So we are now 34 weeks along with the surrogate pregnancy. I felt very pregnant from early on until around 22-24 weeks when things started to relax. I felt sick in the beginning and had no appetite until close to the third trimester. One of my favorite parts about being pregnant with my kids was my appetite--and how every food tasted ten times better than normal.
I think part of my issue with food during that second trimester was the fact that we had a major clot and bleeding episode around 13 weeks and I stayed on edge for ages just wondering if it was going to come back or get worse. It is never fun to have a complication during a pregnancy, but when you have been entrusted with someone else's child, the stress is at a whole new level...think of watching someones kid and they get hurt. You feel awful, even if there is nothing you could have done. Growing their child, you have tried to do everything by the book (even better than when you carried your own) and something goes wrong, you just have a very hard time with it. And we were on modified bedrest, so rather than spending time in the second trimester feeling good and playing with the kids, I was resting with my feet up. I might not be one of those "go-go-go" kind of people, but I don't sit down much during the day, so this was new for me.
The last few days have been interesting. Either I have had my first experience with contractions or I have started dealing with heartburn--not really a win-win situation for me! After a very long week of being on my own while my husband was gone for work, and working with his mom after she was in a car accident Tuesday night, my body seemed to give out Friday morning. It was all I could to get to the airport Friday morning because my stomach had been such a mess. I was getting cramps along the top of my belly and they were coming about every 10-15 minutes. This went on for about two hours before spacing out...but I didn't feel quite right. All day my stomach just felt off and I noticed a slight increase in the braxton hicks contractions too. I spent a lot of time laying down Friday and Saturday. I am feeling good this morning but woke up with my hips feeling sore! I guess the end is in sight and my body is starting to feel it. I have felt so good the last ten weeks. So much better than most of the pregnancy. I guess with a baby that is measuring over 6lbs by now, my body might be feeling the strain.
Babycenter sends me weekly emails and this weeks started with "you may begin to feel more tired" and yeah, I have to say that pretty much sums up how I am feeling these days! The newsletter also says that babies born between 34-37 weeks typically do just as well as full term babies if born, even if they do need to spend a little time in the NICU. I am glad to read that, but part of my little dream associated with this surrogacy is to see J&M hold their baby and love on her those minutes after she is born. I don't want them to ever know what it is like to have your baby whisked away to the NICU...that is something I remember all too well from when Alexander was born.
Tomorrow we have our first Non-Stress Test (NST) to check the placenta. I am assuming that as big as this little girl is growing, the placenta is doing an awesome job, but I am happy to have it officially checked.
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