Surprise Arrival!!!

Today is August 1st and the day that I was due to have my little surrogate babe, so what better day then today to share our birth story 😁

Monday July 8th was like any other summer break day. It was a rainy day so we went to Target to do a little shopping. I'm pretty sure we walked up and down every aisle of the store at least twice. 😂 The girls really wanted to go to the playground, but because it was raining we opted for lunch at the McDonalds with the indoor playground. After lunch we went home and played board games and read books before relaxing and waiting for Ian to come home from work. I also started to pack my hospital bag to prepare and get ready a bit before the guys got to town the next day. We all had dinner together and then the rain had subsided and the girls wanted to swim a bit so we went in the pool for an hour or so before they had to come in and start getting ready for bed. We got them washed up and in bed and then I went and took a shower before relaxing on the couch to watch tv for a little bit. I then decided to head to bed because I had an OB appt the next morning at 10am.

That was when everything quickly changed. I woke up around 1:15am to a sudden gushing feeling and thought I had dreamed that I had peed myself. Just as I went to feel my shorts to confirm that I had been dreaming I felt another big gush. By that point I was awake enough to know that I definitely had not dreamed it and had no control over that and that I couldn't possibly have peed myself 😂 I went to the bathroom and it just continued. I tried calling out to Ian, but he was fast asleep and I didn't want to be too loud because the girls were sleeping close by. I finally got Ian up and told him that I was pretty sure that my water had just broke. His response was "are you sure you didn't just pee yourself" lol. Which I have never done by the way so I don't know why that was our first reactions. I assured him that I was pretty sure it was my water and that typically when this happens they tell you to go to the hospital, but I had an appt at 10am and wondered if I could just wait it out. Afterall, I wasn't feeling any pain or contractions and hadn't been. Other then my feet being swollen for the previous two weekends I hadn't felt like anything was happening. He still felt so high to me because I swear his feet were constantly in my ribs. Needless to say he called his sister and I called my mom, both of whom are nurses and asked their opinion. Both said that it definitely sounded like my water broke and that I should go to the hospital or at least call and see what they think. Ian called and they said that we definitely should come to the hospital to be checked. I started crying a bit and kept saying, "this is not how this is supposed to happen" "we can't have him...his dads are not here yet" "we haven't gotten to take our maternity photos with the guys yet" "It's too early for him to come." While I am going through all of the emotions and trying to clean myself up a bit to head to the hospital, Ian was quickly throwing my stuff in a bag and getting things together. He called a friend hoping she would answer so that we could see if she could watch the girls for a little bit. He woke the girls up and started putting them in the car and before I knew it we were on our way to drop them off and go to the hospital. At this point it is 2am and I messaged the guys to tell them that my water broke and we were headed to the hospital. It was 8am there and I immediately got a phone call back. They were just as shocked as I was and couldn't believe this was all happening right now! They had all their luggage in their living room and had been waiting on their Uber to take them to the airport for their long flight to Florida. What were the odds that Little Mac would decide that this was the day to arrive?!?! They assured me that all would be ok and that everything happens as it is meant to and to not stress at all. I just felt so bad that they were not here yet. The last thing I said was I will do my best to keep him in as long as possible so hopefully they could get here in time and they laughed and said not to worry about that. Then I remembered that Little Mac still didn't have a name...that was something that the dads were having trouble deciding. It had been narrowed down to 2 names and they said we would decide as a family when they got here. I told them they needed to decide and text me the name just in case he arrived before they did. All this time I was feeling great. Still not having pain or feeling any contractions so I was skeptical that this was all happening anytime soon. We hung up the phone with the guys just as we arrived at the hospital and I walked in and told the gentleman at the desk that my water had broke and he immediately told me to sit down because he hadn't delivered a baby in a really long time and didn't want tonight to be the night. He checked us in and called Labor and Delivery and about 10 minutes later someone was there to wheel me up to the L&D floor. 

