The Prescription of Bed Rest Continues...

I'm 11 weeks today, what a major milestone for us!  We're starting to close in on the first trimester.  And it sure does feel good.

I had my OB appointment today.  All looks well.  We had our 8th ultrasound.  The baby is busy kicking and getting strong, though I can't feel any of it yet.  The subchorionic hematoma is slightly smaller.  The doctor said this can only go two ways; it gets better or it gets worse.  So my bedrest continues for the next few weeks at the least.  I don't go back to the OB for another 2 weeks and 3 days, but who's counting?  Until then, I remain on the couch or in bed.

The other highlight of the week, other than seeing the baby, was that Jordan took me to McDonalds for breakfast!  I know that's very sad.  But when you get to stare at only half the walls in your own house for almost 2 weeks straight, just getting out of the house is a major event!  And it will be my only outing for another 2 weeks until my next appointment.  

On a sad note, our brand new cheap television that we bought already died.  Luckily, it was still within the warranty of the store so we could get our money back without any hassle.  But some more exciting news is we bought a new laptop.  Our old laptop still kind of works but the screen is about ready to fall off and some plastic just kind of hangs there.  It was the one that we had from college so it got great use, and maybe some abuse through it's lifespan of over 6 years.  Plus, it went around the world with us more than once.  So our new laptop is a macbook and I really like it.  It does so many neat things and is so easy to navigate through.  My laptop is now my saving grace to keep me sane and updated with the outside world.  Again, very sad.  

Here are the pictures from the last 2 weeks.  I look a bit better in the first picture at 10 weeks  but wow do I look fat at 11 weeks!  I think this is finally me popping out and not just my swollen bowels.  Plus, I'm on bed rest so everything goes downhill a lot quicker.  Isn't that something to look forward to?

P.S. Nevermind my red plaid pajama pants that I've had since high school  :o)

Bedrest is Exhausting

It's officially been a week since I've been on bedrest. And wow am I exhausted! It's almost like this vicious cycle. I wake up and try to stay awake (but not always successful) laying on the couch either watching television, playing on the computer, or reading. Then I have to try and go to sleep laying on our bed at night. This doesn't even include the multiple potty breaks throughout the night. It's not as easy of a task than you think. Sure, the first day wasn't so bad but after a couple of days it is quite a task. Imagine going to some meeting you have to sit through all day and then having to sit through that same meeting day after day after day.

My whole meaning for this post was because I realized I haven't told you my due date. In fact, it kept me up last night while I was trying to go to sleep. I am officially due on November 16th, 2009. So this makes me 10 weeks, 4 days pregnant.

The bleeding has stopped though I still occasionally have spotting, but no complaining here! I continue on my extra hormones until I'm through my 1st trimester. And THANK GOODNESS for my doppler. It has kept me sane throughout all of this and it reminds me just why we are doing all of this. In fact, it's amazing to hear the change in the heart beat. When we first got the doppler, the little heart beat sounded like a choo-choo train. It now is really sounding much more crisp with a distinct click, kind of like a horse running. Each and every day I look forward to hearing the most precious sound in the world, our baby's little heart beat.

And the most exciting news for the day, Jordan is coming home! He doesn't get in until late but I don't care. I'm just happy he'll be home. I miss him (and hope he misses me). He did have a good time in Chicago though. On Wednesday night, he got to to his old neighborhood and even see some family friends. It was quite a rough area when Jordan and his family use to live there, but it is starting the regentrification process. Still, it's not an area you would want to be at night or where you'd want to park your car any time of the day. I'm just glad he didn't get shot!!! Yeah, I'm not kidding about that statement. And then Jordan got to meet up with some friends who were visiting Chicago on Thursday night. Our great friends were actually our neighbors from when we lived in Phoenix. They were great neighbors and we still consider them great friends!

I think that's about it for now. I have another OB appointment on Monday so I can catch up with you then. May you all have a great weekend while it snows and rains here in Rapid City.

Happy Anniversary...But Not Quite as Planned!

Today is Monday and I'm now 10 weeks! But whew, it's been a trying weekend for us. It was our seven year anniversary yesterday, April 19th. We had planned for a nice dinner out, but the plans drastically changed after last Friday.

