Delivery Day!!!

Me with A, E, baby boy and Dr. Tate after delivery.

Well, we made it to 36 weeks 5 days.  The babies were born on 11-9-15 at 10:14 and 10:29 p.m. at Emory Midtown hospital in Atlanta and they're doing great.  Baby girl was 6 lbs 7 oz and 18.5 inches long.  Baby boy was 6 lbs 10 oz and 21.5 inches long.

This is how it went:

I couldn't sleep so at 2 in the morning on the 9th I got up to go to the bathroom.  When I tried to get up off the toilet some fluid started leaking out.  At first I just thought I was peeing again because I hadn't been having any contractions or anything but after a few minutes I couldn't get it to stop and it only got worse every time I tried to get up.  I got my husband to bring me some pads and I called my OB who said to go ahead and come in.  I called my mom to come stay with the kids and started getting a bag packed for the hospital.  It was very annoying trying to get packed with fluid constantly leaking out.  I went through several pads but it just wasn't enough. 

We finally left the house and headed for the hospital around 4 a.m..  We stopped and grabbed a biscuit on the way because I figured they wouldn't let me eat once I got there.  We got to the hospital around 5 a.m., parked in the parking deck and with fluid running down my legs proceeded to walk to labor and delivery and get signed in, still not really having much contractions.  They took me back to the triage to check my vitals and check to make sure it really was my water that was broke and I wasn't just peeing everywhere.  Luckily it was my water because that would have been really gross...lol.  After confirming that it really was my water that was broke the guys started making arrangements to get here asap.  After about 2 hours in triage they finally moved me into a delivery room.  A little while after that my mom and step dad came up there to stay with me while I was in labor.

{Due to the last minute time restraints the guys weren't able to take he same flight.  E flew out first and A had to get everything worked out with his work schedule then find a last minute flight out then his flight got delayed about 20 minutes and he just missed the delivery.}

After they got me into the delivery room they hooked me up to the monitors to monitor the babies' heartbeats for a little while.  The nurse that came in was pregnant too and had the same due date as me and she was using the same OB as me.  How weird is that!?!  She was having a hard time getting baby B's heartbeat, she couldn't really find him.  I told the nurse he was way up in my ribs but she never checked high enough and said he couldn't be way up there.  Then another nurse came to try and where did she find him?  Way up in my ribs! 

By about 7:00 that evening I finally got the wireless monitors on both babies so I could go walk the halls to try and get contractions going because by this point I still wasn't contracting very much (about 1-2 contractions per hour).  Plus they were talking about putting me on Pitocin to speed things along because baby A's heartrate kept going up into the 170's.  They did finally check me when they were getting me hooked up with the wireless contraction monitor and wireless heartbeat monitors on the babies and found out I was already 5 cm dilated and that was after not much contractions all day.  So after a little walking my contractions started to pick up.  It didn't take much.  I only walked the halls twice and started getting really uncomfortable and my lower back started to hurt.  I went back to the room and hung out for a minute and leaned down on the bed to try to take some pressure off my lower back because it had started hurting.  After a little bit of that they wanted to try to pump fluid back into baby A's sack hoping that it would help her heartrate come back down.  I got into bed for that because I didn't like the idea of trying to walk the halls with fluid constantly being pumped in and flowing back out.  When I started to get back into bed I remember it felt like I was sitting on her head and I immediately stood back up.  They told me that her head couldn't be that low and that I was fine to sit down so I turned around another way and sat down and didn't feel anything so I don't know if her head went back up or what but they didn't want to check me for fear of introducing infection since my water had already been broken for a while.  Plus it had only been about 2 hours since my contractions really started and according to the contraction monitor my contractions still weren't that strong.  They asked me if I was going to want an epidural.  I did but I was worried about getting it too early and my labor stalling out so I decided to wait 20 minutes and see how I felt.  After 20 minutes I went ahead and told her yes on the epidural so she got the IV bag hooked up because you have to have a whole bag of fluid before you get the epidural.  We got about half the bag of fluid in before my OB got there.

