NIAW2021

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As #NIAW2021 comes to a close we want to say THANK YOU! Thank you to all the infertility warriors that have shared their stories and journey’s with us. Thank you to all the professionals who work with us every day to help these men and women. And finally, thank you to every surrogate and donor. We appreciate you all and consider ourselves so lucky to know you all! The week may have come to a close, but never stop sharing and spreading awareness- you matter, your story matters.
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#whatiwantyoutoknow #niaw2021 #buildingfamiliesinc

Yay!

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Yay! Stephanie made the journey from Las Vegas to San Diego for her medical clearance appointment at SDFC. Stay tuned for updates on her journey!

March Bio of the Month

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With her all-encompassing beauty and her nose in a book, Lucy reminds us of our very own Belle! When she’s not reading, she’s working hard to provide for her children Stevie, 16, and Pearl, 21. Teaching them by showing, rather than telling, the importance of being a better individual daily. She is a strong believer that every day is a new day and should be treated as such. She truly believes that everything happens for a reason. The path that brought her to surrogacy was meant to be! We are thrilled to be a part of the magic!

Christine’s Surrogacy Story

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After delivering a beautiful baby girl for her couple in April 2018, surrogate mother Christine knew she wanted to experience a surrogacy journey again, but her bond with her couple was so strong that she couldn’t imagine doing it with anyone else. Lucky for her, she didn’t have to! 

 

As everyone knows, Covid has created challenging situations for our surrogate mothers and their couples and it was no different for Christine and her surro-family.  The hospital did not allow the parents to be with their newborn daughter due to their restrictions.  The parents asked and Christine quickly agreed and made sure this new baby received all of the cuddles and cooing she needed until she could be with her mommy, daddy and big sister.  February 26, 2021 is when the dream of completing this family came true!  

 

Although we can’t share the new arrivals name with you, we must share the amazing honor that Christine received when she found out that baby girl would be her namesake!!! 

 

Part 2 : Angie’s Story; COVID19 Vaccine and Breastmilk Donation

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Hi again! My name is Angela and at the request of Carol & Randi, I am sharing my experience of receiving the Covid-19 vaccine and how it has affected me and the breast milk I have supplied to my local milk bank. To read part one, please click here.

Short recap; I received the first dose of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine on 12/29/2020 and the second dose on 1/27/2021. I had minor symptoms after the first dose and the symptoms from the second dose were similar to that of a mild flu, both in severity and endurance. So, what changed after taking the vaccine?

I informed the milk bank that I was fortunate enough to receive the Covid-19 vaccine from my employer. Since the Covid-19 vaccine is so new and unknown, they couldn’t very well use my milk for babies because of the lack of research. They asked me to pack up the breastmilk bags pumped for 5 days after receiving each dose into their cooler with a green bag instead of a clear one. The green bag signifies to them that the breast milk is to be used for researching the effects of the vaccine on breastmilk and not for regular use.

I froze the individual bags and when I accumulated 400 oz, I shipped it all in a cooler they provided. Two big ice packs went on the bottom of the styrofoam cooler, next the frozen milk bags inside a bigger clear bag, then two more big ice packs on top of the milk followed by the cooler lid. I shipped it overnight so it would arrive at their processing facility still frozen.

I am excited to be part of this milk bank’s research as well as another study of breastmilk by UC San Diego. For UCSD, I have saved frozen samples of breastmilk pumped at 24 hours, 48 hours, 1 week and 2 weeks after each dose of vaccine I received. My hope is that research will find that the vaccine is not only safe while breastfeeding but beneficial to babies receiving that milk and will help to calm the fears some mothers may have about getting the vaccine. I am thankful to be in the unique situation that allows me to provide breastmilk for research purposes without depriving a baby of much needed nutrients.

I appreciate Building Families’ interest in wanting to spread awareness about the Covid-19 vaccine and I look forward to sharing more information in the future.

Courteney’s Surrogacy Story

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Courteney kicked off 2021 with a beautiful baby boy for her couple! Although their journey began in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she fearlessly underwent IVF treatments and pregnancy while also working fulltime and caring for her son. Her positive attitude and diligence eased the minds of her intended parents as they anxiously awaited the arrival of their baby all the way from the UK! 

 

Thankfully, all of the travel restrictions did not stop her couple from arriving prior to her due date. Especially lucky, because at her 39 week check up Courteney was directed to head over to labor & delivery. Just 12 hours after settling in at the hospital on February 23rd at about 5:30am she changed her couple from Intended Parents to “Parents” with the birth of their 9lbs 2oz baby boy!

Former GC Angela Received COVID-19 Vaccine

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Hello Everyone! My name is Angela and Carol & Randi asked me to document my experience in receiving the Covid-19 vaccine. I was a Surrogate and delivered last year in September 2020. You can read more about that https://www.buildingfamiliesinc.com/en/2020/09/angies-birth-story/.

I am a clinical laboratory scientist and work daily with body fluids including urine, blood and respiratory samples. The clinic where I work most often has begun limited testing for covid-19 infection and I am excited, from a scientist’s perspective, to be a part of this ground-breaking and live-saving work!! I jumped on the offer to receive the Covid-19 vaccine when it was offered to me.

My first dose of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine was on 12/29/2020 at about noon. I was asked to wait for 15 minutes after the dose was administered so they could observe me for any adverse reactions. Thankfully, I felt completely normal the rest of the day. The next morning, however, my arm was sore and I had a small lump and some redness at the injection site. It was no worse than when I get my flu shot every year. But, at around 36 hours after the first dose I was totally exhausted and had very little appetite. I assume this was because my immune system was hard at work pumping out as many antibodies as quickly as it could. By two days after the first dose I was back to feeling normal. Side note, I was still pumping breast milk and donating to a local bank.

I was able to maintain my breast milk supply just as before the vaccine. My second dose of Moderna Covid-19 vaccine was on 1/27/2021 at about 9:30 in the morning. I was again asked to wait for 15 minutes after the dose was administered so they could observe me for adverse reactions and again, thankfully I was fine. I loved seeing all the 75+ year old members wearing their masks and sitting 6 feet apart after receiving their vaccines. It filled me with so much hope that maybe the end to the worst part of this global pandemic is finally in sight.

About 12 hours after my second dose is when I started to feel really tired again, so I went to bed early. Around 11pm I woke up with chills and body aches, much like the flu. I alternated freezing chills with overheating in sweat for the next couple of hours but did eventually sleep. The next morning I had a headache and felt achy and tired like recovering from the flu. I took a dose of Advil and began to feel much better. By the second day, I was again back to normal. And now, almost 2 weeks after receiving the second dose of vaccine I am feeling great! I am so thankful to have been given this vaccine to help keep myself and my family safe.

More to follow!!!

February Bio of the Month

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Courteney

Courteney is the epitome of a California Girl! When the weather is nice, as it most often is in sunny SoCal, you can find her swimming in the pool, lounging on the beach, or soaking up the magic at Disneyland. According to her, her purpose in life is to make an impact on the people around her. Not only does she do that daily as she raises her adorable 5-year-old son, Noah, but also as she is helping to create a family for a couple halfway around the world. With her love of travel and desire to see the world, we won’t be surprised if she visits her surrobabe in London someday!

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