It looks like our family will be expanding by another member this year! I found out in February that I was pregnant again and a mix of emotions followed shortly after! First, this baby was a bit of a surprise. We weren't exactly trying, but I guess we weren't NOT trying either, so surprise! I took the first test at work and it came back positive right away. Now, when I suspected I was pregnant with Riley, I took 8 tests. That's right, 8. When I got the first positive with him it was so faint that I couldn't believe that it could possibly be true...even that I might be imagining it! So when this one came back bright blue right away, there was not much doubt in my mind (though I did take 2 more tests just to be sure). :o)
I quickly made the choice to switch doctors as well when I discovered I was pregnant again. My previous OB had, let's just say, not the nicest bedside manner. When I ended up in the hospital in the middle of the night with Riley thinking I was losing him, all that doctor said to me was "well, there's nothing I can do if you're going to lose it, so just go home. Now I know this is actually true, but I'm by no means a hysterical woman, so it's not like I needed a good slap to the face. Just some empathy would have been nice! So now I see a midwife, who I really like, though she's a tad brusque. But her nurse is AMAZING!
Now to the complicated part-my first pregnancy was by no means easy. I was on bed rest twice at one point, and had to quit working 3 weeks before Riley was born due to my blood pressure. There was a LOT of morning sickness involved, a trip to the ER at 3am and some bleeding. So when I found out I was pregnant I was hoping maybe this time it would go a little smoother-wrong! I was 4 weeks along when I took the pregnancy test. The morning sickness started exactly a week later. Now, when I say sick, I mean sick. There are some days when I get sick 2-3 times a day. I can't eat anything with onions, tomato sauce or pizza sauce in it. I've been living on rice cakes, lemon drops and mint chocolate chip ice cream for almost 8 weeks now, with no relief in sight. I've also had bleeding. The first bout happened when I was about 6 weeks along. My midwife suspected my placenta was lying low again, which I had with Riley. I had an ultrasound at 8 weeks to double check my due date and it was discovered I was pregnant with twins. At some point I did lose one baby. So it looks like my problems may have been from that, not my placenta. After I found out I had lost one baby, I spent a lot of time researching "Vanishing twin" syndrome. It actually occurs in about 85% of women, though they may never know that there had actually been 2 babies at one point. My midwife assured me that it's very common and there had probably been something developmentally wrong with the one baby that would have made it impossible for it to survive outside the womb. It's nature's way of taking care of the sick and weak I guess. I had a second ultrasound at 11 weeks to double check the healthy baby and it's developing right on track. It's heart beat is strong-165bpm-and always moving. They did show me where the other baby had been. All that was left was an empty yolk sac. A lot of people have asked me if I'm sad that I lost one baby...and honestly, I'm not. It passed before I knew it was there, so it's not like I was 7 months pregnant when it passed. Also, there was most likely something genetically wrong with it. So my body saved that poor baby what most likely would have been months of pain and suffering due to genetic issues.
So I'll move on and be thankful that I have one healthy baby still in there thriving (and making me incredibly sick!)
Now, when it comes to my due date, that's a matter of some consideration. My original date was November 13 (we were really hoping for an 11-11-11 baby!) then at my first ultrasound, the U/S tech moved it to Nov. 7 according to the baby's measurements. At my second U/S, the tech moved it again to Nov. 6. I go next week to see my midwife and hopefully we'll settle on a date then. The big problem with settling on a date is that I've already been told I will have to have another c-section. Since Riley was born by section, they won't even let me try to labor since we live in a rural area and the surrounding hospitals are not rated high enough trauma levels. I was hoping to at least try a natural delivery-I feel like God gave me these child-bearing hips for some reason!!! But after she explained the risks (there are many) I've come to terms with another c-section. I actually had a really good experience with my first section, plus my baby didn't have that awful come head! So, I'm on board! They want to be able to get my due date set so I don't go into labor before my c-section is scheduled!
Welcome to our happy little surprise!
