For me, December 10, 2024, will forever be a date filled with magic. The experience was something I’m so grateful for and I will cherish those magical moments for the rest of my life, as we introduced a precious new life into this world.
As life goes, we had to contend with a few complications, including gestational diabetes. As a result, the doctors decided we needed to induce labor and December 10 was the date it was to happen. The day we found this out, I spent about an hour on the phone with the intended mother, where we both expressed our feelings on the situation, which seemed to match each other. We both felt nervous, unprepared (even though it had only been moved up a week), excited, and overwhelmed. To me, it was a day we’d all been waiting for, and although it had been over a year since we started the journey, it suddenly felt so real and was simultaneously ending so fast. I wrestled with the fear of the unknown. How would the delivery go? How would I feel after giving birth? Was I adequately prepared for the holidays? How would this change our relationship with the intended parents? These were all things the intended mother and I had discussed, and knowing I wasn’t alone in my feelings was helpful. My boyfriend was also very supportive by calming my fears, reassuring me that everything would work out and being by my side through it all.
I started having mild, irregular, contractions 5 days prior to the induction date. This made me quite nervous because we were setting up for my daughter’s Sweet 16 that was scheduled for the following day and I didn’t want to end up missing it. I had to let go of my type A personality for a bit and sit down while my family set up for the party. The next day, I was still having contractions, but thankfully still irregular and mild. We were able to pull off a beautiful party for my daughter and I felt more at peace with things, knowing the party was done. I was scheduled to be induced on a Tuesday morning, bright and early, so the intended parents came up late Sunday night so we could spend some time together on Monday. They were so sweet and kept asking what they could do to help me get ready before the big day. I was happy just to spend time with them. We ended up going to dinner and it was a music trivia night at that restaurant, so we joined in the game and had a lot of fun. We said goodbye for the night and confirmed plans to meet at the hospital in the morning.
My amazing boyfriend and I arrived at the hospital at 6am on Tuesday morning and the IPs arrived shortly after. The nurse brought us in and began doing all of the preliminary things , including taking vitals, discussing meds, checking blood sugars, etc. We then we met with a resident who explained the different options for the induction and told us which one she thought my OB would recommend. We all agreed that it sounded like a good plan and when the resident checked with my doctor, she was on the same page. We now had a definitive plan forward. The induction began with a pill that dissolves in your mouth and helps get labor moving. Since I had been having irregular contractions for 5 days already, this seemed to work well and intensified the contractions quite quickly.
While we were waiting for things to progress, we all chatted, laughed, and even watched a few shows together on a laptop. For a while, the intended parents and my boyfriend all did some remote work and I joked that I shouldn’t have taken the day off. The intended parents even had a few gifts for my boyfriend and I that were amazing, including a beautiful and very fitting Christmas ornament of a stork carrying a baby, a onesie that read “Ain’t No Surrogate Like The One I Had”, and a Build-A-Bear that played the intended mom’s voice saying “we love you Amber” when it’s paw is squeezed.
After four hours, they gave me another pill to further increase the contractions. A little while later, we met with the doctor again and decided that she would break my water to see if that would get things moving more – it did! Within minutes, my contractions were getting very intense and closer together. I was given an epidural – this was the only thing the intended parents had to leave the room for because it is a sterile procedure. Knowing the baby would be coming at any time was emotional for all four of us. There may have even been some pacing back and forth.
It was time for the big show and the intended mother was given a surgical gown so that she could hold the baby as soon as she made her entrance, while the intended father was tasked with cutting the umbilical cord. In between the sets of pushing, I remember looking around at the people who surrounded me and feeling so grateful. The doctor who had also delivered my son and kept me alive through unlikely complications years earlier, my boyfriend who supported me on every step of this journey and showed me love like I’ve never experienced before, and the intended parents whom we formed a special bond with and have grown to love like family. The delivery went smoothly – the smoothest of the three babies I’ve delivered. Baby Isla made her debut sometime around 7:30 pm, and as she did,I watched her parents’ faces fill with joy. This was the MOST magical part. Seeing mom hold her and dad look lovingly at her brought tears to all of our eyes. I still get chills thinking about it. Fortunately, my boyfriend is a professional photographer and he captured so many beautiful moments that day allowing all of us to look back and remember the magic.
After all of the measuring, preliminary checks, and cleaning up, the hospital staff put her in her onesie for some photos. Afterwards, they removed the onesie and gave it back to me so I could put it on the bear they made, becoming a special gift. The intended father disappeared for a few minutes and returned with milkshakes and Dr Pepper in hand – two things I said I’d been craving but couldn’t have during the pregnancy. It was both hilarious and amazing and I enjoyed them very much!
A little while later, we were transferred to a different floor and given two rooms – one room for my boyfriend and I and the room next to us for Isla and her parents. I was able to go home the following day and they stayed with Isla at the hospital for one additional day. Before leaving the hospital, my own children came to meet baby Isla – the beautiful baby girl whom they had a hand in helping bring into this world. Their support and patience with me through the process helped make it all possible. The following day, Baby Isla was discharged and the intended parents visited us quickly to grab the little bit of milk I had for them before beginning their journey home.
As they drove away, I looked at my boyfriend and began to cry. He hugged me so tight, as he felt the same way I did. We were filled with so much emotion, already missing her. We spent so long caring for her and protecting her and it was suddenly over. At the same time, we felt a sense of relief – our worries were over. And finally, we felt pride. This was a team effort, and we had all done it.
Welcome to the world baby Isla! You are loved by so many
