35 weeks!

My "stay positive" face!

11/14/2014 - 35 weeks & 1 day

Cheers to 35 weeks! Flip baby girl FLIP!! Next appointment is on Monday. Hoping to hear that she's now head down. She's been very active and I've felt a lot of big movements. *Crossing my fingers* Will update on Monday.

Happy Friday!

Surrobabies Growth Update!

Today's appointment was about 3 hours long. I had a non-stress test (NST) plus a growth ultrasound to check on the babies. I'm 34 weeks and 4 days strong.

Baby girl weighs approximately 5 lbs, 11oz. And baby boy weighs approximately 5lbs, 14oz. I say approximately because ultrasounds are not always accurate. I know they will be good sizes when they are born though, which is awesome! Baby girl is still breech and baby boy went from transverse to head down. I know there's still time for her to flip. My doctor gave us a 10% chance of her turning at this point. I'm holding faith I'm in that 10%! I've been seeing my chiropractor every week, getting prenatal massages every two weeks, will see an acupuncturist tomorrow, moxibustion, spinning babies techniques for twins, and envisioning her flipping head down.

Both babies passed the NST and everything else looked great on the ultrasound. They have a lot of fluid to move around. I had a couple contractions during the NST which was a first for me. My body is just getting ready for the big debut.

I'm definitely feeling a lot more tired lately. The weather has cooled down completely and it's now winter weather here. My weekly appointments will soon be two times a week when I get to 36 weeks. I'm thankful that the babies are cozy in their wombspace and aren't trying to come early. They just need to stay put until their fathers arrive in a couple of weeks.

Grow babies grow!

33 weeks - Happy Halloween!

I scored this super cute shirt from another local Mom who was pregnant with twins last year.

Wow. I can't believe I'm 33 weeks along right now with my surrobabies. Time is going faster as we get closer to my due date. Everything is going really well. Just the normal aches and pains that comes with being pregnant, but nothing out of the ordinary.

I've been seeing my Chiropractor Dr. Sarah Conroy every week for the past few weeks to help the babies get into a better position. Last Monday, baby girl was transverse and baby boy was still transverse. So baby girl went from breech to transverse since we last checked. I'm really hoping baby girl will go head down and stay that way until I go into labor. IF she doesn't go head down in a couple of weeks, they want to schedule a c-section around 38 weeks. I told my doctor that we would discuss all of that when the time comes and until then I'm trying everything I can to get her to go head down. It doesn't matter what position baby boy is in, just baby girl since she leads the way. If I end up with a c-section, it will be my first and to be honest I'm very nervous about it. But that's all I'll say for now until I have any updates. I don't want to worry or stress over it now. I'm just so thankful that both babies are growing great and everything is going well.

I have my second NST monitoring tomorrow morning. Hoping for good results like last week. I also started packing my hospital bag, which is also new to me. With my home births, I didn't have to worry about packing anything. I'll probably finish up packing this week (hopefully!)

Until next time....

Surro-Mama Angela

Ultrasound Update!

I had my monthly ultrasound appointment today. As always, I was nervous right before going. It's not that I think anything is ever wrong, but because it's such a HUGE responsibility to carry someone's precious children, I'm always nervous before my appointments.

I Skyped with the papas, even though it was 1am there time they still stayed up to see their babies. After the ultrasound, my Dr. came in and talked with us. Baby girl is 3lbs, 10oz and baby boy is 3lbs, 12oz. She said their weights are great! Baby girl is back in breech position and baby boy is still transverse laying across my belly right under my breasts. That explains why I have to catch my breath at times, he's right on my diaphragm!

We have a good 4 weeks or so to get baby girl to move head down. As long as she's head down, I'm good to go for a vaginal delivery. If she's not head down by 35 weeks, we will schedule a c-section around 38 weeks. We will continue to check on her position each week. Crossing my fingers that she flips. I will be trying everything I can naturally to help her turn.

