Week 38 - She's here!!!

Well everyone, I didn't have a chance to take my 38 week picture because baby Ana made her grand appearance on Wednesday, January 7th! I woke up with what I thought was amniotic fluid leaking but wasn't sure because it was small amounts. Just after 9am there was a significant gush! Yep, my water definitely broke. This experience was crazy because I have never had my water break outside of the hospital! We immediately went to the hospital to check in and make sure everything was looking good. We arrived and got settled in at about 10am - I was at 3cm at this point. Of course after 3 weeks of prodromal labor, my contractions completely stopped. My doctor gave me until noon to go into labor otherwise they would have to start pitocin. Pitocin is a synthetic version of Oxytocin which is the hormone that is released in your body to get contractions started. I walked the hospital and bounced on my birthing ball for 2 hours without any luck. I have had a pitocin induced labor before with my daughter and it is not fun! Finally at noon the pitocin was administered and things began to progress. Every 20 minutes they would increase the amount of pitocin which would increase the intensity of the contractions and put them closer together. At

4:15pm I asked for the epidural. They checked my cervix again and I was only at 4cm. I was discouraged but I knew that my body goes from 6cm to 10cm within minutes, no joke. At 4:45pm My epidural was in and they had to check my again, I was now at 6cm. Everyone around me was saying it would be just a few hours now. Not me, I knew it was coming, but was not aware of how fast! Just as soon as my legs were getting numb, I began to feel as if she was trying to break the right side of my pelvic bone. I could not catch my breath or even speak. The nurse came to check me at 5:05pm and the baby's head was right there! She was coming. My doctor was called and sped to the hospital, just in time to catch her after two pushes at 5:16pm! It was fast, intense, but the most amazing rush ever! The look on Sam's face was beyond words. This little 6lbs bundle looked nothing like my children. She looked just like her daddy. No feeling of baby fever or sadness even came across my mind. Sam finally had the moment that I had been waiting for for this past year. My amazing husband captured everything with my camera and took some unbelievable pictures for them to keep since Ben unfortunately missed her birth.

Once I have time to sit and decompress I will fill you in on what happened the nights that followed her birth!

Week 37

Here we are, nearing the finish line! Since my last post, Christmas and New Years have past. It has been such an event filled week and a half. Between the excitement and chaos of the holidays with family, I was also very sick with a terrible cold and we took Sam camping. She was expecting tent camping, but nooooo, we camp in a trailer. She was pleasantly surprised and it was a blast. I'm so thankful that Sam has been here to experience all of this with us. She also brought the snow with her from Paris! I remember back in February that I mentioned that she brought an amazing amount of rain, and now it snowed for the first time 10 years on New Years Eve with her here! Coincidence? I think not! My kids have never experienced snow at home, so it was a special treat for them.

Now that my prodromal labor has kicked in, and we are 10 days from my induction date, things are starting to get real. Ben is on stand by at home, but will be here in a week if nothing has happened by then. So far I am 2cm dilated and 80% effaced so it's just a waiting game for Baby A to make her grand entrance!

Week 36

9 months down, only 3 weeks to go! Baby A has been given her eviction notice - she has until January 13th to make her appearance. This week has been extremely tough. Not so much pregnancy wise, because I'm still feeling good, but in my personal life I am feeling overwhelmed. My daughter has THREE weeks off of school. Her return date is my induction date. How convenient?! But my 2 year old son has been a nightmare. He doesn't understand what's going on at all, but I think he's sensing that changes are coming. He is reminding me of why he will be my last biological child ;)

I finally got my camera back so I took my 36 week picture this morning before my doctor appointment. My amniotic fluid is lower than normal (which has occurred with all of my pregnancies), so next week we will do another fluid check. Hopefully it stays in a good range so we do not have to induce even sooner. We need Ben here first! Christmas Eve is tomorrow and then we are going camping Thursday through Saturday, so no baby then either! Haha. I am still thinking early January, but Sam is thinking December. Please let me be right!

Since I just got my camera back, I am finally seeing the pictures Timothy took at Sam's baby sprinkle so I have included a few for you!

