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A surrogate mother often faces criticism and judgment from others for the choice she have made. However, those are less problematic when compare to the risks that she takes for her own family, friends and spouse. These risks can be daunting and cause challenges she might not have considered before getting involved. These risks can be anything from medical and health concerns to finances and job security and often family and personal risks as well. Medical risk is a huge factor, when a woman becomes a surrogate often times, she and the donors would have to undergo intense examination. These exams range from blood, health tests to the initial process of the implanting of the eggs from the donor. In the beginning the clinic will bring her and the egg donor together to begin a lengthy process of sequencing ovulation cycles. The clinic would put the surrogate mother on birth control and steroids, such as Luprin. These medications are meant to get both the surrogate mother and the donor's cycles on the same schedule. This is crucial because the surrogates' uterus needs to be ready for the embryos. Just having to deal with the pain of insemination and testing can be unbearable, not to mention the unpleasant side effects from all the medication and actual insemination process. However, that is just part of it. The surrogates are also faced with depression, sleep disturbance, guilt and the difficulty to remain unattached. These factors alone cause many surrogates to face the fact that they are walking a long road that not many others might have the strength to do. Many clinics offer support groups and counseling. Aside from medical and emotional risks, there might also be legality issues with the laws of the state they reside in. What kind of laws protect the surrogate, what rights does she have to things such as privacy? And there are also finances to consider. Generally, surrogate mothers are responsible for all insurance costs. As a surrogate you should be financially

The Daily Kool family has always toyed with the idea of getting an ice cream maker for our home. As parents, we are often concerned about controlling the quality of ingredients in the food our children eat. Store-bought ice cream often has additives, so we often prefer the premium brands...hey, if we can't pronounce it, we certainly don't want to eat it. But, wow. Premium ice cream definitely comes at a premium price. An ice cream maker may seem like a perfect solution, but since no one in our household can ever agree on one flavor (heaven forbid), we always figured it would be a wasted investment...until now.

Whether you're a new mom or a seasoned parenting pro, breastfeeding often comes with its fair share of questions. Here are answers to some common inquiries that mothers - new and veteran - may have.

Surrogacy is perhaps one of the most selfless acts that a woman can bestow upon a couple in need of a child. Surrogacy, however, can come with both physical and physiological risks that may or may not be easy to recover from. Understanding what the psychological risks of surrogate motherhood can make the transition from carrying a child to relinquishing that child easier. The psychological risks of surrogate motherhood may be a heavier burden to carry, but pre-screening and on-going counseling both before and after the event can help surrogate mothers adjust. There are four areas that are of particular interest in the psychological aspect of surrogacy: contact (bonds), control, closure and ethics. Surrogate mothers form relationships with the couples they surrogate for and that bond may perhaps be even stronger than the bond they may feel for the child they are carrying. They see and talk to their couples regularly and become used to the caring bestowed upon them from their couples. These bonds are strengthened by the routine prenatal visits, maternity clothes shopping, calls to see how they are feeling or if they need anything for comfort. These routine events cause them to become almost dependent on their couples and some surrogates report even becoming depressed after the birth not because of having to relinquish the child, but because they no longer have a reason for contact with their couples. Another one of the psychological risks of surrogate motherhood is that of closure. Often, this can go hand in hand with every contact or bonding issues. The routines and relationships developed between the surrogate, couples and medical staff that often make the transition from pregnancy and surrogacy to the birth and farewell stage that makes it difficult. Not only does the surrogate have to deal with the loss of a child, per se, but also the loss of those unique and caring relationships and routines that they have grown used to over the previous nine months. And fina

There are pros and cons to both sides of this argument. With the private arrangement, you will first of all need to find your surrogate mother. This is usually much easier done through an agency, as all surrogate mothers to be will have been screened and will have gone through a comprehensive health screening. Also, all of the surrogate mothers with an agency will have had psychological screenings to guarantee the fact that they will be able to deal with the very strong emotions that will be coursing around their bodies during the pregnancy. Unless, of course, your surrogate mother is a relative or close friend of the family in which case it would seem to be a lot easier. Ethics, moral code and emotions will still loom large in all of the concerned parties worlds. So it would still be wise to involve an attorney and legal contracts so that everyone knows exactly where they stand, and what is expected of them. In most countries and states legal and binding contracts written up by attorneys, are needed by the parents to be anyway. As they are going to have to be legally adopting the child everything, will need to be written clearly and legally about the birth and how it came about. Very often during the pregnancy the doctors and nurses will need to know why there are two women, one pregnant, the other not, and very often two fathers who are so interested in this one child. If you have gone through an agency, they will be able to advise you on what to do and say in this situation. If you are sorting out surrogacy arrangements privately then yes but if anything unexpected should happen and you are unable to deal with the problems there is a reasonable chance you will end up wishing you had gone to the agency. Agencies do have trained professionals that can help you with all of the different issues that are involved in surrogacy. From the emotional feeling of all parties, the majority of agencies will have counselors who can help you work your way through any difficul

