Thanksgiving Foods & Pregnancy

We want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving

We hope your day was filled with love and joy and lots of food!

This is the time of year for you to reflect on what you are thankful for in your life right now. 
Whether it is being thankful for your family, friends, furry family members or for being given the opportunity to bring a child into this world for another family to love and be thankful for. It's a great time to remember all that we have.

We want to hear what you are thankful for this year!
Please post what you are thankful on our facebook page, we can't wait to hear from you
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This is also a time to indulge in a variety of homemade Thanksgiving dishes. We have all waited patiently for this day to arrive all year long. Imaging all the intoxicating smells making your mouth water, seeing the entire table full of beautiful, warm, cooked dishes just waiting for you to into.  And let's not forget the leftovers!

There are a few basic food safety tips to keep in mind while being pregnant before indulging in all the wonderful dishes.

1. Turkey-Turkey-Turkey! You want to make sure the turkey is completely cooked and has come up to a temperature of at least 170 Degrees. You do not want to eat an undercooked turkey as you want to avoid the possibility of getting Salmonella or e.colie. These can be found in undercooked meats. 

2. Who doesn't love stuffing! Before jumping in you want to check and see If the stuffing was cooked inside of the turkey. If it was it runs the risk of being contaminated by undercooked meat as well as not getting hot enough on the inside to destroy those germs.

2. Extra Salt? No thank you! To avoid puffy legs, ankles, and fingers; Do not add any extra salt. Sodium intake affects, water retention and blood pressure. Being pregnant you are already being affected by this. By saying no to more salt you will lower this effect. 

3. Make your plate colorful, vegetable dishes deliver so many good nutrients for your pregnant body and the growing baby. For example, you can eat; Yams, green beans, cranberry, broccoli, spinach, brussel sprouts, pumpkin, apples, turnips. The more colors, the prettier you plate will look and will taste even better.

4. Be mindful when choosing hors-d'oeuvres the cheese platter is a classic, but you need to avoid some soft cheeses, including brie, camembert, chevre, blue cheese, and gorgonzola. The reason why you want to be careful is that some unpasteurized cheese can be dangerous and carry listeria. Which can be dangerous for pregnant women. 

Now that you have these tips under your belt, It is now time for you to enjoy this fantastic holiday with your family and friends and eat all the deliciously cooked foods you want.

Time to get ready for the next holidays!!

FAQ From Potential Surrogates Pt.2

To continue with our Q&A!

We are very excited to bring you 5 more FAQs from 
Potential Surrogate Mothers! 

We feel it is very important that our surrogates receive as much information as possible regarding their surrogate journey, to be well informed and also excited for what's to come!

Q. Is a medical screening visit needed? 


A. Yes, A medical screening is necessary, this is a very important step in the surrogate journey. As this will confirm you are medically capable of handling another pregnancy and carrying safely and to term. Your health is our highest concern.  At the screening, you will find out more about the meds you need to take to prepare your body for an embryo transfer and have the opportunity to talk to the doctor about the process and meet the medical staff you will be working with. 




Q. What do I need to prepare for the medical screening?


A. You will be traveling to the clinic that your Intended Parents have chosen to work with to complete your screening. Your travel expenses will be paid for by your Intended Parents. This means you will need to pack an overnight bag depending on where the clinic is. If the clinic is in your vicinity and easy to travel to, you can probably drive. Each clinic is run differently, thus their screening process will vary. All facilities will need to see your medical records for all pregnancies and deliveries before they bring you in for a screening visit. You will know if you have been cleared to proceed within a few days of your appointment. Once you have been medically cleared by the clinic to proceed, it is time for you to review your GC Contract with your attorney.
 

Q. How will compensation payment be made?

A.  Your Intended Parents will be setting up an escrow account. Your attorney will advise and guide you regarding the payments due and schedule before you begin. This payment schedule is managed by the escrow agent and they will guide you on submitted any expenses during the journey to make sure you are paid in a timely manner. 

Q.What happens after the baby is born?


A. Once you have given birth, hopefully with the Intended Parents in attendance, you will get to see the joy you have helped to create as they meet their baby for the first time!  The intended parents will begin bonding with their newborn while doctors take good care of you.  All legal paperwork will be in place at the time of birth. The paperwork will ensure that the Intend Parents will have all decision-making rights for the child.  Depending on your type of delivery and the hospital policy, you can expect to stay at the hospital between 24 and 72 hours following birth. You may not be discharged at the same time as the newborn. This means that you could be leaving before the parents and baby, or they could be the ones leaving before you.

Q. Can you be a surrogate more than once?


A. We have had many of our surrogates come back for another surrogate journey.  When we are lucky enough, and they have had great deliveries, some of these amazing women will work with us for more than 2 journey's. This wonderful gift of life is truly a blessing for those families who can't have their own children.

We hope this information is helpful if you have any more questions please feel free to call our office and one of our coordinators will be more than happy to speak with you.

Contact us at # 888-363-9457 

DIY Baby Halloween Costumes

OK, so we know this is late... but better late than never, right?

Please remember to post the adorable pictures of your little ones on our facebook page!  We love seeing all your cuties!

https://www.facebook.com/SurrogateChat/

Babies are already so adorable, but they become extra adorable once you get them dressed up in a cute costume. But usually, those cute costumes cost you a pretty penny. Babies grow so quickly, that they grow out of their costumes and only get a chance to wear them once. Creating your own costumes at home can be simple and really fun, plus there is an infinite amount of ideas available.

Here are 7 Costumes that you can make yourself, at home, that won't break the bank;

Pumpkin baby; 

 This costume is made out of one long sleeve orange onesie with a bright green pointy cap, the pumpkin face is made of cute out felt and glued onto the front of the onesie, you can be as creative as you want to with the face.

The MUMMY baby;

This is such a simple yet really cute idea, for this costume you will need toilet paper and wrapping bandages, make sure not to wrap too tightly you want this to be loose and fitting just like a mummy.

Garden Gnome;

This little fella can be made with a simple long sleeve blue shirt wrapped with a black scarf around the waist, for his hat, this can be made out of felt rolled into a cone shape and glued together, the mini beard can also be made out of felt material trim the ends so it looks like straggling hairs. 

Little old Ladies;

Costumes made complete with their own mini cute walkers, these walkers can be made out of PVC and you can attach little tennis balls to the ends so ease of walking, their tiny costumes can be made with a baby cardigan and a skirt, topped with a little wig and scarf.

Left                                      Right

On the left, we have the Lollie Pop Kid from the Wizard of Oz;

This cute outfit can be made with a little button down shirt, your choice of color, and a small hat that the top can be cut off and the babies hair (if they have hair) that can be looped right through the top, if they don't have hair yet glue some hair like material to the top and shape it to make a cute curl. For the Lollie pop its self you can use a small thin wooden stick and a color print out of a swirly candy.

 To the right we have a baby dressed up as Harry Potter;

For this one, you will need a small button down cardigan along with a colorful scarf of your choosing (depending on whose team you're on), finish the look with a small pair of glasses with the lens taken out.

Mystical Mermaid;

This little outfit can be made by crocheting a small tail to go around the babies legs but still leaving them free, and a small little-crocheted top, finish the look with some beads and a cute little headband to tie it all together.

We hope you had a wonderful fun filled Halloween!