Simple Surrogacy’s Annual Get Together

Simple Surrogacy and Simple Donations held their annual (and sometimes bi-annual) get together at Maggianos Little Italy at Northpark on April 21st. Simple Surrogacy likes to host these get-togethers from time to time so that we can catch up with our wonderful old clients and see their adorable children, and also so that we can introduce our new prospective clients to our staff and they can meet clients who have been through the program before them.

This was also a great time because one of our favorite little boys, Aaron, was turning two! His Surro-Mom and his two Daddies were all on hand to celebrate this special occasion with us. It is so great to see him growing so big!

The chance for a potential IP to meet a client who has been through our program is priceless. For many potential clients, they feel like they are the only people they know who are going through the process, or they have done general research, but never actually spoken to someone who has gone through a surrogacy. It is extremely helpful for these potential clients to not only know and see Simple Surrogacy’s successful clients and their children, but to also see that even though the road to parenthood through surrogacy can be long, it is ultimately very rewarding to achieve it!

Another benefit to our get-togethers is Intended Parent’s opportunity to mingle with current and former surrogates, and see how they interact with their former and current IP’s. For many potential IPs, the surrogate’s reasons for being a surrogate are sometimes a challenge to understand. They also wonder about the relationships that will form between themselves and their surrogates, both during and after the surrogacy journey. Speaking with the surrogates helps relieve many of these worries, and in some cases, even facilitates future matches among our Surrogates and IP’s! We have had Intended Parents tell us that in speaking with a surrogate and seeing how normal, happy and generous they all are, they gained the confidence to undertake the surrogacy journey for themselves.

I speak for myself when I say that it was a great pleasure to meet both our Surrogates and Intended Parents in person, and get the chance to relax and dine together for a few hours. I already can’t wait for the next get-together which will be in the fall! I know we’ll welcome many more babies to the Simple Surrogacy family by then, and I will get the chance to cuddle with even more tiny bundles of joy! Thank you again to our wonderful staff, Surrogates and clients who were able to join us, we cherish each and every one of you!

Following the report in California that many salon nail polishes have toxic ingredients that could be harmful to a fetus, we again recommend that pregnant women, and especially surrogates, bring their own nail polish, top coat and bottom coat to the salon. It is not a commonly known fact that certain nail polishes may contain harmful chemicals, and it is always best to be fully informed of everything you are putting in and on your body while pregnant! We can recommend the Zoya line of nail polishes sold at Whole Foods as being completely safe and bad-chemical free!

Concerned advocates, companies respond to Calif. “toxic” nail polish report

By

Michelle Castillo

A manicure during class after a news conference at the Laney College School of Cosmetology in Oakland, Calif., on April 10, 2012.

(Credit: AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

(CBS News) – Citizens, advocacy groups, medical professionals and companies are speaking out after a Calif. state government study found that many of the “non-toxic” nail polishes officials tested contained carcinogens or developmental toxins.

According to the study, out of the 12 nail product brands the Department of Toxic Substance Control tested that claimed they didn’t have one to three of the “toxic trio” of chemicals, only two brands were able to stand by their claims. Some of the whole sample group of 25 brands contained as much as 17.7 percent of toxic materials.

The “toxic trio” is the nickname for dibutyl phthalate (DBP), toluene and formaldehyde, three ingredients that have been known to cause adverse side effects.

“This report shows that these companies are knowingly peddling tons of toxins without even an ounce of scruples,” Miriam Yeung, executive director of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, part of the National Health Nail and Beauty Salon Alliance, told HealthPop by email. “Not only are they including dangerous chemicals in their products, but they are outright lying about it. More disturbing is that the cosmetics industry continues to be almost completely unregulated- the FDA still does not have the power it needs to keep consumers and salon workers safe. ”

Calif. report reveals “non-toxic” nail polishes could cause birth defects

Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) comes from the family of phthalates, a classification of compounds known to be disrupt function of the endocrine system, Dr. Kenneth R. Spaeth, the director of the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Center’s Department of Population Health at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y., told HealthPop. Phthalates can alter hormone levels or disrupt the way the body handles its response to hormones. Although studies about the toxin are relatively recent, it has been known to cause birth defects, including neurological and developmental issues in fetuses.

