The Surrogate Mother Chapter 10: Pregnancy Confirmed

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Three months after finalising the surrogacy contract, Abby samples baby food for a work assignment and finds it unpleasant—and laxative. Monica arrives and reveals a positive pregnancy test: she conceived on the first insemination. Abby texts Sam, who replies with a lukewarm “Wonderful.” Denise interrupts, pressuring Abby for a baby‑food slogan. Monica insists on keeping the pregnancy test as a keepsake, which Abby finds odd but does not challenge. The chapter ends with Abby still processing the news, aware that the path to motherhood has suddenly become very real.

Key Events

Abby samples five flavours of Cuddles baby food and discovers the autumn vegetable turkey is “sickening”; she also learns baby food acts as a laxative.
Monica enters Abby’s office and shows her a positive pregnancy test in a Ziploc bag—two blue lines confirm pregnancy on the first attempt.
Abby texts Sam the news; he replies with a single word: “Wonderful.” Abby mentally adds an exclamation point when relaying the message to Monica.
Denise barges in, ignores Monica, and presses Abby for a slogan for an upcoming meeting with the baby‑food client.
Abby hides the pregnancy test with her elbow while Denise is present, not wanting colleagues to know about the surrogacy arrangement.
After Denise leaves, Monica retrieves the test and says she wants to “save it … as a keepsake.” Abby finds the request odd but says nothing.

Character Development

Abby – The chapter reveals Abby’s practical and anxious side. She researches baby food thoroughly (eating it herself) to produce a slogan. Her infertility wound is reopened when Monica says she is “really fertile,” though Abby pushes down the pain. She also misrepresents Sam’s enthusiasm, inserting an exclamation point into his reply—a small but telling sign of her determination to see the surrogacy as a joyful success.

Monica – Monica appears calm, glowing, and in control. She beams while showing the test, answers health questions confidently, and insists on keeping the urine‑stained stick as a souvenir. This behaviour subtly contrasts with Abby’s expectation that Monica would see the pregnancy purely as a transactional step toward tuition.

Sam – Though absent from the scene, Sam’s one‑word text (“Wonderful”) and Abby’s recollection of his reluctant expression at the sperm clinic suggest he is not fully committed. His minimal enthusiasm deepens the tension between Abby’s hope and his ambivalence.

Denise – The brief appearance reinforces Denise as a demanding boss who disregards personal boundaries. She barges in, does not greet Monica, and applies pressure for the Cuddles slogan, reminding Abby that professional performance is never secure.

Themes, Symbols, and Motifs

Baby Food as a Symbol of Motherhood – Abby’s tasting of baby food represents her hunger for motherhood but also her revulsion at the practical realities. The flavors range from tolerable (pear, apple) to nauseating (autumn vegetable turkey), mirroring her mixed feelings about the surrogacy path.
Control and Autonomy – Abby tries to control every detail: she reminds Monica about prenatal vitamins, forbids cold cuts and alcohol, and hides the pregnancy test from Denise. Yet Monica’s decision to keep the test hints that Monica may assert her own agency over the pregnancy.
Fertility as a Pointed Contrast – Monica’s casual remark “I guess I’m really fertile” stings Abby because it underscores Abby’s own infertility. The first‑try success amplifies the painful irony that Abby’s body could not achieve what Monica’s does effortlessly.
Keepsake Motif – Monica’s desire to preserve a urine‑soaked test as a “keepsake” suggests an emotional investment that goes beyond financial arrangement. This moment plants a seed of unease: is Monica becoming attached to the pregnancy itself?

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 10 is the story’s turning point. After months of legal negotiations and medical procedures, the pregnancy is real. The positive test transforms abstract hope into a concrete timeline: nine months to a baby. The chapter also establishes key tensions that will drive the plot—Abby’s anxiety about control, Sam’s reticence, and Monica’s unexpected attachment to the keepsake. The reader is left with the unsettling feeling that the surrogacy may not unfold as smoothly as Abby imagines.

Study Questions and Answers

Why does Abby misrepresent Sam’s text to Monica, adding an exclamation point?
Abby wants to project unity and enthusiasm, both to reassure Monica and to convince herself that Sam is fully on board. The small lie reflects her fear that any cracks in the plan could derail the pregnancy.
What does Monica’s insistence on keeping the pregnancy test suggest about her attitude toward the surrogacy?
The request seems sentimental—odd for a purely transactional arrangement. It implies that Monica views the pregnancy as personally meaningful, which may foreshadow emotional complications or a reluctance to give up the baby later.
How does the baby‑food subplot mirror Abby’s emotional state?
The unpleasant tastes and laxative effect parallel Abby’s discomfort with the surrogacy process itself. She endures something distasteful because it is a means to an end—just as she tolerates Monica’s intimate involvement in her marriage for the chance to become a mother.