How is the Pregnancy from a Surrogacy Different from the Pregnancy of Your Own Child?
This is a question that is often on the forefront of every potential first-time Gestational Carrier. What is different between the two pregnancies’, other than the obvious? I’m going to give you a quick outline of what is different below. Being a surrogate twice myself plus having two of my own children has given me a lot of experience with this same question.
· First of all, getting pregnant is different! Going through the IVF process is very different than getting pregnant the old-fashioned way. There are a lot of medications involved, medical appointments, and timing! Not to mention a lot of PEOPLE involved including your Intended Parents and clinical staff.
· Once you are pregnant you often know weeks earlier than you might have found out with your own children. After the embryo transfer, there is approximately a two-week wait and often several home pregnancy tests have been taken during that time. Then you will have a blood test to determine if you are actually pregnant along with an ultrasound around 7 weeks to detect a heartbeat. There is no question of the date of when you became pregnant!
· Once pregnant all you have to do is take the best care of yourself! Once released from the Fertility Clinic you will attend appointments with the OB of your choice. Possibly the same one who delivered your own children. The difference is that during this time frame you are sharing with Intended Parents all of the ups and downs you are going through instead of just your family. You are reporting to the IPs what the doctors are concerned or happy about regarding this pregnancy, how you are feeling if you need anything special, or what you are craving.
· You might have your IPs with you during doctors’ appointments and they may want to know all the tiny details. More so than even your husband/partner EVER wanted to know!
· You DON’T have to decorate a baby’s room, think of baby names, prepare for another child in your home, arrange for a pediatrician or any of the little details that parents need to do for a new baby. These are things that your Intended Parents will be doing! They may ask your thoughts on the best baby diapers, bottles, pacifiers, or strollers but know that none of these decisions are your concern! The same goes for vaccines, insurance, or any medical decisions having to do with the baby. All you need to do is take care of YOU.
· The main difference is after the birth you go back home to your own family alone. You can expect to sleep through the night without the midnight feedings or changing diapers or helping a new baby assimilate into your own family. You can just heal and bask in the glow of a job well done.
Surrogacy isn’t just a gift to Intended Parents. It is also a wonderful feeling of accomplishment that lasts for the rest of your life. You did something no one else could do for your Intended Parents. YOU added on to their family tree. It’s a gift that keeps on giving for generations to come!