It was about 10 that night when my OB, Dr. Tate, got there.  He looked at the contraction monitor and said, "Well, your contractions aren't very strong." just as I was in the middle of a contraction.  I wanted to kick him in the balls at that point because they sure as hell felt strong to me.  Then he went ahead and checked me.  As soon as he did, whatever he touched caused a huge contraction and uncontrollable pushing.  I was already 10 cm and the baby was coming out quick.  He started yelling at the nurses because at this point he realized the contraction monitor hadn't been calibrated properly so this whole time my contractions had been reading way lower than they really were which is probably why they didn't expect me to be as far along as I was .  The doctor said, "We're not going to have time for an epidural!  I'm not even going to have time to change!  I might have to deliver this baby right here!"  (They normally deliver twins in the OR.)  So all the nurses are scrambling around everywhere and my hubby and E quickly got all suited up to come back with me. And I was still like, "No, I need an epidural!  There's still time!"  LOL!!!

They told me not to push and just breathe and that's what I did as they wheeled me to the OR.  They didn't even have time to put me on the other bed in the OR.  They told hubby to hold my leg and asked if he (E, who was standing behind me) could hold my other leg.  Hubby said he didn't care, that it was up to me.  I didn't even realize who "he" was at that point but I didn't care either and just said yes.  As soon as he came over he was holding my leg with one hand and my hand with his other and I new that it was E because his hand was shaking so bad.  Baby girl came out screaming with the next contraction just 15 minutes after my OB had gotten there.  I can't believe how fast everything went.  The contractions and pushing were intense but not unbearable.  I distinctly remember, in the middle of pushing, thinking "Hey, there's the ring of fire I always hear about." Then as soon as it started it passed and she came out.  Then after she came out I was thinking, "Oh crap!  Did I tear?"  And as E was cutting the cord and the doctor was checking for the next baby I was trying to tell if I had torn or not and was thinking, "Nope, I think I'm good."  LOL.

After the girl came out the boy automatically turned head down and got ready to come out.  After 1 or 2 contractions the doctor broke my water to help him come out.  Some fluid gushed out then his head immediately came down and with the third contraction he was out.  Just as his body was coming out, the rest of his water; a HUGE gush, came out with him and splashed everyone including hubby and E and myself.  He was screaming very loud when he came out, even louder than his sister had been.

After both babies were out the placentas didn't want to detach.  The placentas were stuck together and fused to the inside of my uterus so they were pulling on the cords trying to get them to detach.  After pulling for a few minutes the cords broke off and the doctor had to go in manually to remove the placentas.  I remember thinking, "What is that?  OMG it's his arm!!!"  He was elbows deep scraping the placentas away from my uterus!  Talk about painful!!!  That was worse than delivering both babies!  Thank god he is a petite man!  And it's funny because as all this is going on the nurse is asking me if I'm doing ok, to which I reply, "I've been better!"  LOL!  When they were almost done they finally said, "Lets get her some pain meds."  And I remember thinking, "YES!!!  Why didn't I think of that?!?"  But it was very disappointing.  The pain meds didn't help but luckily they were about done.

Finally everything was over and they cleaned me up and sent me back to the room with the babies and everyone.  Baby boy was doing great and we got to hold him.  They said baby girl sounded like she had a rattle in her chest so they put a CPAP machine on her.  I found out later that they had the pressure or something too high when they put it on her and it punctured her lung and caused air to start filling her chest.  If it had been any worse that could have been REALLY bad.  She had to have an x-ray to check the air in her chest then again the next 2 days also, to make sure it was getting better and has to be on antibiotics for a week to make sure she doesn't get pneumonia.  She's doing much better now (4 days after delivery).  She's got all the tubes out of her and just a monitoring wire left and she's eating great.  They said as long as everything goes good she can go home Monday night or Tuesday morning.  Yay!!!  Baby boy could have already left but A and E were able to get a room at the hospital (all the rooms were full on D-day) and have been taking turns staying with both babies.

I can't believe how fast everything went after my contractions really got started.  It was only about 3 hours from the time I started walking the halls and got contractions going until the babies were born.  I also can't believe I went all the way through transition and dilated to 10 cm without even realizing it.  I knew the contractions were getting a lot closer together but I don't think anyone was really paying attention to that because the monitor said my contractions weren't very strong.  The whole time I was just trying to focus on keeping my body relaxed because I know that if you tense up it can stall labor and keep you from dilating.  (Read Ina May's Guide to Childbirth!)  My mom said she couldn't imagine laboring with an audience (I had her, my step dad, E, and hubby in there with me.) but I think it probably helped me keep my mind off the pain and stay more relaxed because everyone was just hanging out and talking.  Plus I think it helped that the nurses were telling me that my contractions weren't that strong yet because I kept waiting for them to get worse, to get "bad".  Little did I know they were already bad.  My mom said I had everyone fooled because I was doing so well.