Sam crafting for baby A!

Lots of yummy Parisian themed desserts!

Week 35

Shopping at 35 weeks!

Yes, yes, today is week 35, but I don't have my camera (I left it at the shower) so I don't have my 35 week picture yet. Sam arrived on Thursday in LA. Driving there was a breeze. We waited at the baggage claim like children waiting to meet Santa. We were so excited when she finally emerged. It was a fun experience for my kids. The drive home... Horrible! We left the LAX airport around 4pm and finally got back around 730. Did I mention we only live about an hour away? Traffic sucked. Anyways, when we got home Sam unloaded gifts upon gifts for my family. We then unloaded our gifts for Baby A onto her haha. I'm saving some for Sam for Christmas next week. She attended a friend's holiday party with us on Friday. My pregnant surrogate friend also attended. We are due 2 days apart, both French babies :) Anyways, at this point she had not felt baby A move. So, of course, Sam felt the other baby move in my friend's belly before feeling baby A!! How embarrassing for me lol. Baby A still will only move when it's bedtime or her mom is not around. Little stubborn thing.

On Saturday my mom and I threw Sam a baby sprinkle. It's a smaller version of a baby shower that I deemed a craft party. It was a blast! We served French desserts and fruit platters with mimosas since it was brunch. Sam got a lot of great gifts and tons of decor for baby A :) When I get my camera back I will post pictures! 

Today is the first day we have not been out shopping or running around town. It was nice. It's cold and rainy. Just what we needed. Of course my children have been monsters since Sam got here, so today the weather has mellowed them out. Let's hope they continue to behave because I cannot let the mommy monster come out ;)

Week 34

I have to make this post short and sweet - we are leaving to pick Sam up in just a few minutes. I had my 34 week check up yesterday and baby A looks and sounds amazing. Just about five weeks left! I promise I will update Sam's arrival soon. We have a full schedule this weekend so we will be very busy!

Week 33

I swear I just posted a few days ago! Time is just flying by! Thirty three weeks down, yes! On Friday it will be 7 months since I had the transfer. It seems like that was years ago. But what's not years away is Sam's arrival -- 7 days! I'm freaking out! It's a mixture of anxiety and nervousness, but mostly excitement :) I think it will help make the end of this journey a reality. Of course I have one more post before she arrives, but I'll keep you guys included in her arrival. Now I just need to find a translator app for my phone ;)

Week 32

8 months down, 2ish to go! Sam will be here in 14 days! Tim and I have been running around like mad people preparing the house for her arrival. It's always fun to have house guests, but it will be interesting this time for a few reasons. 1) Sam is staying for close to a month. We haven't had a "roommate" in years! 2) Sam will see my home in its natural form. For the past 11 months we've skyped for an hour a week in which I'm stationary and pretty successful at keeping my kids busy. Now she will see me interacting with my kids during the good moments, and the not so great moments. 3) She will watch me experience the last month of being pregnant - and for anyone who has experienced the end of a prenancy... It's not the prettiest. You're bloated, moody, and just feel gross all around. However, I am excited for her to feel her daughter move around for that last month when the baby is super active! It should be interesting!

I've also been told how big my belly had gotten this past week. I would believe it! My stomach is stretching like crazy on the inside and it is not comfortable. Luckily I'm still feeling pretty great so the discomfort is not a big deal.

I have to get back to making pies for Thanksgiving tomorrow so happy turkey day everyone!

Week 31

31 weeks! It's been an easy breezy week for me, pregnancy wise. I've been feeling pretty great. This little girly is still a crazy ninja, trying to bust out of every corner of my belly. She cracks me up. My son turned 2 this week, I have been busy wrapping up my final shoots of the year, and today my husband and I are celebrating our wedding anniversary. It's fun to think that when we look back at pictures from this year in our lives, baby A will be in the pictures, sort of.

