TV Spot
A couple of months back (two now) I was asked to be on a morning show (Great Day SA) for the Mother's Day show, showcasing surrogacy. Knowing I was to be on the show was the catalyst that finally got my surrogacy agency started. Since then I have had a lot of activity to the agency website and have a possible match pending with a couple looking for a surrogate.
Two days ago I was finally able to pick up that segment from KENS 5 and Terry posted it to his website:
iMuseAnyway, last month one of the magazines I write for asked me to interview the former host of the OTHER morning show here in town called San Antonio Living. She saw I was pregnant and yada yada yada, we talked business (she had started her own company) but she said it was a cool story and she would send my details on to the new host of SA Living.
Well, out of the blue yesterday afternoon at 2:30PM I got a call from the host. They wanted Terry and I on the show today at 10:00AM! And they focused on the agency aspect and less on my being pregnant.
God has opened so many doors for me. Back in April I had to interview the President of one of the largest hospitals in town. It happens to be where I delivered Jackson last year, and where I am delivering this little one next month. He had heard there was a surrogate who had delivered and as soon as he realised it was me, he gave me his cell phone number and told me to call him when I came to the maternity section because 'I want to know you're taken care of'. But the hospital has its own fertility doctors and he told me that he was going to tell all the doctors at their center to start referring my agency for couples needing a woman to carry their baby/babies.
I am humbled and truly thankful as I see how God is opening these doors for us. Most people have to fight to get advertising, but people are coming to me!
We arrived at the set bright and early this morning and found out that we were to be given 10 minutes, and that we were at the top of the show, right after Regis and Kelly. After our segment was complete, my phone was flooded with calls! I have couples looking for surrogates and I even received a call from a woman wanting to be a carrier.
Here is a link to the video (need to download it for my website!):
San Antonio Living
Labels: agency, KENS 5, San Antonio Living, Surrogate, Surrogate Angels of San Antonio, TV, WOAI
Spring Happenings and more
Flowers are planted, the air is balmy, and all around me is the evidence of spring. Of course here in San Antonio it has been that way since February! But a month ago I planted flowers all around the front of my porch. It makes the front of the house appear so bright and cheery. I chose a lot of red to 'pop' the white facade of the house.
In other news:
I have not broadcast to too many people that I am pregnant yet again. Again, not my baby, but a baby for a deserving couple. Let me hasten to add, this is NOT my baby. I am not getting pregnant and then giving my baby away. The genes/DNA of this baby belong completely to the couple I am carrying for. I am currently 22 weeks pregnant and today we had all the important ultrasound to reveal the gender of the baby. It is a boy. This is now the 6th boy I am carrying! I have had 3 girls and 5 boys, I thought I was about due for a girl, but nature decided otherwise! The parents are over the moon, in fact the father couldn't even talk for a few minutes, he was completely stunned.
Countdown to the end of the school year begins, the pool opens in less than a month, and already it is hot enough to swim. We took advantage of an open house at a local gym, and used their wonderful outdoor pools with water slides to cool down this weekend.
Gosh, I LOVE San Antonio!
Labels: boy, pool, pregnancy, spring, Surrogate, Waterfalls
The results are in
Well on December 17th I had my first official pregnancy blood draw from the doctor's office. I NEVER test beforehand with home pregnancy tests for two reasons. Firstly I don't want to be the first to officially know if I am pregnant, I believe that is for the parents to hear, this is their baby/babies after all. Plus I have had the joy of being the first to know whether I am pregnant five times already. That is not to say that I didn't figure out I was pregnant, I knew I was, but wanted the official word. The other reason is because I belong to a surrogacy site and many of the surrogates on there take home pregnancy tests and get positives. They call the parents who are thrilled to hear the news, only to have a negative blood draw because things didn't transpire like they should have; it's a chemical pregnancy where the embryo initially 'took' but then didn't develop. It results in false positives that only a blood test can determine.
Anyway a good level at 14 days post transfer is 60 to 100. Mine was really high at 318. I returned 48 hours later and the doctor wants to see it double, so a good level would have been around 630. Mine was 810. But only the ultrasound reveals what is truly going on.
