Monday, December 22, 2008

The Love of My Life

Brad's going to have to move over! I'm in love! We've been keeping things pretty quiet, but think that it's safe to share our good news. I'm pregnant and have reached my second trimester with a HEALTHY baby! I'm 13 and a half weeks and have been feeling the morning sickness full-force until recently. It's starting to ease up some, but you'll never hear me complain. I couldn't be happier to throw up a few times a day! I've also reached the point where I'm starting to show a little and don't happen to own a pair of pants that will button at this point!

We had an ultrasound last week and got to see some great footage of the baby. He/she was swimming, kicking, flipping, dancing, and even had the hiccups! It was the most precious thing I've ever seen. Our last ultrasound was at 6 weeks, when the baby is the size of a grain of rice - not much to see. This time we got to see an actual "baby!" It has a strong heartbeat of 165!

I've been a nervous wreck throughout the pregnancy so far. Not to say that we're not excited, because we are. It's just very difficult to find yourself becoming attached to a baby when you've so recently lost one and know how quickly the good news can change into heartbreak. It has only been the last few weeks that I've really felt confident and positive with this baby. The doctor has reported that I am free and clear in terms of any chances for miscarriage at this point. Yea!

Our due date up until today has been July 5, 2009. At this ultrasound, the baby measured even further along, with a possible due date of July 3rd. This couldn't be better timing. I will be done with school and Brad will be able to stay home with me for awhile. This will be my last year teaching for awhile, because I plan to be a stay at home mom. I just can't wait.

We only have one little "hurdle" to jump over at the moment. I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and my ultrasounds have been so frequent because the doctors have been keeping track of a really large cyst on my right ovary (typically, a woman doesn't even HAVE an ultrasound until 20 weeks). It's still growing, and the doctor is trying to determine exactly how fast and how large it will get. Right now, it's a little larger than a golf ball - 6 cm. On the ultrasound, you cannot even SEE my ovary because the cyst is larger. The danger would be if the cyst becomes so large that it causes my ovary to twist on itself, cutting off the blood supply and causing me to have emergency surgery to remove the ovary. The doctor will likely want to do laproscopic surgery to remove the cyst if it gets much larger. He says that "babies typically tolerate surgery best in the second trimester." The decision is ultimately mine to make and I'm terrified. The last thing in the WORLD that I would do at this point would be to endanger this baby. After all that I have gone through to have this baby, I can't imagine doing anything even remotely risky. My hope is that the cyst won't grow much larger and will be manageable until I deliver. If not and I have to lose an ovary, well....I still have another one. It wouldn't be the best outcome, but it's something to think about. I just can't think about subjecting this little one to anesthesia while this tiny. We'll be praying for good news at our next ultrasound in a few weeks.

I'm still trying to figure out this whole "blogging" thing, so I'll try to attach a picture or 2. They really don't do the little monkey justice. I wish everyone could have seen how active he/she was! So exciting!!

Susan