Munchkin's Birth Story

My alarm was set to go off in 45 minutes, but I was too anxious to sleep... it was 4:30am and I was due at the hospital in two and a half hours. The past year had seemed to go by so incredibly fast. And here we were, the day my intended parents had been waiting years for, munchkin would be born TODAY.

Part of me was very nervous that we decided to induce munchkin early. I had been asked by many people why my doctor was inducing me early, and without a medical reason to give them, my anxiety grew. Why were we inducing early? Convenience was the only answer I could come up with. My doctor was on call that day, so we were guaranteed to have her deliver munchkin. Yet the fear of my body rejecting the induction and not cooperating with the meds loomed over my head. All I could do was listen to my doctor's reassurance that because this was my third pregnancy, my odds of having a successful induction (without resulting in a c-section) were very good.

Despite waking up 45 minutes early, I had slept well and felt ready for the big day. I took my time getting ready in the morning, making sure I had everything I would need. My husband and I arrived at the hospital a little after 7am, we were checked in and my IV of fluids were started.

Munchkin's parents were still on their way, which was OK, since I had a feeling this would be a long day anyhow. The nurse checked my cervix after administering the IV, and I was still at 3cm and my cervix was still very thick (I had been at 3cm for a couple weeks). Then she left to go speak with the doctor and see what the plan would be for my induction.

By 8am, munchkin's parents had arrived and the nurse came back to say that the monitor was showing that I was having a few contractions about 4-8 minutes apart, but nothing regular. Since I was contracting some, the doctor wanted to try an oral pill called Cytotec to help ripen (thin out) my cervix. The nurse inserted the pill a little after 8am and said she would check my cervix again in four hours and see if it helped at all.

So the waiting game had begun, the first timeline was set at four hours. I had no idea there were other methods of inducing labor other than pitocin. With my second child, I was induced using pitocin, and that seemed to work great. I didn't have much faith in that little pill, but I shrugged in off and settled in as the minutes ticked by until I would be checked again.

While we waited the nurse made sure to tell me not to get up to use the restroom without asking for her to help me. She advised this because she once had a patient get up on her own and ended up delivering her baby in the bathroom and screaming for the nurses to come help her. That story seemed crazy to me, but I made sure to call the nurse every time I had to use the restroom - just in case! The rest of the waiting game was very uneventful, I felt like I should have been performing for my "audience" made up of munchkin's parents and my husband. All eyes on me, and nothing was happening! It was frustrating, but I was prepared for it to be at least an all day thing, since my other two labors were both 12-13 hours. 

Munchkin's daddy and my husband decided to get some food from the cafeteria while they waited, and they annoyingly brought it back to the room with them and ate in front of me! Luckily for them I wasn't in any pain at this point, or else I may have yelled at them. My giant "cup-o-ice" wasn't cutting it, I was hungry.

Eventually 12pm rolled around and I was checked again, and as I suspected, the pill hadn't done much. My cervix was still thick and I was STILL only 3cm. One change was that I was beginning to feel the contractions, though they were still about 4-8 minutes apart. My doctor came by to check on me and said we would be starting the pitocin now. "Yay," my inner voice shouted. It was about time we got to the real drugs! Ha! And the nurse said she would check me again in about three hours. Annnnd the waiting game continued.

At 3pm, I was checked again... 4cm. A whopping 1cm in three hours. And my cervix was still thick. Doctor increased my pitocin level and said she would check me again in two hours. My contractions were increasing, every 1-3 minutes now, and I was feeling them a lot more. My nurse asked me, "On a scale of 0-10, what is your pain level?" I always hate answering this question, but I went with a 4... I could feel the contractions and they were not very pleasant, but I was still able to update Facebook and talk my way through them. :)

