Surro Files - 26 Weeks & We Have A Doula

The Bun
Baby is now about the size of a head of lettuce (14 inches) and 1.75 pounds.  By now baby's lungs and brain are much more developed.  In fact, the baby can likely detect light and dark through the optic nerve.  Baby can now also hear more than just my rumbling tummy (which is particularly rumbly right now), such as outside noises like voices.

Speaking of hearing...  Each night I play voice recordings to baby that Belle and Adam have sent over to me.  If you remember, last time Belle and Adam visited I gave them a pair of Belly Buds as a gift.  Basically it's a baby belly headphone set so that I can play music and voice recordings for baby.  Now their baby will already be accustomed to music they like and their voices.  I also have a few recordings of their dogs so their cheerful barks will be familiar when baby gets home.

Photo by Belle & Adam

The Oven

Well, turns out the oven is a bit bigger than the average 26 week oven.  It's actually measuring about 4 weeks ahead.  Definitely explains why everyone thinks we're due a lot sooner than we really are and why a lot of my maternity shirts are already hitting max capacity.  More about that below when I talk about our 25 week OB visit.

The belly at 26 Weeks

The Happenings In the Kitchen

Lots going on this week!  First off, we had our 25 week OB visit this past Thursday.  I gained another 5 pounds this past month clocking me in at 135 pounds.  Ack!  That's a 29 pound increase so far.  Still on track for what I usually gain, but it would be nice if we slowed down a bit this next month.  Blood pressure looked great and baby's heartbeat sounded awesome at around 140 bpm.  Only problem is like I said above... I'm measuring about 4 weeks ahead.  Not sure what that's all about, but I usually measure pretty big.  It's just the way I grow.  Just to be on the safe side though, we're going to have a growth scan next month while Belle is here.  Big baby, extra fluid, extra baby????  Haha!  Who knows, but we'll find out.  Funny story from our visit.  My nurse practitioner was saying that I look like I'm carrying a {...beep...} even though I'm really carrying a {...beep...}.  Then she made another comment about the sex of the baby saying it looked the opposite of what it really is.  Baby did not like that at all and gave her a swift kick to the doppler.  Freaked my nurse out.  Haha!  Don't call baby a {...beep...} when they're really a {...beep...}.  You didn't think I was really going to spill the beans on the sex did you????  No way!  Also got my lab slip for the glucose test.  No bueno!  I really hate that test.  Ewwwww!

  In other news this week, we also decided to hire a doula.  Brian has decided not to be present at the

Our Doula Natalie

birth because he feels slightly uncomfortable knowing that another man will watch his baby be born from me.  He definitely feels that every parent should be able to watch their baby be born and has no problem with that, but still feels uncomfortable being present.  So instead he will be on call (our house is only 5 min down the road) in case anything goes wrong.  That being said, we feel that having a doula will help bridge the gap and give me more support during labor, birth, and after.  So this week I started the interview process.  Thursday I had two interviews and they both went great!  I really liked both doulas, but something about the second doula just told me she was the one.  It might have been the calming aura that she had about her.  Or maybe it was that she seemed so knowledgeable in positions that might help my back labor which I've experience twice so far.  Or it could have been the thought of massage and essential oils that caught my attention.  Whatever it was, I just knew she was the one.  I cancelled the rest of my interviews and booked her two days later.  Yay for a doula!!!!  So excited to be working with Natalie Garvey-De Leon of Inner Balance.  Belle and I will have our first real meeting with her next month while Belle is visiting.

Lastly, I've been working on the baby shower this week.  Surprised?  I think not.  That's what I do everyday, morning, noon, and night.  Only 3-1/2 more weeks!!!!  Just yesterday I finished some Mickey & Minnie mouse headbands for the party and almost all of the hanging flower decorations.  Yay!!!!  Hopefully this week I can get even more done before I'm out of commission for spring break.

Working on Baby Shower Tissue Flowers

The Chefs (an update from Belle)

"More laundry and organizing going on for baby clothing. I have a dresser loaded full of items aged 0-5 YEARS (already)!!! Most items are now washed and put away, but I do have another load or two (or 3) to go.... 

This week I also was able to buy the last few extra little cloth diaper items I wanted, until i wait and see what i get from friends and family as gifts! One neat organization I did was arrange my cloth diapers in a door-shoe hanger for easy access and quick changes! No running around here looking for lost items (yet!) 

We also got the crib mattress in, and it is all set up, sheets and all!

The rest of our week was kept busy with a couple of house viewings we had, and hopefully we will get an offer on our house soon!" - Belle

Belle's New Cloth Diaper Storage System

Coming Soon !!!

April 22nd - Glucose Test - Ewwwwww!!!!!  Not looking forward to it.
April 30th-6th - Belle Visits - Yay!!!!  Baby Shower, Disneyland, 30 Week Growth Ultrasound, 30 Week OB Visit, & Meet With Doula.  Fun Fun Fun!!!  Busy Busy Busy!!!

Don't forget to check out my "Surrogacy" tab at the top of this page to catch up on any posts you might have missed

*Some of the names in this post have been changed to protect the identities of those involved in this journey*