excited and excited that I will likely have twins; I can't wait!! I am praying for a boring 8 more months. I hope everyone has a happy new years ( and happy birthday to all of those who are born on Jan 1st like myself!!!).
Dear Frederick,
Greetings from SCI Healthcare..!!!
We hope you are doing well.
We would like to inform you that as per our schedule we have done S's USG scan to check the number of pregnancysac.
We would like to congratulate you once again as Dr. J has noted fourpregnancysacs during her scan.
Dr. Shivani has reviewed the reports & found everything fine with her scan reports.
S is doing fine.
Kindly note that her next scan will be done to check heartbeats and this scan will take place within one week.
Once it will be done, we will get back to you with reports as soon as possible.
We will keep you updated with her further progress & new status.
I'm officially pregnant and so excited!!! I couldn't ask for a better Christmas gift. Check out the Beta number...twins???? Merry Christmas everyone. :-)
Dear Frederick,
cOnGrAtULaTiOnS...!!!
We would liketo inform youthat as per our schedule wehave done a Beta HCGtest for S.
We are happy to inform you that herbeta valueis 689.41,which isvery good.
Please find attached file for the same.
We would liketocongratulateyou as you are pregnant now.
We will now do a USG scan for her within a week to check the pregnancy sacs.
Once her scanwill be done,we will get backto you at the earliest.
SCI wishing yougood luck for this beautiful journey ahead.
As I mentioned in my previous post, 22 eggs were recovered from my egg donor. Of those 22, 18 were mature and fertilized. The embryo transfer took place this past Monday. I received the treatment summary and it looks like everyting went well. The summary says that there was easy access, no complications, and the transfer procedure was generally described as easy. It also says that 4 Grade I embryos (8 cells each) were transferred to my surrogate. One one of them, it looks like it says "Grade I.5" I'm not sure what that means (perhaps halfway to a grade II) but i'm hoping that it is good. From looking at the treatment summary, it looks like everything went well and I am keeping my fingers crossed that one of them attach and grow! Welcome to the 2WW. I hope these next two weeks fly by. I should know something on 12/24/12 - maybe i'll have an early Christmas present.
Well I must say I had an
AMAZING time in New Delhi this past week.
Flying to
New Delhi…
So I flew
Emirates Airlines from Washington, DC (Dullas) to Dubai. I had a two hour
layover in Dubai and then flew from Dubai to New Delhi.I will definitely fly Emirates again.Although they were a bit more expensive than
other airlines, it was well worth it.They had a great selection of tv shows/movies to watch, the staff were
very friendly, the food was tasty, and the cocktails were free; you can’t go
wrong there!One of my good friends
suggested that I try Ambien to help me sleep through some of the flight.He gave me a pill for the trip to India and a
pill for my return flight.I must say,
that Ambien works wonders.
Check out this picture. Every seat and this tv on the back of it:
Welcome to
New Delhi…
I was so excited
landing in New Delhi.This was my first
experience flying overseas and I was full with excitement when I landed.I grabbed my luggage and quickly met up with
Rahul.Rahul owns his own taxi service
and does a lot of work with SCI.He has
about 6 drivers who works with him and I must say that I will definitely use
him again.All of his drivers speak English,
were very friendly and personable, and was extremely punctual.If you needed to be picked up by 1pm. They
were there at 1pm – never late.Rahul
and I discussed babies, discussed the success of SCI, etc.I was particularly
impressed with how he was able to drive on the crazy New Delhi roads.If it was me, I would have crashed 10 times
over.
Driving in
New Delhi…
The way
people drive was the biggest shock in New Delhi.There’s no regard to the lines on the road
and everyone will just cut in front of everyone else with the sound of a car
horn blowing every few seconds (this is to alert other drivers that you are coming
up next to them. I’m used to blowing the horn when I’m pissed at another driver
LOL).There’s also the rickshaws,
bicyclist, motorcyclist, and pedestrians you have to watch for. Oh yeah…AND
ELEPHANTS (Check out the pictures below). Surprisingly however, the traffic
moves without many accidents. I see more accidents driving in the DC area.If you can drive in New Delhi, you can drive
anywhere!
