We’re sending all the positive vibes to Dee and her couple while we (not so patiently) wait for her heartbeat confirmation appointment. Here’s a cute throwback of Dee and Dr. Frederick on transfer day!
Graduation Day!
It’s Graduation Day for Priscilla and her IP’s! Many thanks to the staff at Reproductive Fertility Center for her excellent care thus far, but now she’s on to her regular OB for the remainder of the pregnancy.
Amanda’s Surrogacy Story
BFI had 4 deliveries in 5 weeks in 2019. Amanda brought a beautiful baby girl into the world into her father’s awaiting arms. She immediately knew she wanted to help build another family. She loved her experience so much, especially seeing Shannon every month and then weekly towards the end.
Her next journey, unbeknownst to us all, would be very different. She had all of the pieces, a couple who adored her, good pregnancy and as always, her cheerful nature. But due to Covid, she went from holding Shannon’s hand at every appointment to having Shannon in her hand Facetiming. Even still, Amanda never lost her smile or her excitement for her couple!
Early in the pregnancy, her couple shared their desire for the birth to occur during a certain range of dates and times due to their beliefs. She and BFI did their best to advise them that there is little to no control of when their baby would be born. As the fates would have it, their beautiful 7lb baby girl made her arrival within the magical day and hour! Culturally, this timing means that she is meant for greatness…but we knew that already.
Relax!
Perhaps you haven’t tried Dr. Rad’s relaxation or maybe it has just been a long time…but either way, we’d like you to take a moment to sit down and recenter your focus today!
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#MHAM #youarenotalone #recenter #selfcare #focus #relax #buildingfamiliesinc
NIAW2021
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!
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
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!
Jeri’s Journey!
Jeri’s Journey is off to a sweet start! Pregnancy confirmation via heartbeat ultrasound; congratulations are in order for her and her Intended Parents! Follow along for more updates!
Christine’s Surrogacy Story
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
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.