Pregnancy Update

As of tomorrow, I will be 37 weeks pregnant which means I will be full-term and ready to deliver anytime. Hooray!!! I have been terrible at updating my blog this year and haven't written much about this pregnancy, so I will record a few thoughts before the baby is here and I have more important things to write about.

Before I begin, let me just say this has been a challenging pregnancy for me and not all of my thoughts may be presented as pleasant. I recognize the gift of bearing a child is an incredible blessing and there are so many who would love to be in my shoes. I would never want to sound ungrateful or be insensitive in any way, but I am going to be honest. If infertility or child loss is an issue for you, this might be a post you will choose to skip over.

A month or so ago I heard a story on the news of a woman who had no idea she was pregnant until she delivered her baby in the Emergency Room. I have heard stories like this before and they always baffle me, but this one really got me. I thought to myself, "How in the world could she not know she was pregnant when I have felt like h-e-double-hockey-sticks every day since Christmas?" I'm serious. I found out I was pregnant just a week or so before Christmas and starting feeling yucky shortly thereafter. Even now, if I so much as look at a candy cane or smell anything peppermint I feel like I am going to throw up. (I'm really hoping this passes after the baby is born and I'm able to enjoy next Christmas and all of its peppermint goodness.) In the middle of all the first trimester sickness, I got a nasty sinus infection which made me more ill than I have been in a long time. The antibiotic led to a miserable yeast infection, and the combination of the sinus/yeast infections and regular morning sickness just about did me in for a few weeks.

For many women, the morning sickness eases up after the first trimester, but that wasn't the case for me. I was constantly nauseous and didn't stop puking until about 22 weeks or so. In my previous pregnancies, I've been able to enjoy a few months in the second trimester before the misery of the 3rd trimester sets in. This time around, even after I quit the constant vomiting, I still didn't feel well. The doctor did some blood work and discovered I was anemic and lacking nutrients in my blood--most likely from so much morning sickness. In addition to being anemic, I also have really low blood pressure. It's hard to describe, but the combination of the two leave me in a state of constant nausea and dizziness. I kind of feel like I am in a daze all of the time and can't stand up for longer than a few minutes without feeling like I'm going to pass out. I've learned to lean against things and sit down as much as possible. The spells come and go and I have been able to function just fine, but it definitely makes life interesting. I do take extra vitamins and supplements which help a bit, but it's difficult because they make me extra nauseous and sometimes I have a hard time keeping them down.

At my 20 week ultrasound, we discovered the baby had cysts on her brain. I wasn't that worried about it because both Garrett and Abby had the same thing and they eventually went away and both babies were born healthy. The doctor was more concerned this time because they weren't able to get a picture of the baby's hands open. We learned that if a baby has cysts on the brain and clubbed hands, it's a pretty good indicator of some chromosomal syndromes and problems. I had to go back for a few more ultrasounds, but they were finally able to get a good picture of her hands open and the cysts eventually cleared up, so we have every reason to believe she will be a healthy baby.

This may be TMI--so proceed with caution. I recently heard somebody say they think it shows a baby more love if you deliver naturally without any pain medication or an epidural. I laughed out loud and lifted up my skirt to show her my legs that have been destroyed by varicose and spider veins. I said, "If this isn't love, I don't know what is, because I will never be the same or feel the same about my body again." (I've never gotten terrible stretch marks with any of my babies, but I will more than make up for it with my varicose veins. Besides, it's not like I'm going to be wearing a bikini even if I had a perfect stomach, but I would love to be able to wear shorts without looking like a freak show.) Most of the time, varicose veins are just ugly and not necessarily painful, but I have been blessed with a special kind that only about 10% of pregnant women get and they are incredibly painful. Quite often varicose veins disappear within a month or so of delivery, but my doctor was honest with me and said mine are among the worst he has seen and he isn't sure they are going to go away. Bummer, huh? My sweet uncle recently asked me, "What did you do to your legs? You have bruises everywhere." It was a bit awkward for me to say, "Uh...they're actually just varicose and spider veins."  It wasn't exactly the greatest conversation to have with a man, but I survived it and I will be just fine living with nasty legs because I will know it is the price I paid to bring a new life into the world.

A few weeks ago, we were at Garrett's t-ball game when I started having some pretty intense contractions. They were consistent and about three minutes apart, so we decided I better go to the hospital to get checked out. I was only 33 weeks pregnant and was a bit nervous about having a premature baby. Once we got there, they hooked me up to some monitors and discovered I was indeed in active labor. Thankfully, they were able to give me a shot which eventually stopped the contractions. They sent me home on "light bed rest" which basically means I have been "taking it easy" for the past few weeks. I haven't had to be in bed all day (thank heavens), but I've had to be careful not to overdo it. I could always tell when I had done too much because the contractions would start up again. They were never as intense or consistent as before and I've always been able to get them to stop by resting and drinking lots of fluids. Now that I am basically full-term, there will be no more "taking it easy" for me and I would love to have this child sooner than later!

It has definitely been a difficult 9 months, but I recognize how blessed I have been. Nothing I've experienced has been life-threatening for me or the baby and I have a wonderful family and great friends who have been there to help me whenever we have needed it. I think both Greg and I are very ready for this pregnancy to be over so I can get back to my old self. Garrett and Abby are so excited to have a new baby in our family--although Garrett is still holding out hope it will be a brother instead of a sister. Abby wants to name her "Belle" and Garrett says we should just call her "Sweetie." Greg has yet to approve any of the names I have presented and hasn't come up with anything of his own, so our little girl is still nameless at this point. We've basically quit talking about it because it always goes nowhere, but I guess we will have to figure it out soon enough.

I know it will be a huge adjustment to have a new baby again, but I actually feel very prepared and can't wait for her to come. The nursery is ready, clothes are all washed and hanging in the closet, carseat is out, my hospital bag and an overnight bag for the kids is packed, and I even made a quilt and bought some diapers, so I think we're good to go! Sooner rather than later would be great for me...I'll keep you posted!

And now, if you've made it this far, I will favor you with a picture of me in all my nine months pregnant glory. When I got to the hospital to deliver Garrett, my mom asked if I had any pictures of myself pregnant and I realized I hadn't really taken any. She took a quick one which I'm pretty sure got lost when our computer crashed a few years ago. Abby came quite quickly and I was in so much pain when I got to the hospital that all I could think about was getting an epidural STAT! I completely forgot to take a picture before I was in a hospital gown and all hooked up to monitors...oops.

I had Greg snap this picture after Church on Sunday, so we are now 1 for 3 on pregnancy photos. Wahoo!