I'm a wife, mom, and gestational surrogate. I've been blessed to be able to have 2 beautiful daughters of my own and 2 cute little surro babes for IPs.
With the support of my WONDERFUL family and friends, I'm doing it again!!
Follow me on my journey...
...and day 22 of bedrest! Everything's going well and I *might* actually be getting used to this whole bedrest thing...might. Anywho, enough about me, here's what's happening with the baby this week:
Baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and he weighs almost 3 pounds. A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds him, but that volume will decrease as he gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. His eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after he's born, he'll keep his eyes closed for a good part of the day. When he does open them, he'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means he can only make out objects a few inches from his face.
He's definitely growing and moving all the time. Hopefully some of that movement has been him flipping around to the right position! I know he doesn't like it when I monitor, he constantly moves as soon as I put it on, lol.
Well, nothing else to report. Pretty boring this past week, but hopefully I'll have more good news for you after my next appointment on the 6th.
We've made it to 29 weeks! Not that I doubted we would, but each day is definitely a blessing. I'm on day 15 of bedrest and it still sucks, but I guess I'm getting used to it. I'm just glad that at least I get to get out of the house for a few minutes each day to take my girls to school.
My home contraction monitoring has been going very well, I've only had a total of 3 contractions (1 on one day and 2 on another) so I'm well within the "normal" threshold.
I really don't have much else to report unless you'd like to hear all about what's been happening on my favorite channel, Investigation Discovery...yea, I didn't think so.
Here's what's going on with Baby L this week: Baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in baby's hardening skeleton each day.
No me gusta leche! But I have been eating yogurt, so yay! :-)
TTYL peeps!
Today started off a little tough...it was the first day of school and I wasn't able to take my Princesses....BUT the day improved after my appointment!
No, I'm not off of bedrest (I've given up on that happening), but it was nothing but good news today. Here's a quick recap of the appointment:
* Cervical length: 3.84!! (started at 2.7 only 2 weeks ago)
* No funneling
* Baby L is getting big, weighing 2 lbs 8 oz!
* My weight is up 1.4 lbs from last week...I'd like to blame that on the yummy lunch my granny made for me before I left :-)
My Dr was very pleased with everything he saw and said I've been a "good girl" :-) I gotta tell ya, it feels good to see results...when you're on bedrest (and you have all the time in the world) you start wondering if it's really making a difference or just driving you crazy. I'll admit though, I did try to pout my way out of bedrest today. I begged, pleaded, batted my lashes...nothing! Dammit! Ah well, it was worth a try, right? He did say that I can at least take my girls to school now (since it's super close to home) as long as I'm not getting out and walking them in, so that was just icing on the cake! Seriously, you start appreciating all the little things once it's all taken away from you.
It's still "bed, bath, couch", but with a little more freedom. So even though I won't be running a marathon anytime soon, I'll take what I can get. (Yea, like I'd run a marathon anyway, ha!)
I also don't have to go back for my next appointment until week after next, Sept 6th. *Fingers crossed for more good news*
And one last thing...send some baby turning vibes my way. Baby L has now decided that he wants to be breach! (Unacceptable mister, I don't do c-sections!) :-)
That's all for now, TTYL!
We're in the 3rd trimester now, 28 weeks today! Woohoo!
What's going on with baby this week:
By this week, baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of his head to his heels. He can blink his eyes, which now sport lashes. With his eyesight developing, he may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. He's also developing billions of neurons in his brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.
According to BabyCenter, most women gain about 11lbs during the 3rd trimester...good Lord, I hope not! I've already gained 20 total and I'm sure being on bedrest only helps pack on even more. Blah!
Anywho, nothing else to report for now. I'm just chilaxin' in the bed :-) I go back to the Dr. next Monday the 22nd, so I'll update then! TTYL.
P.S. I would like to say thank you to Jesse for sending me a wonderful "bedrest care package" the other day. It was such a nice surprise to receive! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
Well where do I start?
How about today's Dr. appt...it went very well. My cervix is the same, 2.7, and there's less funneling than last week's appointment, so that's great! (And I'm assuming my glucose test was okay b/c I never heard anything else about it and totally forgot to ask about it today, woohoo, I can still have my Fruit Loops!) The bedrest is doing what it's supposed to...including driving me batty! Thankfully I have a great family, friends, and IPs that are incredibly supportive. I don't know what I'd do without all of them.
My BFF has been coming by during the week to keep me entertained, watch movies, bring me lunch...and fix my hair...((warning)) you'll see that picture later! My mom took the girls on vacation from Thursday until Sunday, so that was a reprieve, but I missed my little terrors :-) They had such a great time, I *almost* wished I was able to go, but it's just too damn hot! My granny has been here everyday too, to watch the girls during the day and to help bring me breakfast and lunch. She's the best granny ever!! And my IPs came down last night, brought us some yummy dinner and hooked me up with Netflix! (And brought some pretty flowers too) I guess I can't really say I'm too bored anymore with all the movies and TV shows that are on Netflix, it's pretty cool.