Surrogate motherhood history dates back to biblical times, some say it all started with Sarah and Abraham, others say it was around even before them, just they were the only ones recorded about it because of Abraham being in the bible. In countries all over the world the history of surrogate mothers dates back further than we can recall. Many cultures beliefs include surrogacy as a way of life, and those who don't abide by it are banned from their families. Many religions and cultures today believe the surrogates themselves are martyrs for their beliefs; their good deeds and overall intentions go unnoticed by many. In the 1980's the gay community took on the use of surrogates to form families for themselves; which was frowned upon then. If you really look at the history of surrogacy, aside from biblical times, it really began in the late 1800's with the Indians (which are just one culture.) If an Indian woman was found to be baron, the husband would go to the chief and inform the chief of this problem. The chief would then advise the husband to counsel with the witch doctor/ medicine man. After several attempts with medicine if the woman was still found to be baron, the chief would allow for the husband to consort with another female who was baron so that the husband would have a son to carry on his tribe; surrogacy then was not in vitro, rather, the male would have to have relations with the other female… the wife would have no biological ties to the child. But the Indians were not the only culture to use surrogacy as a means to carry on the family name. It's been known about throughout Europe and Spain and other such places. Kings would often bring in several surrogates until one bore him a son, then the surrogates would be kept as nannies to the child; the child would believe the King and Queen were its biological parents and know nothing about its genetic ties to the nanny. Often things of this matter were kept in close regard because if such thing

The conversation at the Sdyor dinner table is often about food. Where vegetables grow, what type of trees the fruit are picked from, and what type and cuts of meats come from what animal. Over the years some of the kids have even paid attention. Sometimes too much so...

Adoption, while regulated by federal and state governments, is often made possible through the efforts of non-profit organizations.

Avoiding unhealthy Habits for teenagers Teeth to forestall larger downside within the Future Keeping your health in condition is often a tough issue to try and do, particularly with teeth for teenagers to start with. Your youngsters would possibly finally ends up with ache or pain owing to rotten one in all their teeth, that is why you have got to create certain that you simply understand what quite unhealthy habits {for youngsters|for teenagers|for youths} teeth and the way to forestall your kids to try and do that. this can be a vital issue to try and do to start with, particularly if you would like to avoid obtaining your youngsters to expertise pain from their teeth.

Over a hundred years ago, there were no TV sets, stereos, or video games, but there were always people around ready to play games. Families were often large - parents & several children, as well as an aunt, uncle, or a grandparent or two, all living under one roof, so there were always people around who might be talked into playing a game. Children also played games at school, in town, and at work parties.\n

Our four year old loves to play chess. Yes, you heard us right...four. Is he some kind of prodigy? Nope. Don't get us wrong...our son is definitely very bright, and we claim our bragging rights as often as we can (doesn't every parent?). But, we don't think that Mensa is quite ready to extend an invitation to him yet. We do, however, give the folks at Winning Moves complete credit for our son's love of the classic strategic game with their wonderful edition of No Stress Chess.

We been having an ongoing challenge these days in The Daily Kool household. Our boys are at the age when we have to constantly remind them to wash their hands. It's not as if we are obsessive about cleanliness (well, maybe just a little). We do have rules, though. Washing hands after coming in from the outside, after meals and certainly after using the toilet shouldn't be too much to ask, right? Apparently, it just might be...at least for our boys. You should just hear some of the arguments and excuses coming out of our two little guys...everything from "My leg hurts and I can't stand by the sink" to "My hands aren't that sticky from the breakfast syrup." Our favorite of course, is the ever-popular "Hey, we stand up anyway...what's the big deal?" Imagine our embarrassment when our four year old proudly confessed to his grandmother how often he and his brother try to "trick us" into thinking that they've washed their hands (as if we didn't know). Seriously, they expend more energy trying to avoid washing their hands than it would just take to do it already. Sheesh!

One of the most wonderful things about the summer is the abundance of fresh Bing cherries. Dark and sweet, this cherry is one of our all-time favorite fruits. We've been known to go through bushels of them in a sitting. Another funny story about our older brother growing up (we've told a few of them!)...our grandmother somehow convinced him that if he ever swallowed a pit, a real cherry tree would grow in his tummy. Talk about traumatizing a child...gotta love it, especially as a younger (and often tortured) sibling! Hence, our poor brother, though he loved them, hardly ever ate cherries for fear of what would happen...what a wuss!

Here at The Daily Kool, our arms are getting quite the workout this summer...well, at least one arm, anyway. Our kids have been having one playdate after another at the house, and we've been doling out ice cream scoops practically by the dozen each day. Dig, twirl, release...dig, twirl release. Such is our life. It's amazing how one single perfect scoop of ice cream just seems to brighten a child's day...wait a minute, did we say perfect? A lofty, yet often elusive goal, we know. But apparently (and we've just recently learned this, mind you), a dish or cone of ice cream just tastes better to a kid if it has that professional, ice cream parlor look. Go figure, but kudos are important in the world of parenthood...we'll take what we can get. Pretty shallow of us, isn't it?

