It's a BOY!!! It's a BOY!!!
Baby's Name
 Luke Alexander
Date of Birth
 December 12, 2003
Time of Birth
 9:10 A.M.
Congratulations to Proud Parents
 Star & Brad
And to their Special Surrogate
 		Melissa S. (MelissainOmaha)
Baby's Weight
 6 lb. 2 oz.
Baby's Length
 18.25 in.
Birth Story (Told by Melissa):
I guess I should start with Wednesday, December 10. I hadn't noticed all of the extra energy I had. I took all of the ornaments and garland off of the Christmas tree, and put them back up. I shampooed the living room carpet and was doing laundry like a mad woman! Thursday morning, I woke up with a sore lower back like I had every previous morning for the past few weeks. The baby had also been pressing on my sciatic nerve, so I laid down with a heating pad on low under my tailbone/hips. I noticed that while I was laying on the heating pad, I started to get some pretty strong braxton hicks contractions, so I turned it off and decided to sit in the tub for a little while instead. Around 2:00 I called my mother-in-law and we went shopping for the day. I just HAD to get out of the house and do SOMETHING! I got home around 7:00pm and I wasn't really paying too much attention to the braxton hicks contractions I was getting. Mind you, I had been getting braxton hicks contractions since I was about 16 weeks pregnant, and I started getting them every 8 minutes on and off around 30 weeks, but they would go away when I would drink water and lay down. Well, when I got home I started making a list so I could put together my hospital bag, and did a search on SMO to see what other surrogates have brought to the hospital. I was planning on picking up the things I needed on Friday when I would go grocery shopping. After I got the kids in bed, I noticed I just wasn't feeling "right," so I decided to come back online and see if anyone was chatting in the chat room. I was feeling really nauseous, and was having pretty regular braxton hicks contractions. They were 7 minutes apart, and then they started going to 4 mins. apart, then 9. I figured they were false again, since they did not hurt at all, so I grabbed a glass of water. Sara was telling me that she thought I was in labor, and how she'd come onto SMO on Friday and see a post saying I had the baby. I laughed it off, because I seriously doubted I was in labor. I mean, I was only 36 weeks. I hadn't gotten my hospital bag together yet, I wasn't even dilated, and I had a whole month to go!! Convinced I was getting sick and needed to lay down, I said goodnight to everyone and decided to lay on the recliner for a bit and drink some more water. I laid on the recliner and flipped through the channels. Sometime around midnight I realized that the contractions were really pretty regular, although they still did not hurt. They were about 5-6 mins apart, so I drank another glass of water and took a Benedryl (my OB's advice to help relax) and laid on my left side for a little while. My husband called from work, and I told him that we may need to take a trip to the hospital when he got off work (he didn't get off until 3am). I seriously think that he thought I was kidding, until later when he walked through the door and I was fully dressed, the kids were dressed and asleep on the couch, and a few bags were packed. The contractions went from painless braxton hicks type contractions to mild contractions that came every 3 minutes. By 2:30 am, they were every 1-2 minutes. They seemed to come closer if I would stand up or walk, so I tried to lay down as much as possible while trying to get everything ready before DH came home. A part of me was totally in denial that this was "it." DH was home by about 3:30, so I grabbed my list of phone numbers and whatever toiletries I could throw in a bag last minute (just in case) and we headed to the hospital with the kids. Since they were asleep and I seriously didn't think I was in labor, hubby decided they would all just wait in the car (so hubby could catch up on some rest and the boys could keep sleeping) while I was "checked out." I made it up to Labor & Delivery, and told the nurse what had been going on. She had me change into a gown and I was hooked up to the monitors. She noticed I would have a contraction, then another 1 1/2 mins later, then 3 minutes later I'd repeat the same pattern. She checked my cervix and said I was 3 cm dilated, 80% effaced, and -1 station. She called the OB and he said they wouldn't stop labor, so she started to admit me. I told her about it being a surrogacy, and she was amazing about it! Actually, the whole staff was wonderful during our stay. I asked if I could make a few phone calls before she finished admitting me, so I called DH's cell phone and told him I was staying. I think that's when he caught his second wind! He called his parents and brought the boys over to stay the rest of the night with them, and then came back to the hospital. I tried to call my IPs, but forgot that their phone number was considered long distance from the hospital. I called DH back on his cell and asked if he could call them and let them know that their little guy was coming today! I was offered an epidural at this point since I had planned on getting one, and decided to take it so I could try to get some sleep. The epidural was uncomfortable! I could feel him putting the tube up my back, and I felt pain and pressure on my left side where he was placing the tube. I noticed when he was done that I could still feel my right side. He came back and tried to give it a boost, but it didn't completely work, and I could still feel some of pain, although not as sharp. My DH arrived around 5:00am with coffee in hand. He sat down and we talked for a little while, and wished each other a happy anniversary (5 years). My IPs arrived shortly after, and we started talking about how we couldn't believe it was time. By about 7:00am, the contractions were pretty painful, so I decided to roll over to my side and try to relax and rest between them. Around 8:00 am the contractions were getting to be pretty strong again, so the anesthesiologist came in to give it another "boost." The nurse checked my cervix, and I was 5 cms dilated now, so the OB came in and ruptured my membranes. My IPs decided to get some breakfast, so they headed downstairs. My DH decided he needed a nap, so he fell asleep in the chair next to me. Sometime between 8:00 and 8:15 I called Melissa, my contact person, and left a message with her DH that I was in labor. I then called the nurse because I started to feel a lot of pressure. She checked me and I was complete! We woke Ben and had him find my IPs to tell them it was time. They had gotten back in the room, and I started to feel even more pressure. The nurse checked me again and I was at a +2 station. She calls my OB again, and he says he'll be there in 20 minutes!! At this point the pressure was so strong and it was hurting so bad NOT to push! I tried to pant strongly through the contractions, but it was so hard. Somehow, though, I managed to suffer through them for 35 minutes, until my OB finally showed up. They placed my legs into the stirrups, and I pushed like there was no tomorrow! With the first push, he was crowning! I pushed again, as hard as I could, and his little head was out! I gathered up a little more strength and with the third push, Luke Alexander was born, kicking and screaming! Oh, and I did great; I didn't tear! The OB held him up high for us to see, and they cut his cord and he was brought over to the warmer. They cleaned him up, weighed him, and he was placed into his mommy's arms. Luke scored apgars of 8 and 9, and is a perfectly healthy little boy. He weighed 6lbs 2oz, and was 18 1/4 inches long. His mommy & I roomed in together with Luke until we were all released on Sunday. Our journey has been amazing, and I would not trade it for the world! We were blessed with a positive beta a year from the date we met, and Luke was born a year from the date of our first transfer. I was very lucky to have been blessed with them in my life, and they will have a special place in my heart forever.


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