I will certainly be returning to the UK next week. We still hope desperately that Harriet will be born before then and I will leave the booking to the last possible minute but we need to be realistic. There is simply no way to predict accurately when a birth will occur. The best information that we had (namely that this will be a fourth baby and there was a scare about early onset labour at 35 weeks) meant that we chose to come out early and we would have to do the same again.
Our surrogate is following every possible old-wives tale no matter how unpleasant - walking, climbing stairs, taking very hot showers and drinking concotions of spices, balsamic vingegar and just about everything else. She is separated from her daughters until the birth and enduring all manner of pains in just about everywhere. We're all desparate but desparation and want does not a baby produce and we've all just had to get used to it.
It will be terrible if I'm not there but it will not be the end of the world. The reality is that I have pushed my luck being out this length of time since finance is not a stable industry at the moment and everyone is obsessed about 'face time'. This is not the public sector and I will need to tread carefully because we need the job and the greater good is being able to provide for her and making provision for one day doing it again.
I also need to make sure that I still have some leave so that I can spend some quality time with her when she is actually back in the country and we can go away in Arto on holiday. I can't wait. Well, actually I can and I'm going to have to.