“In a fetus, there’s felt to be greater susceptibility to the effects,” Spaeth said. “Pregnant women would be at particular concern here. Any exposure that they experience is also going to be experienced by the fetus.”

According to Spaeth, toluene is a neurotoxin that can also irritate the upper respiratory system. It has been known to harm the nervous system of people of any age, but it can cross through the placenta and reach the fetus to cause developmental defects as well.

“A lot of the mechanisms that we have in the body to protect us from these toxins are not developed so there’s greater susceptibility because of that and because of their size,” he said.

Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen that is also known to cause respiratory problems and can exacerbate problems in people with asthma and other breathing issues, Spaeth commented.

While he said that the problem could be a concern for people who go to nail salons frequently, it’s more of a bigger problem for people who work with the products. Poor ventilation and improper equipment – like using the wrong masks – can lead to health problems. Spaeth says it’s fairly common to see nail salon workers with breathing problems.

Part of the problem lies in the fact that many nail salon workers are of different ethnicities and may not have a command of the English language warnings. The report found that 59 to 80 percent of nail salon workers in California are of Vietnamese decent, and English was not their primary language.

“Physically, I can tell after eight or ten hours working, the chemicals give you very bad headache and affects you mentally. My eyes itch. My nose itch. But as soon as I walk outside the salon, I feel much better. I hope the state government think about this and make it by law that if you say ‘no’ and you have it, they have to have punishment or penalty,” Tina Bui, who has been a manicurist for 17 years in Marin County, Calif, told the Associated Press.

Spaeth and Yeung said more needs to be done to protect these workers. Spaeth urged that people need to be educated about potential dangers in their native language.

“Immigrants find themselves performing job tasks that are higher risk and that often exposes them to chemicals or hazardous situations because of their inability to understand or speak the language,” he said. “They aren’t always educated about the risk.”

Nail polish company Zoya, which was tested in the study, told HealthPop that not only did they strive to be free of the three chemicals and other toxins. The vegan-friendly brand was one of two brands whose claims that they were “3 free” were substantiated by the study. The polish was developed in 1992 by pianist turned cosmetologist, Zoya Reyzis, and her husband Michael, who had previously worked in the medical field, to be a healthier alternative nail polish.

“Today, Zoya Nail Polish and Treatments remains committed to a proactive approach to developing quality, toxin free products,” a Zoya spokesperson told HealthPop in a statement.

It’s important to note that some of the brands included in the California study may not be considered to be top nail polish companies.

“(The Nail Manufacturers Council) condemns any manufacturer misleading customers about the ingredients in their products,” Myra Irizarry, director of government affairs for the Nail Manufacturers Council, told the Associated Press. “The public should, however, be aware that nearly the entire nail polish industry voluntarily took steps years ago to remove toluene and DBP from their products.”

Popular polish brand OPI told HealthPop that the major salon brands have improved their formulas to get rid of these chemicals. The study determined that although they didn’t label their products as “3 Free,” they were in fact devoid of the toxins.

“The lesson of the study is that consumers should ask for, and use, brands they know and trust,” OPI told HealthPop.

Surrogacy 101: One Surrogate’s Birth Story

This article continues our series on informational articles about surrogacy.

The Birth of your baby by your Surrogate will be an emotional experience for all. Below is the story of a Surrogate’s birth experience and her surrogacy journey.

I got into surrogacy to help a couple become a family.  My husband and I have seen some family members of mine suffer through infertility.  We saw the pain that they went through and the want that they had we for children.  After we had finished our family and had our last child, we decided it was our time to help another couple become a family.  We searched many companies and did lots of research on all the companies out there and all that is involved in Surrogacy.  We found Simple Surrogacy, I filled out the application and I was accepted and matched with in a week and 1/2.  I was totally shocked; I thought it would take much longer and that we would be waiting forever.   I was sent the profile to the most wonderful Intended parents in the world.  Well at least I believe so.  We had our phone consult the week of Thanksgiving; I was so excited that whole day for the phone call.  We got on the call and we clicked right a way, we had a lot of the same interest and the parents were so nice, and just truly wanted to be parents and I just wanted to help them become parents. We decided to move forward and they became my intended parents.