I start the Nonstress Test (NST) next week and will continue to do them every week until 36 weeks then it will be twice a week until the babies are born. It still amazes me how fast time is going. I can't believe I'll be 31 weeks on Thursday. My doctor thinks the time frame when the fathers arrive is good timing, I'll be 36w5d then. The goal is 38 weeks!

Cheers to another good appointment! 

30 weeks strong!

It's hard to believe that I'm 30 weeks along right now. It was just yesterday we transferred two embryos and now they are strong growing little babies. I have an ultrasound on Monday to check on the babies and their growth. I always get excited for my ultrasounds to see how the babies are doing. I also Skype with the papas during the appointment as well.

Yesterday I signed all the pre-birth documents and got that taken care of. My attorney kept mentioning having the babies at the end of November, which is crazy because it's NEXT month! When the father's arrive, I will be 36 weeks and 5 days along. It's hard to predict when these babies will make their appearance, but Brandon guessed they would come shortly arrived the papas arrive.

I sent the ladies at my agency an e-mail with a belly photo and an update. I also wanted to thank them again for matching me with a wonderful couple who we consider family now.

I will update again after our ultrasound on Monday. Happy Friday all! Enjoy your weekend!

Why I chose to be a surrogate and what it means to me.......

Photo taken 4/1/14 the day we transferred two beautiful babies into my uterus

This journey has been such an amazing learning experience so far. A lot of people who aren't familiar with surrogacy usually have a lot of questions or make assumptions, which at times can be very ignorant. The very deserving fathers that I am carrying for are from France, a country where surrogacy is not accepted. They have to constantly fight for their rights to have a family of their own. It breaks my heart to see such discrimination in our world. I never gave it a second thought to carry for a same sex couple. In my eyes, they are no different than myself and my husband. Love is love and they deserve to have their own family.

I decided to write this blog post about WHY I chose to be a surrogate and what it means to me.

After having three amazing children of my own, it truly makes you realize that we are on this earth to make a difference in some one's life. I knew that I wanted to help a couple in a extraordinary way so I looked into becoming a surrogate. A couple years of research and after having our last baby, I knew it was my time to help another family.

I don't take this journey lightly. One thing that means a lot to me is to have a close relationship with the parents. I want to be a part of their lives, not just for the 9 months I'm carrying their babies for but for a lifetime. I want to watch the children grow up, have them know who I am and that I helped their parents become a family. This means so much to me that it's difficult for me to find the words to describe how I feel, but I can tell you this.... I am SO proud to be a surrogate for two amazing people who are going to be incredible fathers to their babies. This has been far from easy for them and I know what a journey it has already been. I'm so happy to be heading into my 30th week of pregnancy with their babies.

With so many advancements and miraculous achievements our world has created and a country such as France with great accomplishments all throughout history, one can only hope that sooner rather than later one of the greatest medical achievements of modern science (in my opinion) would become just as normal and accepted as it should be.

The papas recorded a bed time story for them so they can hear their voices.

#proudsurrogate

29 weeks tomorrow!

This is why I don't blog, it's been over a month since I posted an update! Shame on me.

I'm happy to report that everything is going well so far. The babies are constantly moving around.

Last week I did the two hour Glucose Screening. After I drank the glucola drink, I felt like I needed to throw up. I kept gagging. Brandon had to grab me some water as we were waiting. I didn't want to start over again. Unfortunately my fasting glucose level was 95 and they want it at 93. My levels after drinking the glucola came back as passed both times. Now I have to poke my finger 4 times a day and monitor my blood sugar levels at home until I have the babies. Not going to lie, I'm not too thrilled about it but I'll do whatever I have to. Once I get in a routine, it's easy. So far my numbers have been good.

Only 55 days until the papas arrive to Portland! And 77 days from my due date, December 18th. Time is flying by with this pregnancy. Between all the appointments, the kids, and just being busy it's going by quickly.

At my last ultrasound a couple of weeks ago, both babies weighed over two pounds each and baby girl was head down and baby boy was still transverse right underneath my boobs. They still have a lot of time to move around. Hoping and praying that they both get in good positions to have a vaginal birth. As long as baby girl is head down, we're good to go!

