Carla Johnson

Surrogacy Blog #10: Beginning the medications to prepare for surrogacy & pregnancy My personalized box o’goodies from the Portland pharmacy had arrived via USPS bursting with vials, syringes, pills, disinfecting wipes, directions and more. I laughed as I rummaged through it. This is a lot of medicine! My naive reproductive system had no idea what […]

Surrogacy Blog 9: Surrogacy in the workplace & telling my boss Taking a deep breath, I clasped my hands tightly in my lap. My boss, Van, gave me a quizzical look as I hesitated. It was a rare occasion for me to appear so nervous in our weekly meetings. I was beginning my IVF shots

Surrogacy Blog Part 8: Injections! Oral Meds! Vitamins! Learning about the IVF medication process. Today was the appointment with the fertility clinic to learn about the cocktail of oral medications and intravenous shots I would take to prepare for the embryo transfer in a few short months. My excitement was sky-high and I’m sure my

Surrogacy Blog Part 7: Time to tell my parents about my epic plans My poor fingernails had taken the brunt of my nervousness and chips of the dark grey polish lay littered on my bedspread. So far, mentally preparing to tell my parents about my decision to do surrogacy had been the hardest part of

Surrogacy Blog Part 6: Whew! The surrogacy screening process. “Please be aware that these questions are worded so we’ll know if you’re trying to make yourself sound good and will help us identify any inconsistencies.” That was one of the last things the psychiatrist told me as I began the written personality test of my

Surrogacy Blog Part 5: Meeting the Intended Parents and Coffee Mishaps Are you kidding me! NOOOOOO!!!!!! It had taken me hours to choose the perfect “meet your potential intended parents” outfit and now hot coffee was streaked down my shirt. I totally missed my mouth – no bump in the road, no deer to swerve

Surrogacy Blog Part 4: Why is there no etiquette guide for introducing your uterus to someone? Elation washed over me and I could hardly contain my excitement as I read through the profile. The surrogacy agency matched me with a family and I had to decide if I wanted to meet them. YES! A resounding yes! Their

Surrogacy Blog Part 3: I get by with a little help from my friends I’ve been with the same bunco group since 2007. Bunco is a parlor game that involves rolling dice, hanging with friends, maybe winning $20 and absolutely NO skill. Our games are one of the highlights of my month and it’s a

Surrogacy Blog Part 2: Connecting with the agency My cell phone rang but the number was unfamiliar. Decline. As usual, it took me two days to get around to checking my voicemail. Horrible habit, yes! My stomach leapt as the message played – it was a surrogate recruiter from the surrogacy agency in Portland. D’oh!  They’re

Surrogacy Blog Part 1: The experience of an Oregon surrogate We are pleased to introduce a new blog seriesthat chronicles a NWSC surrogate and her entire journey with NWSC, pregnancy, life and her intended parents! She delivered a wonderful baby girl in autumn 2014 and is excited to share the highs, the lows and lots