The end is nearing! Sam has her flight booked to arrive in 20 days (I just plugged that into a countdown timer and had a mini panic attack! She's staying with us so there is lots to get done!!). My mom and I are throwing her a baby sprinkle in 22 days. Ben will be here in 49 days. Finally, baby A will be here in 53 days or less (insert HUGE panic attack here!)!! These countdowns don't include Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and all of our personal and social events going on! Man oh man!

Amidst all this craziness, I attended my monthly surrogate support group meeting last weekend. The owner of the agency had all of us over for a big Thanksgiving potluck at her home. We talked about something we haven't addressed before - postpartum depression as a surrogate. All of us there are mothers, so we've all experienced the aftermath of having a baby, but how is it different from having a child that is yours to take home versus having a baby for someone else and going home empty handed? There were some that were perfectly fine after, and some that had full blown meltdowns. I tend to be hit with the baby blues after but I've always chalked it up to sleep deprivation, hormones, and feeling like a dairy cow. I plan on being raw and honest about how I feel afterwards, because it's part of this process. I just know that whatever it is, I will have a solid support system from my surrofriends, friends, and family to get through it :)

Week 30

T.H.I.R.T.Y weeks?! Yep! It's a busy week for me personally, but an exciting week all around. We were camping this past weekend for my son's second birthday and have come home to a full schedule of appointments, photo shoots, and a last minute plane trip home for Timothy. I'm surprised I even managed to blog this week, but my regular readers are constantly thanking me for keeping up with my blog :) Speaking of planes, Sam and Ben have booked their flights and are confirming their travel plans. Sam is flying here in a few weeks and Ben will come in January. I'm excited for Sam to stay with us for a few weeks before baby girl makes her appearance. Our bi-weekly doctor appointment went well this week. She is ALWAYS moving. Constantly rolling around, kicking, having the hiccups, etc. However, we did find out that she is head down, which is exciting since she has been transverse for forever. That means she was laying sideways in my stomach. Now that she is head down (and hopefully stays that way), we can rule out worrying about a breech baby.

Sorry my post is short this week, but I have to tend to the 5 loads of laundry and full sink of dishes I have waiting for me :)

Week 29

You may spot my son, Ezra. He's been extra clingy!

 Last week in the twenties! Eeek! Super exciting! I'm feeling like a whale, and I have a cold. Yay... Everyone keeps saying how tiny my belly is, yet that just means this little girl is ALL where my internal organs should be. Haha. The reflux, kicks to my spine, it's all reminding me that this is coming to an end. I've started drinking Red Raspberry Leaf tea. It's a tea that helps strengthen your uterus for labor. You drink 3-4 cups of it a day starting in your third trimester. It makes your uterus slightly contract and strengthens that muscle. I drank it when I was pregnant with my son and I had a breezy 7 hour delivery at 39 weeks. Much better from the 14 hour induction at 42 weeks with my daughter, my first. I have a few other methods, but those will begin later around 37 weeks. ((Note -- all of these methods are approved by my OBGYN and doulas. Make sure you talk to your doctor and do your research before trying anything you read in my blog, lol))

I met with my doulas this past week. They are so amazing. They brought books for myself to read to refresh my memory of what to expect from labor. Oh, but how can you forget labor and delivery? ;) People keep asking me why I hired doulas this time when I have never before, and I cannot deliver at home -- the answer is not simple. With the birth of our own children, Tim and I make an amazing team. He's right there with me, making sure I have what I need, and reassuring me that everything is going great. That moment our children were born, no one in the room except the three of us even existed in our minds. It's the deepest connection we ever have. YET, with this birth, this is not our child. Yes, Tim will be there, but I can imagine he's going to feel a little out of place, and I don't blame him. I want him to be able to be supportive for me, yet feel like he can step back and let Sam be my main support. I want the doulas there to keep the calm for everyone and just give me another source of positive energy. I want Sam and Ben to feel calm as well. I think a doula is amazing tool to have to reassure them that I am fine while laboring. It will just be organized and calm. They will also be there for those few hours postpartum when my hormones are flowing and I do not have a child in my arms. I can't wait to take a nap soon after, but also see Sam and Ben holding their daughter!