In most cases the O.B or Midwife will determine when the baby is fully developed and ready to be delivered, this is typically between 37-42 weeks of gestation. At this time the attending OB or Midwife may decide to induce labor, or plan for a c-section delivery to finalize the pregnancy.
If the delivery is planned, Intended Parents will be notified to come to the hospital by their Surrogate at a convenient time so they can be present at the time of the birth. Overseas couples should be prepared to travel to their Surrogates area at any time after week 36-37 weeks.
Most Surrogates will want you in for the delivery of your baby. Some will have you wait in a waiting room close by and have you come in right after the baby/babies arrive.
Often times you will be given a room in the obstetrics ward (there will be a cost for this). The new baby will stay in your care (under the watch of the nursing staff of course). After 24 hours of observation and evaluation, the baby is released from the hospital in the care of the Intended Parents. You will need to have your car seat at the hospital to be released. In the less likely case where the pregnancy ends in a premature birth, the parents will be notified immediately once the Doctor has decided that the baby needs to be born early. In this case, the Intended Parents will be urged to travel to the their Surrogates location as soon as possible.
A child born prematurely is generally given a full examination and the placed in an incubator in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in the hospital. Intended Parents can visit the child and provide Kangaroo care and visits until the doctors have determined that the child is fully developed and healthy enough to be released from NICU.
Your Surrogate will remain in the hospital for 24-72 hours after the delivery. Once she is medically cleared and there are no complications from the pregnancy she will go home.
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