Over the next several months we began a relationship and grew to knew each other.  We sent emails back and forth called each other and even Skyped.  It was so nice getting to know them.  It was like getting new family members.  They have included us in their lives and us in theirs.  As the baby grew I would call them after each appointment and send them weekly photos, as well and heart beats from each appointments.  I tried to included them in as much as I possibly could  with out them being here. They came to the 5-month sonogram to find out what they were having and that was a wonderful week that they were here.  We just hung out and spent time together and went to the appointment they were so excited to find out that they were having a boy.  Yay so now time to buy baby boy things. When they went home I still would send them regular updates, and when it was time for the baby to come they once again came back to stay for a little while.

To me one of the most unforgettable things when your child is born is their 1st cry, and those big eyes looking around, so for me that was the most important thing for me for my intended parents to hear that cry when their baby was born.  I felt it was important for them to be in the room when the baby was born and just to be there and witness those 1st Innocent moments of their 1st baby’s life.  I had one of the parent’s cut the baby’s cord also.  To me that was the best moment of the entire process just seeing their faces, the joy of the moment of them seeing their baby for the first time. it was truly magical. That was worth all the shots, the heart burn all the swelling, all the discomfort all of it.  It was the best day ever, and I would do it all over in a heartbeat.  In the end they thanked me and were grateful that I allowed them in the room they had no idea about the joy of birth till it had happened, I would not have had it any other way.

I was truly blessed with the best Intended Parents ever, I love them so much and they are now are part of my family.  They send us pictures all the time still and we get to see the baby grow and get bigger.  They are the best parents ever and I wish them nothing but happiness.

Melissa J., Simple Surrogacy Surrogate

Simple Surrogacy was founded 10 years ago this year, and it’s simply amazing all of the changes we’ve seen in the surrogacy world and in our program since we were first founded!

Our agency was founded because as a previous Surrogate and previous Egg Donor, we knew we could do a better job of servicing Intended Parents and surrogates without charging the typical exorbitant agency Fees. When she joined Simple Surrogacy, Stephanie Scott, Scott, an experienced Surrogate, had had such trouble with her previous agency, and she knew she could do a better job had she to do it herself. Kristen Hanson, a experienced Donor and Financial Major, knew she could offer assistance to both donors and manage the process better on the financial end. At the time of our founding, surrogacy was not very common. Most of our clients were married couples in the beginning. Working hard on our client’s and surrogate’s behalf, we gradually gained a foothold in the surrogacy community and Egg Donation community.  Because of our previous experience and dedication to doing things as inexpensively as possible, but still taking the time to do things right, our business thrived!

From those humble beginnings we began to expand, adding previous surrogates as coordinators, associate psychologists and attorneys, and even consultants in foreign languages, foreign countries and cultures. Our staff has grown carefully over the years so that we have the very best combination of experience and knowledge available in our coordinators and consultants.

We’ve also made dramatic changes to our program in 10 years. Ten years ago, we had a just a very straightforward web site. Today, we have added  to our web site a dramatic number of  informational resources for our Clients, Surrogates and Donors.

We also launched a fully automated application process and sister website for Egg Donors, Simple Donations.com. On that web site, we review and accept applications from the very best donors all over the country. We’ve also launched just this year a similar site for Surrogates, allowing faster application and processing of Surrogate’s applications, medical records and insurance policies. This year, we will launch the Intended Parent profile available online, enabling our Intended Parents to easily apply to our program directly from a secure web site. A few years ago, we also added a legal Included Program for clients in Texas, to offer an even greater value to our clients by offering pre-negotiated rates by partnering with associate attorneys.

