Update on Embryo Adoption!

Well folks, it's been another tough year, and again, it's been awhile since we've posted. Yes, we are still moving forward with embryo adoption - we still have not moved into the matching phase yet. It's been a LONG road...it's been tough to not get discouraged and distracted, to stay motivated and keep moving forward, but we are still longing to build our family!!

Now is the time for us to be strong and remember the foundation God has been laying for us! Andrea recently watched a Steven Furtick sermon, and the Lord's message in that sermon breathed new life into our journey! It's so important to remember and celebrate what God has already done for us, all He's helped us accomplish, rather than be discouraged that we've not arrived at the destination yet. It's so hard to be patient!! 

So, let's celebrate how far we've come! Here are our achievements so far on our embryo adoption journey:

• Jan-Mar 2021: Completed our Home Study Update for private infant adoption, which we can also use for our embryo adoption (required by Snowflakes - will need to do again in Mar’22)
• Apr 28, 2021: Andrea’s 1st call with Dawn Canny from Snowflakes Embryo Adoption Program
• May 11, 2021: Our orientation phone call with Dawn
• May 18, 2021: Andrea received approval from her primary care doctor to proceed with pregnancy
• May 18, 2021: Decided on FCI (Fertility Centers of IL near Chicago) for the frozen embryo transfer based on extensive research of Snowflakes' preferred fertility clinics
• May 25, 2021: Our consultation call with Dr Jenny Hirschfeld-Cryton at FCI 
• May 26, 2021: Our call with Dawn to discuss questions and confirm our adoption preferences 
• Jun 13, 2021: Gathered all required documents, completed the application, and paid the $500 down payment
• Jun 14, 2021: Transferred the remainder of Andrea's severance pay to our adoption savings fund, which will fully fund our embryo adoption! It's going to be about $10-20K cheaper than private infant adoption - depending on how many frozen transfer cycles we will need.
• Jun 24, 2021: Updated our family Adoption Profile for embryo adoption, which the embryo donors will use to decide if they want us to adopt their embryos, similar to private infant adoption
• Jul 12, 2021: Decided on how to complete the required CPR and First Aid training and started reviewing materials
• Jul 21, 2021: Andrea completed the required webinars and summaries of lessons learned about embryo adoption
• Sep 7, 2021: Andrea had her mammogram and follow-up ultrasound - all is well!
• Sep 9, 2021: Andrea met with her OBGYN who will do the ultrasound monitoring prior to the frozen embryo transfer and got a baseline ultrasound and blood tests
• Oct 12, 2021: Andrea left her stressful job she started in January and started a job at a new company with a MUCH better work-life balance! The things she learned in all of her previous experiences will help her be successful in her new job, so it all worked out!
• Nov 1-15: We had our first round of Covid! We've been fortunate to not get infected until now, and Scott's symptoms were mild, and everyone else in our household avoided infection, so we got pretty lucky!! However, isolation/quarantine is HARD!!
• Nov 15, 2021: Updated Adoption Profile for Embryo Adoption - life changes a lot in 5 months! Had to add a picture of Andrea's stepdaughter's new baby boy that was born in October! We think the idea of raising our babies together is so fun and unique!

To-Do’s:

• Pre-Matching Phase:
• Scott to complete webinars and summaries
• Andrea to complete CPR and First Aid training and certification
• Scott to re-certify in CPR and First Aid
• Scott to complete blood tests required
• Andrea to complete more blood tests and procedures required
• Matching Phase (average time = 2-4 months): Snowflakes will match up our preferences with preferences of donating families and reach out to both families seeking agreement on a match
• Contract Phase (average time = 1-2 months): signing of contracts
• Shipping Phase (average time = 1-2 months): shipping of embryos to our fertility clinic
• Frozen Embryo Transfer Phase (1st cycle = 1-2 months; more cycles??)

FAQ's:

• Q: What are frozen embryos?
• A: Extra fertilized eggs that are frozen and stored at a medical facility for use in future IVF (in vitro fertilization) cycles
• Q: What is embryo adoption? 
• A: Embryo adoption is where we would adopt the frozen embryos from a couple who had extra frozen embryos from their IVF treatments and are done building their family (they may already have 1 or more children conceived through IVF). My local OBGYN will work with the fertility clinic Dr to prescribe me fertility medications and monitor my body's readiness for the transfer through ultrasounds. The fertility clinic Dr would then thaw and transfer 1-2 embryos to my body (just like a frozen IVF cycle) and I would hopefully grow at least one baby and give birth to our adopted child(ren). It's similar to surrogacy, only I would keep the baby I would give birth to. 
• Q: How many embryos will we adopt?
• A: We will transfer 1-2 embryos per cycle, depending on the quality of the embryos. We may need multiple cycles to have a successful cycle (a pregnancy). Not all embryos survive the thawing process, and not all embryos will implant. We hope to give birth to 1-2 children, depending on how everything goes. We would adopt all of the remaining embryos of a donating family, so we would be matched with a family that has 3-5 frozen embryos, giving us the best chance of conceiving 1-2 children. There are more options if things don't go according to plan, but let's hope for the best!
• Q: Why embryo adoption?
• A: The adoption would be final the minute we receive the embryos. The frozen embryos would be given a chance at life, since their biological parents are no longer able to, due to a variety of reasons: financial limitations, medical risks, etc. Andrea could experience the joys (and challenges!) of pregnancy: baby's kicks, breastfeeding, etc. We would both get to be present at every sonogram and ultrasound, in the delivery room, and the baby would be a part of our family immediately. Our names would be on the birth certificate as mother and father. We would also be able to control the prenatal environment - take all the vitamins, eat all the healthy food (and drinks), attend all the doctor's appointments, etc. Andrea would also receive 6 weeks of paid short term disability maternity leave - with private infant adoption, maternity leave is not a medical disability, so she would receive time off through FMLA, but it would not be paid - which we cannot afford. With the help of the Snowflakes organization, we would also be able to know the identity and medical history of both of the donating parents and have an opportunity for a semi-open adoption relationship. We would begin by sharing pictures and updates, with the possibility of in-person visits at some point if everyone feels comfortable. The spectrum of openness is just one of the adoption preferences mentioned above, as is race, medical history, etc.
• Q: What is Snowflakes?
• A: They are a division of a Christian adoption agency that facilitates embryo adoptions. Here is their website: https://nightlight.org/snowflakes-embryo-adoption-donation/embryo-adoption/

Please let us know what questions you have! Nearly everyone we talk to has never heard of embryo adoption, and we are learning a ton! Isn't it such a miracle that this is even possible!? We think so. :)

Love,

Scott & Andrea