My 100th post! 4 years ago today.... (August 1, 2006)

My first surrobaby was born August 1, 2006. I thought this would be a good time to share her birth story. I was living in San Diego at the time and the Intended Parents were living in Northern California.

Both of these shirts are my designs. Surrogacy humor rocks!

Hubby and I thought it would be funny to put a temporary tattoo on my pregnant belly. When I went into labor, they thought it was a real tattoo and they thought it was pretty cool!

Please ignore the close up of my stretch marks...

Here's the story as I told it to one of my online surrogacy groups:

I don't know what details to give..(this will be long!)


I went to Balboa with minor but farily consistent contractions at 7:30 pm Monday night. Waited in the waiting room until 9 pm. (in the meantime called IP's and decided they should take the 9:15 flight just in case!)

Was seen and monitored for awhile, then sent home because I wasn't dilating. Dr. stripped my membranes one last time. They told me to go walking and come back in a few hours. By then it was 11 pm and I decided I'd rather sleep. So I went home, tossed and turned abit.. kept having contractions, nothing I couldn't handle. About 2:30 in the morning they seemed to die down and I thought I'd get some sleep and maybe things would pick up later in the morning. But then about 3:30 I was having contractions about every 2 minutes and they wre starting to hurt. So I got out of bed.. told hubby we better get back to the hospital. (actually he woke up and asked if I was ok because I was wimpering)

I was afraid I wouldn't make it to the hospital, because the pain I was feeling was the level of pain I felt when I asked for the epidural with my last baby. (I cried the whole 20 minutes on the freeway, I was death gripping the door handles on Johnny's truck) I thought I'd die walking into the hospital and going up the elevator.

IP's had arrived and had settled into their hotel. I had to have hubby call them because I was in so much pain, and in tears and couldn't quite breathe. He let them know that we were headed back to the hospital and they should hurry over.





We got to the hospital about 4 am. I was dilated to 8.


I let them know I was in pain and wanted an epidural. I had to fill out paperwork and they had to wait for labs to come back.

As I'm waiting they give me oxygen, and I'm laughing/crying through each contraction.

They talked me into just getting on with the baby pushing since I was now a 10. AHHHH!!! I was a little nervous, but figured I could do it knowing she was a small baby.

Well it hurt like hell!!!! At one point I thought I had pushed her out.. and then they're telling me to keep going. About 10 minutes later they say they see her head. I was going nuts... I couldn't breathe, hold my legs and push at the same time. I felt out of control. At one point I felt like I was pretty much hypervenitaling.

And yet everyone says I didn't seem that way at all.

I was told how strong I was and how good I was doing. She was born at 5:29 am! 5 lbs 13 oz. 19 inches long.

I didn't cry like with my own kids. I was just happy to be done.. I wanted the dr. to leave me alone, I wanted to breathe! But he was tugging at the placenta and finishing up things down there.

The baby was wisked away to her mommy and after I was cleaned up and covered the father was brought in. (per both of our requests) He was surprised how quickly it was. He had barely had a chance to sit down and thumb through a magazine.

I thought I had the birth plan typed up just as I wanted. I had mentioned that I wanted the intended parents to bond with the baby right away, but that I didn't want to feel left out or pushed aside. Well I did end up feeling that way. But I was so tired, I didn't care at the time. It hit me a bit later.

I was so happy that my husband, kids and mom were there. By the way, there was no confusion about the baby with my kids. They knew from the beginning that she was not coming home with us, that she was not ours.

I was finally able to see her and hold her at 10 pm last night. (the day she was born.. remember she was born at 5:29 AM) I was new to the situation, and I didn't want to intrude on the parents. Everyone else had held her but me. My friend and my mom both told me that the mom wanted me to come and hold the baby!

When I got there the mom said she was being cranky. She handed her to me and she immediately closed her eyes and went to sleep. I've never seen a baby sleep that sound before. The mom said she must be so comfortable with me. I felt kind of bad, but at the same time it was a special moment for me.

Holding her was not the same as holding any of my own babies. I did feel proud and happy, but more for the parents. I felt like I was holding a close friend's baby. It did not feel like I was holding the baby that I had carried for 9 months and recently gave birth to. It probably helped that she looked nothing like me, lol.

The parents were extremely grateful and loving every minute of being new parents.
(you don't get to see them, sorry)

Christine (SweetMama) came to see me at about 8pm. That was nice.(she brought me food from Arby's)

She got to go see and hold the baby.

Emotionally I am doing so good! Physically, not too bad! I think I'll heal rather quickly.

It was really cool that everything was so different from my other pregnancies/deliveries.

For one thing, I didn't throw up as much during pregnancy. I only gained about 27 pounds (compared to my usual 35-40) I went into labor on my own (only did that with my first) my Dr. usually induces me at 39 weeks, however this was not my Utah Dr. this was the random on call Dr. at the Navy hospital.

And................. this was the first time I had a baby natural!!! I am proud of that!   :)

Also she was born face up, all my babies were born face down. And she was the smallest baby!! My smallest was 6 lbs 10 oz. And I've never had a baby born in the morning.

I'm home from the hospital! (I barely stayed the 24 hours, I didn't feel the need to stay any longer)

I think that's it!

Jill

P.S. My mom had flown in to help out and a few days later we went to Disneyland.

What a way to celebrate!!!   :)

We moved back to Utah about a week or 2 later. Yeah, I know, I'm crazy!