Just before 5pm, the nurse came by, "We are offering a special on epidurals right now, would you like one?!" My pain wasn't terrible yet, but I knew the doctor would be coming soon to break my water and that I did NOT want to happen without having an epidural first. So I said, "Yes, please!" My team left the room as the anesthesiologist arrived. I overheard the nurses comment that this particular doctor was very fast at administering the epidural, and thought "well, that's good!" Yet my body wasn't prepared for just how fast it would be. I told the doctor that in the past the two epidurals I received made me nauseous and asked if there was anything they could give me to make that not happen. He said, "but if you get nauseous it's probably from being pregnant, not from the epidural." Ok, doc, I may not have a medical degree, but I do know that I don't feel nauseous right now, and in a few minutes when you stick that giant needle in my back I will be. The nurses said they can give me an additional medication to stop the nausea, if it happens. Oh, it happened! The doctor was not only fast at administering the epidural, he used a fast acting dosage amount as well. I immediately felt nauseous and my blood pressure started to drop. I could also feel the epidural as the meds rushed down my legs. My blood pressure stayed low for about 30 minutes, while the nurses administered some anti-nausea medicine. Unfortunately the medicine did not seem to help my nausea, but on the plus side I wasn't feel the contractions anymore! 

My nurse was pretty wonderful and fanned my hot face and put a cold washcloth on my head until my hubby arrived to take over fanning duty. My nausea got better, in that it only came in waves instead of staying constant. My doctor arrived to break my water around 6pm, and she checked my cervix as well - only at 5cm! And I'm not sure why, but I felt like this was going way too slowly by this point, we had reached 10 hours and I had only progressed 2cm! (This was when I secretly prayed to not have this end with a c-section!)

Seven o'clock came and brought with it a new nurse. I had already felt attached to my first nurse, so I was a bit disappointed. My new nurse was still good, just not as personable. I also felt very drowsy. Whether it was from all the meds or my body's way of telling me there was something happening soon that I needed to rest for, I wasn't sure. But either way, my eyes were happy to close and I took advantage of it and rested a little. At 8pm, the nurse checked me and said my cervix was at 6cm and about 70% effaced (thinned out). I was bummed at only progressing 1cm in 2 hours, but thrilled that my cervix wasn't so thick anymore! The nurse left and said she would be back in a while to check me again. With this news, munchkin's daddy decided he would go grab a drink from the cafeteria in the basement of the hospital. 

Ten minutes later, both of my nurses rushed into the room and said, "we saw the baby's heart rate increasing on the monitor, we think he's ready!" She asked if I was feeling any pressure. I said no, not yet. And the head nurse immediately checked my dilation ... my cervix was at NINE cm! Really?! I had just progressed 3 centimeters in 10 minutes?! Now the whole story of the mom giving birth in the bathroom was making a lot more sense to me. :) THEN the pressure came. I could feel it, munchkin was ready and he was coming fast.

The nurses quickly began transforming the room to prep it for delivery. But where was munchkin's dad?!?! He was still gone! Munchkin's mom laughed nervously at the thought of how panicked her husband would be once he saw her text messages that said to hurry back soon. The nurse checked me again just 5-10 minutes later, my cervix was dilated to 10 cm and fully effaced and baby's head was right there! 

Munchkin's daddy finally made it back, just in time. And they both put on hospital gowns to prep for skin-to-skin once baby arrived. My doctor entered the room and it was time to push. Now the interesting thing about pushing when you've had an epidural is that you have no idea when you are supposed to be pushing, because you can't feel the contractions. My doctor gave me the cue that I was having a contraction so at 8:25pm I started pushing. After the first push, I felt like I had pushed all wrong (more in my head and less from my bottom). My doctor reassured me that I would get the hang of it and we tried again, this push was a lot better and I could feel the baby's head making progress to come out. Another push or two and the baby's head was half way out. My doctor asked me to stop pushing (I think to let me rest?). I remember my husband saying, "He has dark hair!" And I told him, "I don't care!!!" All I cared about in that moment was pushing the rest of him OUT. It didn't hurt, but the burning sensation where munchkin's head was didn't feel good either. The doctor said, "Do you want to keep pushing?!" I shook my head up and down quickly. "Ok, go ahead and push then," ordered my doctor. One more final push and munchkin was here, it was 8:31pm, I had only pushed for six minutes. It was amazing how long those last six minutes had felt. :)

Roman Franklin (aka munchkin) arrived at 8:31pm on February 10th, 2013 weighing 7lbs, 10 ounces and 20 inches long.

 

 
Roman was perfect! And I let out a huge sigh of relief knowing that he had all 10 fingers and all 10 toes. :) 

As I watched in the moments after Roman was born, I saw his parents smile and cry for their first born child. Words cannot describe how happy I felt, knowing that I helped build a family! 

