6 Months

Well, I am now 6 months along and things are great. Baby girl is moving around (very active) and is measuring properly. I have, unfortunately, gained 28 pounds. With 15 more weeks to go, I don't think I am going to stay under the suggested 25-30 pounds gained. My belly button is non-existent & yes, someone asked me if I am having twins (no I am not).  The morning sickness has subsided somewhat. I went from being sick all day to just being sick most nights. Being able to work from home now has been such a blessing, I don't know how women can work everyday (away from home) while pregnant. We went to the beach last week and I had my first episode of major feet/leg swelling (too much walking). Other than that little hiccup, it was a fun trip.

Gage & Cady started school this week so it has been quiet around the house. I have all of the material needed to make almost everything for the baby's nursery, but no nursery yet-so that will have to wait. Until then, I am entertaining myself with other crafts (bags, quilts, etc). 

Our next doctor's appointment is Sept 4th and I will have the glucose screening. Funny/odd thing: my blood has only been tested once since I started the Lovenox. I guess they just take my word that I am taking the appropriate dosage? I am looking forward to the day when I don't have to inject that medicine anymore. I thought taking the pill form daily was annoying...

It's a Girl!

Baby Girl!

Danny & I found out we are having another girl! I am now 18 weeks and showing, showing, showing. I have been obsessing about the nursery and have to decided to make a majority of the decor. I have until December, so I have plenty of time to make some cute things. Here are some of my fabric ideas:

I'll post pics once I begin. I have a couple of quilts to make before I begin...

14 Weeks

Today, I am 14 weeks and 3 days along. I had my 3rd doctor's appointment this afternoon and everything seems fine. I've gained about 7 pounds and am not too happy about that but as long as we're healthy, that's what's important. When the doctor was trying to listen to the baby's heart beat, he/she wouldn't sit still so we had another ultrasound which was great because the kids were with us this time and they were able to see the baby on the big screen and hear the heart beat. Baby Parker wouldn't turn the right way so we weren't able to tell the sex just yet...maybe next time. Danny & I declined the 1st trimester screening that they offer to tell you if your child has something abnormal going on with their chromosomes. We didn't have it done with the first two kiddos, and if we had and something showed up, it wouldn't have changed a thing, so why add the unnecessary risk? My next appointment is July 3rd, I will be 17 weeks so we will probably be able to see more on the ultrasound.

1st Doctor's Visit

We had our first appt with the "at risk" obgyn at UAB today. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. The ultrasound confirmed that I am 8 weeks 3 days. The baby's (singular, not plural) heart rate is a strong 168. My due date is 12/07; however I will be induced at 39 weeks so he/she should be here a little before then. One of my fears was that I would have to have a c-section so that the bleeding would be more controlled. The doctor told me just the opposite; they do not want me to have a c-section... yay! I will switch from Lovenox to Heparin at 36 weeks so that when/if I go into labor on my own, I can still get an epidural (the lovenox takes about 3 times longer to get out of my system, so I would be at risk of not being able to get the epidural in time. Heparin takes about 8 hours to get out of my system). Another big concern of ours was that the baby would be harmed because of my taking Coumadin before realizing I was pregnant. The doctor said that there is a really good chance the baby is perfectly healthy because I stopped taking the Coumadin as soon as I found out I was expecting (at about 4 weeks-the earlier the better). We'll know for sure in about 10 weeks when I have a more detailed ultrasound if there are any abnormalities (not that anything like that would change anything, this baby is a precious life whether or not any health issues arise).

God is sovereign in the good and the bad. We will praise Him no matter what the outcome of this pregnancy is. For now, it appears the baby is healthy and we thank Him for that :)

Blogging About Something Else? Really?

This blog will be my way of keeping up with everything that is going on and will also allow others to read about the happenings of having a baby while on blood thinner (I know Danny & I have wondered about it & didn't really know where to go for questions)...

I have been taking Warfarin (generic Coumadin) which is a blood-thinner since April of 2006. 2 months after having my CadyBug, I had a stroke because of an unknown s-deficiency which was found after many, many blood tests. This not too common deficiency basically causes my blood to clot when it isn't supposed to. So, since then, I have been taking blood-thinner to manage the clotting. So far, I've had no problems. One thing that my doctor told me, a few times, is that you absolutely should not get pregnant while taking a blood-thinner (can be very harmful to the baby). Danny & I were not planning on getting pregnant again (thus the adoption) but we must not have been as careful as we hoped and now we're expecting Parker Baby #3. So, of course my first reaction was fear and worry. After Danny calmed me down and reminded me that worrying does not help anything, I slept for what felt like 2 minutes and then the following morning started calling my doctors. My regular doctor (the one who monitors my blood and such) told me to come in as soon as possible and to switch the medicine I was taking from pill form to injection (yikes!).

If you know me, you know that I am a bit timid and do not like pain (but who does, right). I had to see the nurse and learn how to inject my meds into MYSELF (what kind of crazed lunatic came up with this torture?). After what felt like hours, but was probably just a couple of minutes, I gathered enough strength to push the needle into my stomach and push the meds through. As soon as I was through.... I almost fainted :) My face was so pale and I heard ringing in my ears. I started sweating and had to lay down. I don't know what Danny was thinking (other than, man I married a wuss), but I was a little embarrassed. Fortunately the nurse has known me since I started coming to the hospital back in 06, so she was very sweet and took good care of me. After the torture session was over, we came back home and the nausea started and hasn't stopped. "Morning Sickness", try "I'm Awake Sickness". I have figured out a few tricks to help with the sickness though, I just have to constantly eat, which is great because I love food, but it's bad because I'll gain 200 pounds before I have the baby :) Gestational diabetes anyone?

My next appt is with a high-risk obgyn; she is at UAB and has been referred by a couple of medical buds of mine. The appointment is for May 1st and that's when I'll have more info. I'm guessing I am about 5-6 weeks along but will probably know more after then. Please pray for us as we go through this scary but very exciting time. I'm nervous & a little anxious but I know that this is God's will and I will trust in Him.