I've been doing a lot of thinking on my birth plan and what I would like to decline etc. Hospital births are SO much different from home births. I'm learning a lot as I go. I'm excited that the papas would like to be in the room when their babies are born. I made sure to ask just in case. I wasn't sure if they would feel uncomfortable or not. I'm totally fine with it and I'm glad they are too. To see them meet their babies for the first time is going to be priceless! I can't wait!

N & F are in Portland!

Yesterday we had the pleasure of spending half of the day with N & F. Our trio got to meet them for the first time. It took them a little while to warm up to them, but once they did the girls wouldn't leave them alone! (in a good way)

We went to my ultrasound and Crystal, my Doula & friend met us there. She met the guys for the first time and sat in with us during the ultrasound. The ultrasound went beautifully. Both babies are doing great and growing well. Baby B, the boy is measuring a little bigger but he has been this whole time so it wasn't a surprise. Both babies are over a pound each! They got some great photos of both babies to take home with them.

We took them to Benihana's for dinner. We thought it would be fun and entertaining for them and the kids. They've never been to Benihana's before and really enjoyed it. Before we ordered, they gave gifts to us and the kids, so sweet! The kids loved their gifts. After dinner we took them to Lake Oswego and we walked around and took some photos. Then we took them to Tryon Creek to go for a little hike. Even with a maxi skirt and flip flops on, I made it! It was a lot of fun and heart warming to seeing N & F with the kids. So many smiles and laughs throughout the day. They are going to be amazing fathers! The babies are so blessed to have such loving papas. I'm so excited for them!

A little collage I made that sums up our day together. 8/19/14

Any Difference?

So I thought it would be great to post about the number one question people ask me which is, "Do you notice a difference carrying twins versus one baby?"

Yes and no. Going into this journey, I knew carrying more than one baby had more "risks". So I almost feel like I'm overly cautious with this pregnancy because of that. I'm definitely more tired and feeling "big" already at 21 weeks (tomorrow!) but other than that, there hasn't been much difference.

There's definitely a party in my uterus though. Every night when I lay down for bed, both babies just start dancing away. They must know I'm trying to sleep. =)

I'm excited that in less than two weeks the papas will be in Portland visiting!!! I'll be sure to update and let you all know how it goes.

Almost half way there!

One of my guilty pleasures is surprising people. I LOVE surprises myself so I know the feeling of getting something unexpectedly and it makes me feel SO good inside.

I sent the papas a goodie box with the ultrasound photos of their babies, some clothes for the babies and a candle for them to enjoy. It took about a week to get there, which isn't that long for sending something international. I didn't realize that for customs you have to complete a form and list everything in the box you're sending, so much for a surprise!-haha they loved it anyways.

I was surprised, yet so happy to see that both fathers announced the pregnancy on their Facebook pages. I know how much of a big deal this is so it made me feel so happy for them that they are at a place now where they can shout it out to the world. They are going to be fathers soon!!! YEAH!

This is the photo they sent me when they received their package

They will be coming to the states in less than a week to have a last vacation before the babies arrive. I'm excited because they will be stopping by Portland before they head back to Paris. They will also be at my next ultrasound on August 19th which will be awesome! We always Skype during the ultrasounds, but this time they will actually be in the room. I'm so excited for them!

I've been feeling pretty good lately. It's warming up again, but I've been staying in and enjoying the air conditioning. I can not wait for the Fall and Winter to be here already. Thursday marks a big milestone, 20 weeks...Half way there!

Taken yesterday morning 7/28/14, the surrobabies and I enjoying a mocha

Almost 19 weeks strong!

Time is flying by! With keeping busy with my kiddos, appointments, getting together with friends and spending time with my family time is just going by quickly.

In September it will mark one year of the start of this remarkable journey. It will be bittersweet when the babies arrive. It will be the end of my pregnancy, but the beginning of their papa's lives of being parents for the first time. To be a part of this, is such an honor. I say this a lot because there's no other word that defines it better.