The Hotel…
I stayed at
the Svelte (I learned that it is pronounced “Swelte” with a “W”).This hotel is very nice and the people there
were very friendly.Towards the end of
my trip, I became friends with two of the staff and we friended each other
on Facebook.One was upset because he
thought I was leaving on December 9th and left a gift that he got me
at home; I thought that was so sweet.I
gave him my address so he could mail me.Here’s a few pictures of my room:
Dr. Shivani
and SCI…
It was an
absolute honor to meet Dr. Shivani and the SCI team.Dr. Shivani was very comforting and fully
explained everything.She took me around
to meet the entire SCI team.I can tell
that Dr. S loves what she does and she is good at it.They have so many babies due this month and
the next few months.You can tell that
this is a successful practice.Everyone
at SCI was very friendly as well. While
at SCI, I met a family who had triplets; they were so tiny and cute!!!Unfortunately, we did not get to chat much
because as soon as we began talking, it was time for me to go.
My Free Time…
My body
never really adjusted to the time difference in India; however, I made sure to
enjoy my free time.One of my first
stops was to Pizza Hut across from the hotel (yes…I know…I could get pizza hut
at home…but hey…I was tired).It was
interesting because I ordered a medium pizza.Their medium pizza is about the size of our personal pans.Take a look…
While in
India, I also checked out this pretty cool bar called BeBar on two different
occasions.The first time, I went alone
on a whim while roaming the mall.The
second time was with some of the most hilarious people I have ever met.So, I stopped by SCI for a moment and while
in the lounge, I met a beautiful couple J and R.We quickly learned that we work with the same
client manager “K” in the United States. J and R and so cool to talk to.We ended up meeting for dinner and drinks on
Friday evening at the BeBar. This dinner
included myself, J&R, M&A( “A” is one of the funniest people you will
ever meet!) – M&A are couple from Australia who are expecting their
triplets any day (and the owner of http://blesswithbubs.blogspot.com), and G&A (who are
expecting their singleton today).We
spent about 5 hours together and had a blast!This was the best night of my entire trip.Everyone was so friendly and funny; I didn’t
want the night to end.“J” introduced me
to a new drink Absolute Mandarin, Soda Water, and a little lime juice – very tasty! The food was amazing as well.The next day, I met a beautiful couple from
Canada who just had twin boys.I wish we
met sooner because they could have joined us for dinner on Friday night.Turns out, they were staying in the hotel
room diagonal from my room.I was able
to stop by and see the twins before I left.They were sooooooo cute!! (If you’re reading this, congrats again on
your beautiful twin boys).
Here are a
couple of pics from the Bebar.Out of
respect for privacy, I will not post anybody’s picture, just of the restaurant/bar.
Speaking of
bars, I also checked out Fridays and the Hardrock Café. Unfortunately, I couldn’t
drink much until Friday as I did not want to interfere with my little swimmers
lol.I made a couple of Facebook friends
with the bartenders at Hardrock Café. Here’s a picture from HardRock:
Sightseeing…
On Thursday I
went and saw the Lotus Temple and another monument but I cannot think of the
name.Here a few pictures from me
sightseeing.Unfortunately, I didn’t
sightsee as much as I would have liked as I was sleep most of the day and awake
all night.
Last but not
least…Egg Collection…
So I went to
SCI to do my thing on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.Friday was egg collection day.I was a bit nervous because I chose an egg
donor who never cycled with SCI before.I am happy to say that my egg donor produced 22 eggs. 18 were mature and
fertilized.The egg transfer will take
place today (December 10th) so I guess I am officially beginning my 2WW (keeping fingers
crossed).
