Second Pregnancy Update: 18 Weeks - It's A...

18 Weeks, and new clothes from my Nana!

No fatigue, food aversions, cravings, or nausea to report on this week!

A Few Thoughts
I had a post-op appointment with my perinatologist on Wednesday. G remarked that the days leading up to it seemed to drag by, and it's probably because we were so excited about this particular appointment. While I had been convinced that this baby was a girl for a long time, as the day drew near I felt less confident. Wednesday arrived, and I had no "mommy vibes" leaning in either direction, and I had reached a place emotionally where I was just as eager for a boy as I was for a girl.

The ultrasound technician checked the cerclage stitches, then moved on to examine the baby. Although this wasn't the visit for the full anatomy examination, she spent a lot of time looking at each part of baby's body to make sure everything was progressing normally. I mentioned that the perinatologist said we could try and find out the sex, and she said she would do her best (though it was really up to baby whether or not we found anything out). When the time came, baby was very obliging, and the technician told us we were having a girl.

Profile (it wasn't very clear because of her angle, and because
she was wiggling a lot.

First foot.

Second foot.

Side view (sort of - she was laying in a weird position).

A girl! It's another girl!

Immediately this sense of peace and overwhelming gratitude toward God washed over me. I just laid there staring at our baby on the screen, feeling humbled. God was restoring in a special way what was lost to us last year (though I never really felt that Addie had been "lost" at all). There was also this strange sense of de-ja-vu as I remembered a similar ultrasound appointment with a different doctor not so long ago when we were also told we were having a girl. It was a sweet moment for me and G.

This baby girl in no way replaces Adelyn, but there is a unique feeling of fulfillment that accompanies this wonderful news. Addie's time is over and her purpose was fulfilled, but God has plans for this little one are yet to be known. I'm excited to see what He has in store for her! Whether she lives a long life, or whether her days with us are brief, I believe that she will bring glory to God and point others to Christ just like her big sister did.

On a funnier note, I used to be baffled by other parents who would get their children's names mixed up. I thought, "How can it be so difficult to remember their own child's name?" Well interestingly enough, I have already called this baby "Addie" a few times, even though she has her own (secret) name! It may sound sad, but G and I found it to be very humorous! Though we have decided not to reveal her name before she's born (just like with Addie), it has already proven to be a challenging task. I have come dangerously close to blurting it out accidentally many times, so we'll see how long I can make it without spilling the beans!

"Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them. Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever. He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and compassionate." -Psalm 111:2-4

Second Pregnancy Update: 17 Weeks

17 Weeks!

This update will be short, since there isn't much to report on. Here we go!

Fatigue: Mild
It doesn't seem that the progesterone injections have any physical effect on me, but Baby has been keeping me up at night with lots of kicking. He or she appears to be somewhat of a night owl so far (taking after G). I'm not a bit sorry, though!

Food Aversions, Cravings, and Nausea: None

A Few Thoughts
Baby movements are continuing to increase, which I treasure greatly. G and I finally decided between the two girl names we had picked out, so when we [hopefully] find out whether Baby is a boy or a girl next week, we'll be able to name him or her right away (even though the name will remain a secret until the birth). Although we will both be thrilled regardless of what the baby's sex is, it will be a little bit more special if we're having another girl because it would be like God is restoring what was lost (even though He is either way). I'm getting more and more excited the closer we get to the appointment. There are also some feelings of nervousness, because I don't know what my reaction to the good news will be (emotional, overjoyed, content, etc.). Regardless, I believe that it's going to be a great day.

G gave me my weekly progesterone injection yesterday. It was my second injection, but the first one he had done. There was no doubt in my mind that everything would go smoothly, and it did. In fact, my Honey did an even better job than the nurse who injected me the first time! There was no pain and no bruising, and my body didn't react negatively at all (no flushed face, no feelings of internal coldness or heat, no dizziness) - which is something that never happens now. All those years of giving injections to livestock really paid off!

Second Pregnancy Update: 16 Weeks

16 Weeks!

Happy (late) Valentine's Day!

Fatigue: Mild
I've had a lot more energy this week!

Food Aversions: None

Cravings: None

Nausea: None

A Few Thoughts
It's been over a week since the cerclage procedure took place, and there haven't been any problems so far. We were concerned at first that one of the stitches had come loose, but found out that the perinatologist left some of the thread long on purpose to make the cerclage easy to remove later. Although I was initially a little bit sore and tired, I bounced back very quickly and now I feel great!

