37 week update

(If you can not see it, this is a picture of the side of his face and his hand up next to his face)


I know its been a while since I have done an update. A lot has been going on in my life in the last 8 weeks. Let me start, 3 days into my 30th week, I was sick with the flu and ended up in the hospital with contractions for being sick. I was put on bed rest for about 2 weeks. I had contractions off and on for a week in a half. My thyroid levels had dropped and that was a other reason for not feeling well. Its was a tough few weeks, I had started to feel better for about a week. At 34 weeks I had started to swell in my hands, legs and feet. I went to the doctor found out that my blood pressure was on the high side, so I was told I was developing preeclampsia.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-eclampsia. I was than told I need to be seen by my doctor twice a week for the rest of the pregnancy. My blood pressure stayed borderline high till my 36th week. My blood pressure had dropped which was a good thing, well than there was protein starting to show up in my urine. which is just another thing to add to the list of things that could go wrong. Three days ago I had a doctor's appointment and found out that I have a UTI http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-complications/urinary-tract-infections-during-pregnancy/. So today I went to the specialist to check the baby's growth which is something I have had done since 12 weeks. Well found out baby is on the lower side on weight and low on amniotic fluid. http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-complications/oligohydramnios/. They measured baby at 5lbs and 14oz, he is a week behind where he should be. So my doctor told me that it is not safe to stay pregnant. The placenta has stop giving the baby nutrients, that is what has stopped the baby's growth. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placental_insufficiency. I will be going into the hospital at 8am in the morning to be induced, I will be having him 3 weeks early. If I waited to long to have him there could be a lot problems. If we waited we could be risking his life. I am hoping for a fast labor and delivery. I hope baby is nice and healthy and needs to spend no time in the NICU.



I am starting to feel at this point,  I have gone through so much to be a surrogate. Everything that could have gone wrong has. I have never had complications during any of my pregnancy, so this has been a learning experience for me.  This has been such a rewarding and unexpected experience. I am so proud of what I am doing and so happy to be able to help my couple have a baby.

3rd trimester

 

 

 

We are getting closer now, we are entering the last trimester. Meatball is starting to get bigger now!

He should be about 2 lbs and still gaining! He is such a active baby, he will keep his Mom and Dad very busy.

 

Everyone keeps asking me, "How is it to be pregnant with someone else's baby" I just to tell everyone that it is not weird for me, It really is amazing. There is no pressure on me to get anything ready, I have nothing to prep for. I only need to make sure I am taking care of myself and making sure he is doing great. I have enjoyed this pregnancy so much. It has gone by so fast. It is fun being apart of something like this. I do what I can to make sure his parent's are enjoying this pregnancy too. I love sending them pictures of our ultrasounds and belly pictures. They are getting so excited! They are getting his room ready of him. They are still thinking of names.  

I am really looking forward to sharing his birth with them. I cant wait t meet this little guy and seeing him complete his family.

23 weeks

I am so happy Little Meatball is growing great, his heart, brain, organs and body is doing everything that is needs to be doing. He is 1 lb and 4 oz, he is right on track with his due date. He is a very active little baby. 

Week 19 belly Picture

He is moving around so much more this week. I feel like my belly has doubled in size in a week. 20 more weeks and I get to see his Mom and Dad hold him in there arms. Its the moment I have been waiting for.

His nick name is Little meatball!!!

18 Weeks

Here is his little foot and his body, he is moving around, and growing. I feel great and I am so amazed on how fast this pregnancy is flying by. It took us over 10 months and 5 transfers to get pregnant and now its almost 1/2 over. I am so happy for this little guy and his family. It feels so great to be apart of so much happiness, it feels so good to be the one to help 2 lovely people become a family. 

First Belly Picture

14 weeks and 2 days

                               
                                                             
                                                

Utlrasound

He looks great at 13 weeks. Everything with the baby was great, he keep waving at us and he had the hiccups. He was moving around in circles, it was neat to see him move like that and I couldn't feel him doing summer salts.

They did find a fibroid tumor in my uterus, it is very common. The only reason I am sharing is because I wanted everyone to have a little information on it. Here is some information that I found on http://americanpregnancy.org/. I hope with this post you can learn about this and understand that word tumor does not always need to be scary. I will update when I see my doctor again.

Fibroid tumors are usually undetected non-cancerous masses that grow in the uterus. There are several types of fibroids found in the uterus, and it is common for women to have multiple fibroids of various sizes. In most cases, fibroid tumors are painless. Fibroids may also be referred to as myoma, leiomyoma, leiomyomata, and fibromyoma.

What Causes Fibroids In The Uterus?

A definitive cause of fibroids is unknown, but they appear to be related to estrogen. This relationship between fibroids and estrogen is known because tumors grow when taking birth control pills containing estrogen and during pregnancy when more hormones are released. Following menopause, when estrogen is no longer produced, tumors tend to shrink and even disappear.

What Are The Different Types Of Fibroids In The Uterus?

Fibroids are classified according to their location within the uterus. There are four primary types of fibroids:

Subserosal Fibroids: Fibroids that develop in the outer portion of the uterus and continue to grow outward. These typically do not affect a woman’s menstrual flow but can cause pain due to their size and pressure on other organs.

