Breaking the news / First appointment

I don't think I need to write too much about how things went over with Joel and Janelle (my husband's cousin and wife). Obviously they were excited! Surprised as well, as they had not approached us, so I'm sure it must have been quite shocking for them to get this call out of the blue, with an offer to carry their child. Not your everyday phone call to say the least. I think they were cautiously optimistic as they wondered if we did indeed know what kind offer we were making.

Needless to say, after several conversations with them, we decided to get in touch with VFC (Victoria Fertility Clinic) and go from there. They had already been in touch with the clinic in Calgary and we hoped that if possible, we would be able to work with both clinics to minimize travel on both ends.

I think it wasn't until after our initial appointment at the clinic, and talking to them that evening, that they started to really get excited about it. I think up until that point they were hesitant to get too excited, as they kept reassuring me that if I changed my mind or decided it was going to be too much, would be ok. That there was still time to walk away, and that they appreciated that we had even made the offer in the first place. It was at that first appointment in the clinic, where my husband and I decided to jump in and make a full commitment.

I had seen my GP and gotten the 'all clear' to go ahead with the surrogacy before our first appointment at VFC. He was supportive, and spoke very highly of the clinic and staff, and gave reassurances that we would all be very taken care of there. I've had the same family doctor for as long as I can remember, and found his words encouraging.

At the initial appointment, we went over all of our medical history, family history and intentions as the doctor went over the whole process and gave us an outline of what we could expect to come. On paper, from a medical point of view, we were perfect for surrogacy. Things started happening right there on the spot. I had an ultrasound, my IUD removed and was put on birth control pills. We left armed with a bunch of requisitions to get all of the labwork and investigations done to get things going.

All of a sudden we were really doing this!