On Friday, G and I went into the OB's office so a nurse could show him how to administer the progesterone shots I'll be taking once a week. I was not looking forward to it at all. I have a vasovagal response to needles, which means I have to lay down when I have blood drawn or shots given to me or I will pass out. Fortunately, I have to be laying down to receive the progesterone shots anyway, so passing out isn't an issue. However, my body still reacts negatively even if I remain conscious. Typically my face will get very flushed, I will occasionally be very trembly (though that doesn't happen much now), and it feels like my blood runs cold even though my skin still feels warm. Anyway, when the nurse gave me the shot, G said my face immediately got red and blotchy, but it went back to normal after a few minutes. The experience wasn't as bad as I thought, and I'm not concerned about having to go through that every week. It did take me 30-45 minutes to feel myself again after we got home, but thankfully it doesn't look like I'm allergic to anything in the medicine. G will be giving me an injection every week until I reach 37 weeks (or until Baby is born - whichever comes first).

The baby bump was really showing on
Thursday night when G and I went to an
early Valentine's Day dinner together!

Today I registered for birthing classes with a lady who teaches The Bradley Method. The classes don't start until the 28th, but I'm really excited. These are the same classes I was getting ready to register for when I went into premature labor with Addie, and of course there was no need to take the classes then. I'm looking forward to having more laboring, breathing, and pain managing techniques to call upon when I go into labor with this baby!

Speaking of this baby, he or she has been very active this week! I've felt a couple of small movements a day for quite a while now, but over the last seven days there has been a significant increase in the frequency and intensity of baby wiggling. Baby kicks are some of the most amazing and wonderful things I've ever experienced, and not feeling them anymore was one of the hardest parts for me about losing Adelyn. God is good, and He has seen fit to bless us with that incredible feeling again. Lately, Baby White #2 has been kicking and squirming many times at all hours of the day. I don't even have to be sitting down in order to feel them! G can feel them too, and it never fails to bring a smile to both of our faces.

Second Pregnancy Update: 15 Weeks

15 Weeks, and looking quite pregnant!

This has been a very full week, and there are tons of things for me to share! I'll get to the interesting stuff in a second, but first I will go over the weekly symptoms.

Fatigue: Mild
I no longer have to take the progesterone pills now so my energy levels are higher, but I've still been sleepy in the mornings. I'm sure some of that is caused by the business of this week, so maybe I won't be quite as tired now that things are slowing down. I feel like I say that in every update, though!

Food Aversions: None
All food is like a delicious nectar sent down to me from above.

Cravings: Mild?
Yes, I know. There is that dumb question mark again. I should probably just leave it out and say that I'm having really mild cravings. From now on, no more question mark. Anyway, pasta is always a favorite, and yesterday I thought that ice cream and sweet desserts sounded pretty tasty. So far, there haven't been any full-blown I-have-to-have-this-or-I-am-going-to-stab-you-in-the-hand-with-a-fork "cravings," but lots of things sound really yummy.

Nausea: None
This was surprising because I had anesthesia in my body for a little while (I'll get to that in a minute), and have always heard that nausea is a common side-effect. I assumed I would have to deal with it, but I didn't feel sick at all!

A Few Thoughts
Earlier in the week, G and I sat down and poured over a large list of baby girl names. We have several boy names lined up that we picked out last time, but girl names have always been harder for us. It took a long time to decide on Adelyn Jane for Addie! We don't know what we're having yet, but we want the baby to have a name by the time we find out. Just like with Addie, G and I are keeping the baby's name a secret until after the birth, but we've managed to narrow down the girl's list to two full names. Hopefully we'll be able to decide on one of them soon, just in case we're having another little girl. Last time, I was certain we were having a boy. Even G thought that's what we were having, so we were both surprised to learn that Addie was a girl. This time I feel certain it's a girl, but it's probably just wishful thinking, since we didn't get to keep Addie with us. Since my "motherly intuition" clearly can't be trusted, I'm probably having a boy!