It was a crazy delivery and definitely a lot different than anything I had experienced before and everything I expected but I think everything happened as it was meant to.  The only thing I would change is what happened to the baby girl.

Walking the halls with mom, hubby and E.

With A, E and baby boy after delivery.

First time holding baby boy.

Hubby holding baby boy.

First time visiting the babies the next day.

Showing baby boy to my kids.

Wide awake.

The happy family.  :)

30 weeks!!!

Yay!!!  We made it to 30 weeks which is a big deal in the surrogacy world.  Both babies are doing GREAT.  I'm doing great too.  The heartburn and indigestion are still really bad and it's getting hard for me to be up on my feet for over an hour at a time.  My stomach muscles start to get really sore and my stomach starts to feel really heavy and I just feel this overwhelming need to sit down.  I've got this belly band thing that goes around my lower belly and helps hold it up and takes some stress off my stomach and back muscles and I need to start wearing it more.  Since I'm in the 3rd trimester now I've also noticed I've been getting tired easier.  Naps are very important these days.  I'm doing pretty good on my weight gain with this pregnancy I think.  I gained a good bit during my first trimester but I think I've only gained about 5 lbs since then so it kinda balances out.

Babies both move around a ton so I get to feel plenty of movement and I'm loving that.  I had an appointment with the specialist last week and the baby girl (did I mention we're having a boy and a girl) weighed 2 lbs 15 oz and baby boy weighed 3 lbs 4 oz so they are great sizes.  I really wonder how far along I'll go with the twins and if I'll go into labor on my own this time.  I've only gone into labor on my own once and that was with my first pregnancy and I was 4 days overdue.  I've carried babies over 9 lbs and over 11 lbs without going into labor so that's something I'm really worried about.  I've been measuring 10 weeks ahead at every appointment except the appointment I had yesterday.  Now I'm only measuring 8 weeks ahead...lol. 

The guys came up for the 20 week ultrasound and we had a great time.  It was so good to see them.  They brought their little boy and we all got together with mine and tommy's family for dinner two nights and everyone loved them.  We met up for my daughter's birthday and went to lunch then took the kids to the children's museum.  After that we walked down the street to the park and let them all run off some energy before we went to the hospital tour. 

I'm sure I'm leaving a lot out but I'm a horrible writer so it is what it is.  I'll add the pictures later.  I've got a new laptop and no pictures on here yet.

First OB Appt

Well, everything looks great.  I'll be 14 weeks in 2 days and I just had my first official OB appt today.  Just to catch you up, I had several appointments to check my hcg levels and they more than doubled  each time and my hormone levels were always higher than they had to be.  Then at my first ultrasound we found out officially that it was twins.  We had several early ultrasounds and everything has always been great.  I never had any spotting or complications or anything.

The guys have been great this whole time.  I couldn't ask for a better set of IPs, they never cease to amaze me.  In April we went to Florida on vacation and as soon as I mentioned that I was looking for a place to stay for our vacation they said that they have a time share in Orlando and that we were welcome to use it.  It was so nice of them to offer it to us and we had a great time and really enjoyed it there.  On Easter they sent the kids Easter baskets filled with goodies.  Then for Mother's Day they got me a mug with a picture of me, my hubby and kids on it and 2 necklaces.  Then this past weekend they sent me a spa gift certificate which I'm really looking forward to using.  I'm going to be so spoiled by the end of this pregnancy...lol.  They are so nice and always checking on me to see how I'm doing.

I'm seeing a different doctor with this pregnancy than I did with my last 3 pregnancies because my last doctor was very pro c-section.  They tried to scare me into a c-section with my first two pregnancies and I wouldn't agree to it.  Then with my third pregnancy I ended up "having" to do a section.  At my postpartum checkup I asked them about doing a vbac in the future and they said the only way they'd let me vbac is if the baby is under 9lbs.  I knew right then I needed to find another OB or I'd end up with another section.  So, I searched online for doctors that specialize in vbacs and asked around on some pregnancy groups online and that's where I found Dr. Tate.  I am so glad I found him.  He is very vbac friendly and specializes in vbacs and pregnancy with multiples.  I am very happy with my decision to change doctors.  It is definitely worth the extra drive time.

