One week postpartum

I still can't believe I gave birth a week ago.

We had dinner at my mom's house last night with the dads and Gustave. We had a wonderful time. For me (and I think for my family, too), the dads and this new little life have become sort of an extended part of our family. They will be flying home to Paris late this week, and I know that we will get to see Gustave grow up. We will share pictures of Duncan and Violet and of our family, and the guys will share pictures of their family.

I honestly could not be happier with how things have gone - my agency has been awesome, my IPs have been wonderful, my family and friends have been super supportive, and the pregnancy and birth were mostly enjoyable. I sort of kept expecting something crazy to happen (I think maybe having a miscarriage makes you more leery of things happening during pregnancy ... it did for me), but everything has gone smoothly.

So, one week postpartum. I'm having to pump less (yay!). My bleeding has nearly stopped (double yay!), and my hormones seem to be in check. I had about one day of feeling weepy and nothing since then, so hopefully that was it (I'm chalking it up to not being sleep deprived like you are with your own kids, and also my placenta pills). I feel almost completely normal, which makes me think, again, I still can't believe I gave birth a week ago.

Some random thoughts ...

I was worried about giving birth in the hospital again after having a home birth, but everything was fine. The worst part was the damn IV. I hate needles. Contracting + being stuck in the arm with a needle = NOT COOL. But it was short-lived, and I had it in less than a day.

Seriously enjoyed my recovery time in the hospital. Clark was awesome. All my nurses were awesome. My IPs agreed that the hospital was great - everyone was super nice and has been very helpful with all of the paperwork, legal stuff, and helping them out with a newborn.

I used oils throughout the pregnancy, and felt confident in that decision. I never doubted the safety of doTERRA's oils. I also used their vitamins as my prenatals.

Someone asked on Facebook if I feel any sort of loss from not having a newborn. The simple answer is no. The entire experience was completely different from my own pregnancies with my own children. Gustave was never mine. I never had any desire to keep him - I simply nurtured him and took care of him until it was time for him to go back to his parents. Surrogacy is not for everyone ... but it was wonderful for me, and I thoroughly enjoyed being pregnant (minus the first 8ish weeks). I already miss my belly and feeling a little life moving inside. The only thing I don't really miss is heartburn. :)

This belly band I got is seriously great. I highly recommend them. Got it at Babyology.

I guess that's all. :) Will keep posting if I have more random thoughts come up!