Thea is here!

She's here, she's perfect, and I'm one proud surrogate mama!


Born 11/2/11 at 5:23am. 6lbs 12oz, 19in long.

I'm doing well and trying to rest up as much as possible. Thea is home in Wyoming with her family who are all absolutely in love with her, of course! I will post my birth story later and try to get a picture to post of Thea with her family.

xoxo
Lady Stork.

40 weeks - It's my due date!

Well, today has come and (almost) gone with no baby. Not that I really expected to have Thea on her due date, but it's the type of marker that everyone likes to pay attention to and every pregnant woman hopes to have their baby by or at least on the 40th week mark. I think pregnancy would seem like an impossible eternity if there wasn't some type of "end" in sight. However, I'm fully aware that a lot of women go beyond 40 weeks and I will not begin to pretend that I understand how they must feel. My son was born a few days early so there wasn't much waiting involved and certainly no over-due waiting, which is a whole different form of waiting as far as I'm concerned.

Last week Thea's parents arrived from Wyoming and have been patiently waiting. We've spent a little bit of time together but it's not easy for this pregnant lady to get her ol' bones out of the house lately so it's just been a few short-but-sweet visits so far.

I started having regular contractions and cramping about a week ago and they haven't let up at all. ALL NIGHT and most of the day I have them 5-10 minutes apart so I am tired and worn out already, and that's a terrible way to start labor. I keep trying to tell myself that they are doing work and to just be patient and that any time now I will start active labor, but it's discouraging and exhausting none the less. While eating dinner with the IPs and my son on Saturday evening I started having strong contractions every 5 minutes. I timed them for almost an hour and then decided to call my midwife to see what she thought I should do. She thought it was go time and told us to go to the hospital to get checked out. Well, after 2 hours of walking the labor and delivery halls nothing changed. My contractions didn't get longer, stronger, or closer together and my cervix didn't dilate at all, so they sent me home with an Ambien to try and sleep through the pain. Nothing changed the next day, still 5 minutes apart... and then today I woke up and they were 15 minutes apart!!! I was so freakin disappointed. I had a midwife appointment today and she said my cervix was 3cm and 70% effaced, she also stripped my membranes and we had a nice little talk about induction possibilities. We came to the decision that if by 6pm on 11/1/11 if I hadn't gone into labor that she would break my water for me and get this party started! I asked what their protocol is for administering antibiotics and/or pitocin after AROM and she said they don't have any type of time frame and they will just let my body do it's thing. This made me feel good because although I'm confident that my body will start turning these contractions into the real deal and we'll have a baby in no time, it's nice to know that they won't rush me if it doesn't do it quickly. I still hope that I start labor tonight and everything can happen more naturally but considering our circumstances I think this is a good option for us and I'm glad that there is a game plan.

I am very ready to meet this little girl and let her start her life with her family. They've waited so long for her and I'm beyond excited to give her to them. Seriously, BEYOND excited!

So, my bag is packed, Zeppelin is with his dad till Thursday, and I'm ready to "do the labor" (as my sweet 4 year old says). Wish me luck! I'll be sure to update when anything happens.

10/31/11 40 weeks

-Lady Stork.

36 week bump

36 weeks...4 more to go!

36 weeks

36 weeks

33 weeks!

Yesterday was the start of week 33 which means I only have 7 more weeks until my due date! I'm so incredibly excited to see this baby girl and FINALLY give her to her family and I'm sure I'm only feeling a fraction of the excitement that her family is feeling right now. I know they are preparing for her arrival and I'm sure the house is turning pink. :)

Baby: Thea seems to be doing great and staying very active. She was startled by a loud noise the other day which is a great sign! Every appointment with the midwife has been nothing but good news of a healthy baby and a healthy pregnancy. Her heart rate is perfect and hangs out in the upper 140's. While in Wyoming we had an ultrasound done with her family (first time for them) and she was measuring right on schedule with an estimated weight of 3 1/2 lbs, but that was back at 30 weeks, now she should be about 4 1/2 lbs and 17-19 inches long. I wonder what her birth weight will be??? Maybe I should get some guesses from my readers for a little fun.