I will be 19 weeks in a couple of days, almost halfway there! I've been feeling pretty good. The weather was warm for about a week and I wasn't the happiest camper, but now that it's cooled down a bit it's much better. It's a nice break from the heat. Pregnancy + heat = no bueno.

The anatomy ultrasound a couple weeks ago went perfectly. Both babies look great! Baby A is definitely the girl and Baby B is the boy. Our next ultrasound is on August 19th. And I'm so excited that the guys will be in town to be there for it!

Taken on 7/20/14, 18 weeks and 3 days

It's been one month since my last post!

Yikes! Sorry it's taken me so long to update... Fortunately, it's been an uneventful month with the pregnancy which is a great thing. I am now 16 weeks and 3 days strong with the twins. I'm definitely feeling them move a lot, it's really a party in there. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night because they are moving so much. I think they take turns moving around so there's constant movement. It's nice and reassuring though so I don't mind.

I had my OB appointment last Thursday and everything is looking good so far. She did a quick ultrasound just to see the cardiac activity of the babies. They are getting so big!

I have my anatomy ultrasound this coming up Friday 7/11 at 17 weeks and 1 day. They are doing it early to get good measurements of both babies. They always have a hard time getting clear shots of baby B because of the position he's in. Hopefully they are able to see them both clearly on Friday.

My IF's sent me Belly Buds so that they can send over recordings of their voices for me to play for the babies. It's an awesome invention! Especially for surrogacy in my opinion. It will be nice for the babies to know their father's voices.

I feel like time is going by quickly. I'm almost halfway there, how crazy! It was just yesterday that I was meeting my IF's for the first time. And soon enough they will be meeting their sweet babies! So exciting.

Taken on 7/2/14, almost 16 weeks! *excuse the messy hair* bad hair day =)

Officially OFF of meds & Ultrasound!

Today I am 12 weeks & 1 day along with the twinies. My last day of medication was yesterday, YAY! What an awesome milestone to be done with.

This morning I had my Nuchal Translucency Ultrasound. We dropped the kids off at our daycare lady and headed to my appointment. We didn't realize how long this appointment would take, but it was all for good reason. We Skyped with one of my IF's during the ultrasound.

The ultrasound tech performed my ultrasound. She got Baby A's measurements easily, but Baby B was right under my belly button and she was having a hard time getting good photos of him. I say "him" because she said she thinks baby B is the BOY and baby A is the GIRL. We'll find out for sure at my next ultrasound on July 11th. 

All looked great! Baby A is measuring 12w4d and Baby B is measuring 13w3d. Both babies are growing and thriving well. Chances of chromosomal abnormalities are very low for both babies.

I feel like this pregnancy is going by pretty quickly. I'm so excited to spend some time with my IF's in August when they come for a visit. I'm feeling pretty good, slight headaches and minimal nausea. I think I'll be feeling even better now that I'm off of medication.

Photo Credit: Elora babe, my 4yo

Weaning off of medication!

This is a huge milestone that I totally forgot to blog about. As of the 16th, I started weaning off of the hormones that I've been injecting in my lower back. After my blood work came back, my hormone levels are high enough to start weaning.

The placentas will be taking over now and producing these hormones naturally so I will no longer need to stay on the medication. I am VERY excited about this! Lots of credit to my fabulous husband, Brandon for doing the injections for me everyday. This is a big deal since he HATES needles. He's been a trooper for the past few months.

June 5th will be my very last day on meds! 14 days left, but who's counting ;)

10 weeks today!

I meant to post an update sooner but I kept postponing it. Sorry for those of you following my journey. I didn't realize how many have been following my blog so I want to say thank you for your support.

I'm 10 weeks along today! We are now in the double digits baby! WOO HOO! That's definitely something to celebrate. So far I've been feeling pretty good. I'm hungry all the time and sometimes it's a pain in the butt to snack all the time. I've been drinking lots of water as well. I get full pretty quickly.

