Devin and Kim: My Journey as a Gestational Carrier: Part 4 (The Pregnancy!)

This one might turn out to be kind of a photo dump! We started the process again in August to get me ready for a September transfer. I did another water ultrasound, which showed that I needed yet another hysteroscopy. Lucky me!

Water ultrasound day

Post hysteroscopy-- thanks to my sister-in-law Shawna who drove me home and got me my favorite drink. I was loopy, clearly. No video this time though!

Shots started again in preparation for our Sept 4 transfer day!

There was a lot of this for a lot of the time....

Finally, Sept 4 rolled around and we were ready again! This time, we watched again the little embryo on the screen in the lab before they inserted it into my uterus through a little tiny straw. The embryo was too small to see with the naked eye, but we each held an enlarged picture of it in our hands from straight out of the freezer. As we looked at the embryo on the screen, it was obvious that it had changed shape since the picture was taken. The doctor commented that the little embryo was shifting and looking for something to grip onto. In that moment, I felt this amazing peace and that this round was going to work. It seemed like our little embryo was a fighter and she was going to stick.

lucky socks, round 2!

Ready for transfer!

Transfer day #2!

This picture should have gone on the last post, since it is the first transfer day, but oh well!

During the wait for the official Hcg test results, I of course started taking pregnancy tests. They were again all positive. I remember going to the dollar store and buying enough pregnancy tests that I could take one multiple times per day. What can I say-- I was anxious and wanted to make sure the line was getting darker each time. Oh, the funny things we do. I didn't need to worry. The first Hcg level was high and the second and third more than doubled each time, just like they wanted them to. We were officially pregnant!

From there, the pregnancy was fairly routine. I think it took a minute to sink in that this was reality and that it was really truly happening (for me, and I am sure even more so for Josh and Janelle!) The first trimester was full of feeling sick, but not throwing up and feeling extra tired. I needed to continue the daily progesterone shot through 10 weeks of pregnancy as well, which was fun, fun, fun. Most of the time, Devin gave them to me, but I had to learn to do them myself for times when he couldn't.

We attended appointments at the fertility center through the first trimester before graduating to my regular OB. Cute Paris had a personality from the beginning and even though we had an ultrasound at every single appointment (fertility clinic and my doctor), she was always in a position where we could not see her face well. She also had the hiccups often and would keep her hands in front of her face. It seemed like a standard position for her.

Oddly, at the start of the second trimester, I started throwing up and kept this up through week 20 of the pregnancy, when I finally started to feel better. The 2nd half of the 2nd trimester was the sweet spot, where I felt more energized, not huge, and not sick anymore.

1st ultrasound picture!

1st ultrasound

I think this is graduation day from the fertility clinic! It must have felt so great after so many years of treatments.

Josh and Janelle gave me this journal after our first transfer in a basket of all sorts of cute things. I decided to use the journal as a way to keep a record for Paris of her pregnancy and what it was like for me. I somewhat faithfully kept the journal through the pregnancy with ultrasound pictures that my sweet doctor would slip me when the couple wasn't looking, week by week graphics on the baby's growth, what I was craving, etc, and my thoughts about how things were progressing. I want Paris to have some information about what things were like during her pregnancy, should she want it some day. It was actually quite therapeutic for me to keep the journal as well. Josh and Janelle did not know I was keeping the journal and I gave it to them after I made a final entry in it at the hospital after Paris's birth.

20 week ultrasound.

I am not sure when this was- after one of our appointments I am sure.

This was the last doctor's appointment Josh and Janelle were able to come to with me due to the crazy COVID-19 stuff. I am pretty sure I was 32 weeks here.

Josh, Janelle, and I continued to develop our relationship. They came to every doctor's appointment, ultrasound, and visit until dumb COVID-19 prevented them from coming at the end. We got together multiple times as families. They have a sweet 9 year old son, Conner, who we got to know as well. It was wonderful developing a strong friendship with them throughout this process. We could not have asked for a better match and developed a genuine love and care for them. They treated me so well, often sending meals or treats, mailing me a surprise if I needed it, and just being there for me emotionally. They were truly fantastic every step of the way and were genuinely concerned for my welfare and well-being.

The 3rd trimester was pretty good, minus the insane heartburn I had. That's totally normal for me in pregnancy though too. I felt pretty good through the end. I had the normal pelvic pain and things that come with getting bigger. One thing that was different this time is that my legs and feet swelled quite a bit at the end, meaning I needed to wear compression socks to keep them in check. Talk about feeling like an 85 year old! :)

At about 35 weeks, I had my cousin, who is a midwife, check my cervix. I was pretty sure my body would be following the same pattern it has in the past. She said I was 4 cm dilated and 80% effaced. As I suspected, my body was getting ready, but I knew that it could be weeks still until I delivered as I always walk around this way for weeks beforehand. At 36 weeks, my doctor checked me and called me the same- 4 cm and 80%. At my 37 week appointment, he again said the same, except he said I was more like a "4+" whatever that means! I was kind of getting frustrated with hearing the same thing over and over each time, but kept telling myself that I just needed to make it to the next week's appointment and then I could worry about the week after that then. One week at a time. Each week at the end of pregnancy feels like 1000 years, I am here to tell you. This was no different. I started feeling really, really ready to be done and was getting emotional with the lack of progress and change. We scheduled an induction date for May 15, at 39 weeks, so it was something to look forward to. But still....I was ready to get the show on the road.

One thing I should note that I was totally grateful for is that I did not get cholestasis this pregnancy. I had it with Lizzie and it is common to get it in a subsequent pregnancy, but I was blessed and did not have it this time. While it was a blessing to not have it because it makes you itch like crazy, it was also weird to go past the point when I delivered Lizzie (36.4 weeks) with this pregnancy. I think it made each day beyond that point emotionally more difficult for me. It's all a mental game at the end. But luckily, I did not have to wait too much longer than that for Paris to come.

Birth story coming next. Here are pictures of the belly progress throughout the pregnancy!