And I certainly can't forget the hubby. He's been great too; I know it's hard for him to juggle everything, but he's taking it in stride and I love him so much for all the sacrafices and transitions he's had to make.
I'm not gonna lie, bedrest is a bitch! And I hate it, but I know it's for the best so you just do what cha gotta do, ya know? As long as there's a healthy baby boy at the end of this journey, then I'm happy and the bedrest is totally worth it. (But good Lord, its only been a week! AAHHH! :-) )
So here's what I'd like to call "Bedrest in pictures"..enjoy:
My fav breakfast...Fruit Loops!!!
My 5 year old thought it would help me pass time if we played dolls...
This woman scared me...
This is the day they left for vacation with "Nannie"
WARNING!
.
.
.
Around day 3, I decided that I no longer wanted to do my hair or anything else that required me to give a crap about my appearance. (hey, I warned you)
My BFF quickly decided that I needed not to look like I just escaped from prison and went on a meth binge. Thank God for girlfriends.
Oh, my dear friend...SMH...
Apparently I was born as few years after this movie came out, so the title definitely had me do a double take. Hey, don't judge me, you know your mind went there too!
I asked hubby to bring me some grapes...he fell asleep. Can't blame him, he's been doing a lot. ♥
The home health agency sent over this nifty contraction monitoring device. I monitor for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening. So far, so good!
Fun times. I got my 2 steroid shots to help mature the baby's lungs in case I do go into labor early (which will not happen!!) OMG, I never knew it could take so long to inject a medicine...torture!
Here's Baby's L's heartbeat from when the home health nurse came by. Isn't it the greatest sound? :-)
That's about all right now. All is well and lets hope it stays that way! Feel free to send over a massage therapist at anytime...laying around all day really takes a toll on your back, ugh!
TTYL!
P.S. Thank you to all of my online friends as well. You have all been super supportive and have allowed me to vent and whine all I want, and I really appreciate it!
You may be wondering what the "day 1" part of the title means...well, it's day 1 of BED REST! FML. That's right, I went for (what I thought would be) a routine Dr. appt yesterday to do my glucose tolerance test and was taken back to the sonogram room.
Am I weird b/c I actually like this drink? :-) Yum!
I was excited b/c we would get to see Baby L again, but while Dr. D was doing the u/s I hear him say "hmmm..." I looked at him and said, "uh, what does that mean? You're freakin' me out." He said it looked like my cervix was a little bit open but he wasn't able to tell by the regular u/s, so he said that he needed to have a transvaginal u/s in order to tell. So that's what we did, and unfortunately he found that my cervical length was 2.7, which apparently isn't so great, so I'm now on strict bedrest at home for the duration of the pregnancy. My orders literally say "bed, couch, and bath", this should be fun. (eyes rolling) Oh, and I should know the results of my glucose test soon, I think.
I was trying to be all "oh, it's no big deal" at first, but then I just lost it and started crying after I began thinking about all the other people it will affect just for me to be on bedrest. So many arrangements will need to be made...all I can do is take it one step at a time. I have a ton of support from family, friends, and my IPs, but it's just tough, for me especially, because for the most part I like to get things done on my own and not have to rely on others; so this experience will teach me a lot, I'm sure.
Anyway, I'm glad to say that we've made it to 27 weeks today and pray that we have many, MANY, more weeks to come! Good news is that the baby looked great at the appointment and he's growing right on track and moving all around! So that makes me feel good. I will now also have to see the Dr WEEKLY, so we'll be able to monitor my cervix closely and hopefully there will be no changes anytime soon.
Here's our 27 week pic and hoping that we'll have at least 11-12 more of these!
Did I kinda throw you off with the title? My bad. But seriously, can you believe that there's only THIRTEEN weeks left until Baby L will be here!? Yep, I'm 26 weeks today and technically there's 14 weeks left, but my Dr will probably induce at 39 weeks so we hopefully don't have any surprises!
Anywho, here's the scoop on baby this week:
The network of nerves in baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches from head to heel. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take two to three days.
Hey, BTW, have you noticed the little baby ticker on the right side? We're down to double digits now!! Eeekk!
I wish the weather were down to double digits! It's just getting more miserable by the day...we're on [consecutive] day 32 of triple digit heat.
FML.
I think cankles are on the horizon...I looked down the other day and my feet were randomly swollen, although the swelling went down, I'm sure it's only a matter of time before it's here to stay. Yay.
In other random news, it was my b-day yesterday and my wonderful IPs sent me a goody basket that I just have to show off ☺
Are you jealous? You should be.
Anywho, nothing else to report. I'll holla at cha next week after my Dr appointment (glucose tolerance test day!)
TTYL!