In 10 years, we’ve also seen a shift in our clientele. Previously, we served mostly married heterosexual couples. Now, we are seeing greater numbers of single and married or partnered homosexual couples. The single father trend is increasing in popularity, and we’re seeing higher numbers of men not willing to wait to have children until they meet a special someone. The news program 20/20 even selected one of our Fathers, Peter Gordon, to highlight in a special on single fathers in one of their upcoming programs.

The Surrogacy world has changed dramatically as well in the ten years we’ve been working in it. The number of clinics has grown, and the technology available at those clinics is much improved in 10 years. Now it’s very common to transfer 2 embryos and end up with twins, and every client we’ve recently had who decided to transfer three ended up with triplets! We also find it very common to have two Intended Fathers each choose to fertilize one egg from their donor, and the result is twins born, one each related to each father and with the same genetic mother! This is just one of the genetic advances available in the last 10 years. There have also been many clinical advanced with genetic testing, embryo selection and pre-transfer testing, all of which lead to increased success with the IVF procedure.

All of this has fueled the surrogacy world to more success and better advancements for our Intended Parents. It has also fueled our amazing growth of 231 babies born so far! We are awed and overjoyed to have helped so many babies come into the world and bring joy to their families. We eagerly anticipate the next 10 amazing years, and the changes and advances we can look forward to. We hope to help welcome many more new children into the world through our program!

Here is another great article on our client Peter Gordon and his amazing journey to be the father of girl/boy twins!

http://newton.patch.com/articles/newton-educator-stopped-at-nothing-to-become-a-father

Surrogacy 101- Medical Process, Fertilization and Transfer

When the fertilized embryos are at the proper stage, they are loaded into a special syringe with a thin flexible catheter at the end. The catheter is inserted thru the cervix into the uterine cavity (sometimes with the assistance of abdominal ultrasound to ensure EXACT placement of the embryos) where the embryos are “injected”. Most doctors will only transfer three to four 2-day old embryos or two 5-day embryos. Any unused embryos are frozen for a future attempt if a pregnancy doesn’t result from the fresh cycle.  Bed rest of anywhere from 2 hours to 3 days is usually required immediately following embryo transfer.

A Quantitative HCG in which the amount of pregnancy hormone is measured is usually done 14 days post egg retrieval. At that time they are looking for the HCG level to be about 50 or better. Anything over 200 is usually indicative of a multiple pregnancy. The Surrogate will have a second quantitative HCG test two days later to verify that the pregnancy hormone numbers are going up (they should double about every 2 days). If the quantitative HCG is negative, all external hormones are discontinued and a menstrual cycle will usually start within 5 days.

If a pregnancy has occurred (Congratulations!), an ultrasound is usually done about 6-7 weeks to check for a heartbeat and again around 12 weeks before being released to a regular OB/GYN. Usually during this time, hormone levels are checked several times to ensure that the proper levels are being maintained to ensure the pregnancy continues. Once the placenta starts taking over the hormone production, the Surrogate is weaned off the hormone replacements.

Physically, the rest of the pregnancy would be the same as any other pregnancy.

**The information provided above is for general information purposes to the Clients of Simple Surrogacy and should not be construed in any way as health or medical advice or treatment recommendations.**

Today, the Wall Street Journal published a very interesting and insightful article on the choice of many Chinese Families who are wanting to have their child born in the Chinese Year of the Dragon, which starts today. At Simple Surrogacy, we have also noticed the increase in the number of Chinese Families who are using our Surrogacy program services to conceive their babies in the lucky year of the dragon. Our first Dragon babies will be born via scheduled C-section in early February to an amazing New York Couple by their Surrogate.

As we prepare to welcome our first Dragon babies (Identical twins!) we wanted to share this article with our clients and prospective clients who will also welcome their Dragon babies this year through our program. If you are considering Surrogacy, it’s not too late to join Simple Surrogacy’s program and have your own Dragon Baby!

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203806504577177011519558088.html?mod=googlenews_wsj