All in all,
I had a great time in New Delhi.From
experiencing the crazy traffic, to meeting some amazing people, I truly miss
being in New Delhi.I can honestly say
that I did not want to leave and I am looking forward to going back
soon (hopefully in Aug/sept if everything goes well LOL).I want to congratulate all of the expecting
and new parents out there.Congratulations on creating the families of your dreams.To everyone who is beginning the process (such
as myself) best of luck to each and every one of you.You all are in my prayers.Please keep me up-to-date on how everything
is going.Sorry for the long post but I
hope you enjoyed it.Later :-) J
Im here!! I can't believe I am here LOL. There's so much to blog about. I will expand on this later but here is the brief version. 16 hour flight (DC to Dubai (very nice airport) then Dubai to New Delhi)). Flight went somewhat quicker than expected - probably because of the alcohol and then ambian lol. Rahul picked me up from the airport and he was great! I don't know how he got me here with all of the crazy driving on the road. Looks like the requirement to drive here is to ignore the road signs and beep your horn ever 2 seconds. That was an adventure. I am staying at the Svelte - very nice hotel. The mall that it is connect to is nice as well. I went and had a couple drinks at the Bebar which is a amazing bar. So far, everyone here has been very friendly. I went to pizza hut and ordered a medium pizza. The medium pizza looks like a personal pan in America (no wonder why we are so fat LOL). Anyway, if anyone is here too, let me know. We can meet for lunch or something. TTYL
So, I have an iPhone 4. Is there anyway to use my iPhone while I'm in India? I've heard about a sim card but not exactly sure what to do. I am going to have a talk with Mr. Google but thought I'd ask here too. Any advice would be great. Thanks!
Of all the times I could catch a cold, why does it have to be 5 days before my trip to India?!? What trips me out is that I rarely catch colds....once a year....maybe! What else is crazy, is that my first thought was "hmm...I hope this cold doesn't effect my sperm." LOL. I have a feeling this process will have me thinking crazy things. I have never wondered about the correlation between the common cold and my little swimmers. Ah well...Dr. Google, here I come.
BTW, when I do get a cold, they usually only last about 3 days. Hopefully, the same remains true this time around.
I can't believe that I will be making my first trip to India this Saturday; time sure flies. So far, everything is going well with my egg donor. All of her tests looked good and SCI started her on the stimulation. Also, I decided to leave the decision of who will be my surrogate mother up to Dr. Shivani. I figure she will know best who is most medically fit to carry my future baby and I trust her decision. Did you all meet your surrogate? How was the experience?
Ugh, I hate packing but I really need to begin thinking about what I need to take with me:
- Passport
-Visa (yes, I stopped procrastinating and got my Visa. It was actually a pretty simple process and my got the visa in a week).
-Clothes, shoes, etc (the norm that you take when traveling BTW, the weather in India will be wonderful!).
-Ipad (maybe I'll subscribe to netflix for the long plane ride). Any other tips on making it through that long flight will be much appreciated.
- Money (how much should I take? Should I exchange it here in the States or wait until I get to India?)
If anyone has any advice or suggestions for things to do, please let me know. I want to take in all that India has to offer. Will anyone else be there while I'm there? I'd love to grab a cocktail. I land in India December 2nd and depart December 8th.
I hope everyone had a good weekend and a good Thanksgiving (for those in the States). TTYL
Let me start off by saying my apologies for not posting in a couple of weeks. It was mainly because there's not much going on. I have already booked my flight and hotel. I've finally stopped procrastinating on getting my visa (I am physically taking the application to Travisa today since I live in the DC/Metro area) and now the excitement is kicking in. I'm excited today for a couple reasons. First, its election day! In addition to the presidential elections (OBAMA), I am excited about the Maryland elections. We are voting on gay marriage (for it!), whether we should add an additional casino and expand gambling to include live table games (for it!), and Maryland's version of the Dream act (for it!). Hopefully, majority of Marylanders are for them as well; we shall see!
Elections aside, I am also getting excited about my upcoming trip to India. In my last post, my nerves were kicking my ass. The nerves have subsided and made room for excitement. I need to start thinking about what I want to take with me on that long flight. Alcohol? Sleeping pills? Season DVD's? I think my plane has wifi - if so, I should be pretty occupied with a combination of drinks and my Ipad. Any tips would be much appreciated.
Well...that's all for now. Everyone...be sure to go out and VOTE!
I am so nervous. The butterflies are in full force. I'm not sure why I am so nervous now and I wonder if anyone else experienced the same feeling after booking their flight and hotel. I'm flying, alone, to a country I have never been. I've never been overseas (unless you count a trip to Jamaica and Bahamas) Here, I am flying halfway around the freaking world - alone. I am still nervous as I am typing this.
My flight...