The nurse had me get changed and did the usual weight check and urine sample etc. and then they got us to a room and me in the bed. The nurses were asking me all of the routine questions and I was answering still not in any pain. I feel like the questions went on for a good hour or so and at this point it was 4am. I asked the nurse when she would check my cervix to see how dilated I was and she said she would in a bit as soon as she finished her paperwork and questions for me. I was starting to feel some contractions a little bit, but nothing major. They were definitely happening regularly and were about every 5 minutes or so. At 4:30am she checked my cervix. I was honestly nervous to know where I stood at this point and when she checked and told me 5cm I was in disbelief. I messaged the guys and our birth photographer to let them know that it would definitely be happening today. Right after she checked me, my contractions quickly ramped up and got a little stronger and definitely closer together. With each one I would look at Ian and say "this one is a little more then the last one" to which he replied "your doing great. just keep breathing. what do you need?" At 5am I told the nurse that the contractions were definitely worse and that I was feeling a lot of pressure all of a sudden. I honestly forgot what she asked me after that but I remember telling her that the pressure was so much that I felt ready to push. She looked at me skeptical and said that she would check me again, but that if I was still a 5 or barely different then 30 minutes ago that I needed to really consider how things were feeling, etc. She checked me again and immediately said she is ready, call Dr. Smith. At that point things were intense. Everything was happening so quickly that I felt like I had no time to prepare. I remember telling the nurses that I needed to push and them telling me to just keep breathing through each contraction and that Dr. Smith would be there soon. One nurse jokingly asked me to hold him in there long enough for the Dr to arrive because she could deliver him, but if she did it meant a lot of extra paperwork on her end and she would rather not have to do all of that. I told her I would do my best! 😂The nurses were giving updates...Dr. Smith is 10 minutes out, ok now he is 7 minutes out. Hang in there, you can do this. With each contraction I felt more and more ready to push. Finally Dr. Smith walked in around 5:30am and I remember telling him that I don't trust him anymore because he told me we had plenty of time a couple weeks ago at my appt and that the dads had time to get here first and yet here we are having a baby with no dads. With Kelsie he told me for weeks that she would arive anytime now and then we still ended up inducing and kicking her out. Obviously I know it is not his fault and these babies have minds of their own, but we all had a good laugh about it. I pushed with each of the next 3 contractions and Little Mac made his arrival at 5:46am. It was surreal. I was in complete disbelief. Ian was in awe and even the nurses commented on how quickly everything happened. One nurse even said it was by far the fastest progression she had seen in all her years of nursing. Ian was a trooper. When he realized that everything was happening so quickly that the guys definitely wouldn't make it in time and even our birth photographer couldn't get there in time he grabbed the camera and got plenty of pictures and even recorded the entire birth for the dads to watch when they arrived. Not to mention he was by my side the entire time talking me through, reminding me to breathe and holding my hand! He is the unsung hero here!

Born 5:46am weighing 8lbs 1oz and 20.5inches long

Celebrating the arrival of their son!

When Little Mac arrived he was immediately placed on a blanket on my chest and a nurse was suctioning his nose and mouth. I looked down and remember thinking his face looked dark, almost like a blueberry. I just kept asking if he was ok. He was making noises and crying a little bit, but he looked so dark to me. The nurse assured me that he was good and took him over to the baby bed to suction him a little more and clean him up. All of a sudden I heard really strong loud screaming and felt a sense of relief. This boy has some lungs y'all! They got him weighed and cleaned up and then they handed him to me. Looking down at this sweet 8lb 1oz beautiful baby boy that I had carried for almost 37 weeks for another couple was amazing! It was different then looking down at my own children, but it was an emotion that I will never forget. I felt proud. I felt honored. I felt blessed. I was in love, but a different love as I knew he wasn't mine. I was sad that his dads were not there to meet him and hold him first and I even felt a little guilty. Because everything happened so fast and he moved down the birth canal so quickly he had some bruising on his face, but otherwise he was perfect. Ian updated the guys with his arrival, birth stats and pictures immediately. They were so happy and it really made my heart so happy to have played a part in them becoming the family that they had longed to be for all these years. The guys plane had been delayed a couple of hours and while it was a dsiappointment it ended up being a blessing in disguise because had they taken off as scheduled they probably wouldn't have received the update that their son was born until after they landed 9 hours later. 

  

The entire day was spent caring for Mac until his daddies could get to the hospital. We cuddled and my family and girls got to meet him and it was just a magical day. We all joked that he just wanted to spend more time with us earthside and that he wanted to beat his dads here. I told the guys that I felt guilty having all of this time with Mac before they even got to hold him or see him and their response to that was "Don't feel bad! He is lucky to have you in his life - and so are we!" It literally made me tear up. We had always talked about remaining in each others lives long after he was born and I never felt like that wouldn't happen, but it was that very moment...receiving that text that I knew we were family and this thing was absolutley and without a doubt forever. Waiting for their flight to land in Miami and for them to drive the 4 hours to the hospital felt like FOREVER!!! In that time I had been in contact with our photographer and she planned to be there at the hospital when they arrived so she could capture their very first moments with him. Even if that meant getting there at 2:30am!

Little Mac's arrival was by no means at all how any of us had planned for or imagined, but at the end of the day it was perfect and beautiful and a beyond amazing experience that I will never ever forget or regret doing! Every day since that day has only continued to be such a blessing and a testiment that love is love, families come in all shapes and sizes and families are most definitely forever!