Sunday, September 9, 2012

Discharged!

While we were visiting the future Uncle Brandon and Aunt Emily last weekend in Tucson, AZ, we got the email we've been hoping to receive for the past three weeks - our awesome surrogate has been discharged!   There is no more bleeding or spotting and the baby has been developing on track.

We are very thankful for the team at SCI for providing daily updates on her care and for the reassurance when we needed it.  To be blunt, we are also very thankful for the exchange rate...three weeks of constant care in the hospital and our grand total was only 3k.  That is the average cost of medical expenses for a hospital stay PER NIGHT in the US.  The difference in medical costs is outstanding, while at the same time, the difference between the medical attention and care that our surrogate receives is likewise outstanding.  The daily ultrasounds and daily heartbeat scans of our little one are unheard of here.  The fact that she is in top of the line facilities and that the staff is focused on her every comfort is comforting to us as well.  We owe the future version of our family to this wonderful woman.  

For the first time in a long time, thoughts have been on things other than waiting for the next daily update, keeping fingers and toes and eyes crossed, hoping we don't get that phone call.  Things are starting to feel more and more real.  On Friday, I had to tell my boss that I had a conflict with a project I am currently leading because of a "personal issue".  The go-live weekend for this work project is the same weekend as our projected due date.  The "Dunn-McKeithen Project" go-live that occurs in 6 months takes priority over the client go-live.  Telling my boss that I was going to have to stop leading the project, no matter what, was the first time that I felt like I was in control of something during this surrogacy process.  It was the first time that I was able to do something parental for our future children.

It's weird how it doesn't feel very real in the beginning of this surrogacy journey.  Then you see the egg donor profiles and it feels a little more real, then you go to India and it feels pretty exciting.  Then you get a negative and restart the process.  Or you get a positive and you're more excited than you were when you first landed that night in India, with all of those initial hopes, more excited than you've ever been to start a family.  The rest is a roller-coaster, but as weeks pass and you receive each scan, whether good or bad, you're further along on your personal journey and you're closer to being a parent.

In the meantime, I am reading the silly things on babycenter.com and printing and framing pictures of each baby scan (don't judge) from SCI, and also taping a piece of paper to the picture frame that correlates to the baby's size (OK, you can judge for that one).  It's still feeling more and more real each day.

Eventually we're going to start putting together a nursery and we're going to start picturing a baby crawling around in these four walls.  Then we'll fly across the world to greet the little guy or girl that is going to be our first child.  Becoming a family.  So amazing.

C&B    


13 comments:

  1. I am so pleased to hear that your surro mummy is doing fine. Hope that it will now be all smooth sailing

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  2. so happy to hear that your surrogate is doing better and your baby is fine. I have been praying for you guys everyday since that scary news. Crossing every body part I have that everything is fine from here on out.

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  3. So please your Surrogate is doing better.
    I too printed every scan and have placed them in a photo album to document our girls journey, so print away, and savour every detail. Wishing you an uneventful rest of the pregnancy!

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  4. What great news! Wishing you a "boring" pregnancy until birth!

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  5. Don't blink...your little one will be crawling around you before you know it! Goes SO fast! Enjoy each moment to the fullest.

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  6. Great news - so happy to hear that. I have all our scans as well - no judgment here!!! Best wishes, K


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  7. I am so happy to hear she is finally out of hospital ... what a relief! We also make a collage with all the scans; it feels closer when you can kiss a piece of paper each night. jejeje

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  8. Every day is a gift...especially in the beginning. And it's awesome that you are documenting it all. No judging here, because when you become a parent and post more Facebook photos of your kiddo than anyone can stand, you don't care....because that LOVE is what matters. Love always wins. Screw the judgers. Congrats on the progress and the discharge and well, just congrats! Super happy for you guys...!

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  9. excuse the typos and rambling...I meant "because LOVE is what matters"...don't judge me for late night ramblings...LOL

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  10. Yay so pleased your surro mommy is out of hospital thats great news, wishing you a smooth journey from here on x

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  11. I'm really happy to hear the good news about your surrogate, and that everything is right on track with the baby:) Have fun with the nursery. Your son or daughter will be crawling all over the place before you know it!

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  12. That's such good news - what a huge relief!

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