Roman and his parents headed up to the recovery floor first, my doctor wanted to keep me in the delivery room for a few hours because I had lost a lot of blood and she wanted to monitor me. My nausea was back, and as I tried to finally eat some food, my body quickly rejected it. Throwing up made me feel better though. Sometimes I wonder if pain would be more preferable than all this nausea ... sometimes! ;)

I finally made it up to recovery a little after midnight and my husband went home to relieve the grandparents who had been watching our two little guys. I was exhausted and hungry, but my stomach wasn't ready for food just yet. So I slept instead and at 7am, I woke up to my husband calling because Roman's parents had already been asking if I was awake and ready to see Roman. I was awake, but food was a higher priority right now. I ate and got ready and walked over to Roman's room. He had made it easy on his newbie parents, sleeping most of the night. They both asked me if I would like to be "Aunt Leslie" now. I could not have been more thrilled! Of course I would. I've said it before, but I will be forever grateful for being matched with such an amazing couple, and knowing that they considered me family now made this whole journey even sweeter.  

Roman and I both stayed another night in the hospital. Unfortunately, Roman had failed to pass his hearing exam, so he would be returning to the hospital in a week to have the exam redone. (Update, Roman has passed his hearing exam, yay!) On the second night in the hospital, I reflected on how happy I was feeling. I knew I would be happy, but I was also prepared to feel a little sad too, but I wasn't. I give the credit for that to Roman's parents, for being so welcoming and encouraging me to visit as much as I'd like. They even bought me a gift, a necklace with a pair of angel wings. I've also received updates (almost daily) with pictures and videos of Roman. They did not have to be so generous and show so much gratefulness, but it was exactly what I needed.

There is a new precious little life, that I helped bring into this giant world. It brings tears to my eyes to think about our journey. So magical, so perfect. And I loved every minute of it. 

Roman and his TEAM:

I also want to say a huge THANK YOU for all the well wishes and encouraging words throughout this entire journey. I could not have done this without so many great family and friends supporting me along the way!  


~The Baby Fairy

Munchkin's Shower & Eviction Notice

Before I get to munchkin's eviction notice part, lets talk baby showers. When I first started sharing my journey with everyone a few months back, I had a coworker come to me and ask if she could throw a baby shower for the intended mother (IM), munchkin and in some ways for me as well. It was such a thoughtful thing for her to offer, and the IM said that she would love it, so my wonderful coworker set to work at creating a one-of-a-kind baby shower for us.

Here is the adorable invitation:

With the beautiful hostess, "B", and munchkin's mama...

The shower was a lot of fun! We played a few games (none of which I was any good at), they guessed how big around my belly was (some apparently think I am HUGE), and we ate some yummy snacks and cupcakes. Munchkin got presents and... so did I! I surely wasn't expecting to get gifts, but it was so nice to be thought of. I am truly blessed to have such wonderful friends in my life. Some of who even made a two hour drive to attend a shower for a baby that is not even one of my own. :) They rock! 


Five days after the shower I had another doctor's appointment, which munchkin's mama made it to as well. Everything looked great, as usual, with both munchkin and myself. I only gained a pound since my last appointment, the week prior, hooray! Total weight gain so far is 40lbs. My uterus was measuring on track. The doctor also explained that because the baby's weight at birth is also based on the parent's DNA, munchkin may not be as giant of a baby as my own two children were at birth. The thought of delivering ONLY a 7lb-ish baby sounds GREAT to me! We did have an ultrasound right after seeing the doctor, to get munchkin's measurements. But of course, the tech can never reveal the results to you right there, so we have to wait for the doctor to review them and get back to us. Also, I was 3cm dilated last week at my appointment, but my cervix was still very, very thick and high. I see my doctor again this afternoon and hope to be progressing a little bit more. We shall see. 

Another big surprise at this doctor's appointment was that my doc offered to induce me EARLY, at 39 weeks. My official due date is still Sunday, February 17th, and my doctor happens to be on call at the hospital on Sunday, February 10th. Although there is no medical reason to induce munchkin early, my doctor offered so I said, "You want to take him 7 days early? Well, you don't need to tell me twice, sign me up!" So yea, purely for convenience purposes and to be able to have it be MY doctor who delivers the baby are my reasons for going in early. I was induced with my 2nd child, though he was 5 days late and needed to get the heck out of dodge! His induction went very well, and my labor was about the same length as my first, about 12-13 hours. So I am hoping for another smooth labor and delivery with munchkin, and that despite evicting him a few days early, that he is ready to meet his parents and cooperates with the medicine. I know his parents are VERY ready and excited to meet him! 