*WARNING* STOP READING HERE IF NEED BE AS THINGS MAY GET SLIGHTLY GRAPHIC AND YOU MAY GET VERY SCARED OF ALL THIS INFORMATION!

Friday was a typical day of doing some light cleaning and all was fine. No worries and the spotting had finally stopped from earlier in the week. But crap hit the fan real fast when I started hemorrhaging lots and lots of bright red blood with a bunch of large clots. I couldn't even get off the toilet because the bleeding was so bad! Jordan was at work in a meeting so I had to send an emergency text message. The OB office said to go to the Emergency Dept immediately. I managed to drive myself there and broke down once I got there expecting once again the absolute worst! Jordan was able to meet me there. But low and behold, there was the little baby moving around with a heart beat! I was in such shock I barely even cried! It turns out I have a subchorionic hemorrhage or hematoma which affects 1% of pregnancies. Of course it would affect us as we can't seem to catch a break. I got put on strict bedrest and that is why our anniversary is one we are sure to never forget.

So fast-forward to Sunday and here I am on bedrest. Poor Jordan is now responsible for just about everything and I feel terrible. Plus our anniversary is not at all how we pictured it. It all turned out just fine. We ordered take-out from Olive Garden and we sat (I laid) on the couch eating our anniversary dinner. This is how memories are made, right?

Today I had another OB appointment. The subchorionic hematoma is still there and I'm still on strict bedrest for who knows how long. So exactly what is this? This is a condition where basically the placenta starts to tear away from the uterine wall and causes bleeding and/or blood clots. Now the clot sits there and until that area can heal itself, we're at a high risk for miscarriage due to the clot/bleed growing until it tears enough of the placenta away. It is especially dangerous as I could lose a lot of blood and will need blood transfusions, too! Also, I'm at high risk for the rest of the pregnancy for pre-term labor or for problems with the placenta during the third trimester. I will be closely watched. A weekly appointment with the OB is now a part of our routine...and the only outing I get!

It kind of stinks that Jordan had to leave on a business trip to Chicago this afternoon, but it was too late to try and reschedule everything. I can't complain too much though. He set me up with a new tv and dvd player in the living room upstairs, as the downstairs has no bathroom and I'd have to do stairs which isn't allowed. I have family bringing/making me food and helping with whatever I need all week. I feel like a helpless baby. At the same time, it's nice that there are so many people willing to help. It was fortunate that Jordan did manage to change his return flight to Friday instead of Sunday. I think he probably is much more stressed about leaving than I am. He was hoping to visit where he use to live and the church he attended when he was younger. But his wife knows how to create drama in his life and change all his plans :o)

This got very long-winded and I'm sorry for that. So much happened in a matter of days that I barely even knew where to start. No belly picture is going to be shown again. Jordan did get a picture of me before he left but I can't get to the picture since I'd have to find a USB cord downstairs and then hook stuff up. It's more than just me to think about now. This baby needs all the attention and care to help him or her stay alive. I'm willing to do just this...even if it means the possibility of being on bedrest for the next 6-7 months.

The Rollercoaster Ride

If I could have a very boring pregnancy, I would be one happy camper! That just isn't an option for me right now. I went to the OB on Monday and all looked great! I had an ultrasound and got to see our precious little peanut. Woohoo! But the woohoo would only last for part of the day until I started spotting.

Spotting is very common (approximately 50%) during the first trimester of pregnancy. The majority of the time, there is nothing wrong. But there is always that small percentage where the spotting means something. When we were pregnant with the twins, the spotting was bad sign that we had miscarried them. This time, we just assumed the worst and thought we for sure had lost our little baby. It was a grueling night to wait to call the OB office the next morning. They got us in right away and I got yet another ultrasound and THERE WAS THE HEARTBEAT! Yup, I bawled and Jordan gave a big sigh of relief. I'm now on even more meds and am definately taking it easy! And work is becoming more iffy as it gets closer and as I continue to have bumps in the road.

From here on out, I would really appreciate having the most boring pregnancy ever. You can all pray for that. I would appreciate it.