As far as symptoms go I only threw up twice during the first trimester and as long as I kept something on my stomach my nausea wasn't too bad.  All other symptoms have been a lot more severe than a singleton pregnancy.  The heartburn and indigestion have been really bad as well as the gas and bloating.  Ever since I came off my hormones I've been having headaches and migraines almost daily.  I was extremely tired during the first trimester but it's starting to ease up some.  I HAVE to eat at regular times.  If I don't then I get nauseous, start sneezing (I know, wired symptom) and get a headache.  I don't know if my blood sugar getting too low or what but all the symptoms go away when I eat.  And we're not even going to talk about how much weight I've gained so far.  I started feeling movement at 11 weeks but it's still very light and random.  I can't wait until it gets stronger.

I go back to the doctor on Thursday to have some prenatal testing done and my gestational diabetes test.  Then my next appointment will be June 29th.  My appointment today went great.  Babies looked great, growing right on track.  He seemed a little surprised that my uterus was already so high, it's already almost to my belly button.  He said the reason it's so high is because it's not even in my pelvis anymore.

Beta Day

Ok, let me catch you up.  Everything went great with the screening and the guys liked my profile.  We ended up doing a video conference with the guys instead of flying out for a match meeting because their schedules were too busy at the time.  The video conference went great, we hit it off right away, and told GG we would love to work with them.  After that we got started on paperwork and contracts and all that boring stuff.  On March 16th we flew out to L.A. for the transfer.  We had dinner with the guys that night at the Cheesecake Factory and they had their son with them, it was the first time we'd ever met.  We all hit it off great, they are very very sweet and easy to get along with.

The next morning, on St. Patrick's Day, we all met at Dr. Kolb's office for the transfer.  They had two 5-day embryos to transfer and they were very good quality, they had already hatched and looked great.  They already have a little boy from their first surrogacy and are hoping for a girl this time.  They told the doctor they wanted to use one female embryo and then use the best looking embryo out of the bunch but no one knows if the second embryo is a boy or girl.  After the transfer I had to be on bed rest until the next day but the guys came to the hotel that night and we all went downstairs to the hotel restaurant for dinner.  After we ate the guys gave us some gifts that they had gotten us.  Tommy got some really good smelling cologne with a travel bag and stuff, the kids got some really cool night lights with a remote and everything, cool magnet tins and some of that really cool sand stuff with a sandbox and stamps for it.  I got an iPad mini with a purple case which completely floored me, I didn't know what to say, thank you didn't seem like enough.  They said they share a lot of pictures to the cloud and they wanted me to be able to see all the pictures of the kid(s).  It had only been about 9 hours since the transfer so I guess they were really expecting this to work, no pressure or anything you know, lol.

The next morning my husband and I went out for breakfast then walked a couple of blocks to a little mall.  I had been cramping since the transfer and after walking to the mall and doing a little shopping it got worse so we found a nice seating area outside and took a rest while waiting for the hotel shuttle to pick us up.  After that we caught our plane back to Georgia and went back to our normal routines.  5 days after the transfer I took my first pregnancy test and it was very obviously positive.  I bet if I had taken a test the day before it would have been positive also.  I took another test, 6dp5dt, and it was even darker.  

Today, March 30th, was my beta day.  I am 13dp5dt and it was the longest 13 days of of my life.  The doctors were hoping for anything over 100 today and when the doctor called me with my test results she said, "You're very pregnant!"  My hcg was 1,237!!!  So, needless to say we're probably having twins.  I'm very excited and nervous at the same time because I don't know what to expect with a twin pregnancy.  Also because I've never had a small baby and I'm probably going to be huge with two 8lb babies in there.  I've never gone into labor before my due date before so I'm curious if I will this time.  I plan on carrying these babies full term, I don't want to deliver them early unless it happens naturally or it's medically necessary.

I've got another blood test in two days and my numbers should be doubled by then (fingers crossed).  We're supposed to have another blood test April 8th then an ultrasound on the 10th before we leave for vacation on the 11th.  I can't wait for that ultrasound and I'm so glad we were able to squeeze it in before vacation instead of having to wait until after.

The guys have been very sweet today.  I asked them if they were nervous about possibly having twins and they said, "We would love twins but yes we are nervous and worried about you."  ❤️❤️❤️