Here's our last shot of munchkin at 37 weeks, 5 days:

  
Physically I am also very ready for munchkin's arrival. I'm still working, so sitting for 8 hours at a computer takes its toll after a while on your back. I also learned that you can apparently develop temporary carpal tunnel symptoms during the last few weeks of your pregnancy as you start to retain more fluids. Which explains why my left thumb and hand have been hurting for the past couple weeks. Luckily, it's not too bad, and I only experience moments of pain - turning door knobs, typing, etc. For the most part all three of my pregnancies have been fairly identical, but this was a new surprising symptom for sure.  

Emotionally I am so excited to meet munchkin and even more thrilled to see his parents expressions has they meet their son for the first time. They are two of the most loving, caring, wonderful people I have ever met, and they deserve every ounce happiness that munchkin will bring them.  

This journey was not something that I had known I wanted to do for very long. The idea came very quickly to me, and the whole process went fast. Hard to believe it's only been 13 months since I first signed up with CSP! But the fact that the journey was so smooth, and that we were successful on the very first transfer, makes me feel as though this was meant to be all along. 

And as the journey comes to an end, I do have moments of sadness. My part is over. The excitement of something to look forward to will be over as well. But I am hopeful that my IPs will remain in contact and that I will get to watch munchkin grow and be very well taken care of by his amazing parents. That gives me more joy than anything. And to keep myself busy, for my next "project", I plan to start training for a 10K race in the fall. I can get my pre-baby body back and keep busy at the same time. Win win! 

Up next: I hope I am not being an awful landlord, but munchkin's receiving his early eviction notice on Sunday at 7am!!! :) Fingers crossed for a restful nights sleep on Saturday, and for an easy labor. Thank you everyone for your support, it means so much to me. More to come after munchkin's arrival. 

~The Baby Fairy

The Home Stretch

Just THREE more weeks until munchkin's expected arrival, and a few days away from week 37 of this pregnancy!! We are so close. And to help prepare for the little guy's birth, two weeks ago I went on a tour of the hospital with the intended parents (IPs). The tour went great, and I'm glad the parents got to see the hospital ahead of time. We got to watch a baby girl get her first bath in the nursery on the recovery floor. So precious, and made me even more excited for my couple to meet their baby boy and watch him get his first bath as well. I also made sure that munchkin's parents were ready with a car seat (not sure why my crazy self was so concerned about that, but I was). They didn't have a car seat the day we went on the tour yet, but not to worry, they have one now and it is fully installed and ready to go. Yay! Munchkin has a safe ride home. The parents are also close to deciding on the name, but I will wait to reveal it until after he's born.

I've had two doctor's appointments since my last post, and both went great! At the first I was checked for Group B streptococcus (GBS), which is a type of bacterial infection that can be found in a pregnant woman’s "private parts" - just keeping it real! This bacteria is normally found in about 25 % of all healthy, adult women. This is a routine test, and if it came back positive they would give me antibiotics while I was in labor to prevent the spread of the infection to the baby at delivery. My test came back negative though. Woo hoo! The doctor also measured my uterus and felt around for munchkin, he even showed me how I could feel that munchkin's head was heading down already near my pelvic bone. It was neat to feel that, in a totally creepy there's-a-human-being-in-my-belly kind of way. 

Saw the doctor again a few days ago, and again everything looks wonderful. Munchkin's heart beat is strong at 130 beats/minute, and he is still head down - doc said he'll most likely stay in this position in preparation for birth. As for me, my blood pressure was good, and weight gain is... well... I am definitely gaining! Grand total so far is 39lbs, and we've still go three weeks to go... sigh. Oh well, all part of the process right?! Munchkin better be a big boy though, so that I can get rid of this weight even faster is all I have to say. 

Physically, I am feeling good, but tired more often than before, primarily because a good nights sleep is hard to come by nowadays. Munchkin seems to like to move around a lot at night. I'm still working full time, and plan to work up until munchkin decides he's ready to meet his parents. Yet I won't be afraid to throw an eviction notice at him if he takes too long either. Ha!

