Update

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Years this week! I have had many ask for an update! Here you all go!

December 1st I went in to Oregon Reproductive Medicine to meet with our cooridnator and go over our potential calendar. I was on day 5 of my cycle and they like to see you for a uterine evaluation between days 9-13 of your cycle. They check the lining, blood flow and pathway for the transfer. It could have easily been scheduled for the following week but I decided to wait until my next cycle. There were more pro's waiting for one more cycle - didnt want to be taking anymore birth control than necessary! I couldnt get into my OBGYN until the day after Christmas anyway so there was no need to push it. As excited as I am to get things moving right along for my IP's, I also want to make sure everything is done in order, no stress, no pressure, no miscommunication and definetely RIGHT! There is a lot of love and energy being put into this process; what is a few more weeks?!

When my cycle started mid Dec, I called ORM to schedule my uterine evaluation for Dec 23rd. After that appointment, the Dr said everything looked absolutely PERFECT! They did a mock transfer which allows them to see the pathway for the cathater and take notes for the offical transfer day of TWO EMBREYO'S! Dr said it doesn't get anymore textbook than that my dear! My coordinator gave me my calendar to start looking at whats ahead! Very Exciting!! 

The day after Christmas I saw my OBGYN for my yearly check up plus some extra blood work. 4 vials were drawn and MANY test were done. Nurse asked "What in the world are we doing here?!" She was in such awe and so supportive! I have to be apporved for pregnancy by my OBGYN before moving forward. Labs have been sent over and now husband is getting some blood work done this week to be able to offically start medication and injections in a couple of weeks. Right now I have been taking birth control for two weeks to insure a few things; Dont get pregnant yet! & predict where I am at on my cycle during medications! No side effects at all… yet!

My Calendar:
Start Medications: Jan 12th
Transfer Day: Feb 19th

Many updates about injections and medications to come!!

THANKS FOR FOLLOWING!!


love,
Ashley Dawn

What to expect when you are...

Not quite expecting... YET!

At the beginning I really didn't know what to expect through this process. NWSC has been great about laying it all out there so you know what comes next in the process.

• Fill out intake form
• Phone interview
• Fill out questionnaire
• Background check
• NWSC interview appointment
• Request medical records & insurance policy
• Psychological evaluation
• Send pictures & profile letter to potential IP (Intended Parents)
• Wait to be matched
• Review IP's profile
• Accept to meet with IP's
• Meet IP's (via Skype at NWSC office typically)
• Accept to move forward
• Home visit from social workers
• Have an attorney to represent you
• Sign contract between attorneys 
• Sign up for life insurance policy
• Medical screening
• Begin medication cycle
• Embryo transfer
• Confirm pregnancy
• Headcount ultrasound
• Enjoy pregnancy
• Deliver the IP's their new baby

In my mind, I thought - easy enough… should have this list completed in a few weeks… 6 months later we are now in the medical screening and about to start medication cycle. Its a long process and at times it seems like you check 4-5 things off at a time and then you wait… and wait… and then another few things get checked off and then more waiting. Its hard to bee patient at times when you feel there is so much momentum. But as I think about it - its not just a transaction sort of thing. Having a baby is quite the MIRACLE! As women our bodies go through so much in order to become pregnant especially if needed through IVF.

We are so EXCITED to be moving forward with M&M (our IP's). My appointment with ORM is scheduled for Dec 1st to start the medication cycle. I am little nervous about the hormones and shots but it will be short lived and soon enough there will be a baby if not TWO growing inside me. That's right!! Did I mention possibly TWINS?! Couldn't be more excited for M&M and their girls!

The best part since I shared this journey last week were the support & connections that have come! I had a friend connect me with her friend that gave birth to twins to an Israeli family this past June. She actually blogged all about her journey HERE. I read her entire blog that night and got emotional and very overwhelmed with joy and excitement for our journey! I have been following some other surrogates working with NWSC that are right along the same time frame with me and its been fun to follow and support each other. Its an amazing community full of selfless & wonderful families that I am so grateful to be apart of!


love,
Ashley Dawn

Q&A

I was completely overwhelmed by the support I received yesterday. To think I would have missed out on such AMAZING support if I wasn't brave enough to share. Many of you messaged me personally expressing your sweet, supportive feelings. Some even called with wide open arms. Tears. Laughs. Hugs. I am so overwhelmed and excited to share this journey with you all!

Over the last 6 months have been asked a few of same questions and I hope I can answer them for anyone else curious too:

6 Most Frequently Asked Questions: 

Q: What is the difference between Traditional and Gestational Surrogacy?

A: This is a great question and NWSC answers it perfectly. 

"In a gestational surrogacy, the surrogate is not genetically related to the baby she carries. A fertility clinic creates embryos consisting of eggs and sperm from the intended parents and/or from donors and then transfers the embryos to a surrogate via IVF (in vitro fertilization). The intended parents usually establish parental rights before the baby is born. NWSC works exclusively on gestational surrogacy.In a traditional surrogacy, the surrogate’s own eggs are fertilized via artificial insemination with the sperm of a donor or an intended father. The baby shares genetic material with the surrogate mother as well as with an intended father or donor." --NWSC

I will be a Gestational Surrogate where the embyro is genetically both the Intended parents.

Q: What are your religious beliefs view on surrogacy?

