37 week update

Today I am 37 weeks and 5 days. I went yesterday for my weekly doctor appointment and check up. Baby looks great. Heartbeat was strong and steady right where it should be and she continues to measure perfectly on at 37 ish weeks. The RN checked my cervix again and we went from being closed and thick to 2 cm and thinning. So that is good news. My body is prepping for the baby's arrival. She did remind me that I could walk around at 2 cms for a long time and nothing else change but we are hoping for that not to be the case. I am having some contractions just not regular enough and strong enough for me to come into the hospital. My next appointment will be Monday the 31st. If I haven't made any progress, and actually even if I have, the doctor said he will strip my membranes and help my body along in this process. We will also be scheduling the induction date for the next week. It is so weird because I have never gotten to this point of thinking of membrane stripping and inductions in any of my other pregnancies. We will have to continue to wait and see when Ms. Charlotte decides to make her big appearance, maybe she'll be the first baby of the new year???

37 weeks!

Here we are at 37 weeks! It's so nice to know that we have made it this far and just weeks or days till we all get to meet Ms. Charlotte. I have been keeping busy and feeling pretty good. But it is Christmas eve and today I am taking it super duper easy! Today and tomorrow are really the only days I hope Charlotte doesn't decide to arrive. I want everyone to be able to celebrate at home but after tomorrow I am gonna do my best to get Charlotte to start to make her way into this world. I am getting anxious to meet her, my family and friends are getting anxious and I know the dads are getting anxious!

At the end of my 36th week I went to the doctor again and all was great! Baby was moving and heartrate was in the 150's, right where it should be. The doctor also checked my cervix to see if there was any progress that had been made between my 34th and 36th weeks and surprisingly to me no change had been made. My cervix was closed (has to dilate to 10 for delivery), thick (must thin to prep for delivery), and the baby's head was high. But her head is still down which is the way we need it. It was good news meaning that she was in no huge rush to be here before Christmas. She is content to bake a bit longer. The next appointment will be after Christmas and we will again be checking my cervix every week from now on and if she hasn't made any progress by 38 weeks we may talk about stripping my membranes and by 39 weeks we will start induction talks. I am hoping she will do this on her own but this pregnancy has been so different that she is gonna decide when it happens. I am just happy we are out of the scary zone and in the safe zone for delivery.

I am still having the Braxton Hicks contractions and the super duper heaviness as I walk. I am sleeping a bit better at night but still up a lot and trying to reposition myself, which is not an easy task. I am getting my pregnancy appetite finally, better late than never I guess. Because once I start eating something that I like I really can't stop. Lucky for me that I have gained minimal weight so far so any weight at this point isn't too bad. I am still growing though that's for sure. I had to go out and buy some more maternity clothes, which killed me since we know we don't have long, but my kids kept reminding me that my tummy was showing. 

One more pic of us growing...

 

36 weeks!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

 I feel as big as Santa. This is me getting ready to go to our Surrogate Christmas party and I really am feeling big. I can tell that we are getting close to the end. I am now having trouble sleeping, getting comfortable, and finding a place that Charlotte is comfy too. I get tired really easy, out of breath with walking and she feels really heavy! None of these thing out of the ordinary for the end of pregnancy but wow am I uncomfortable. My hips are killing me, not sure if they are stretching and prepping my body for delivery or just hurting from laying on my side continuously. I can't sleep or lay on my back because Charlotte is so big that can cut off blood flow to me! It makes me dizzy and nausous and definately not comfy.

I have not been back to the doctor yet so still don't know if we are getting closer or still just in a holding and growing pattern. I can tell shes growing though because my shirts  are getting shorter and my belly is just growing straight out. I can't imagine how big Charlotte is now. She's still very active and it is fun now to feel big lumps and watch my belly distort as she gets comfy.

I have had some false alarms this week. Since I am not really sleeping well I feel all kinds of action, mostly at night. Few nights ago I contracted for about 2 hours at 20 min apart and thought well maybe this is it.... but I finally fell asleep while watching a movie. When I woke up they contractions were gone so it was obviously a false alarm.  Again last night I contracted to where the contractions were way more painful and just rode them out but they didn't get closer in time and eventually calmed down to where I could fall asleep. But then there are other days and nights where I feel great and feel like Charlotte has settled in for the long haul. Not sure when she is going to make her entrance but I am getting excited to meet her.

I also wanted to attach some pictures of some really special ladies that have helped and continue to help me through this journey. The agency that we have gone through is so amazing. They make every step of the way so much easier for us surrogates. We try to get together and share our thoughts, feelings, worries, and experiences monthly with each other. These ladies are some of the most thoughtful and unselfish people with the biggest hearts and I am lucky to be a part of this amazing group.

This is a pic of our Surrogate Christmas party. All these ladies are super surrogates that are helping others dreams come true!

