Today was the 9 week ultrasound at the fertility center. My case worker from the surrogacy agency was able to fly up for the appointment, which was exciting because I hadn't met her yet. We have done quite a bit of chatting, emailing & texting with all sorts of random questions that I have had since this started. She has been such a great help - not only because that's her job - but she has a ton of experience as well. She just completed her 3rd surrogacy (she delivered just 3 weeks ago!) so the girl knows her stuff. :) She is also super sweet & easy to talk to! We met for lunch before the appointment to catch-up.
The father was there today as well. We were able to call the mother again so that she could hear the heartbeat on speaker phone & ask the doctor any questions. Side note: typing "heartbeat" above just reminded me of when my daughter (now 6) used to say "heartbeep". So cute.
The doctor doing the ultrasound determined that everything looked good & healthy. We were able to see the head & body forming with the umbilical cord attached. The baby was even wiggling around a little bit! The father took an USB home again and I asked for a few pictures printed.
Heartbeat
Here, you can see the umbilical cord forming. Note the head is on top &
it is curled into a ball (facing left). The cord looks like it is coming out
from the feet, traveling left.
The bubble near the baby's head is what's left of the yolk sac,
which is what was providing nutrition but is now diminishing
because of the developing umbilical cord.
After today, we graduate to a regular OBGYN. The parents have asked me if I would consider switching my OB to one in the same network as the hospital that the mother works at. This way, she could possibly be more available in the future for appointments (and delivery time!) and she can be sure that I'm getting the best care. I liked my previous OB group, but I was not married to them so I said sure! I see the new doctor next Tuesday for the first time.
After the appointment today, the nurse gave the father a "graduation" gift - a book called "The Joy of Pregnancy" and a little onesie with the fertility clinic's logo that reads "Made In San Francisco"! Sooo cute!
Until next time...
Valentine :)
