These babies are hungry!

Ok or maybe I am just hungry, but I can blame the babies, right?? For the last few weeks, I haven't ate much because after just a couple of bites I would feel full. Plus, I was having some major heartburn issues. Today and yesterday, I have been so hungry. I am still keeping the meals small but I find myself looking for snacks quite often. And, I am even throwing in some healthy treats like apples and carrots, yay for the healthy cravings. I usually like carrots but they are extra tasty these days. It's always nice to have a craving that isn't 1001 calories. My other food craving is pretzels, which I happen to be out of right now, boo! Looks like I will be making a trip to the store after work.


Last Friday, I had my glucose test. For those that don't know, it's a test to determine if a pregnant woman has gestational diabetes. I arrived at the appointment and was given a very sugary drink and was instructed to have a seat in the waiting area for about one hour. Once the hour is up they take a blood sample and do their testing. During the hour, there are moments of extreme nausea. It's always good to know where the bathrooms are in these types of events. Thankfully, I was able to put my mind somewhere else and not think about the nausea. I was talking via text with the daddies-to-be, that was also helpful. In the end, I must have passed the test because I didn't receive a call from the doctor.


I know you are all wondering... my feet and ankles are still a bloated mess. My daughter was actually making fun of them last night. Can you believe it, no sympathy! They seriously look fake to me. I don't want anyone to worry, though. My OB and I discussed it and since my blood pressure is all in check there is no concern. As most of you know, I do daycare so I am pretty much always on my feet. I just have to remember to sit down and put my feet up throughout the day. It's not always easy to do because 1). kids ALWAYS need something... diaper change, a drink, kleenex, something and 2). I feel like a slacker just sitting on the couch.

Big bummer!!! While I was typing this post the OB office called... failed my glucose test. GAH! I failed it by 7 miserable points, 7! Now I have to go in for further testing. It's another glucose test, only this time I get to drink the sugary drink and get my blood drawn every hour for 3 hours. It will be a total of 4 draws. I failed with my 2 older boys so this isn't exactly a surprise but it is a boo hoo moment. I am sure I will pass the 3 hour as I did in my past pregnancies. Wish me luck!

Thanks for checking in!

Melissa

My surprise for the daddies

Many months ago, I decided that I wanted to surprise the guys with a 3d/4d ultrasound. I worked with the agency to be sure that I could do this without the guys knowing. I had done research on businesses that provide these services when I was pregnant with my last baby. Unfortunately, time got away from us and we didn't have the u/s. I figured having the elective 3d/4d ultrasound this pregnancy would be something fun for me and give the guys something they could treasure until their babies are here (and after). The package I chose included printed pictures along with a CD of images and a DVD of the ultrasound.


After I scheduled the appointment, I received an email informing me that this company has something called SonoStream. It allows anyone I invite via email to view the ultrasound as it is happening. I was thrilled to learn this. This meant I could tell the guys and they could watch the ultrasound live on their computer. About a week before the appointment, I told them and we all eagerly awaited the appointment.


The day of the appointment finally arrived. Jeremy and I arrived at the office where the ultrasound would be taking place right on time. I filled out some paperwork and headed back to the exam room. These rooms are very comfortable and allow for many people to be in the room. There is a comfortable bed with a huge screen directly in front of it. I called the guys and we attempted to get things started. The guys logged on to view the screening... only it didn't work! I hoped that it was just a delay and that they would be able to join the screening very shortly... didn't happen. I felt so bad that I was able to view the ultrasound and they were only able to listen. This was one reason I debated (briefly) telling the guys. I didn't want to get them excited about something and have it not work out. So, in that respect it was a HUGE let down.