On January 3rd we had the ultrasound and although I have to admit I was disappointed to see only one little heartbeat on the screen (I was firmly expecting two!) the parents are thrilled. They have never seen a heartbeat before. The biological mom has always received a negative from the initial blood test. It has yet to sink in for them and as the mom said, "I will breathe more easily when you get to 12 weeks."
So the countdown begins for another baby to arrive into the world and help complete a family. Makes baby #9 for me!
Labels: baby, blood test, chemical pregnancy, infertility, Surrogate
I Did It (one more time)
If you read my blog consistently you'll know that I have been a gestational surrogate twice, once in 2005 and again in 2006-2007. The first time I delivered a healthy set of twins (a boy and a girl) and in April 2007 I delivered a healthy, HUGE boy for a second couple. Count so far - 5 of my own kids, 3 kids for other people.
The babies I carry are not genetically related to me - I could never relinquish a part of me. I was a poor student when I gave birth to Warrick, and if I couldn't bear to part with him, there is no way I would give up a child now at a time where we can afford kids. The babies I have carried belong 100% to the parents who are unable, for a variety of reasons, to carry their baby.
I had planned on the last baby being my final pregnancy but several factors changed my mind. First off I saw my OB six weeks after my last delivery and she teased me that I looked so good, I could have another two or three pregnancies with no problem. That same weekend I travelled up to Dallas to meet the owner of the surrogate agency I have worked with since the end of 2003. When I saw Merritt, the owner, she said, "Oh Cori. Please tell me you'll do another surrogacy! I have the sweetest couple who meet all your criteria and they live only about 10 minutes from you!" I called Terry, who truth be known, had been cajoling me to do another surrogacy just days after Jackson arrived. Of course he said yes and we set up a meeting.
On June 1st we met one of the nicest couples we could hope to befriend. They are younger than us and have been trying to conceive for seven years. At the end of the meeting we both agreed to move forward. As with the surrogacy experience patience is the name of the game. We had some delays but this morning the day finally dawned! The doctor retrieved eggs from the mother on Friday, and today we transferred two really good embryos over to me.
Why do I do this? Here's why:
JacksonAnd:
Twins Turn TwoLabels: embryos, Surrogate
Twins are Two!
A month ago I made an appointment for Teagan to visit the orthodontist on October 4th. As I made the appointment I kept thinking, "The 4th, Now why does that stick in my mind?" It was not until I received the appointment card and walked to the van that I realised it was the date the twins were born!
This morning I woke up and at a decent time called the twins parents to wish Wendall and Kendell a happy birthday. Their party is this Saturday and we are looking forward to seeing them then. We saw them in August when Wendall and Laurie came to my surprise 40th party with the twins in tow. They are adorable! Into everything and always running in two different directions. Wendall has the biggest blue eyes and a mop of curly blonde hair. Kendell has darker, straight hair and hazel eyes. Wendall looks just like his father and Kendell like her mother.
I can close my eyes and remember the evening they came into the world and the enthralling look of joy and expectation on their parent's faces. Seven years of trying, heartache, disappointments, the roller-coaster ride of infertility that many couples experience all culminated in one joyous moment of seeing the birth of their precious babies. The look on their faces is reward in and of itself and I am so glad that I got to be a part of that.
Happy birthday Wendall and Kendell!
Labels: birth, Surrogate, twins
Tortuous Times
Tomorrow I enter a torture chamber and the worst part is when I’m done, I will pay the bill!
It all started Wednesday when I saw my doctor for a checkup.
“When was your last mammogram, Mrs. Smelker?” he enquired.
“What do you mean last?” I was startled. Don’t all the commercials on TLC recommend you get an annual mammogram beginning at age 40? I had spent my entire life trying to avoid 40 solely for this reason, now he’s asking when my last one was?
“Well, I generally recommend my patients get their first at 35, and then one every couple of years until 40 and then an annual one thereafter.”
“Good thing you weren’t my doctor five years ago,” I said with a light laugh. His face demonstrated his total lack of amusement.
“In order for me to clear you for another surrogacy you have to get one.”
