What happens next?

Surrogacy-Quote-01by Tina
(GA)

I am going to be a gestational surrogate for my brother and his wife. I have a feeling my brother is going to want to micro-manage my life (which I am expecting so I am fine with that).

I live in GA and they live in NC. I want them to be at the appointments and as involved as possible – it is there baby I am just helping out.

What I want to know is what happens after the procedure is done – is bed rest mandatory, is there any special precautions that need to be taken….

My husband is 100% supportive and my kids are excited. What generally happens once the procedure is done????

Thanks
Tina


Reply by Rayven

Tina,

Congrats on deciding to do such a wonderful thing for your brother! It’s great to have such a close-knit family; hopefully he won’t micromanage too much. It can be doubly annoying when you have pregnancy hormones present!

As far as what happens after a transfer, this will vary from clinic to clinic.

For example, the clinic I used has a 24-hour bedrest. What they asked is that I basically take it easy, getting up for only brief moments like going to the restroom, answering the door, etc. You do not have to lie flat on your back prone or anything.

Some clinics require up to three days of this sort of bedrest, while others do not have any provisions for bedrest whatsoever.

In addition, right after the transfer procedure itself, I was required to lay prone on the procedure table for 1-hour. This was uncomfortable as my clinic required that I had a full bladder at the time of transfer. Again, each clinic is different; some do not care about the full bladder thing, and some do not require you to lay prone for more than a few minutes.

As far as what sort of restrictions to expect, you will most likely be required to abstain from relations with your husband for a few weeks, possibly the entire first trimester. You may also be required to limit intense exercising of any sort, and will not be allowed to pick up more than 5-10 lbs at a time. This includes picking up your own children.

All in all, it’s not too restrictive, though it is probably more than you would be used to with your own pregnancies.

Posted in Ask a Surrogate.