Okay, so we are quite a few weeks into summer vacation, and we've noticed that we're filling out our bathing suits much more than we expected. Somehow, our plans for getting into better shape have fallen by the wayside. What's going on here? Well, though we are not ones to make excuses (yeah, who are we kidding?), we do have several explanations. The kids are home, so we're finding ourselves parked at fast food restaurants more often than not (hey, we're on vacation too). It's been hotter than...well, you know. And, if we're not suffering in the blistering heat, we're getting drenched in the rain and chased by a flock of mosquitoes. Who wants to exercise outside in that? Of course, the heat naturally brings on our cravings for the sweet stuff, so the kids are eating ice cream almost every day...we can't let them eat alone now, can we? Wouldn't it be nice if we had a way to get into shape without the extra effort?

The Daily Kool family does a lot of driving. In fact, between work, school and enrichment activities for the kids, it often seems as if we practically live in our car. By the end of the week, our poor Saturn looks like a bomb has hit it...snacks, juice boxes, papers and toys are strewn all over the place. We've seen people recoil from the shock, shake their heads in wonder or, if they're parents, simply nod in commiseration at the mess of our car....yep, it can be pretty embarrassing! So, Fridays have now become the official "car cleaning" day in our household, and everyone has a job. No one ever complains...except whoever is responsible for window cleaning. The fingerprints and dog snot (Pepper loves taking rides in the car) are not such a big deal. The windshield, however, is another matter altogether. Our car has a pretty deep slope in the front, requiring us to drum up our best contortionist skills to clean it deep down. We admit it, our flexibility is quite pathetic...thus, so are our windshields.

The Daily Kool's beloved pooch Pepper, has just turned 9 years old...wow, time is definitely flying by quickly. Though he still acts like a puppy much of the time, we have noticed that things are slowing down just a little bit for him. The vet has told us his hips are beginning to weaken, as is often common for a standard poodle of his age. Plus, we've seen the extra hesitation when he jumps in the car, on the couch, and especially on the bed...yep, it's definitely time to get Pepper a pet ramp.

When a couple can not have children, they will often seek out a surrogate mother. This is a person that will carry the couple's child and deliver the baby. Once the baby is born the child will be handed over to the couple. Anyone wanting to become a surrogate mother should look into it thoroughly. You can be an independent surrogate or you can use an agency. The first thing you should do is find out what is expected of a surrogate mother and evaluate yourself to see if you can handle it. Read stories from women who have done it and how it affected their lives. This is not just business, this is your body and you will never be the same. Once you have decided that you can handle it, find out what you need to have a healthy pregnancy. What vitamins and diet you should be on are two very important things to look into. You should find out what the laws and rights are in your area concerning surrogate mothers. Surrogate Agencies There are many agencies out there. You can research them on line or look in the phone book. Each will be different in how they handle a case. Find out from them how they work and what they can do for you. Ask for references of other women who used the agency. Contact those women and ask them about their experience there. Once you have decided on an agency; you will be required to fill out an application. After that you will be checked by a doctor from the agency to make sure you meet all the requirements needed. Once you are signed up and deemed healthy by the agency, they will begin looking for couples that they think would be a good match for you. You will be contacted and meetings will be arranged with possible couples. After having several meetings, you will need to choose a couple. This couple should share your views on pregnancy. If you like coffee and they don't want you drinking it during pregnancy, then they may not be the right couple for you. This is a very important part of the process. Don't forget it isn't only you ch

When a couple cannot have children, they may look into the cost of using a surrogate mother. The details for this are very extensive. There are so many scenarios that can play out that it is impossible to give a solid figure. We can, however, look at the general costs of surrogate pregnancy and some possible extra costs.The fee paid to the surrogate mother can vary. The average rate however is a flat fee of $18,000. Some woman will do it for less and some experienced surrogate mothers will ask for more. This does not include any medical bills or food and vitamins. If at 13 weeks the ultra sound shows that the surrogate mother is having multiple children, there will be an extra fee of $5,000 dollars. There will be contracts drawn up for both parties to sign which means there will be lawyers to pay. Legal fees come to about $5,000. The surrogate mother will need to have a psychological evaluation which costs around $500. With pregnancy comes a bigger body and maternity clothes. Maternity clothes usually run you $750. The surrogate mother will have to drive herself or take a bus to the doctor's appointments. She is typically reimbursed 50.5 cents a mile. Any extra, invasive procedures, like Cerclage, DNC, Amniocentesis or FUC can be another $500. If you are going with the gestational surrogating, transfer will run you $750. Insemination for traditional surrogating costs $500 IN a case where a surrogate mother becomes pregnant with more then one fetus inside her, there is something called selective reduction. This operation removes the extra fetuses, leaving only one. The operation fee is $2,000. If at some point both the surrogate mother and couple decide to abort the child, the fee is $2,000. If a C-Section is involved, this will be another $1,500. If there is a canceled cycle fee then you will pay $350. Often times a Mock cycle will be given. This is to test the surrogate's eggs to see if all will go well. The fee is $350. When the surrogate mother gets