I called the clinic when I got home to schedule the appointment. “I can fit you in on Thursday” proclaimed the impossibly chirpy, probably 20-something who has another two decades to go before SHE worries about mammograms.
“You mean Thursday next week?”
“No. Thursday tomorrow, or even this Friday.”
Ok, right there that tells me something. I had to schedule an appointment a month in advance to have my baby
and I was already in labour! But the mammogram technician could see me the next day??
“Um, Friday will be fine, I guess.”
The nurse assured me that it really isn’t that big a deal. Personally I don’t see the need for the darn thing in the first place, but I am an obedient person (hah!!) I know my ‘girls’ are fine, no lumps, no painful areas because I have them examined on an almost daily basis by a certain member of this house, who shall remain nameless.
I’m not buying ‘it really isn’t that big a deal’. What if the mammogram machine is like my daughter’s Shrinki-Dink? You know the machine — you create an object, you put it in the machine, wait for a few minutes, coincidentally the same amount of time my ‘girls’ will be in the mammogram machine — and voila, the object is miniaturized. What if I go in one size, and come out a triple-nothing? Would I still love myself? Would my husband still love me? Even more importantly, is there a return policy on all those bras I bought last week?
The nurse also informed me that I was not to wear perfume, or deodorant. Huh? It's not bad enough I am stripped of my dignity, I have to smell bad too while I am examined by some post-adolescent spotty boy? And who is the sadist who thought this machine up in the first place? I’m guessing it was a person of the male persuasion who grew up with some kind of complex and decided to take it out on all women by squishing them as tightly as possible all in the name of good health and science. Where’s the machine to test for testicular cancer? Oh d’uh! — there isn’t one!
So, I have one last night to look at my pre-mammogram ‘girls’ before stepping to the rack and paying for the privilege of having a technician try to squish the life out of me.
I think I need a coffee, no make that an espresso. Wait! Make it a double!
Labels: mammogram, Surrogate
Congratulations Cummins Family
Yesterday was a banner day for the Cummins family as they welcomed little Francis Jackson Cummins III into the world. He arrived at 12:53pm weighing a hefty 9lbs 7oz, and measuring 21.25 inches. He looks just like his big sister Imara, who in turn looks like her Daddy, Frank, and her maternal grandmother Mimi (Jean). Our kids got to see Francis for a short while last night, and hang out with a very tired Imara. Here is a photo of the two families (and the pediatrician) with the baby.
Back Row, from left to right: Terry, Garrick, Carson, Mimi (Jean), Laurie, Frank, Dr. Borland
Front Row, from left to right: Hayley, Imara, Warrick holding Francis, Cori and Teagan
Labels: baby, birth, Surrogate
The Twins Are One!!!
Yesterday, October 4th the twins I carried for a couple here in town turned 1! Where did the time go? Last night the mother gave me a call and said, "Right now a year ago you were getting ready to push out Kendall." Wendell had arrived 12 minutes earlier. She said, "Words will never adequately say thank you for what you gave us."
These photos are from June when the twins were 8 months old, but I should get some photos this weekend when we celebrate their first birthday at a big party.
Wendell and me (his mom is in the background)
Kendall and me
Labels: Birthday, Surrogate, twins
Twins are three weeks old today
A friend emailed me on Friday to remind me that the 21st was my due date for the twins, and wasn't I glad I didn't carry that far? I emailed her back and said the 21st would have been out of the question anyway because it was Garrick's birthday and I was not about to have the twins on his birthday!
I reflect on the intervening three weeks and I am so grateful I took this opportunity to carry the twins for Wendall and Laurie. Their struggle to have children opened my eyes to a whole demographic of the human population who, for a variey of reasons, are unable to carry biological children of their own. I will never look at fertility issues in quite the same way again. It also makes me so grateful to realise just how easy in comparison my own pregnancies were and how I took them for granted.
To all those who have struggled with fertility issues, keep up the good fight, and remember, God is bigger than any problem you face, and He has the answer for you.