A: Yes, I am Mormon and in the church handbook it states that surrogacy is discouraged. With that said, many things are strongly discouraged in the church and should always be prayerfully considered between husband and wife. Just because it says is it is discouraged doesn't mean it is wrong. I took many months pondering and praying on this, always left with the feeling that it is the right path for my family. No denying that. I researched more into Gestational Surrogacy and the church views on it. What I found was just more clarity and confirmation that what I am doing is OK and right for my family. Like I said in my previous post that my list of the Intended Family match was long, always keeping my religious views in mind. It has been a very spiritual experience for the very beginning and only strengthened my testimony of the love my Savior has for me personally and his children.

Q: Will it be hard to give up the baby?

A: No. The way I look at it is I am not "giving up" a baby. I am simply delivery this precious baby to its rightful parents. Genetically and legally this baby does NOT belong to me. I will provide nourishment and give life that in other ways wouldn't be possible. What an honor and blessing to be able to be entrusted with this opportunity. 

Q: Why not just adopt?

A: Its personal. Surrogacy and Adoption should never be compared. One should never be said to be better than another. Adoption and Surrogacy are two different paths and everyone knows for themselves which is right for their family. 

Q: How does your husband feel about this process?

A: 110% Supportive. I don't know that I could do this without his support. We have a little joke between us - I can't really handle giving blood but I would carry a child for 9 months for a family. He can't do one, I can't do the other, so all in all we feel we give back as a family with each others support!

Q: Are you doing it for the money?

A: I try really hard to not be offended by this one. No, I am not doing it FOR the money. I am doing it for the life long experience and relationships. I have had a few personal experiences where I have felt like this is something I am just destined to do. Yes, in the state of Oregon, it is recognized to pay a surrogate for their "pain & suffering". Being a Surrogate is not easy and does require time and energy away from family and activites. We plan to save for a home of our own and travel more with our timeshare!

I hope this has helped answer some of your questions. 

Do you have More Questions?? I would love to hear them!

love,
Ashley Dawn

New Journey

I am very excited for this new journey my family is embarking on. To be honest, I wasn't sure if I would share with too many people because I wasn't sure what would be everyone's reaction. When I first opened up about it, I had some that just didn't get it and others that were so engaged and excited with me. I have felt inspiried to share and hope for support along the way!

So what is this new journey?

I am becoming a Surrogate Mother

Just before we were pregnant with our youngest, I heard about the opportunity and the need for surrogate mothers for families who medically could not have children on their own. This really intrigued me. I spoke to my husband about what he thought about it and he was actually very supportive of the idea.

It wasn't until our youngest turned one when I brought up the idea again. We prayerfully considered it together and individually. I read my patriartical blessing and was completely overwhelmed with the spirit. My blessing was so clear about this journey it brought me to my knees sobbing. I felt such peace and calm about moving forward as being a surrogate mother.

Later the next week I started to look into a few different agency's and even prayerfully consider which one to contact. When I found NWSC, I started by filling out an intake form about myself. The next day I received their call and was surprised at how personal and helpful they were. For me, it just confirmed that this was right!

About a couple of weeks later we made an appointment to meet them. It was a really fun and exciting experience to talk about my family and why I wanted to become a surrogate mother.

Why do I want to be a Surrogate Mother?
I feel so incredibly blessed to have had two healthy, easy pregnancies. The thought of not being able to carry or have my own children would be devastating. I have seen friends and family struggle with getting pregnant and having to go to extreme, long measures to have a family of their own. I couldn't help but recognize that I have a great gift and strong desire to give to a family in need. 


After a few more months of background checks, medical records reviewed, psychological evaluation, questionnaires, and a profile set up… FINALLY We began the wait for a family. I honestly thought my list for the Intended Family was sort of long and possibly hard to come by. BUT about a week later I received a call that we were MATCHED!

They sent the families profile over and I was bursting with excitement!! After I read the families profile, I was amazed by how much more real this journey was. Things about the family that I absolutely loved and couldn't have imagined a better fit. We decided to pray and sleep on it before moving forward.

A little about the Intended Family:
Amazing Husband and Wife who have 3 beautiful daughters of their own. After her last pregnancy, which was through IVF, doctors told her she could no longer carry any more children. This was devastating as coming from large families, they wanted a large family of their own. Truly an amazing couple and family!


We woke up with such clarity and decided this was the right family. The following week we went to the office to have a Skype interview. I was nervous yet calm. We had a great conversation, getting to know each other better and many questions, concerns were answered.

A few weeks later the father flew here to deliver their embryo's and we were able to meet up with him for dinner. We talked for a couple of hours at dinner, which was so easy and natural. He brought gifts for my little girls which was so thoughtful and generous. It really felt more like close friends, if not family that we were just meeting for the first time!

We both decided to continue moving forward. At this point we also had an in home visit by social services and met with attorneys to sign a contract between the families. I have been so amazed at how thorough each step of the process has been. As much as I thought this would be a quick and easy process, its been longer than anticipated but I am grateful for each measure that is taken into account.

Next step?

Set up a visit with the fertility clinic. Hopefully within the next week or so. Holidays are just around the corner so we are hoping this doesn't slow down the process from here!


We are very passionate about our journey and cant wait to share what this next year brings!  I know not everyone understands this journey but I will answer many questions I have received throughout these last 6 months in the process thus far in my next post.

love,
Ashley Dawn


**If this has at all intrigued you to see if being a surrogate mother is right for you - Please contact me and I can put you in front of the right people**