(Source)

I went into my OB's office on Tuesday to have blood drawn so that they could run some more tests on my thyroid levels. While we were there, we heard Baby's heartbeat - which was very "robust" according to my OB - and were able to ask some questions. Most of the questions I had were about labor, delivery, and birth plans. After discussing some of my hopes with her, my OB assured me that as long as Baby and I are happy and healthy at the end of the day, that's all that matters to her. After talking to her, I felt like a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders and that any remaining stress over the labor and delivery process had disappeared. Before I ever got pregnant the first time, I did a ton of research about hospitals, birth centers, home births, standard OBs, and midwives. At the time, it seemed like anyone who talked about their hospital experience had only negative things to say. There were so many horror stories about the doctor or hospital staff being pushy or threatening if a mother wanted to opt out of certain things, or had a particular preference about her labor/delivery positions. That research led me to choose the midwives for my first pregnancy. When I switched from the midwives to a regular doctor and changed hospitals for this pregnancy, I was afraid I would constantly be at odds with my caregivers over what I felt was best for my baby. Now I know this isn't the case, and I am so grateful that the Lord directed us to this OB and the hospital we are going to use. All of the fears I had have been alleviated, and I have absolute faith in my doctor and the hospital staff to treat me respectfully and to properly care for me and Baby. In other news, my OB wants me to remain on pelvic rest until the cerclage comes out, which would be at 36 or 37 weeks. I expected this to be the case, so I'm okay with it (even though it means I'll be on pelvic rest for almost my entire pregnancy).

Thursday rolled around, and I was admitted to the outpatient facility of the hospital for the cerclage procedure. My family and I arrived a little before 10:30am, I got registered, and a little while after that I was shown back to a room to prepare for the procedure. The nurses really impressed me because they were so friendly and positive, and made every effort to make sure I was comfortable and that all of my needs were met. The anesthesiologist came in to give me the different options, and I decided to go with general anesthesia as opposed to regional anesthesia. This meant that I would be given medicine in my IV to make me go to sleep while the perinatologist installed the cerclage, rather than being injected near my spine and remaining awake, similar to an epidural. I chose this route because the recovery time was significantly less, and I honestly had no desire to watch while they stitched my cervix. I can't handle medical TV shows, so I knew I probably wouldn't be okay with watching a medical procedure being performed in real life! After the anesthesiologist left, my family came in to hang out until they took me back, and the perinatologist I've been seeing came in to say hello. He left to prepare for the procedure, and I said goodbye to my family members. Then a nurse came in and wheeled me to the operating room, where I eventually drifted off to sleep with some music playing in the background.

Side note: Why is it that medical procedures on television shows are always so quiet and intense? It's dark, except for the bright light hanging over the patient, and the doctors and nurses speak in hushed, gloomy tones. That wasn't my experience at all! The operating room they used for my procedure was bright and spacious, had upbeat music playing over the speakers, and had a very relaxed feel that really put me at ease. End side note.

When I started waking up later, I felt like I had been a sleep for a long time. To my surprise, I had only been out for about 20-25 minutes. I assumed beforehand that I would be very disoriented and unable to think clearly but even before I had fully awakened, I was thinking clearly and remembering where I was. Within a few minutes, G - who had come from work so that he could be there when I woke - and Mom were allowed to come back and see me. I felt normal, except for a little sleepiness caused by some of the anesthesia still being in my system. I also felt a bit stiff and stretched, probably because of the way I was positioned on the operating table. My nurse brought in some apple juice and graham crackers, which I was grateful for considering that I hadn't had any food or drink since Wednesday night! The perinatologist came in to check on me and said that it was good we did the cerclage procedure, since my cervix had already gotten really soft (I believe the medical term he used was "floppy"), so it seems like cervical incompetence is likely the cause of what happened with Adelyn. Based on this info, it wouldn't surprise me if I go into labor very quickly after my cerclage is removed. I guess we'll have to wait and see! The perinatologist will be doing an ultrasound at the follow-up appointment on the 25th, so I asked him if it would be possible to find out the sex of the baby. He said we could definitely do that, so if Baby cooperates, we should know whether we're having a girl or a boy in just a couple of weeks! I guess we'd better figure out those baby names.

The hospital discharged me very quickly, and I was able to go home to rest. Mom stayed the night so someone would be with me while G was at work yesterday, and we relaxed while binge-watching Fixer Upper (one of my favorite shows). I'm going to take it easy for a while, and hopefully get a good report at my post-op in two weeks. Initially I felt like I had done an intense ab workout, and that my lower abdominal muscles were sore as a result. Today, I feel quite normal again and the bleeding (which was minimal to begin with) has completely stopped. Yesterday, a nurse from the OB office called to tell me that the thyroid tests results came back and everything looked great. I was very glad to hear that, because it means I won't have to take additional medication. Perhaps getting rid of the soy products helped after all.

Feel free to share your guesses about the names we've chosen and what the sex of our baby will be!