Me: I'm feeling huge now and every single movement that baby makes is felt, where a month ago a lot of her movements went unnoticed. We went to the Oregon coast last week and I was cramping (very low) the whole time  and tons of braxton hicks contractions. After that trip I now feel her much lower and my pelvis (specifically my pubis bone) feels as though it's ripping apart with each step that I take. Also, tons of burning and pain on the top of my belly from the weight that those muscles and ligaments are holding up, loads of lower back and hip pain, numbness and tingling in my butt and legs (sciatica), and a lovely waddle. Has she dropped? I don't know,  but she feels much lower to me. I remember when my son "dropped" I felt a relief and could breathe more easily and my heartburn decreased, which isn't the case for me right now. Maybe she's just workin' her way down?

I'm addicted to eating ice and drinking coconut water. NO I'M NOT ANEMIC, but thanks for your concern. haha, everyone tells me that eating ice is a sign of anemia, and while that might be so, I just had my levels tested and I'm fine. I just like eating ice. Coconut water is so yummy and is keeping me hydrated. I remember drinking it before I got pregnant and not liking it very much but now I'm in loooooove with it.

I haven't gained much weight this pregnancy and my midwife wants me to try and eat more. I'm trying to, but at this point, I'm all belly.

Our trip to Wyoming was fantastic! It was so good to see Thea's family and get to know them better. Zeppelin (my son) fell in love with her older brothers and I think they fell in love with him too. We hope to make it out to the 7-up ranch again soon and keep in touch with Thea and her family as she grows up. They are such wonderful, special, and loving people and I'm thrilled and deeply honored to help them complete their family!

Zeppelin with Thea's dad and his horses.

My little boy turned 4 this month and let me tell you, planning 2 parties at 8 months pregnant is hard work! Glad it's over, every thing was great and now I can relax and enjoy the end of summer and the end of this journey.

Zeppelin on his 4th bday.

Zeppelin as the ring bearer in a wedding this summer.

Only four more weeks and I will be considered "full term" and she would be safe to come into this world with little or no medical help (NICU stay, etc). I'm hoping we make it to 40 weeks but it's comforting knowing that we're that close to being "in the clear". You keep cookin' baby girl until you're ready to come out! :)

 I said that this post would be answers to some questions but no one has asked me any new ones. Another time I suppose.

I will post a belly picture later but here is a diagram of a 33 weeks pregnant belly and fetus.

33 weeks gestation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-Lady Stork-

29 week belly pic

29 weeks

28 weeks!

I’m officially in my third trimester! Hallelujah, and boy does it feel good! I have less than 12 weeks left, and while part of me is sad to think that I only have 12 more weeks of this journey left, I am VERY excited about getting my body back and being able to sleep comfortably for long stretches of time without heartburn, leg cramps, the inability to breath because I’ve rolled on to my back and my uterus + baby are crushing my lungs, or simply needing to pee. It’s strange because with Zeppelin’s pregnancy I was okay with the lack of sleep during the third trimester because I felt like my body was gearing up for life with a newborn, and when the time came and I brought him home I was used to not sleeping and it wasn’t too much of a shock. So this time around I actually get to go home after giving birth and (Lord willing) sleep comfortably and for a whole 8+ hours, which most postpartum women don’t get to do!

I totally meant to update last time about my midwife appointment and I forgot. I really like the midwifery group and the midwives that I’ve seen so far are very smart and quite loving. I feel absolutely comfortable having them watch over me during my pregnancy, labor, delivery, and beyond. I had another appointment yesterday and we did the glucose tolerance test, which for those of you who are unfamiliar with prenatal testing, is basically to check to see if I have Gestational Diabetes. Well, I am happy to report that I passed the test and do not have GB. I have been having seriously intense Braxton Hick’s contractions, about 2-3 per hour, and they are very uncomfortable. I actually get short of breath and my heart starts to race. I had no idea that with your second pregnancy these contractions are worse, but the more women I talk to the more I’m finding out that this is the norm. I guess my uterus knows what’s up this time around and has decided to do daily calisthenics!