To ease my mind, or maybe for more torture, we rented a little doppler. And we can already hear the heartbeat! It's difficult not to run and check for the heartbeat every hour, but I've managed to check it only once or twice a day. It is the MOST FASCINATING sound and I cherish every little beat I hear. I joke around telling Jordan that I'm going to tape it to my belly and walk around with it all day, so we better buy more batteries! I am kidding, kind of. Hopefully as time goes by and as I get more comfortable with this pregnancy, I will check it once every couple of days. Hearing the heartbeat is truly miraculous and only a gift from God.

All else is going well. Just this week I've been more nauseous than usual. The cat puked, and I just about did, too. Hearing and seeing it almost put me over the edge. Any smell that I don't thnk is pleasant causes me to dry heave. But I still can't complain as it only comes in waves, I can still eat okay, and it is nothing compared to other women!

Jordan insisted on taking a picture of me this week, but I'm too embarrassed to even put it up. He managed to take it right after we got done eating supper even though I wasn't too keen on it. I look very bloated. And as for the last picture, that is also bloating according to the OB, because I am on so many hormones that my bowels are "swollen" as he put it...lol. I guess I'm not looking pregnant just yet...just looking swollen and bloated!

Hopefully next week I'll have a little more courage to post a picture. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Big News!

Hello to all our family and friends! Since so many of you live far away, we thought it would be nice for you to keep up with our lives once in awhile. And a blog seemed like the most logical thing to do.

First off, big news...We Are Pregnant! It wasn't through the most natural means but we don't seem to want to do things like everyone else. We've been dealing with infertility for almost 4 years and miscarried twins last year. So, it's kind of been a rough road so far. But, here we are now.

I'm 8 weeks and 2 days pregnant today with a singleton. We have the luxury of knowing EXACTLY when conception occurred and how far along I am. Everything looks good so far. All three (yes, three) of my previous ultrasounds look excellent. Seeing the baby often is again, another luxury we get. We don't consider ourselves out of the woods yet, but we are optimistic. We just look at each milestone and go from there, hence the website name.

I've been pretty lucky with minimal, if any, morning sickness. I do get tired and have to take a nap during the day or I don't make it past 5 pm well. The gag reflex is heightened as are smells. And I'm really picky with food. These are all things I can easily handle.

I had a little trouble in the beginning with being really, really sick with some sort of viral super cold that lasted for six weeks and I'm finally now just over it, though I gave it to Jordan (sorry honey) who is finally getting over it, too. I also had super terrible ear infections on both sides. Thank goodness that's all done with! Plus, I had some trouble with my heart beating 30-40 beats above normal at a resting state. It is normal for the heart to beat up to 20 beats above normal during pregnancy though. I'd seem to have times where it would race 140+. After seeing a cardiologist and with time, it has gotten much better. I still get winded just going up a flight of stairs or walking too fast but that is manageable. Because of all of this and the fact that I have an awesome boss, I am off work through 12 weeks. So I have another month off, which is nice and very comforting to me. After all we've gone through, I want to give this little one the best chance possible!

To bring you up to speed on other events of our daily lives, I can fill you in. Jordan has been working at Black Hills Corporation (an energy company) since July 2008 as a database administrator. You can ask him exactly what he does. He enjoys it so much more than his previous job at Regional Health and is very happy with what he does now. As for me, I also started working in July at Black Hills Life Flight as a flight nurse. This is my dream job and I love it. I just told my dad the other day I did a paper on flight nursing when I was a freshman and a speech when I was a sophmore in high school. Pretty crazy. There aren't many people who can say they truly miss working. I miss it quite a bit. We still have our Welsh Corgi names Copper and our black cat Sassy. They are our fur babies.


Here is a picture of my already ginormous belly taken yesterday. Now some of it is probably flab since I haven't been able to work out for the last two months. Some of it may also be because I'm only 4 ft 11 in and my frame is small. And we took this later in the day so the belly is probably exaggerated a bit. Hopefully, the weeks to come will be very interesting! And don't mind all the sticker marks on my belly. I'm still on supplemental hormones, one of which is a skin patch. Woohoo, go hormones!