Congrats! You are pregnant

Written by: admin | Posted: August 20, 2020

We are thrilled for you! As many super heroes are quoted “With great power comes great responsibility”, and pregnancy is one of those powers. There are so many exciting milestones to come, but we will first point out a few areas to air in caution. Of course, these are just suggestions!

Your Diet

There are some possible hazards that one should avoid pregnant.

• Excessive Caffeine: Miscarriage and low birth weight have been linked to cases of excessive caffeine use; however these instances are from high milligrams per day, excesses of 300-milligrams.  A can of soda or a cup of coffee is okay. Remember moderation and don’t become excessive.
• Specific Foods: There are certain reactions to different types of food that can cause trouble during a pregnancy.
  • Cheeses such as brie and feta, or undercooked meats (for example – fish, poultry) can contain listeria bacteria. Listeriosis can cause preterm labor, miscarriage, and even still birth. The symptoms can include nausea, fever, fatigue, chills, and other non-specific symptoms.
  • Seafood, especially swordfish and shark, can contain high levels of mercury and other toxins. Consuming these foods while pregnant can cause fetal developmental delays.
  • Many people also recommend using aspartame during a pregnancy rather that saccharine, we recommend consulting with your physician on their recommendation.

At Home

Everywhere we look there are dangers during pregnancy. However in our own homes we have some dangers that might not be as obvious as others.

• Cat Litter: During your pregnancy is the one time that you can get out of doing litter clean up duty. Toxoplasmosis is most commonly caused by the parasites that reside in cat feces. This can be dangerous because it may cause health problems to the baby not only preterm labor, or miscarriage.
• Cleaning Products: Cleaning your home can open you to a whole host of toxins that can cause harm to the developing baby during your pregnancy. Be sure to read labels before using the chemicals. Wear protective gear; ensure that the place you are cleaning is well ventilated. Try to avoid are solvents, oven cleaners, and aerosols.

Stress

As with any pregnancy, stress can be something that is hard to avoid. With all that is anticipated to come relaxing is hard to do but it will be best for both you and the baby. Stress is linked to preterm birth as well as low birth weights, trigger contractions and reduce blood flow. One of the biggest stressors is a woman’s job. If you have a high stress, or high pressure job you may want to reduce the work load.

Find ways to reduce stress throughout  your pregnancy. Your local area may have classes that you can take for prenatal yoga or other stress relieving exercise. Learn techniques for relaxation. Be sure that no matter what else you do keep yourself surrounded by people who are supportive.

Maintaining a healthy and happy pregnancy isn’t too difficult as long as you can remember some of the dangers that exist and safeguard yourself. If you ever have questions contact your primary health care provider.

There are many resources to help you get through your pregnancy. Egg Donor Solutions always recommends that you seek advice from your health care provider but we also understand the benefits of support after the long journey.  Look for personal groups with support as well as online.  You will be glad you found that community. 

Our family is how it always should have been

Written by: admin | Posted: July 28, 2020

Written By: Carrie Collier-Brown

At age 31, Carrie Collier-Brown was on the verge of an exciting new phase in her life. She had just graduated from law school and was preparing to take the bar exam. A newlywed, she was also looking forward to starting a family and had been trying to conceive for just under year. Then, a visit to a reproductive endocrinologist revealed devastating news – Carrie learned that she had only a five to 20 percent chance of having a child, even with invitro fertilization (IVF). 

Diagnosed with low ovarian reserve, Carrie says, “It was hard news to hear and surprising because my doctor couldn’t give us an explanation for it.”

Carrie was determined to have a child and underwent four rounds of IVF before becoming pregnant with her daughter, Willow (now age nine). When Willow was two, Carrie and her husband, Jeremy, decided to try again. But when another attempt at IVF resulted in a single embryo that wasn’t viable for transfer, they knew they had to take a different path and chose to pursue growing their family through egg donation.

“We really wanted Willow to have siblings, and she really wanted them,” Carrie says. “It was comforting for me to know that she would have a genetic connection to her siblings [through Jeremy].”

In choosing a donor, it was important for Carrie and Jeremy to find someone who would be willing to stay in touch for medical updates and would also be open to meeting them, as well as any children once they turned 18.

“We knew going into the process that we didn’t want it to be completely anonymous,” Carrie explains­­. “We wanted to provide any future children the opportunity to know their biological ancestry. Maybe it would be important to them, maybe it wouldn’t, but I didn’t want to make any decisions that would close the door on that opportunity.”

After a negative experience with another agency, Carrie and Jeremy were referred to Egg Donor Solutions­ (EDS) where they had the opportunity to do a Skype session with their selected donor.

“It was a great match,” Carrie says of their connection with the donor. “Our experience with EDS was the complete opposite from the first agency. Every step along the way, we knew what was happening and were made aware of the timeline. They were organized and empathetic; it was a fantastic experience.”

Carrie had a successful pregnancy and gave birth to twins, Zoe and Cooper, in 2015. When asked how she feels about the significance of a genetic link now that she has both biological and donor-conceived children, Carrie says, “There’s no difference in the love I have for each of them. With Willow, I see a lot of myself in her. Physically, she’s my mini-me, but there are parts of her personality that are foreign to me. With Zoe and Cooper, we may not have a genetic connection, but they are 100 percent my children. I grew them, I nursed them for two years, and I’m raising them.”

Today, the greatest joy for Carrie and Jeremy is witnessing the bond between the siblings and seeing their personalities emerge. “Willow was an only child for five years, so it’s very sweet now to watch her and the twins develop their own relationships outside of us,” Carrie says. “Every child comes prepackaged with their own little personality, and it’s fascinating to learn who they are and to see them interact with each other.”

With their family of five, which Carrie affectionately refers to as “the crazy train,” there is never a dull moment. “We have this wild, wonderful family,” Carrie says. “It’s how it always should have been.”

Egg Donation Legal Process in Texas

Written by: admin | Posted: July 23, 2020

By Ellen Rubenstein

Congratulations! You have made it to the legal phase of the egg donation process.

Completing the legal agreement is typically comprised of three main steps: 1) drafting the agreement, 2) reviewing and editing the agreement, and 3) executing the agreement.

The first step typically entails the intended parents’ (a.k.a. recipients’) attorney drafting the agreement. This is an agreement that is between the intended parents and the donor. While the agency is not an actual party to the agreement, the agency will provide the drafting attorney with important details that need to be included in the agreement. These details, among others, include compensation information, travel details, and disposition terms (what happens to the eggs and embryos once the intended parents’ family is complete).

The drafting attorney adds all of this information into the agreement that clarifies that the intended parents, not the donor and/or her husband, will be the legal parents upon birth of the child.Once the agreement is drafted, the intended parents’ attorney sends a copy of the draft to the donor’s attorney.

The donor’s attorney and the donor then setup a time to review the agreement in detail over the phone to make sure all of the necessary details are included. The egg donor’s attorney revises the document as needed to make sure the donor is protected as well. The donor’s attorney then sends these revisions back to the intended parents’ attorney for their review with the intended parents until all parties have agreed upon the final version.

Finally, the intended parents’ attorney will send the intended parents and the egg donor’s attorney the final version of the agreement for everyone to sign. Once the intended parents’ attorney has both signed copies, he/she will issue legal clearance to the IVF clinic. This is usually a short document that is emailed to the third-party coordinator at the clinic to notify the clinic that legal is complete and the next steps in the process can begin (scheduling a calendar, for example).

Thank you Ellen for your contribution of this information.