Spermariffic ! !

So, our adventure continues with something neither Em nor I can ever truly posses or produce in any way shape or form no matter how hard we try... sperm. The "S" word, in this case, is a good word... and a bad word. Good in that it's a necessary part of the baby-making recipe... bad in that we have to go through this whole expensive and time consuming process of finding a 'respectable' donor.
Designer baby? well, kinda. Not by our choice but at the same time, by our choice. Ironic, isn't it?
Em and I have discussed a few times if we want the donor to be 'open' or 'anonymous'. Lately most countries around the world only accept 'open' donors - therefore, there has been a shortage of donors. Why? Well, one simple reason... most men do not want 20 of 'his' children come aknocking on his door 18 or so years later. There are a few countries that allow for *both* open and anonymous. However, we are opting for an 'open' donor. We would like for our child(ren) to have the option to look up their 'father' if they have that need or desire. We do not want to deny them that right. One reason we like the cryobanks which allow for the donor to decide if they want to be 'open' or 'anonymous' is because they are not forced into it, it is their own choice. We've been lucky to 'hear' and 'read' about some of the donors and why they have chosen to be open. One example: A man just had his first child and the realization of just what a beautiful gift a child is hit him... he then realized that he wanted to help others who could not conceive a baby on their own.
He rocks. Why can't there be more giving and selfless people in the world?!

So, Em and I have asked ourselves what do we want to look for in the sperm donor. Well, since I am the one (hopefully) conceiving first - we want someone that has some characteristics and traits of Em. Recently we started noticing some (maybe all) cryobanks list the "Myers-Briggs" personality type of the donor. Cool!!! Em is an ENFP. I am an INFP. (I mostly agree with this assessment). We want a caucasian since Em is a whitey. ;) And we are looking into the background (health) of them. While we are aware this is a bit designer, if we have the 'luxury' of choosing then why shouldn't we? What we do want, most of all, is a healthy baby. We'll keep you posted on the sperm donation progress... stay tuned!
-j.

First Doctor Consultation

It's Em here! On Monday morning, we biked around the corner to our huisarts (neighborhood GP) for our first chance to ask questions about becoming pregnant in the Netherlands. We found out that our doctor can help us with an ICI (intracervical insemination), which is when the donor sperm is placed in the cervix, right before Jackie is about to ovulate. Our doc told us we have a 6 hour window of prime baby making time!! We are advised to try ICI 3 times and then try IUI (intrauterine insemination) which is when donor sperm is placed in the uterus. I am still doing research about this because I think we can inseminate 2 times per cycle with ICI which would increase our chances.

To prepare, Jackie is (supposed to be) taking folic acid already! I think our doctor was impressed by this and Jackie's efforts of tracking her temperature to find the spike which indicates ovulation. We need a few months of data to make a good ovulation prediction! We are both working out more so we are healthy for the first littlewazz:-)

Now, it's time to find a donor!

E

... and the adventure begins...

Excitement is what first crossed our minds when we began talks of creating a family together. However, first thing's first... the logistics of just exactly how do two women create a family together needed to be addressed. Lots of research (thank you bloggers and google!!) on how many other families have gone about this process was vast... more than you'd ever know! Then the questions came about... do we want to know the donor? (no, not if we can help it). Who is going to have the first baby? (Jackie, cuz her eggs are dying out first!). Where are we gonna get that sperm from?? (a cryobank in Europe? in the US?). When shall we start?(late in 2009. No wait, mid 2009. No wait, Jackie is NOT getting any younger -ok then, late 2008 or very early 2009 it is!). And even more logistical questions such as 'how the heck does it work in the Netherlands?!'. two words: dutch midwife. two more words: no painkillers. two more questions: can we import a US doctor with a large needle? can someone knock Jackie out during labor and someone else take her place?.
Oh, and did we mention they push (no pun intended) for home births in NL?? Emily would love this but Jackie would not be able to handle the mess at all.
...and so the adventure begins!!!
love, Jackie and Emily