Baby is moving in less chaotic movements now and more powerful punches, kicks, and flips are being felt. The midwife said she is head down and I’m suspecting spends a lot of time on the right side of my uterus because of the way I feel her movements. Sometimes she can actually move my whole belly with a flip! It’s strange and funny to see my belly jerk to one side, especially while I’m in public. I look forward to the updates from her parents as she grows; I bet she will be an active little girl. 

I had a question from a friend about breastfeeding after birth and as far as I know I won’t be breastfeeding her because her mama is going to try to start lactating before she gets here so she can start nursing her right away. I will pump the colostrum and they (the IP’s) will either give it to her in a dropper or the IM will use a supplemental feeder, like the one shown below. I’m so glad that they intend on breastfeeding and I hope that they have great success! 

Zeppelin and I will be going to Wyoming next week to visit the IP’s and spend a few days with them (did I already mention this?). We are so excited! It will be wonderful to be able to share this pregnancy with them, even if only for a few days. I want them to feel her kicks and talk to her and do all those normal pregnancy things that soon-to-be-parents do. They are having a get together at their home with a lot of their friends and family while I’m there. It should be a blast! Hopefully the weather there is as mild as the weather we’ve been having in the NW this summer. Pregnant me has been enjoying the low 80 degree days and cool nights.

Well, I suppose that’s all for now. I am including a couple of belly pics from this week. Don't laugh, they are before we went swimming and I'm in a bikini. I sort of remind myself of a whale...

I’m thinking my next post will be a Q&A so please ask questions if you have any.

XOXO

Lady Stork.

28 weeks

28 weeks

24 weeks and feeling fine!

I'm 24 weeks and 2 days today! Yesterday I felt super hormonal so I wonder if there was a new surge of hormones happening. Today I feel better. :) I read that baby will gain a 1/2 lb this week, which is a lot considering she only weighs 1.25 lbs as it is. I see a stretched belly in my near future...

I am about to go meet with the Midwife for the first time. I will be sure to update the blog and let you all know how that goes. I met with the birth doula, Darby, and I really like her! She is beyond qualified and although she has a laid-back attitude I can tell that she will advocate for me and be assertive if need be.

We (my son and I) will be going to Wyoming in August to visit the IP's and their family. I am SO excited to do this and can't wait to spend more time with them and meet the gang. Thea has just finally started kicking/moving/pushing hard enough so we can feel her from the outside of my belly, and see it too! The Wyoming gang will have so much fun feeling those kicks and I don't mind hands on my belly like some women do. :) She's actually pushing against the laptop right now which is sitting on my belly. Sorry baby, gotta blog!

I have a lot of people asking me if it will be weird to give her to her parents after she's born, and while I'm sure it will be strange, I completely feel that it would be even more strange to keep her then it would be to give her to them. She was never mine to keep. I am at peace with the process and don't feel an emotional strain or weight over it at all. This pregnancy is SO extremely different than my pregnancy with Zeppelin. I love this baby and want to care for her and make sure she is healthy and happy but it isn't the same as if she were my own. I'm not planning my life with this baby, I'm not talking to her as a mother, I'm not sharing this pregnancy with her father or siblings in an intimate way, trying to create bonds. Don't get me wrong, I do talk to her, rub my belly, send good vibes and thoughts her way, making sure that she feels loved and wanted, it's just very different. It's more like an Auntie love. I love her like I do my nieces and nephews or my best friend's children, which is quite a great love! Also, I know she has a family waiting that desperately wants her and loves her so it feels amazing to be able to give her to them. I know she will be abundantly loved by so many, and that is a wonderful thing.

Well, I think that is it for now. I will post later on how my midwifery appointment goes.

-Lady Stork.

23 week belly pictures

23 weeks

23 weeks

22 weeks!

So I'm 22 weeks this week! 18 more to go (give or take). I'm officially in my 6th month!

