Busy

Not much to report on the surrogacy front, still waiting for my re-requested notes and waiting on the consultant appointment.

I had a lovely 2 week holiday in Scotland, visiting my mum and didn't want to come home which is always what happens. It was just chilled and the kids had a blast. AF arrived to wave me off on the first day - I was glad she showed up but the timing could of been a bit better. It was fine as far as first post-partum periods go. It was also nice to come back from my holiday without any injections, my 6 week twice daily Clexane jabs finished whilst I was away and I also indulged in my first (and second, third and fourth!) alcoholic drink for the first time in 13 years whilst away too - see, a very good break away indeed!

My back behaved for the most part during my holiday but various other aches and pains that just will not go away continued. I have a painful and clicking elbow, a painful knee and both shoulders hurt every single morning. It seems to ease as the day goes on but little tweaks of pain remind me throughout the day. Must see the dr about that, and the bp review, but I pushed the latter back as I was away a week longer than first planned. Not had my 6 week check either and considering Fin is 10 weeks at the end of this week, I don't see any point so will skip that particular check-up.

I didn't end up attending the first court hearing, we didn't get back from Scotland until early hours on the Sunday and the Monday was a Bank Holiday Monday so I couldn't do anything to catch up on things I'd let slip so needed to stay at home Tuesday in the end to get caught up - not least getting my poor daughter's dental appointment sorted for her smashed mouth. The guys understood and I was sad but it simply wasn't do'able in the end. We'll catch up though very soon I'm sure.

Apparently by all accounts court went fine, we learnt Czech law has no bearing on the UK legal process regarding surrogacy so that was great news! However the magistrates, all 4 of them, have ordered a DNA test for me, my IF and my husband - it was one of the first things they said. I was surprised when hearing this from my IF because I had never heard of any surro or IP being required to provide this in all my years on the surrogacy circuit but I know it's a certainly something any surrogate or IP can be required to do. The court where the hearing was held has never done a surrogacy PO before so it seems perhaps they are just following the procedure to the letter, which is not a bad thing but just extra expense for my IFs.

Don't understand why my husband needs to provide proof he's not the father, so long as one of my IFs can prove they are. I think perhaps there was a misunderstanding by the judges or something because it's not logical but you don't argue with the court! Unfortunately they also stipulated that the testing needs to be done and in by mid May, which is not good timing for me because this week and next week I'm flat-out busy, with very little spare time. This testing has to be done by a court verified company and involves me attending a doctor's surgery along with photos to get verified also. All very official.

Feeling pretty stirred up about where I go next, do I do another journey or do I call it a day? I'm under no pressure at all either way, no screaming rush but it's what my head is processing more and more lately. It's hard because I don't want to put any expectation on my former IFs but at the same time, I do want at least a tentative answer as to what they would like in terms of a sibling and if so, what sort of time frame they are looking at. If they decide they don't want a sibling/use me again/not in a time frame that works for me then I'll maybe look at other potential IPs. Not saying I will match again, or I won't but it's an option maybe.

I've got 2 interviews for nursing courses, one in Scotland and one here in Bristol. Dependent on which one I get (or if I'm lucky enough to get an offer on both) then I'll have to factor that in when looking at where surrogacy features in all that. Always the planner, I have already worked out a plan for how it *could* pan out and work around studying. What I have come to realise though is that this time of my life is mine and whereas in the past perhaps I've put off my own ambitions in favour of helping others and making their dreams come true, not any longer - if it doesn't fit for me and my family, it's not happening, and I think I'm OK with finally being a little bit selfish now.

Oh and I've just started working, first time in almost 12 years I've held a job outside of the home so that's a huge adjustment but I'm very excited to be getting out into the adult world. LOL.

I'm continuing to lose weight, I'm just about to start some serious training for my 5K in July now that I'm safely past the 6 week waiting period and my back has settled down. Here was a pic from a couple of weeks ago, I may still look like a blimp to some but I've definitely lost weight and am feeling good about myself.

So life is moving at the manic pace it always did and I'm loving it for the most part. I won't lie and say that I don't question why I did surrogacy some days, when everything hurts and I'm emotional but I would never change a thing and if I'm looking at doing another journey then it can't be that bad, right?! Or maybe I'm just bonkers as one lovely lady recently suggested!

Different Thoughts

My notes arrived today but they were so poorly photo-copied that some of it I can't even read and some parts are missing for some reason so they're not that helpful and I'm going to have to re-request them before my consultant meeting. It also means that I can't finish up my birth story either, I think it's a lost cause to be honest to try and get it written up in any more detail than the clinical version of events. I can't remember most of it as I've already said and the weeks are turning into months and the bits I can recall are getting hazy and I'm questioning them. I have asked my IFs to write their version but understandably, they've got their hands a bit full currently!

From the small bit I did read/decipher, I see that things didn't start to go downhill post-delivery until a good couple of hours after Fin was delivered which is not how it seemed to me. What was I doing in that time? I don't recall doing anything, I thought it was within half an hour it all kicked off! See, I've no hope of recalling much of anything by the way of a birth story I don't think.