The ultrasound was wonderful, though. The technician explained how it would work. It starts out as a 2d ultrasound and he double checked genders. Very clearly, Twin A is still a baby girl and Twin B is still a baby boy. The 3d/4d part was a little different than I expected. It is kind of hard to recognize what is on the screen. But it's a big "awww" feeling when you can actually make out what you are seeing... a hand, arm or face. The arms and hands were always quite visible when they were on the screen. Yes, these two were busy yet again during the ultrasound. Baby girl was stealing the show! She was not afraid to show us her precious little face. It took awhile to get a good view of baby boy's face but it was worth the patience because he is just as adorable as his sister. Baby boy has a lot of cord around his face making it difficult to get a clear peek. Baby girl is actually hanging out slightly on top of baby boy, kind of like he is hiding behind her. When we started the ultrasound, we could see that their heads/faces were nestled together, it was very sweet

The guys did eventually (the next day) get the link to work properly and were able to view the ultrasound. It still disappoints me that they were not able to view the ultrasound live. I was looking forward to hearing their responses to seeing their babies.


Here are some pictures. Enjoy :)



Baby girl (baby boy's head by her right cheek)





Baby girl - she was busy opening and closing her mouth





Baby girl - back to resting. See her sweet little face nestled up to baby boy's head?





Baby boy... took awhile but we finally got a clear picture of him





Baby boy with his fists up by his face





Baby boy just chillin'

 I told you it would be a fun post!?!

Melissa

FAQ

The most common questions I am asked are: 


"How can you carry a baby for 9 months and just hand it over? I could never do that."


I have skimmed on this question before. When I was first hearing this question, my first reaction was to say my own eggs were not used. I found that answer to be a very logical reason as to why it would be easy to hand these babies over. The eggs aren't mine, so in no way are these babies mine... plain and simple. The usual response was "yeah, but still...". My thoughts are this, I am done having babies but I am still quite capable of having them. I was blessed with the ability to have children so why not help those that can't. It's very simple in my mind.


There are two different kinds of surrogates, gestational and traditional. I am a Gestational Surrogate (GS), which means I did not supply the eggs. A Traditional Surrogate (TS) uses her own eggs. I couldn't be a TS.  Knowing the baby was biologically mine would make things very complicated.

When I see and hold these babies, I know there will be some feelings involved. But I am fairly positive I will leave the hospital and sleep very well at night... both figuratively and literally.


"Will you do this again?"


If you would have asked me this question during the first trimester, my answer would have been probably not. The injections and nausea were just a little over the top for me. My thoughts are little different now. I was so ready to be done with injections but I had no idea when it would end. Now I have a good expectation of what is in store for me. If I decide to, I will probably only do this one more time.


I am matched with a perfect couple for me. Could I get this fortunate a second time? There is no doubt more amazing and worthy people but it's important for me to feel comfortable with them. I was lucky enough to have only one interview before being matched with this couple. Interviews are a lot of pressure and very nerve-wracking. I do lean toward doing this again for another same sex couple. I wouldn't rule out a heterosexual couple, though. After being matched, I started wondering how it would be to be matched with a heterosexual couple. One pressing thought was how would the woman be throughout the pregnancy. I imagine the couple didn't decide on surrogacy as their first option for bringing their baby into this world. I'm guessing there was much heartbreak that led them to surrogacy. Would there eventually be hard feelings because I was able to carry her baby? That's a big deal to me. People can pretend that all will be wonderful in a 2 hour phone interview and they may truly believe it will be a smooth process. Once a pregnancy is confirmed and my belly starts growing, I just wonder if jealousy would prevail. It's hard to say and I wouldn't want to assume this would happen. I feel I am a pretty good judge of character but one can always be misled. I am kind of rumbling on with my thoughts. We'll leave it here and I will worry about it if and when the time comes.


Will the daddies-to-be be in the delivery room with you?


Time willing, definitely! I wouldn't want it any other way. In fact, I worry they won't be here in time to witness the births. The focus will be on the babies... not me (if you know what I mean). The problem we run into is that I labor and deliver fairly fast. With my last baby, I started contractions around 9:00pm. We arrived at the hospital around 11:00pm and Elliott was born at 12:56AM. If I go into labor on my own, there is no way the guys could be here in time for delivery. For now, the plan is to keep the babies cooking until 38 weeks and then it's game on!

That's all for now. I will be sure to post another FAQ if more questions start rolling in.

Thanks for checking in and take care!

Melissa