Wednesday, March 26, 2014

My pregnancy so far...

Hello again!
I thought I would take a few minutes to write about my pregnancy thus far. As of today, I am 16 weeks, and 2 days pregnant. My waistline is starting to grow, and thanks to maternity pants (greatest invention ever!) getting dressed for the day is comfortable again.

We found out we were pregnant on the morning of New Years Eve. I had suspected I might be pregnant, and took a pregnancy test first thing that morning. It only took 30 seconds or so to turn positive, and the first thing that popped into my head was 1 Samuel 1:27, which is "For this child I prayed, and the Lord grated me my petition that I asked of him." We had been praying for a little one since our honeymoon, and this scripture always gave me comfort during the years, and months of waiting. In a matter of a few seconds it took to thank Heavenly Father, I screamed "JAKE" from the bathroom. Waking him up from a NyQuil induced sleep (he had been sick), and alarming him to the point where he thought someone had broken into the house. I ran into our bedroom, and told him the good news, practically knocking him over with my hug, and waving the pregnancy test around like a loon.

The weeks that followed were textbook 1st trimester. I experienced all the "normal" symptoms...exhaustion...nausea...vomiting...food aversion. You name it. I discovered very quickly, that I couldn't eat some of my favorite foods, including bananas, scrambled eggs, and shrimp. And I have a very nice list of all the random places I've puked. But I'll spare you the gory details.

Everything was progressing nicely, until the beginning of week 12. I was at work, and experienced an episode of bleeding that scared the living daylights out of me. Thankfully, I work at a hospital, so I went and found a good friend I was working with, and she walked with me to the ER. I wasn't having any abdominal pain, or cramping, so the PA was optimistic that I wasn't miscarrying.  I was still so scared, and we prayed that by some miracle the baby would be okay. When the ultrasound machine rolled into the room, Jake and I took a collective deep breath, knowing this would tell us how our baby was. The  minute it took the tech to find the baby, was probably one of the longest minutes of my life. But, when we saw that sweet little peanut moving his/her arms and legs around, I can't begin to express the relief that washed over me. We got a good report on all sides from the ER, and was discharged home, with instructions to follow up with my doctor the next day. Nobody could explain the bleeding, but knowing our baby was okay was all that mattered.  As the week progressed, I had two more intense, and unexplainable episodes of bleeding. Each time, I followed up at my doctor's office, where they would listen to the baby's heartbeat, ask me a few questions, then send me home to rest. It wasn't until the end of that week, after two visits to the office, that they finally decided to do a full exam, and make sure nothing was wrong with my cervix. And it was then that we discovered what was causing the bleeding...what appeared to be a varicose vein on my cervix. My doctor immediately scheduled me for a colposcopy, which is where they use a microscope to have a closer look at your cervix. (Usually, they do a biopsy, but because I'm pregnant they didn't biopsy anything.)

During the colposcopy, I was able to see exactly what the doctors saw, and it does indeed look like a weird purple vein. My doctor told me that in 20 years of practicing, he's never seen or heard of anything like this. We have almost entirely ruled out cervical cancer, or a pre-cancerous lesion, because this wasn't present in January for my first appt, and all my tests came back perfect. BUT- because nobody can give me any answers about what this is, or why it's suddenly present, I'm scheduled to follow up with a women's hematologist/oncologist next week at the University of Kentucky. I'm praying that this doctor will be able to give us an overview of what the next 6 months are going to entail, and answer a few of the hundreds of questions I have. 

Like any normal person, I googled "cervical varices," and came up with some interesting case study reports. Miraculously, the baby isn't affected by any this. He or she is progressing perfectly, and getting bigger daily. As for me, I'm home. I can't work, because the pressure of sitting at a desk for 12 hours, causes the dreaded bleeding. I've joked that it's like being on house arrest, because for the next 6 months, I'm taking it easy, and staying off my feet. The bleeding can happen at anytime, without any warning, and is always in the back of my mind. I'm slowly learning how to deal with this added stress, and lots of prayer has left me with an indescribable peace. Knowing my Heavenly Father is in control, gives me a feeling of stability, in a situation that I have zero control over. Anyone who knows me, knows I'm a "go and do" kind of person, but right now I have to focus on the tiny growing person inside me, and being as healthy as possible.

I want to thank all my dear family, and friends for all the love, support, and prayer they have given us over the last month! It's an incredible feeling to know that you are being lifted up in prayer. I thank God daily for this little blessing, and I'll do whatever it takes to bring this blessing into the world. I already feel fortunate that God has chosen Jake and I to be this sweet child's parents.

Hopefully, the next time I have a pregnancy update, I'll have some answers to important questions. In the meantime, I'll be sitting on the couch knitting, or hand sewing if you need me! :D

Love,
Kristen