And this lady is the one that made all of this possible. This is Alicia and I, and baby Charlotte, of course. Alicia is the owner of the Gift of Surrogacy and really one of my best friends. She truly is an amazing woman that has helped and continues to help so many families grow. I love the support and laughs that she gives me. I can't be more thankful for her coming into all of our lives!!!

 

 

35 weeks!!

35 weeks and getting huge, well at least feeling huge! We started the 35th week with a big family brunch. The IF's came up for brunch with me, my husband, my kids, my parents and the IF's. It was so nice to have my two families together! We had a great time introducing our kids to the dads and they loved putting faces to names and stories of the IF's. It also didn't hurt that the dads brought them all Christmas presents that they got to open and enjoy that day. We then took a quick ride over to the hospital to show the dads where we will be when the time comes. I showed em the entrances and the floor where we will deliver, my work at the NICU, and the floor where we will all recover and enjoy Ms. Charlotte. It made it all really real for all of us. I know that they want me to hold out till after Christmas and I hope that happens for them but I don't think it will.

 I have been feeling good. But there are times throughout the day and night that I feel that she is so heavy and just gonna fall out anytime. Like tonight I have been having this feeling that anytime I stand up my water is gonna break and off to the hospital we will go. I have had some contractions for the last few hours but nothing progressive so I continue to hydrate with lots of water and rest rest rest. It is just so hard because I wanna hold out longer but I know that my body and Charlotte are on their own time frame. What does amaze me is that with all of the technology in baby making why can't the doctors tell us exactly when she will be here?

 

34 weeks

A quick pic of me and Charlotte  at 34 weeks and in line to see Santa!

34 weeks

    34 weeks started out very interesting. I went to my normal doctors appointment and came home on modified bed rest with no work for two weeks! eek!! I told the doctor that I had been having some random contractions, as many as 3-5 an hour with an increase after working and lots of heavy pressure from Charlotte being so low. His response was to check my cervix to see where we are. And to my surprise and his I am 1.5-2 cm dilated. That isn't that far since I have to get to 10 cm to deliver Charlotte but seeing that I am still only 34 weeks he was not wanting me to work anymore. So I am off work for at least 2 weeks. I am to stay off my feet as much as possible and rest and relax a lot.
    So I went home and have been doing just that for the last 3 days. My husband has really been such an amazing help. He is for sure husband of the year! He doesn't want me to do anything that may set me into labor. He was laid off his job 3 weeks ago and I know that everything happens for a reason and maybe this was the reason, to help me grow Charlotte for a few more weeks. I am so blessed to have him!!!
    The doctor also said he won't stop my labor after I turn 35 weeks, this Sunday! Oh my that is really soon! I know better than anyone she needs more cooking time! I am gonna do all I can to keep her baking for at least 2 more weeks. But I also know that my body and Charlotte are on their own time frame and will come when she is ready. I just really really hope that they dads can get here in time! I really want them to be able to experience this amazing time!
    Since the doctor appointment all has been well. Still having some random contractions but really have died down since I stopped working and doing much. I have had some trouble sleeping but am feeling rested and I can tell that has helped my body settle in, hopefully for another 2-3 weeks.
Fingers and legs crossed!

33 weeks

33 weeks and getting close! I keep getting told, "oh my gosh she's dropped!" or "she's so low!" and trust me I feel it. I remember feeling this with my last just a few weeks before I delivered. She just feels heavy and keeps the pressure on my bladder! I am also starting to really feel the Braxton Hicks contractions and also some painful contractions here and there. Nothing to be too excited about but definitely showing me my body is moving toward delivery!!! It is so crazy to think that pretty soon this experience will be over. I have really started to enjoy the pregnancy and the feeling of helping. The one thing that really has surprised me about the surrogacy is the amount pressure I feel to give this family a perfectly healthy term baby. No one has put this pressure on me it's just myself. I try to put myself in their situation and really started to realize how hard it must be for them to have no control over their most precious cargo. I know that I have and will continue to do everything just perfectly and somethings are still out of my control. I just want the best for these parents and this baby. For example, earlier in the week I went to bed after working and got up a few times during my sleep and didn't feel Charlotte move. Not too weird because she was probably sleeping with me. But after I woke and had something to eat and some orange juice I still didn't feel her active self. Long story short I went to triage at Labor and Delivery to be hooked up to the monitors just to check her heart rate and movement. All was fine and I was probably worrying for nothing but I just didn't want anything to be wrong. If that had been one of my own kids I am not sure that I would have gone to triage but in this situation I felt super responsible for the health of Charlotte. I feel that more now than ever. The closer we get to delivery the more I look forward to seeing this family hold the precious cargo that I have been holding for 8 months now.

 

 

 

 

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