On Monday, Brian and I were delighted to open our email and find a short video of our surrogate’s last ultrasound. It was wonderful to see our beautiful surrogate’s face as well as the ultrasound image of the baby on the screen. It is hard to believe we are at 23 weeks and that so far everything is going well. After 7 IUIs, 5 fresh self IVF cycles, 2 fresh donor egg cycles, 1 FET and 5 miscarriages we both have been extremely cautious and a little stressed out about this pregnancy. It is hard to assimilate how to deal with the pregnancy stage when we are so far away and aware of the potential risks.
We both have been dealing with our emotions in separate ways. Brian doesn’t want to make any plans or purchases until we reach the 3rd trimester. I know he is processing things in his own way by comments that slip out though. I have a hard time thinking about anything else. I think about our surrogate all the time. At our clinic the prospective parents don’t interact with their surrogates but Dr. Samit says she is happy and doing well. I wonder what she thinks and feels. We could never give her anything close to what she is giving us. If I could, I would switch places with her in a heartbeat.
Lately I’ve been watching TLC which has a show called “Bringing Home Baby”. It is very formula and all about the first 36 hours of bringing a baby home from the hospital. The hard part for me is to image not only how to deal with a newborn, something I don’t have much experience with, but also how to deal with a newborn in INDIA. A couple of weeks ago in a moment of insanity I went to “Once Upon a Child” a local thrift shop and bought 30 onsies for 30 cents each during a sale. I have no idea what I was thinking except that they were really inexpensive and my logic was that if we have trouble finding a way to cheaply wash clothes, I would have enough clothes to last for the trip and I could always donate the onsies later. After I made the purchase it occurred to me that even though we are going to be in India, if we have air conditioning onsies may not be warm enough so I’m back to square one.
Anyway, I am going to try to take some of your advice and write more.
Amber, *great* to hear from you!! So glad this is starting to become real for you both, but don't be surprised if you really don't believe it until you're on your way home with bubs in arms. I was a write off on the way back to the hotel from getting the exit visa issued as it meant they were all ours and it was all over. Utter relef.
ReplyDeleteSo what size are your rompers, and do they have a combination of short sleeves/long sleeves/no legs/long lets? If yes, you don't have too many. We still have our guys in rompers every single day and pull on trousers/jumpers over the top if it's cold.
Update again soon!!
You guys are going to be great parents! I have been watching TLC too, even getting misty eyed at some shows when they do the baby marathons on the weekend.
ReplyDelete23 weeks will be 24, then 25, then 30, then 35 and then travel dates at full term before you know it.
Christmas will arrive with one more stocking on the mantle!
I think one of the biggest challenges is to try and stay connected to our pregnancies and at the same time, try to maintain a little reservation, waiting for each milestone to come and pass.
Keep writing! Keep reminding yourself that YOU ARE PREGNANT! And celebrate each wonderful day that passes as it means you are one day closer to meeting your family!
P.S. Your support meant a lot to us this week!!! Thank you! :-)
I'm so happy for you both! Yes this is real and yes you will be a mom and dad soon! :)
ReplyDeleteI don't think this will be real for any of us until we hold our baby/ies in our arms.
But I'm so glad you're strating to enjoy yourself. You should! You're 23 weeks!
xxx
In the beginning all you will need are some onesies (10-15 of them), some swaddling cloths, a nice warm blanket (the soft, synthetic types work best for washing and drying quickly) and a cap or two. Maybe some socks, we never used any though. That's all you really need in terms of layered clothing so that you can adjust the babies temperature as needed. As you have probably already read, regulating a newborn's temperature is a lot of work, you want to make sure they aren't too hot or too col and air temp/quality needs to be on the cool side (70 degrees) with some moisture for optimal sleeping, breathing, etc.
ReplyDeleteYikes, I'm getting a flashback!! LOL
You guys are on your way, won't be long now till you hit the first magic number 28..
Good luck
I was sure I posted a note the other day.... anyway, this is a great update! 23 weeks, past the half way point!! Amazing! Congrats you guys!!
ReplyDeleteenjoy every moment, the before, the during and just wait until your baby is born. you will be great parents. it's happening
ReplyDeleteWe are over the moon excited for you. Thinking that a few blankets and maybe some of those little pants that go right over the oneses will be fine. I mean millions of Indian babies have survived with less. Just enjoy every second of it.
ReplyDeletesuper excited for you guys. it's your time!
ReplyDelete