Labels: God, Surrogate, twins
Creating Books
I think many of you know that I have kept a journal of my surrogacy journey and plan on turning the journal into a book that explores not only the adventure itself, but the spiritual and theological implications involved. I have heard so often from people, "Oh, if it was God's will for those people to have babies, He would have opened her womb..." But those same people who might believe it is God's will for someone to have cancer will encourage them to get chemo. The logic doesn't follow.
Anyway, I have written about half of the book and to keep me motivated, Terry created a lovely book cover that I hope we can use for the book when it is done (which should be in November).
Labels: Surrogate
Babies, Babies!!
Terry and I are excited to let everyone know that after 37 weeks and 4 days
of pregnancy, the OB determined I had carried long enough and decided to
induce the babies. (I think she felt sorry for me because one of the babies
was breech and had taken up residence under my ribcage!)
They both arrived safely on Tuesday October 4th. Wendall Carter III arrived
at 9:13pm, weighing a hefty 6lbs 10oz, and measuring 19.75 inches. Kendell
Sarah roared into the world 11 minutes later weighing 6lbs 6oz and measuring
19 inches. Labour lasted a total of one hour from first real contraction to
birth.
The babies went home with their parents this morning, and I came home to
resume our family life - for which my children will be eternally grateful.
Labels: Surrogate, Terry, twins
Can You Believe It?
Tomorrow marks 37 weeks! And I am still hanging in here. We had a scan of the babies done on Tueday afternoon and Baby B surprised all of us. From the very beginning she has been a little smaller than her brother and at a scan done on September 9th Baby A (the boy) weighed 5lbs 6 oz and she weighed 4lbs 15oz.
I fully expected A to be 6lbs 7oz and B to be 6lbs at this latest appointment. WRONG!! A is 6lbs 5oz, so I was only 2 ounces off, but B weighed in at a hefty 6lbs 7oz!
So, we are almost at the end of the road here. I will be most surprised if I make it to 38 weeks, but 37 weeks is considered pretty much full term for twins and these two are definitely very healthy.
Stay posted!
Labels: Surrogate, twins
Just Hanging Around
Well, I am officially 36 weeks pregnant with these twins and I quite honestly have surprised myself as well as the OB that I have made it this far. We will have an ultrasound on Tuesday, but she and I both think that Baby A is well over 6lbs right now, and B is close to 6lbs. She measured me yesterday and I measured 45 weeks pregnant - can you say LARGE??
Hurricane Rita is making waves (no pun intended) even here in San Antonio. Rita is not expected to have any large impact on us at all, we might get some rain on Saturday, and there is a wind advisory out that says we can expect 35 mile per hour winds, but residents here are stocking up like crazy! Terry went to the store to buy water (we drink a lot of bottled water!) and Wal-mart was completely out. The lines at the checkout were crazy and he didn't even stop and get gas because the cars were creeping around the corner. We heard from one gal who lives in Houston and she is trying to get to her sister in Dallas. She left her house at midnight and by 6:30AM was only 40 miles from her house!
Our thoughts and prayers go out to those in the path of Rita.
Labels: Surrogate, twins
Baby B is a Stubborn Little One!!
Yesterday I saw the u/s person and they measured the babies and A is 5lbs 7oz, and B is 5lbs even. That means if they were born right now they would more than likely go home immediately unless they exhibited signs of not being able to keep their body temperatures up by themselves, or had trouble sucking. That is the GREAT news.
On another front though on Labour day I began to feel really uncomfortable, I have been in a lot of pain because I thought both babies were kicking me at the same spot. Well, turns out only one was kicking! Kendall (baby B) turned again, and now her head is stuck right under my ribcage pushing my ribs out. Even breathing hurts when I sit or lay down! It doesn't change things for the delivery, I can still go vaginal because Wendall, the first twin is head down, but part of me is like, "you need to be able to breathe deeply when in labour, that's not happening right now!" I need this baby to turn! From what I read online, an external version done by the doctor is probably not a viable option because there are twins and therefore no room. I am going to try some natural remedies that might help.
