THE TRANSFER

Here they are!!

No News Is Good News

Well, the transfer was suspose to happen on May 5th, but I have yet to hear if it took place.  I'm assuming that it did, but you know what they say about those who assume.  This week has not been a great, so I'm hoping for some good news.

Sleepless in Maryland

Within the next 48 hours, Dr. Nayana Patel will implant our surrogate.  I didn't think for one moment that I would be anxious, but it is close to mid-night and my mind is racing.  Did we do the right thing shipping frozen sperm?  Colin was sick when he made his deposits at the cyrobank.  Mark was born due to Colin's frozen sperm, so there is hope.  We seem to be less excited, although we both would love a sister for Mark.  It looks like we both have gone into the mode self-preservation.  Colin has not even asked when the transfer will be done.  It looks like I will just give him the results after the two week wait. 

FedEx and New Delhi

I have been tracking our container that is on its way to Gujarat, India.  Today is day 2 that is has been sitting in the airport in New Delhi.  I have already sent out e-mails in the hopes of getting this shipment moving...so I will let everyone know when it arrives.

I'm already anxious about the situation......

India and Mark

It has been a long time since I last posted.  As many know I have been to India and back.  I went with a client to Anand, and as luck would have it, they received a positive.  Dr. Nayana and Dr. Hitesch Patel were wonderful to me as always.  I was able to visit with a number of surrogates and report back to the intended parents about the their babies.  It was an honor to be able to hold a surrogates hand as they were being sonogramed.  While I was in Anand  Paul and I checked out one of the two surrogates houses in Anand, and it was nice to see all of the pregnant surrogates as well as take photos.  The clinic in Anand looks like a UN Summit is about to take place on any given day.  There are people from all over the world, all with the same goal, of bringing back a baby.  It was wonderful because I was able to have several people interpret for my surrogate who came to visit me, what was happening in each of our lives.  Anand is starting to feel like my second home, with Uday and the rest of the gang at the clinic.  It is always so nice to have a local take you out to eat, and make sure that what your eating is good, so thanks guys!   While in Anand, a terroist was arrested for trying to recurit for the Taliban.  That situation really had locals talking.  I have decided to try and learn Hindi so that I will be able to speak a little bit to the surrogates on my own.

Our journey for a sibbling for Mark has started, and we shipped Colin's sperm to India a few days ago.  I have been following the UPS tracking system, and as of this morning the container was in New Delhi.  I'm hoping for a daughter  (DO YOU HEAR THAT ....MISS UNIVERISE).   We are using the same surrogate who's picture I have posted.  The impant should happen by the end of the month if everything goes according to plan.  I'm a lot more anxious than I thought, I would be.  I think the reason for most of that is I'm afraid of  twins, and what people will say.  It was fine when I wanted twins with Mark, but I see how much work it is just with one.  I had to promise Colin that if we recieve news that we have twins, that I would just accept that and move along.  I realize that what I'm writing about is very personal, but I think that many in this community are afraid to share such private thoughts, and my feeling is that if it will help someone else than so be it. 

For those who want to post, I will have Colin figure out why people are unable to post comments.  It might have something to do with the fact that we had to rearrange the post because I got spammed.  Next Friday I will be having a small procedure done, so I will post from the hospital, with the morphine drip.  That should be fun!

Missing my boy's!

I'm back in India, and I'm at the Madhubhan Resort in Anand.  It was so great arriving yesterday and seeing so many people that I have come to know.  Today will be a day when I just take time to reflect and possibly get in a bathing suit and hang out by the pool.  Yesterday I got to hang out a bit with Dr. Patel and took photos of some of the surrogates while they were being scanned.  Currently there are over 60 pregnant surrogates, and Anand is busy as ever. 

I'm missing  Colin and Mark, but I'm sure that they are well and that my neighbor's are all helping out. 
I will blog more tomorrow....right now I'm looking for more coffee.

Mother Jones--Outsourced wombs.

After reading the Mother Jones article by Scott Carney, once again I felt nauseated by another American journalist who totally refused to honestly do his homework. The surrogate house in Anand is far better than the housing that the majority of surrogates come from. They are given nutritious meals and a clean bed, as well as an education. This compares well to other clinics. I'm aware of a surrogate at another clinic who was pregnant with twins, and she was sleeping on the floor when the intended parents arrived for the birth of the twin boys.

I always read about the women doctors who perform surrogacy in India, however the majority of surrogacy doctors in India are male. I'm sure that Scott Carney is a white male, who grew up in the US and has no clue of the reality of third world culture. If he lived in India I'm sure he would love it if he was only making $30 monthly that his wife would be so lucky to become a surrogate. This is the lottery for women in this culture who do not have many options, just as it is for American women in the same shoes. Secondly, he is incorrect about photos of Oprah being displayed throughout the clinic. Dr. Patel only has one signed autographed photo of Oprah in her clinic, and I have been to the clinic on several occasions and I have never seen more than one photo.

Thirdly, as a "Foreigner", I do love India because as a black woman I appreciate that Indian culture is tied to black culture. I can relate to India more than I can America. If Scott Carney is saying that white people only come because it is cheaper, then so be it. What's wrong with saving money?

Dr. Patel has nothing to hide. Unlike many clinics she does not use prostitutes, nor does she engage in giving people negatives just for the sake of making extra money. This is a billion dollar business and those who are corrupt will be found out sooner or later, maybe reporters from the US should concentrate on finding the truly corrupt clinics.

The Diksha that is mentioned in the article, was employeed with the clinic when our son was born, and told us then that she wanted to become a surrogate for the money We have photos with her and her two sons.  Her husband works and lives in Anand, so she didn't leave Napal to come to India for surrogacy.

Crystal Travis
http://www.worldofsurrogacy.com/

301-317-5589