This little girl is so active! Her daddy just competed in the Ironman triathlon this last week and I have a feeling she will be following in his footsteps. I am already noticing distinct sleep/awake cycles with her and when she is awake she is on the "go"! I took my son, nephew and niece to see Rio in the theater the other day and during a loud part she kicked so hard I looked to the side of me to see who had poked my belly. To my surprise it was an inside poke! :)

I'm feeling pretty good this week and only feel "morning sick" a day or two out of the week now. Such an improvement! However, now I have horrible allergies. Can't this prego lady get a break?! The round ligament pain has subsided and I feel like Baby T is sitting higher and giving my cervix a rest. My belly is definitely getting bigger and is now a constant hand magnet. The other day I walked up to the sales counter to buy something and the clerk said "I like your baby". hahaha. That was a first!

I have decided to give birth in the -gorgeous- new hospital in Eugene and I will be using the midwives at the Peace Health midwifery group to assist in my prenatal care and the delivery. I gave this a lot of thought and although it would be nice to give birth in the birth center it just isn't practicle for this pregnancy. I want to be able to stay for a while after the birth and at the birth center they expect/require you to leave in 4-6 hours after delivery. Giving birth in the hospital will allow for a little R&R before I go home and also a little bit of time with Baby T and her family before they go home. The midwives seem to be great and I feel like the hospital is well equipped and will support my birth decisions. I also have a meeting with a birth doula tomorrow to see if I want her to help me during the birth. Being a birth doula myself, I have pretty high expectations, so this should be interesting :).
Here is a fun interactive video thing that my Aunt showed me. Take a look!

http://www.msichicago.org/whats-here/exhibits/you/the-exhibit/your-beginning/make-room-for-baby/interactive/

Well, I think that's it for now. I will post a belly picture later.

-Lady Stork

20 Weeks! Half way there.

Anatomy shift of a woman at 20 weeks gestation.

I'm 20 weeks! I can't believe that I'm half way to my due date. This picture shows the changes that a woman's body goes through to make room for the growing baby at 20 weeks, can you imagine what 38 weeks looks like?!?

19 week belly

19 weeks

Here is my belly at 19 weeks.

New blog and long overdue post!

 Welcome to my new blog address! I was getting so sick of Tumblr and decided to make the switch to the very popular blogger.com. So far I love it and it seems much easier to post on, so this means you get more posts from me! I know, I just made your day **wink wink**.

So here's an UPDATE:

I'm currently 19 weeks and 2 days pregnant with the most active little GIRL! Yes, it is a girl! We actually found out many weeks ago when we had the CVS (chorionic villus sampling) done to test for any genetic abnormalities, which all came back 100% normal! Yahoo for a healthy baby! The parents have decided to name her Thea Rose. Such a sweet name for a sweet little girl. :)

I had been severely morning sick with this pregnancy and I think I'm finally, as of today, in the clear and done with that (KNOCK ON WOOD). It's strange how throwing up every morning becomes a "normal" but it totally did and I just counted on it happening once or twice before lunch. It's a small price to pay for this little girl and her life.

I started feeling her move in little flutters back around 10 weeks but now--holy cow--she is active! I think I even saw her movements from the outside of my belly last night. I was having a lot of pain for the last couple of weeks down very low in my pelvis and it lasted all day no matter what I tried to relieve it, so I went to see my OB and they did an ultrasound to rule out anything serious. Everything looks perfectly fine but we did see that little girl has her toes in my cervix which is what is most likely causing all the pain and cramping coupled with round ligament pain. She looks like a little yoga baby sitting with the soles of her feet together, knees bent and legs out to the sides.  Like this:

 
So I've started to get into cat/cow yoga positions to try to move her up a little bit and that works for a while but she loves that position right now and ends up moving right back down. C'est la vie!

My belly is growing rapidly and I finally look pregnant instead of fat! haha. I will post a picture later today when I get around to taking one.

I toured both the hospital and birth center this past week and am trying to decide which one I will give birth in. I'm pretty sure that I will be using a midwife, just unsure of the location. I will update more on this later when my thoughts are a little more organized.

Here is the latest ultrasound picture of Thea. 19 weeks. Would you look at that adorable profile! She is a little darling already! She was sucking her thumb during the ultrasound too. :)

Thea Rose at 19 weeks.

Thanks for following me over to this address and I promise to post much more often!

-Lady Stork.