Anyway, please agree with me in prayer that she moves, I am in such pain that I don't think I can take another couple of weeks of pregnancy like this. I want to give these guys another week or so in the womb, but the way I feel I just want to get it over and done with! I can feel her move a lot, and I really hope that one of the moves that was recommended by a midwife will get her head down again.
Labels: God, Surrogate, twins
Finally Brave Enough
Terry took the photo this morning, when I don't feel so 'big'! I wake up in the morning feeling pretty good about life, but by 2:00pm I feel HUGE!!
Labels: Surrogate, twins
How Big??
OK, so I go and see my OB today - officially I am 33 weeks and 6 days pregnant. A 'normal' pregnancy will last right around 40 weeks, although anything over 38 weeks is considered full term.
My OB measured my stomach today see how much the babies had grown. I was last measured two weeks ago when I was 31 weeks and 5 days pregnant. At that point, I measured at 38 weeks. In other words, if I was carrying one baby, I would be considered full term.
In just this last week I have really felt the babies growing. It's almost like my belly is a separate entity, and seems (in my eyes) to sway in front of me when I walk. Dr. Largoza measured me today and I measured at 43 weeks! I could barely believe my ears when she said that - no wonder I have been complaining about feeling big, I am!! The twins did 5 weeks worth of growing in 2 weeks.
But the good thing is that the babies are big and healthy - both are over 5lbs. We will get a more accurate idea of their size on Friday when I return for yet another ultrasound! (I think I have seen one doctor or another once a week since we started this whole process).
In the meantime I am holding on, 34 weeks is right around the corner. Anything past that is a bonus, and although part of me wants to be done already, another, more rational part knows that staying pregnant longer is the best thing for these babies.
Labels: Surrogate, twins
Smelker Labour Day
Well, I called Warrick the "phantom child" and I was not far wrong! I had to go back almost 11 months in iPhoto to find this shot of him.
We had a quiet, relaxing day here. Terry, the master chef of pancakes brought out the griddle this morning and created a masterpiece that the kids soon devoured. Apart from that, the day was fairly uneventful. I am still not allowed to do much more than walk from room to room, which any other day is not too bad, but today was the last day of the sub-division pool being open. The committee had organised for a raffle and a large BBQ, and I was looking forward to going, but the doctor put the kibosh on it. Terry took the kids for a couple of hours, spurred on by the fact that one of Garrick's little friends called the house looking for him.
However, on Friday, as mentioned before, all restrictions placed on me will be lifted and I can start moving around freely again. These last few days are harder than the beginning. It's like when I used to run cross-country at school, the hardest part was seeing the finish line in front of you and wondering how long it will take to get there! I can almost taste the freedom! But I have to say I am really grateful that I am not stuck in a hospital bed, forced to lie there 24 hours a day.
I have had friends who have either been confined to their homes, stuck on the couch for several weeks, or in the case of one woman, in the hospital for 16 weeks! I did joke with my one friend Kim who basically suffered labour pains for 6 long weeks that she has a great comeback when her son wants to learn how to drive. Saying, "I was in labour with you for 6 weeks and you want to get into a car and probably kill yourself," sounds a lot more effective than, "I was in labour with you for 45 minutes..." Lacks impact!
I am just thankful that on this Labour Day I did not labour!
Labels: pool, Surrogate, Terry, twins, Warrick
Lazy Sunday!!
This is so unlike us - to be lolling arond the house on a Sunday, rather than getting ready for church and all the activities that follow it! This is the second Sunday we have stayed home - not by choice - but under doctor's orders for me! But, Friday the 9th of September I will be a free woman once again.
For those not in the know, I am carrying twins right now - and they are not Terry's babies! They aren't mine either...I am a GS (Gestational Surrogate) carrying boy/girl twins for a couple unable to carry their own babies to term.
So, today Terry will probably take the kids to the pool later on (our temperatures are still in the high 90's and low 100's) while I loll around here at home. I am not even allowed to cook (oh DARN!)
We decided to create this blog because our family is spread to the four winds and we have been really bad at scanning and sending photos and news to family. Be warned! Once I post the photos, you'll notice a distinct lack of Warrick! That's because he is seldom home, and even less seldom in range of the camera.
Labels: Surrogate, twins