Here's the ultrasound from last week on 5/14 at Kaiser....

It was hard to get a good picture of both babies but this one is great!

Baby A

Baby B

My OB wanted me to do an early glucose screening since I've had "big" babies and I'm pregnant with twins plus I have a higher BMI. After doing some research, I decided to ask my OB for another option. I read this great article about the "Glucola" drink that they give you for the test.

http://avivaromm.com/dont-drink-glucola-gestational-diabetes

She gave me the alternative to check my blood sugar levels at home with a monitor. I picked up the monitor and everything for it on Tuesday and met with one of the diabetic nurses to go over how to do it. It's surprisingly SUPER easy. It's been two days so far and my levels have been great according to what they are looking for. I check my BSL (blood sugar level) first thing in the morning, then two hours after breakfast, lunch and dinner. Four times a day for a week. It sounded like a lot at first but it's really not. I will email my OB after a week with my readings and she will go over it. I encourage all pregnant women to do the alternative instead of the Glucola drink.

My next ultrasound is June 6th for the NT scan. I'm already starting to show a little bit and my clothes are surely tighter. This photo is from last week. I love it because Elora, my 4 year old daughter took it for me.

Surro~Mama Angela

First OB Appointment!

I was so nervous for my first OB appointment. A little background with my previous pregnancies, I've had three home births with Midwives so this is my first experience with an OB. I had high expectations for this particular OB since Dr. Hesla recommended her and a few moms in my mom's group mentioned that she was really great. I knew going into this journey that I wouldn't have a home birth and it would be a whole new experience for me. But reality really has started to set in and my anxiety is elevating.

My appointment was at 2pm. I arrived 15 minutes early like they requested. Checking in was a breeze and the lady was very nice. I didn't wait very long before a nurse called me back into a room. She asked if I had my forms that they mailed me, but I told her I mailed them back last week. Unfortunately, they didn't receive them yet. It's a bit weird since it should have only taken a day or two to get there. So I had to fill it out again.

Dr. Ann Stanek came in and she was so sweet right off hand. Great first impression. She spent a lot of time talking to me about what to expect as I told her this is my first experience with an OB/hospital and my first time with Kaiser. She assured me that I would be in good hands. She did a breast exam and did a vaginal swab for chlamydia and gonorrhea. We did a quick ultrasound but the machine was terrible. It was super grainy and you couldn't see much at all. We did see both babies' hearts beating away but she couldn't get any good pictures for us. She said she would order me an ultrasound at the Kaiser ultrasound facility in Beaverton to get better measurements and photos. She said that I would be seen more often since I'm having twins. She mentioned that they would do an ultrasound at pretty much every visit since they can't palpate the stomach like they normally do with a singleton. Ultrasounds is their way of monitoring everything.

It took me the whole weekend to process everything we talked about at my appointment. There was so much information, it was very overwhelming. I was there for about an hour and a half. I'm just going to take this pregnancy day by day and hope for the best. I don't want to stress over anything at all. I have my ultrasound scheduled for this Wednesday 5/14 first thing in the morning with Kaiser. Then I have an appointment with ORM on Friday 5/16 for another ultrasound and blood work. I will be doing the First Trimester Screening blood work and a glucose test on Friday for Kaiser as well. They are wanting me to do the glucose screening early due to my history of having 'large' babies and my higher BMI level. It's a precaution protocol for them. If these were MY babies, I would decline it. But since they aren't mine, I am going to go through with it. I've never had gestational diabetes before with any of my pregnancies. I hope I don't get it this time around just because it's twins.

I'll update more when I can. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around everything. This is going to be one heck of a journey!

Surro~Mama Angela

Hungry Hungry Hippo!

Wow, carrying twins is no joke. I swear I am constantly hungry. And if I don't eat right when I feel hungry then I feel nauseous. I have to be consistently snacking throughout the day. 