I am flying Emirates. I leave DC on December 1st. I fly from DC to Dubai. I have a 2 hour layover in Dubai and then I fly from Dubai to Delhi. I am so nervous because a 2 hour lay over doesn't seem like much time. What if my plane is delayed? What if I get held up in immigration in Dubai? I read that I do not need to get a Visa in advance for Dubai since I am a United State's resident; I am still nervous that something will go wrong and I get held up. I looked at other flights with longer lay over times; however, it was either a 2 hour layover in Dubai or a 7-10hr lay over in Dubai (f*ck that!!!). Anyone who knows me...knows that I am not one to wait around all day. I am hoping and praying everything goes smooth. I do NOT want to miss my flight to India.
My Hotel...
So I decided to stay at the Svelte Personal Suites. I mainly decided to stay here because most IP's say on their blog that this is where they stayed. In addition, I hear its close to SCI, the rooms are nice, and somewhat....somewhat reasonably priced. I'd rather stay here since I've been hearing alot about it, and since its just me, I need as much comfort and familiarity as I can get. You can check out their site here: http://www.svelte.in/
I thought after I booked my flight and hotel that I would be super excited but all I can feel is my nerves and a bunch of "what if" questions going through my mind. I hope this feeling will go away soon...
Well I received my semen analysis and it looks like my swimmers and plentiful and strong! It's strange because I have always just assumed that I would be able to produce a child. Waiting for the analysis made me remember that I can't just assume that I will be able to make a baby. I'm glad everything is okay though. I received the following email from SCI...
Dear Fred,
Greetings from SCI Healthcare !!!
Thank you very much for your e-mail and attached report.
We would like to inform you that Dr. Shivani has reviewed your semen analysis report and noted that all the parameters are within normal limits.
Please note that your semen sample is fine for ICSI & freezing.
Kindly feel free to contact us for any further queries.
So I just got this email regarding some of my lab testing. I'm one step closer...
Hi Fred,
My name is [Omitted] and I work with [Omitted}, MD at One Medical Group. Our Medical Team has reviewed your lab results and I have attached them here for you to view.
- Your blood glucose (sugar) and electrolytes are normal, and your kidney function tests are all perfect. - Your tests for HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and syphilis are negative (normal). - You are immune to hepatitis B. ("High" antibody titers indicate immunity.) If you have questions or concerns, please email your provider. If you'd prefer to schedule a follow up appointment, just call the office or book one online at www.onemedical.com. Thanks, and best regards,
Now I'm just waiting on my semen analysis report and blood grouping. =-)
OMG I have so much to tell you…I don’t know where to begin.
Let me start by saying that my egg collection dates have changed from the 7th, 8th, and 9th to the 4th, 5th and 6th.So here is how my schedule will play out.I will arrive in India on December 2nd (which means I have to fly out of DC on December 1st…I am not looking forward to that long flight).I will meet with the doctor on December 3rd and also give a “sample” lol.I will meet with the attorney on December 4th.On December 5th I will leave another“sample.”:-).On December 6th I have a free day. On December 7th I will leave my last sample (that is going to be a fun week! LOL).My plan is to catch a flight on Saturday December 8th to return home.
The tests…
As I stated in my last post, I had an appointment with my primary care physician to have some required test done that is needed before I go to India (blood grouping to determine blood type, HIV, hepatitis B&C, Syphillis, and semen analysis).I recently went to this doctor’s office and I really like them.They have multiple locations so you should check them out. Here’s the website for the DC location: http://www.onemedical.com/dc/doctors.I like this office because they received good reviews from current patients.My experience thus far has been great.My doctor always responds quickly when I email her. When I met with her she was thorough.She also seemed genuinely excited for me when I told her why I needed these tests.
Most people don’t know this but I am somewhat afraid of needles.I’m okay once the needle is in, but the thought of getting stuck with a needle scares me.Needless to say, when the lab technician (or whoever she was who drew my blood) had to try 3 times (and got someone to help) before she got my vain, I was pretty irritated and scared.I later found out that my veins were smaller because I did not drink anything that morning (I thought I was supposed to fast…clearly I was wrong and won’t make that mistake again. You must stay hydrated!).She did give me a Starbucks gift card since she had to poke me more then once so it was all worth it ;-).
