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I'm a wife, mom, and gestational surrogate. I've been blessed to be able to have 2 beautiful daughters of my own and 2 cute little surro babes for IPs. With the support of my WONDERFUL family and friends, I'm doing it again!! Follow me on my journey...

Sunday, October 23, 2011

October 19, 2011 (37 weeks)...

...there's no belly pic this time, I have something better.
How about the cutest little guy you've ever seen?

Let's start from the beginning, shall we? (this will probably be a long post)

On Tuesday I had a regular OB appointment @ 10:30am. My BP was high again (136/94), then I got an ultrasound done to measure my amniotic fluid, check on baby's "practice breathing", and to measure his size. Then my Dr says "hmm". I'm thinking, "oh great, last time he said that, I ended up on bedrest!" I asked him why he said that and he just tells me that he needs to do a few more measurements...I had a feeling something was up.
When he got done he told me that the baby's growth had slowed down and was not equivalent to his gestation. Baby L was measuring in the 10th percentile, meaning that 90% of other babies at that gestation were bigger than him. No bueno. That, along with my continued high BPs and headaches did not make him feel comfortable with sending me home after that appointment. The Dr called my IM to tell her what was going on and off to L&D I went.

In L&D my dr had them run my labs and had radiology do another ultrasound just to make sure that his measurements were correct. The labs came back with slightly elevated liver enzymes and the ultrasound confirmed my dr's initial findings. I was told that it looked like they caught pre-eclampsia early and that I needed to deliver the baby before it got any worse for the both of us. Needless to say, I was in a little bit of shock. I certainly didn't go into my dr's appointment thinking that I'd be having the baby! I notified my IPs and they both left work and hit the road! I also called Kevin to let him know that he needed to get his butt to the hospital because I was alone and kinda scared.

The Dr checked my cervix, and of course I was barely dilated to 1cm (duh! my body wasn't ready to have the baby yet! ☺), so at 2:30p he gave me cytotec (a vaginal pill) to start softening my cervix. Kevin arrived, and then they moved me to a room around 5:50p. I was given another cytotec at 6:30pm because my cervix still hadn't softened and they couldn't start the actual induction (with pitocin) until I had dilated to at least 2cm.
So what's a girl to do that's waitin' around to dilate?
Call her BFF to come do her hair, of course! ☺ Don't hate.
So my friend, Elice, came by to flat iron my hair for me...not even 2 minutes into it, a loud alarm starts going off and we realize that it's the smoke alarm above my bed! It's blaring and beeping and within about 20 seconds there were 10 people running in the room...the doctor, nurses, housekeeping...once they realized what was going on, the Dr jumped up on my bed and put some tape over the sensor to stop the alarm! All I could do was die laughing. The looks on everyone's faces were priceless...it was a bit embarrassing, but definitely memorable! And do you think it stopped me from getting the rest of my hair straightened? Nope! ☺ I just moved to a chair that wasn't directly under the smoke alarm ☺
I was not about to be lookin' like a hot mess....I know, "no one cares what you look like, you're in labor, blah, blah" But I CARE! Nothing else had gone as planned during this pregnancy, so I was determined that at least this part was gonna go my way!
Here's my hott mess hair before
Me & Elice after she fixed my afro, lol







So anywho...after that whole ordeal my IPs arrived around 8pm and my cervix was still trying to keep Baby L in, so the Dr gave me another cytotec at 10:30pm. That one finally did the trick! I started feeling some cramping at about 2:00am or so and had the nurse check me. I was dilated enough to start the pitocin (2cm)! The nurse gave me some nubain for pain and boy did that work! It actually had me kinda out of it for a while, so some of my memories are a little groggy, lol. Once the pitocin started (about 2:30) the contractions really began! They were dull at first, but then started to pick up. About an hour later I was at 4cm and the contractions were coming steady, but weren't unbearable. The nurse asked if I wanted an epidural and I figured I might as well get it then while I wasn't in too much pain.
The anesthesiologist came in and I could only have 1 person in the room with me while he did the epidural, so Kevin stayed while my IPs stepped out. The Dr prepped my back and was about to insert the needle and then I hear Kevin say "uh, nurse, I'm not feeling well"...he was holding my hand, but then all of a sudden he slowly went down to one knee and he says "can you call M&M in here for Krystal?" So here I am hunched over the side of the bed, having contractions, while my husband is now fully lying on the floor at the foot of my bed and the nurses are propping his head with pillows. So much for that epidural, lol. We had to wait for him to be okay before the Dr would finish my epi! It was quite a production, lol.
(But according to Kevin, he didn't "technically" pass out...he just "transferred his energy to me" LMAO) Yea. We'll go with that.
Kevin, me, & my IPs before induction
I did finally get the epi done and was a happy camper for a little while, at least. I started feeling some pressure at about 6:00am and asked the nurse to check me and I was 7cm! The pressure was staying pretty constant, so the nurse checked me again around 6:30am and I was fully dilated! The Dr came in, set up the bed, and I started pushing! Baby L was born shortly thereafter at 6:47am!