Emotionally, I am happy and excited to be in the home stretch of this journey. I couldn't have asked for a better couple to work with, and everyone at CSP has been wonderful to work with as well. I also feel blessed to have had it so easy - a first time success with the IVF and a problem-free pregnancy. I know this is not always the case for surrogates and their IPs. There is just so much to be thankful for, and I will never take any of this for granted. My IPs have become like family to me, and I hope our relationship continues to grow even after munchkin's arrival. 

Last, but definitely not least, my husband and I went out to dinner with my IPs the other night. It was nice to catch up and hear their plans to fix up munchkin's room that weekend, I love seeing them and talking about munchkin. AND I FINALLY got a picture taken with them!!  

Munchkin's parents and me (baby bump from 35 weeks, 6 days)...

Up next: MUNCHKIN'S BABY SHOWER IS SUNDAY! Can't wait!!! And a week from today is another doctor's appointment, as well as a sneak peek ultrasound to check how big munchkin is getting! 

~The Baby Fairy  

Allllmost 35 Weeks

WOW! It's hard to believe that we will be hitting the 35 week mark in just a couple days! And as anxious and eager as I am to no longer be sharing my body with a little one who enjoys kicking, punching and causing me to use the restroom 24/7, I am also sad. Yep, sad. But let me make it clear, I am not sad because I will have to "give up" this baby. Munchkin is not my baby, he was never mine to "give up". I am simply GIVING BACK what belongs to my IPs (intended parents). I am sad, because in about 5 weeks my "job" (for lack of a better word) will be over. The past year has flown by so quickly and I have enjoyed (almost) every minute of it (those 12 weeks of daily injections weren't exactly what I would call a good time). But any little bit of sadness that I am feeling or will continue to feel as the weeks trek on is overshadowed by the tremendous amount of joy and happiness I feel to be giving my IPs this amazing gift. I am so excited to see their faces when they hold their son for the first time and know that I got to play a role in making that happen for them.   

And now for updates: 

Baby is doing GREAT and is VERY active lately - which is always a good thing. At the last ultrasound (3 weeks ago) he was estimated to weigh around 3lbs, 9 ounces with an expected NEW estimated arrival date of February 15th (2 days earlier than our last estimated due date). The parents were both present at the ultrasound and got another peek at munchkin - though it's getting harder to get a good picture of him since he's growing so much and the amount of open space is running low. It was awesome to see them again, as always.

As for me, I am doing great too! At my last appointment, we found out that my placenta has FINALLY moved up to a better position and is no longer in danger of being low-lying (which can result in a possible c-section at delivery). YAY! I had been feeling optimistic that my placenta would move as it was supposed to, but you just never know. So hearing the doc say those words was awesome. So after my doctor told me the good news about my placenta and asked how I was feeling and I said "great!", she commented, "Wow, you really did mean that you have easy pregnancies." And she is right. I cannot complain too much at all. Sure, munchkin likes to roll, twist, kick, turn, poke and push on my bladder constantly, but for the most part I am pain free. Here is a self-portrait belly shot from yesterday (34 weeks, 5 days): 

 

  
My weight gain so far is about 34lbs - which is normal for me and I am just thankful that I am tall and that my weight gain is fairly well hidden. :) {I see running shoes and a track in my near future. Ha!} Also, at my last appointment my doctor noted that because my own babies were on the larger size (8lbs, 10oz & 9lbs, 11.5oz) she would like to have another ultrasound done at 38 weeks to check munchkin's progress to get an idea of how big he may be at birth. We will make a decision then about possibly inducing a week or so early. Though it's always safest and best to let baby come when they are ready, so I will lean towards that option. You know, unless they want me to push a 10+lb'er out of there at 40+ weeks, because OUCH!!!! 

Up next: A tour of the hospital (and pre-registration at the hospital for me) with my IPs is happening later today! So excited to see them again and discuss more about munchkin's arrival day. Also, one of my co-workers has GENEROUSLY offered to host a baby shower in honor of the intended parents. It will just be a small group of my friends, family, and coworkers, but I am excited to get together with munchkin's mama and spoil munchkin with a few new gifts before his arrival. 

~The Baby Fairy