Final Stretch and MORE

I feel terrible that this journey hasn't been filled with as many updates as my first, but honestly that's a good thing. Everything is going smoothly and VERY fast. I'm just a regular preggo with no excitement going on other than the fact that little lady is growing perfectly.

 I am officially in my last trimester! The summer is keeping me super busy and before I know it this baby will be going home with mom and dad. My c-section is scheduled just a few days shy of the first day of school. Mom and dad can't wait! It's funny how slow these journeys start out and then I blink and it's all over. I think every post I'm fighting back tears for one reason or another. The goal is give them their baby, but I grow to truly love and care about these families. I love being pregnant and I love babies, but I honestly do this for the parents. They are remarkable individuals and I am so happy to know them. 

Journey #1 Update:

Can you believe the twins are 2?! T.W.O!!!! Orion, Jagger, Willow and the whole Vincent family are doing fantastic. Mom checks in on me all the time and random pictures of the kiddos fill my heart with so much joy that I could literally burst.

Could they be any cuter?

My next post will hopefully be filled with sappy pictures and exciting news of a new little person to enter the world. I just can't wait to see this little girl!

JUST

WHEN

YOU

THOUGHT

THIS

POST

WAS

OVER...…..

I have news for you.

We all know that stress can wreak havoc on your body. Take away that stress and amazing things happen.

And I mean AMAZING things.

Meet baby A #2

That's right, it happened again! I am completely mind blown! Needless to say, so are mom and dad. They have never made it this far in any pregnancy and everything looks perfect. She is due December 23rd while I am just four months earlier due August 24th. AHHHHH you guys I want to shout from the rooftop! I always feel a tinge of guilt being pregnant with someone else's baby. I put myself in the mothers shoes and my heart aches. She doesn't get to feel her baby growing or experience even the not so fun parts of pregnancy. Each of my mommas will now get to experience everything they tried so hard for. It flat-out brings me to tears. So many happy tears!  

My request to you is to pray for this little momma. Pray she has the best most uneventful pregnancy she can have! I just couldn't be any happier!

 

Learning to Trust

You would think that with this being my second journey things would be a breeze. Sure, I know what I am doing with doctor appointments and medications, but emotionally I have been a mess. After transfer, I questioned everything I did. Was my shower too hot, did I keep my feet up long enough, were my feet too cold, did I move too fast? Every little superstition you read from fellow IVFers runs through your mind.  You tell yourself that nothing you do can affect the outcome of this baby implanting and thriving, but you secretly know you will be devastated if that pregnancy test comes back negative. Once you get that positive, the worry is still there. Are my hormone levels high enough? I feel good today.. great, something must be wrong, on top of being scared to use the restroom in fear of finding blood. I think the biggest worry of all, is watching my intended parents hearts break if we don't find a heartbeat. I don't want to be a reason for them to hurt, I want to bring them so much long-awaited joy.

                                                                  Baby A at 7 weeks

                                                                       Baby A at 9 weeks
                                                                  Cutest little gummy bear



Thankfully here we are almost 11 weeks and things are going perfectly. I have graduated from the fertility clinic and am now in the hands of my OB. The best thing- I am off all medications! Those hormones are no fun. I swear they make pregnancy symptoms ten times worse. Day by day I am feeling better and not finding myself in bed before 7! I am beyond excited for my intended parents and with every passing week I can see the excitement in them which is exactly why I do this.

 I have been granted permission to share with you a bit about this amazing couple, so without further adieu:

Meet Brian and Sarah. They have been married for eight years. Two years into their marriage they started trying for a baby. To make a long story short, doctors could never pinpoint exactly why Sarah was struggling to conceive and stay pregnant. Everything they deemed an issue they thought they could fix. They literally exhausted every option in an attempt to grow their family. Meeting with a reproductive immunologist, a rheumatologist, a high risk OB-GYN, a reproductive endocrinologist, and an acupuncturist. They were able to conceive naturally, but never made it to a heartbeat. They had a few failed rounds of IUI, and 4 rounds of frozen embryo transfers. This sweet couple has had a total of seven miscarriages, including one ectopic pregnancy. With one embryo left, they took a leap into the surrogacy world and met me! The goal now is to nourish and love this little belly buddy until I can proudly ugly cry while watching them hold their baby for the first time.