God has blessed us with a third pregnancy! And this time we have made it to 13 weeks (tomorrow) and counting! So far everything has been going well but I should probably rewind on how we got here.
13 weeks ago our doctor finally gave us the "go" to try again and we started up on another round on clomid. Two weeks into my cycle I had an ultrasound that confirmed one good follicle and we were sent on our way.
The waiting period in-between is so hard, and I ended up taking a test a few days early...
Is that a faint line I see? We weren't sure so we waited a few more days and I took another...
Here we go again!! We were so excited! But when we called our OB to share the news and find out our next step, he pretty much just said we would continue to do exactly what we had been doing before. This made our hearts sink. We really felt last time around that something had to change or this pregnancy would end up unsuccessful just like the others.
But we knew we had to give it up to God. He was in control, and we were aware of that more than ever. We prayed for Him to give our doctors and us the wisdom to make the best decisions for our baby during this pregnancy. We shared our news with our closest family and friends and asked them to pray for us too.
That weekend we attend a birthday party for our niece and nephew. My sister-in-law and brother-in-law are involved in a small group through their church and many of their group families were in attendance as well. One of the mothers in the group shared with us why she choose to leave an adult ICU as a nurse and work in the OR of a women's hospital, in which she encountered many couples who had to undergo procedures from a loss of their baby. She felt drawn to these families through her and her husbands own and experience with infertility. She knew of our story because my sister-in-law had asked for prayers for us, so I wasn't surprised at her opening up to me. Then she went on to share with us a doctor with whom she worked with that she thought maybe would benefit us.
So the following Monday I called them up... "Hi. I'm 4 weeks pregnant and I'd like to see the doctor." The receptionist was stumped, "Um, we help people get pregnant." I took a deep breath, and shared my story. She collected a handful of details about my history and said she would share them with the doctor and call me back to see if she could help. An hour later she called to tell me I had an appointment in a few days! Whew!
A few days later I met with the reproductive endocrinologist and she took a detailed history and let me know what she thought would be a good plan for our pregnancy. I loved how proactive she was and how determined she was to make this pregnancy work! She also said she would be willing to call my OB and let them know she was taking over for the first trimester, which was a huge relief to me as I was nervous going behind their back. I left the meeting ecstatic and called Marcus to let him know how much I loved this doctor since he couldn't make it to the meeting.
We truly felt like God had organized everything to lead us up to meeting with this doctor!
That week I had a bunch of lab work done and was started on synthroid and IM progesterone. Let me tell you, daily IM injections in my bottom were very unpleasant but we were willing to do anything for this baby!
We also did some genetic testing, in which Marcus and I were both carriers for some diseases, but not of the same, which was very reassuring!
We had our first ultrasound at 6 weeks when we got to see our little peanut for the first time! I was even a day further along than we had originally thought! Though we didn't get to hear it, we got to see the little flicker of a heartbeat that reassured us everything was okay.
The morning sickness didn't take long to set in and hit me in full force around 5 1/2 weeks. It's a good thing the doctor advised me against working out more than very light activity during the first trimester because I was so tired and nauseous I could barely get off the couch, let alone get through a workout! Even 12-hr overnight shifts were rough. I also couldn't eat any of the foods I normally love (fruits and peanut butter being my most missed foods!). But I knew it was all going to be worth it!
The housework wasn't getting done as quickly either and my husband was even alarmed at how calm I was about it. This was not at all like my type-A personality. But Marcus was so amazing about picking up the things I was having trouble getting done so that I could rest. He took good care of me!
This pregnancy was different from the others in so many ways. We completely trusted in God and His plan for us. Sure, there was still fear that it could end just like all the others, but we felt oddly calm at the same time.
Our next appointment was at 8 weeks and we got to hear the heartbeat for the first time!! At a strong 167, Marcus and I finally let out the deep breath we were holding and squeezed each others hands. It was the most amazing sound we could ever hear!
We felt so blessed that things were going well! At 10 weeks, we had our last appointment with the reproductive endocrinologist and got to hear the heartbeat for a second time. They also shared some more wonderful news with us- no more IM progesterone shots! Now that we were nearing the end of the first trimester, we set up a meeting with our OB.
We were nervous as first he would not be happy with us for leaving, but he was so great at reassuring us and let us know his plan for our pregnancy. We had another ultrasound at 10 weeks 5 days and we saw our little peanut moving!! It was so incredible to see!
Our last appointment with our OB was at 12 weeks and 5 days, and we heard the heartbeat again at 152.
We are so grateful how God has blessed us! Throughout this journey we had some days when it was hard to even believe in a future with a baby. I doubted whether I would ever have a successful pregnancy. The waiting periods were long and full of anxiety and fear, but now it almost feels unreal.
Announcing our pregnancy has been something we have been cautious about, because we are still fearful. And though we know anything could happen, we do know that no matter what, God will help us to get through it, just as He has thus far. And it wasn't going to be easy hiding it much longer, my belly popped pretty early with this pregnancy!
Thank you to everyone for your love and support throughout our journey! We could never had made it through on two feet without our friends and family by our side and the prayers we received!
For those of you who are still struggling with infertility, I know this can be hard to read. My intentions sharing our joy is to simply share our journey thus far. My prayer for you is that you would hold onto the hope that God has perfect timing and a plan for your future.