After my blood tests, my doctor says that she give me a script to have the semen analysis done.She faxed it over to the hospital where I wanted to give my sample.This was an experience all in itself…
So, let me start off by saying that you are to abstain from any….ANY….sexual activity for at least 2 or 3 days before giving a “sample.”I learned of this last week when I called the hospital to find out what I needed to do to have an analysis done.I wasn’t sure how soon I would be able to get into the hospital to have the analysis done so I made sure there was no sexual activity of any kind since last Thursday; I did not get to do the analysis until yesterday (Wednesday…1 week later) and I was in heat!!!!!I was liable to jump the nurse’s bones at the lab I was so in heat (as one of my friends said…I may not have needed a surrogate at that point LOL).Anyway, going to the hospital to give the sample was somewhat embarrassing.The hospital staff at the lab already knows why you’re there.As I walk in and say my name.I’m looking at them and they are looking at me, and we both know what I’m about to do while there – very awkward.Long story short, I get my cup, go to a single bathroom, and do what I need to do, and felt much better afterwards!
In other news, I sent an initial payment to India so it is official!!!My next steps are to send my lab reports to India when I receive them, book my flight, hotel, and obtain my Visa to travel to India.
I hope everyone has a great day.Don’t forget to follow me!
Hello Blogland! I want to welcome everyone to join me on my journey to surrogacy in India. Hopefully, during this journey, I will make friends who have been, going through, or will go through this same path.
So...a little about me. My name is Fred. I am single, gay, 30 years old, and I live in Maryland (DC/Metro region). I'm not much of a writer but decided that I should blog about this experience. I have always wanted kids but feared I would never have them being gay. One day, I was watching Youtube videos and somehow came across a news clip from the Today show. The clip featured a couple who used a surrogate in India to begin their family.I'm going to try and upload the video here:
For 3 years, I researched, and researched and researched and was excited that I too could follow the same path. The main purpose of this blog is to allow my journey to be an open book for those who eventually want to take the same path.
As an update on where I am in the process. So I looked at 3 main clinics but felt the most comfortable with Dr. Shivani at Surrogacy Centre India (SCI). For those who wish to check out their website, it's http://surrogacycentreindia.com/
I like SCI for many reasons. They have great success rates, when you email them, they promptly respond with full answers to your questions, they have clear payment schedules, excellent "Client Managers" in your home country who is your right hand (Hi Kim!!!!), and the list goes on and on...
Anyway, back to the update. So I researched 3 clinics, decided on SCI and contacted them. I completed my enrollment form and sent it to Kim (my ambassador with SCI). I have also selected a donor. SCI sent me many potential donors and I had to select my top 5. This must be a busy time of year because all of my selected donors were booked except for my 2nd best choice so I decided on her. She is young, attractive, and seems to be full of life. From reading other blogs, it looks like I am starting pretty fast. My donor's scheduled egg collection will be around December 7th, 8th, or 9th. I need to be in Delhi approx 3 or 4 days prior to egg collection. [ENTER NERVOUS FEELING HERE]. There's so many things I need to do. Before I begin, I have to have the following tests:
Semen analysis -Blood group -HIV -HbsA (Hepatitis B) -VDRL (Syphilis) -HCV (Hepatitis C
Unfortunately, Maryland residents cannot just go to a lab and asks for these tests. Direct access testing is illegal. I contacted my Primary Care Physician and set an appoint for Tuesday, October 16th at 2PM to have these tests done. (I'm hoping I can have everything done on Tuesday).
After my semen analysis, I will receive my invoice to make my "Stage one" payment which covers the beginning treatments to the surrogate and donor.
I plan on flying to Delhi either December 1st or 2nd and leaving the night of December 9th. This way, I am there for the entire egg collection. Prior to flying into India, you have to get a Visa from the Indian Consulate in your home country. I have read that in the States, that process is outsourced to a company called Travisa (or something). I will blog more about that later as I go through the process. Right now, my mind is racing thinking about everything that needs to be done (Tests...Visa...Flight...Hotel.....oh my).
I believe this catches you up to where I am in the surrogacy process. I hope you follow me and enjoy this crazy ride I am about to go on. Talk to you soon.