Intramural Fibroids:Fibroids that develop within the uterine wall and expand, which makes the uterus feel larger than normal. Symptoms associated with intramural fibroids are heavy menstrual flow, pelvic pain, back pain, frequent urination, and pressure. This is the most common type of fibroids.

Submucosal fibroids: A type of fibroid that develops just under the lining of the uterine cavity. This is the least common type of fibroid; however these types of fibroids commonly cause symptoms such as heavy prolonged menstrual periods.

Pedunculated fibroids: This type of fibroid occurs when the fibroid grows on a stalk. Pedunculated fibroids can either develop in the uterus or grow on the outside of the uterus.

It is common for a woman to have multiple fibroids, and it is possible that she has one or all of these types of fibroids.

How Are Uterine Fibroids Diagnosed?

Fibroids are usually discovered when your health care provider performs a pelvic examination and feels lumps in your uterus. To make an accurate diagnosis, your health care provider will perform either a CT scan or an ultrasound. These are non-invasive procedures that allow the viewing of your internal organs.

What Is The Health Concerns Related To Uterine Fibroids?

Fibroid tumors may not be a problem for some women, and in some cases treatment may be directed at managing the symptoms. Fibroid tumors may cause problems for women who wish to get pregnant because the tumors may be growing all along the uterine wall making implantation of a fertilized egg doubtful. Fibroid tumors may also cause some women to experience pelvic pain and heavy bleeding.

What Are The Treatments For Uterine Fibroids?

If there are multiple fibroids, it will be hard to determine which fibroid(s) are causing your symptoms. In many cases, there will be small fibroids that are undetected, so you should anticipate having multiple fibroids when discussing treatment options.

The selection of the appropriate procedure is determined between you and your health care provider, but the following factors contribute to the recommended approach:

• Size and location
• Severity of symptoms
• Childbearing plans

Severe symptoms often lead to the recommendation of a hysterectomy. Each of the following procedures serves as a treatment option, particularly for women who still wish to have children:

• Myomectomy: A surgical procedure done to remove only the tumors from the uterus. This procedure is more dangerous than a hysterectomy, but it is an option if you still desire to get pregnant.
• Embolization: This is a surgical procedure that involves cutting off the blood supply to the fibroid. This is a common procedure when symptoms are not severe.
• Myolysis: A procedure which uses electric shock to shrink the fibroids.

We are entering the 2nd trimester

I am so happy to say we have made it to the point of stopping all meds!!! We will be 12 weeks on Wednesday, I am so happy for this little guys family! We are the 3rd of the way to handing him to his Mom and Dad!

He is on the move.....

Its so amazing how you can see babies moving on a ultrasound but can not feel it, 9 weeks and 2 days!

Today is my first OB appointment

I am excited to have made it this far. We are 8 weeks tomorrow! I love my Doctor and I know he is going to be supper excited that I am pregnant with this special baby! 

Heartbeat

7 Weeks & 2 days with a very strong heartbeat!!!

2nd Beta and ultrasound!

We are pregnant!!!

2nd Beta is 115!

I had a 5 week ultrasound

It's a Boy!!!

Update for 2014

How is everyone? I am doing good. I know its been awhile since I have updated everyone.

Our 3rd try did not take either, This one was very hard for me to accepted, we got through the holidays and planned the 4th transfer in Jan. Sad to say but that one didn't take either and that was the last female embryo. At this point there were only male embryos left, 5 of them. We were able to move very quickly to the 5th transfer which took place March 19th. As of now everything is looking good, we have some positive home tests, and had a positive blood test, I had gone in today for my 2nd blood test and now are waiting to hear about the results. 

While we wait I really wanted to share about the medications I have had to take, this is the hardest part of surrogacy is the on and off of medications and the schedule of each one. I would like you to have a better understanding of what I have had to do up to this point.

• I will start with the vagnial ultrasounds I have to have every 2 weeks till transfer to make sure my lining is thickening to make a good home for the embryo. Which at this point I have had at least 15 of these done since last May.  
• The first Medication I have to start is Aygestin, I start this the 2nd day of my period and take for about 10 days.
• About 3 days after the first ultrasound I start taking Lupron, this is a shot I have to do in my tummy for 22 days.
• After my 2nd ultrasound I start baby Aspirin, once a day. I also start Delestrogen(another shot) This one I take once every 3 days in my upper-outer quadrant of my bottom.( if the pregnancy takes I will stay on the Aspirin and Delestrogen till 11 weeks pregnant, about then I will be on both for about 15 weeks)
• Than I have my 3rd ultrasound, if that is good. Than I start a vaginally medication that I do 2 times each day.( if the pregnancy takes I will continue this till 11 weeks pregnant)
• Six days before the transfer I start Medrol, 1st day I will take 6 pills at different times during the day, than each day it will go down by one.(This pills do not taste good, and make me feel icky)

With each transfer that did not take I would stop all meds at one time, it is a hard couple of days. After each transfer I have 72 hours of bedrest. At this point it has been very emotional and stressful. I have hope that this transfer is it for us, I cant wait to go through the pregnancy with my couple and see them with their baby boy in early Dec. 

Thank you all for the support and being here when I have really needed you!!