I honestly can't even describe the feelings or emotions in the room. It was just so amazing. All these months I've imagined what it might be like to see my IPs become parents and even my imagination couldn't have pictured such a moment. It was euphoric; almost like an out of body experience. All I cared about at that moment was making sure the baby was okay. With him being 3 weeks early I just wanted to hear that cry for reassurance.
 It seemed like forever, even though it was only a few seconds, but we heard him let out a cry and it was the best sound you could have heard.
Then everyone else began to cry. (tears of joy, of course)
I ♥ my IPs faces in this pic. So much love for their son already.
Even with being early, Baby L was doing well from the start. He never had to visit the NICU and was able to stay in the room with his mommy & daddy through the entire hospital stay! I was able to pump colostrum for him and his mommy was able to induce lactation so that she can breastfeed. So awesome!
10.19.2011; 6:47am
4lbs 9oz; 17.5in
Smiling already ♥☺
As for me, I'm feeling good. Maybe the labor gods were on my side, because I couldn't have asked for an easier labor or recovery. Besides having a headache and sore boobs, I'm virtually pain free. ☺It feels weird not to be pregnant anymore, I just realized that I can now sleep on my stomach again! And I'm definitely not looking forward to doing P90X again...sigh....but I know I have to get back in shape. I am, however, ready for a margarita!! ☺
The guys being silly
I got to go home on Friday and Baby L and his parents went home yesterday (on his mommy's birthday! ♥) He passed all of his testing and is feeding very well; he won't be small for very long! Baby L has beat the odds from the beginning. He truly is a miracle!
Although this pregnancy didn't go quite as expected, I wouldn't change a thing. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to help create a family for M&M and in the process, I believe that we all became family too. My family and I have so much love for them and I know that our relationship doesn't stop just because the baby was born, it will continue to grow and get even better.
Proud parents w/ Baby L, grandparents, me & hubby
I'll leave you with a few more of my favorite pics from our special day. Thank you all for following along with me during this journey, through all of the ups and downs. A lot of times your comments are what got me through some tough days while I was on bedrest. I'm forever thankful for all of the friendships that have been formed by way of this blog. I didn't know when I started this journal just how much all of you would become a part of my everyday life and how invested I'd become in your journeys as well. THANK YOU! ♥♥♥
My girls love how soft his skin is, lol

Catchin' some z's with Daddy
Proud Papa being goofy behind us

Photobucket

21 comments:

Babydreams2011 said...

LOVE your birth story!! OMG... Krystal you did SO amazing!! Baby L is adorable!

momof4 said...

I'm in tears right now! I love your birth story! You are so amazing and I've enjoyed following your journey since the start.

YOu have done such an amazing job, he is beautiful and you must be so proud xoxo

Anonymous said...

I was so excited to see this post! SO happy to hear that the baby is OK and the delivery was good to you. Congratulations!!

Doug and Bill said...

Ok, I'm crying in my coffee! That was so amazing. And the photos are priceless. I've been following along for months and you must be so proud. Such a gift you gave your IPs. Oh and I can totally relate to how blogging has helped during this process. I'm right there with ya...

Congratulations!

Ashley said...

CONGRATS, girl!! What a wonderful story and between setting the fire alarm off and your husband "passing out" I didn't know whether to laugh or cry =) You did an amazing thing and should be so proud. Happy recovery!!

Jeni said...

Awwww.....what a great birth story! Everyone looks absolutely amazing! Congratulations to you all and thank you for doing such an awesome job sharing your journey with us! XO

Jesse said...

Beautiful story!! I'm crying-how awesome!! I know that it didn't really go as planned, but you handled everything like a champ. You're an amazing person and I'm so happy I've gotten to know you :)

Congrats to everyone around!!

Mark said...

If I were a girl, I'd be crying now.
Congratulations to all of you and yes, he is a gorgeous baby. I'm so happy for everyone. I was starting to think that you'd be pregnant forever. I've never known you any other way. You can still show me belly shots if you want.
Your Friend, m.
p.s. I have a headache and sore boobs too. I know, weird, right?

Anonymous said...

Love the story! That is one beautiful boy you helped bring into this world. Congratulations!

Michael said...

I'm crying (as if you couldn't have predicted it) and I'm so happy to know you and baby L and the IPs all have had such a positive and amazing story to remember for the rest of your lives. Congratulations to everyone!

whitney said...

you're one amazing woman! congrats again to you and your IPs...those pics are amazing!! welcome to the workout club ;-)!!!

Ashley said...

Congratulations!! I love your birth story, it's so eventful and touching.

Surro Mom said...

Krystal, You did an amazing job baking baby L. I love your birth story and all of the beautiful pics. Thanks for sharing!

Andrea said...

Absolutely precious! <3

Anonymous said...

congrats krystal!!! such a great birth story and some touches of humor in there. he's beautiful and i love the pic. of his parents looking him over!

Jeff and Kevin said...

Wow Krystal. You are the best :) What an amazing thing you have done! I was very surprised - you faked me with the post title! Enjoy that wine!
K

paradykes said...

Congratulations Krystal, what a beautiful birth story. You have helped make a beautiful family.

braejuma said...

Wowsers!!! Congratulations all around!!! Beautiful ending to a great story!!!!

Surrogate, Single Parent and Dating... said...

Just now reading this (and cried..LOL) - so so proud of you friend!! So glad I was able to meet all of them before they left and see that precious baby you produced!! :) Now...time for some drinks my friend...ready when you are!!!!! Love ya, girl...

Rebekah said...

Absolutely BEAUTIFUL post! HUGE congrats to you and your IPs!!! :)

tasha said...

Oh my gosh! I love this story, AND all those great photos!!! I'm happy dancing for you and your IPs over here. Hooray! :)