I made my appointment for December 15th for an annual exam and to find out what was going on. My doctor ordered some blood tests to check a couple different things (my thyroid, if I had developed diabetes, etc.), and said she would know in a week or two (everything came out normal). So I went home and focused on getting ready for a trip back to Vermont for Christmas.
The following Tuesday I realized that I was three days late for my period. I went to take a test, but didn't expect it to be positive cause I had been really stressed out lately, so I figured I was just a few days late.
It was POSITIVE!! I literally ran down the stairs to show Robbie before he went to work (he couldn't figure out what it said, so I had to tell him). We were super excited to tell our family at Christmas.
I have never had problems with spotting before, but I had some spotting twice during Christmas vacation. I didn't think too much of it because I know it happens to some women during pregnancy, and every pregnancy is different. I went and had my first doctors appointment in January and told my doctor about it, and since each incident went along with straining myself in some way, she didn't think too much about it, and I got to see our new baby for the first time!! Yay!!
8 weeks (that tiny little blurry lump is the baby)
Two weeks later I got really worried, because I had spotting for two days for no real reason that I could think of. I called my doctor, and she had me come in to see her. She did another ultrasound, and found two things. First was that I had placenta previa (where the placenta is very close to or over the top of the cervix). My placenta was very close to my cervix, and when I would strain myself, I would bleed. So she told me that for the time being I needed to take it very easy and not do anything that required the use of my abdominal muscles (including vacuuming...my kids learned how to do that real quick). She told me though that as I grew bigger, the placenta should migrate away from my cervix and I wouldn't have any more problems.
The second thing she found was way scarier. Apparently I have fibroid tumors (we think it's genetic), which are little growths on the inside of my uterus that can cause heavy periods and sometimes pain. They are benign (only malignant in very very rare cases), and usually aren't a problem, even in pregnancy. The problem with me was that my placenta was directly over this fibroid and because of that the placenta was drawing some of the baby's blood supply/food through the placenta and making the fibroid grow. The scary part? If the fibroid grew faster than the baby and got bigger than the baby or placenta, it would suck away all the baby's blood/food supply, and kill the baby, causing me to miscarry. The doctor told me that I should prepare myself for a miscarriage.
10 weeks (the baby is on the left of the picture...you can see the line going through the body when they checked the heartbeat).
Robbie and a close friend of ours gave me a blessing that night, and in the blessing I was promised that the baby would be fine, and that any and all fibroids I might have (there's usually more than one at a time) would shrink, and that I should remember that I could ask the Lord at any time for faith and comfort.
I kept faith that everything would be ok, and I prayed a lot...a lot...a lot. 2 weeks later at my normally scheduled appointment I had another ultrasound, which showed that the fibroid was larger, but the placenta looked like it was not only moving away from my cervix, but possibly off of the fibroid as well.
12 weeks (baby's profile)
I waited another month to have my next checkup, and my next ultrasound to check on things. I truly have so much to be grateful for, and I have never stopped thanking my Heavenly Father for His love and help and blessings. The doctor found that not only had the baby/placenta continued to move away from my cervix and into a safer spot, but that the placenta had moved off of the fibroid, and the fibroid had shrunk. All I could feel was relief and gratitude. Even though I liked having ultrasounds every month and getting to see the baby, I was soooo glad that things had righted themselves and that the baby was healthy and having no problems.
16 weeks (baby's back...head is on the right)
The doctor did try at 12 weeks and at 16 weeks to determine the sex, but the little bean kept it's legs crossed, so we had to wait for the big 20 week ultrasound (which was yesterday). The first thing the ultrasound tech saw was...
It's another GIRL!!
Hahahaha...yup, no doubt about it. She got a very clear look three different times, and even printed of a picture of proof for me to show Robbie. We are going to have 4 little princesses in our home!! I am excited, but even more so that the ultrasound showed that there are no problems with our little sweet pea, and that she's growing well and is healthy. It took us so long to get pregnant, and then having problems that could've led to a miscarriage...it just helped me realize that I didn't care what the sex of the baby was-I just wanted this baby to live and be healthy, and I am so glad that the Lord has blessed our family with this sweet little girl within me.
20 weeks (the baby's face)
I am so excited for the next 19 weeks (or 136 more days-I'm due August 27th) to pass so that we can meet this special little girl...and I am totally excited to make a whole bunch of things just for her, and go shopping for some uber cute little girl cloths just for her. I knew how special my children were before, but this pregnancy has really opened my eyes to the great gift they are to me from a loving Heavenly Father, just how special each of my children are, and how very very grateful I am for each of them and their own wonderful personalities. We have been so blessed!! Yay for little girls!!