I'm 7 weeks and 1 day today! Symptoms include: nausea, exhaustion and laziness. But I've been pushing myself to stay motivated and keep busy with my kiddos. 

I've been craving fresh fruit a lot lately. Today the girl's and I shared some fresh strawberries while their brother napped. 

These were delicious and refreshing!

Then 10 minutes later I was starving again, haha! 

My first born, 4.5 years old Elora babe. Love her!

Today was a great day! Nothing particular happened. I just enjoyed spending quality time with my family. I am very blessed and so grateful. God is good. I'm so excited to be giving this precious gift to my IF's, times TWO! 

I received paperwork from my OB with Kaiser and filled it out right away and put it back in the mail. My first OB appointment is next Friday, May 9th at 2pm. She was recommended by Dr. Hesla and Brandon and I did some research online and she seems great! I hope I love her. And I hope they give us an ultrasound so we can see the babies! 

Happy Friday all! Enjoy your weekend with your loved ones!

Surro~Mama Angela

Me + 87 degrees = No bueno!

Happy May Day!

Crazy heat wave has attacked and I'm not loving it one bit. It's funny because so many of my friends LOVE the sunshine and warm weather, but I'm totally over it. San Diego born and raised, I've had enough. I'll take rain and clouds any day.

I was drinking water like a fish today. I was feeling a bit puffy from the heat so I kept drinking more and more water to flush it all out. It's important to say very hydrated, especially while pregnant. (& with twins!)

I had about 10 of these or more today!

Surro~Mama Angela

A Sweet Surprise from my IF's!

I usually don't get very many surprises, but we do get necessities from Amazon.com delivered to us a lot. So when I opened our front door today, there was a big black box sitting there. I brought it inside and opened it. It was a box from FTD so I knew it was flowers. As I was opening it, my first thought was that my Mom sent us flowers. She's usually the one to send us random goodies. But then I read the card and it was from N & F showing their appreciation for being their surrogate. It truly put a smile on my face and made my day.

How gorgeous are these?! They made quite the trip on a warm day.

Who knew Vera Wang designed flowers?!

Gorgeous!

Surro~Mama Angela

First Ultrasound! And the verdict is....

Brandon and I waiting to be called back at ORM for my ultrasound

Today has finally arrived... all the anticipation and nervousness has paid off. I didn't think I'd be able to sleep well last night but surprisingly I did! I've actually been sleeping really well lately. I do have to wake up at least once to pee already.

Once they called me back, I got my blood drawn to test my hormone levels to see if we can lower my dosage of progesterone or estrogen. Then we were taken into the ultrasound room. Shortly after I undressed from the waist down, Dr. Hesla came in with a big ol' smile.

The infamous ultrasound machine, waiting for action.

Marissa, my Coordinator came in shortly after Dr. Hesla and had the ipad with my IF's on Skype. We said our hellos quickly and Dr. Hesla inserted the ultrasound probe. Within seconds this is what we all saw....

TWINS!!!

Both babies are there! My initial instinct was right all along. But to see it on the screen was AMAZING! How exciting. Everyone was thrilled. Baby A's heart rate was 119 and Baby B's heart rate was 129. Both measured beautifully and healthy. Dr. Hesla measured the sacs and they both measured great. He said that all looks wonderful! He did mention to the guys that sometimes one of the twins doesn't make it, but he said they both look GREAT.

Another great shot of both babies

My next ultrasound will be in about 2-3 weeks. Hoping for sooner than later! I love being able to see the babies, plus I'm sure my IF's would love to see them again too. Brandon took a nice 10 minute long video of the ultrasound that we sent to them.

Now I'm just waiting to hear back from Marissa on my blood work to see if we're making adjustments to my medications. She will also need to order more since I'm going through it all quickly.

Brandon and I went to breakfast after my appointment to celebrate the occasion. We are so happy for my IF's and beyond excited! Cheers to hoping that I have an uneventful twin pregnancy. Praying that all goes well and both babies remain healthy and thriving.

Surro~Mama Angela