I've also been dealing with what appears to be a pinched sciatic nerve this past week and a bit. Oh god, agony doesn't do it justice, I went to bed one night and was fine apart from the general back pain I've had a while now and mentioned in my previous post and the next morning and I couldn't get out of bed. Literally. I ended up on crutches, on seriously strong painkillers and pain patches and nothing touched it, I was absolutely miserable to say the least but just as I was thinking this was going to ruin our planned holiday to Scotland the end of this week, I basically jumped out of bed yesterday and was 85% better!? Weird eh, I can only assume whatever I clicked or trapped, fixed itself during the night. Whatever happened, I was so grateful. However this evening, the general back pain has flared again but I think it's because I've spent much of the day sat down on my behind and that will make back pain/sciatica pain worse so at least that may explain it. I just hope it doesn't all start again!

I saw my GP today regarding my BP meds once again and my BP is lower than 4 weeks ago but not quite back to normal so I'm cutting down to 1 tablet a day and have to go back in 4 weeks and if it's similar or lower, I can stop them completely so fingers crossed!

I spoke with her about my constantly clicking joints too and she said that it can take up to 6 months for the hormones to go back to normal and in that time, to take it very easy so as not to cause any problems - such as what happened with my back. I stretch or even turn over in bed and my shoulders click, I walk and my knees click, my left elbow constantly clicks out of joint whenever I move it and the joint is now sore to the touch and if I bend over, my hips click. Ouch. I'm also suffering a painful neck and oddly enough my collarbone too, she said again that it's muscular and joints and my body telling me to slow down so I will take that on board and do very little when we're away next week, for sure because I'm pretty fed up of hurting all the time and feeling like an old lady lately.

I'm also down to the last few days of Clexane injections - so very pleased about that because the past week or so and every jab has hurt and my tummy is plastered in bruises and stab marks and lumps, which hurt when I wear clothes, hurt when I wash up, hurt when I cuddle my children and just plain HURT.

Still no sign of AF, which is a surprise because I have felt she was going to arrive at any moment for a few weeks but apparently not. I know she'll show in her own good time, and at the most inconvenient one at that of course but yeah, let's get it over and done with so I know things are working as they should please!
 
Talking about all these aches and pains, it really does bring it home to you what a surrogate deals with on a continuing basis. I mean we all know that getting pregnant can be a drag, the side effects of medicines can be uncomfortable and of course being pregnant isn't always a ball of fun either but when IPs go home and their life is changed for the better because they have their much longed for baby and they are living their dream, the surrogate however comes back down to earth with a bump, or well ya know - without a bump as the case may be, and in my case a snap, crackle and pop! I have said it before on my other surrogacy blog and will say it again - a surrogate truly deserves their compensation for the post-partum period and then some. Don't get me wrong, I'm immensely proud of what I've achieved for a 2nd time, I have nothing but fuzzy feelings of love for the journey my IFs and I have shared and it's a fantastic experience but there is a downside and things like continuing pain, changing dynamics and feeling lost once you no longer have that purpose of growing a baby any more, are all that downside.

And of course the ever present and strange feelings that come with the change in the relationship with your IPs, the one that throws up such questions as: are they only keeping in touch because they feel they should? Do they really care? What are they really thinking? You can never be sure, you certainly don't want to ask because never do you want to come across as needy or even worse, paranoid but you do wonder sometimes. I particularly hate this part post-partum because I'm naturally curious but also a bit of a worrier and would hate to burden my IPs with any expectation of contact and communication, I want it to be natural and freely given or not at all. No-one should feel obliged, after all the main purpose of the match has been met and anything after is purely goodwill on everyones part.

Fin and his daddies are doing well, Fin is starting to stretch his night feeds a little longer and the guys are adjusting to life with little sleep - it's amazing how your body and mind adapt and what seemed like torture and impossible to deal with, becomes the norm after a while! Looking forward to seeing them this month for our first court hearing for the Parental Order process - it's come around very fast but it'll be lovely to get things started and hopefully wrapped up in a timely manner.

This past month, there was an email from the clinic asking my IFs what they wanted to do with their remaining 2 frozen embryos - did they want to use them now, did they want to store them again or do they want to donate/destroy them? That was a strange email to read since it's only been a few weeks since Fin's arrival. I know they have to ask but yeah, just weird! I think the guys are going to continue to keep them on ice and the price for 2 years worth of storage is only a few more euros so it makes sense to pay for that amount of time as they were going to do so for at least another year anyway.

I have my date to see the consultant for a chat about the delivery and aftermath and it's the 15th May so that will give me enough time to get my notes re-sent and gather my list of questions.

Lastly, I have my 6 week post-natal check up with my GP on the 15th of this month, I've never had one before so it'll be interesting to see what that involves but knowing the GP probably something in nothing. I'll report back either way!