Another setback

This is hard to write about because I'm still having trouble processing it. 

Thursday was mine and Lane's 4th anniversary. On a whim I decided to go to Marshall (where he works) and have lunch with him. I picked him up and we went to a cute little cafe downtown. We had a nice lunch and were having a good time just relaxing ad joking around. I felt totally fine, which is why what happened next came totally out of the blue.

We stood up to go pay our check. While lane paid, I went to the restroom before the drive back home. I immediately came back out and told lane we had to go to the E.R. I was bleeding. Bad. I didn't have cramps or anything, it was totally painless.

He somehow got me to the Marshall E.R. In record time while I tried not to fear the worst. The check in lady was just taking her sweet time and I was trying not to freak out and yell at her. Finally they brought a wheelchair down and after what felt like the longest elevator ride of my life, we made it to labor and delivery. They immediately hooked me up o a doppler and I've never been so happy to hear that sound...her heart beating away. They started examining me and hooking me up to all kinds of monitors and an IV. They sent up a portable ultrasound and the tech and radiologist mentioned that it looked like the placenta was just barely over the cervix. A condition called placenta previa, which can cause painless bleeding like I had. They decided to transfer me to the Longview hospital since they weren't equipped to handle this type of situation. It was a 45 minute ambulance ride. Can't wait to get the bill on that one!

By the time we got to the hospital, I was in good spirits.  More monitors and IV, and the baby seemed as happy as can be in there kicking away and oblivious to everything going on. Emilee and my mom came and we spent a lot of time talking and laughing. My doctor also came and sounded reassuring and said we would run more tests tomorrow. Everyone left and I tried to get some sleep, which was impossible with all the monitors hooked up that kept constantly alerting. They had one to track her heart, but anytime she moved or I moved, it would lose her and ding incessantly until someone would come reset it 20 minutes later. So, not a fun night.

They took me to ultrasound at 6 am, then back to my room. My doctor came back with the report that said complete placenta previa, which is a dangerous condition where the placenta is completely covering the cervix.  Women who have this can hemorrhage and have to deliver the baby immediately. I was lucky that my bleeding stopped when it did. But I'm basically a ticking time bomb and it could happen again anytime.

They moved me to another room and monitored me for another night to make sure baby was ok and there was no more bleeding. I had lots of visitors to keep me company. They also gave me steroid shots to help the baby's lungs mature in case I have to deliver early.

I'm home now on strict bed rest. I can only get up to shower or use the restroom. Luckily I have lots of friends and family offering to help us. I'd like to say the outlook looks good, but you never know with this condition. The odds are on my side. I'm just taking it one day at a time and hoping we can make it another month or so without any complications. I

Yay summer!

Summer is finally here and it's been so nice to relax a little. It was harder than I thought it'd be to say bye to all my students and coworkers. But now that I'm on my second week of no work, it all seems like a distant memory.

I went to the high risk doc in Shreveport yesterday and got a great report. He said everything looked perfect. The echogenic bowel they found last time still showed up on the ultrasound, but it looks to be improving and since all the tests they ran were negative, the doctor seems confident that it is nothing to worry about. Lane got to go with me and was just in awe the whole time. He had seen her on ultrasound before, but now that she's bigger and more active, you can actually tell what you're looking at. She kept opening and closing her mouth. It was so cute!  She is measuring right on track and is 1 pound 7 ounces. The only thing that worried me a bit is that the doctor said he wants me to deliver by 38 weeks. He said a lot of lupus related complications can crop up in those last few weeks. I'll talk with my regular OB and see what she thinks. I also have to go back to him every three weeks and see my regular OB every week. Yikes.

It's been so fun to start decorating and planning. We haven't painted the nursery yet, but we put the crib up and have started on a few projects. Here are some pics of my life lately.

Lane putting the crib together

I made these bows and bow holder and think they are SO cute!

Finished the valance for the window. These are the fabrics we'll be using in the nursery.

12 weeks and 23 weeks.  I haven't gained much weight, but that belly sure is getting big!

Hannah's first book. We couldn't resist buying it!

Halfway There

I'm relaxing a bit after getting good news from the doctor last week. All of the lab results from the tests they ran came in, and they all came back negative! This was a huge relief. I know there is still a possibility that everything won't be perfect, but at least that rules out some of the major things. I go back for another ultrasound in a few weeks and am hoping for another good report.

It's hard to believe that the pregnancy is halfway over! I'm finally starting to feel pregnant...all those stereotypical pregnancy things are actually true! Hungry all the time, exhausted, feeling sore, etc. Oh joy! 

I only have a few more days of school left, and then after that I'm sure I'll go into full baby prep mode. I have so much I want to do to get everything organized and decorated. It's going to be SO hard to leave work though. 

Here are the latest pics!

Trusting in God

My regular OB/GYN referred me to a specialist in Shreveport as a precaution since I have Lupus.  I went to the appointment yesterday, just expecting a regular boring report.  Everything has been going great lately with my pregnancy, and I was finally able to stop worrying about things that could go wrong. 

Unfortunately, that's not how the day played out.  The tech did a level 2 ultrasound to check for any abnormalities.  The heart and brain appear perfectly healthy, so I was relieved after finding that.  She kept focusing the wand on the baby's abdomen.  She asked me if I had any bleeding during the pregnancy.  I told her no, and thought it was a strange question to ask.  She left the room and told me to stay on my back and that the doctor would be coming by to look at a few things.  I started to get worried.  After looking around some more, he told me that the baby has a condition called Fetal Echogenic Bowel Syndrome.  Basically, on the ultrasound, the baby's intestines are glowing just as bright as the bone.  He said it's because there is blood in the baby's intestines.  He told me it could occur from one of the following things:

-  Cystic Fibrosis
- Down's Syndrom or some other genetic defect
- An infection such as toxoplasmosis or CMV
-The baby could have swallowed some blood in the amniotic fluid.  This one seems kind of likely since I had a small tear in my placenta earlier on that resulted in some internal bleeding.
-  Absolutely nothing at all.  Sometimes it occurs spontaneously and doesn't result in any problems.

They took some blood to test for genetic abnormalities.  I had no genetic testing done previously since we had no family history on either side of any genetic problems.  I should know the results in 1-2 weeks for that.  If the odds aren't good, then I'll have to have further testing done.  The good news is that there were no other markers on the ultrasound.  Often there will be other signs such as fluid on the heart, cysts, etc., that point to some more serious problems.  We are hoping it is all just due to the placental tear I had earlier on.  Another thing to watch out for is that sometimes babies that get this don't grow properly.  The doctor said I'll have to have frequent growth checks to make sure everything is going ok. 

I know there are so much worse things that can happen.  Odds are still in our favor that we will end up with a healthy little girl.  But good luck telling a pregnant woman not to worry.  All I can focus on is the negative.  We will love this little girl no matter what happens, and I'm trying to remind myself that God has a purpose and a plan for her life. 

"I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb.  Before you were born I set you apart."  Jeremiah 1:5

It's a GIRL!!!!

I had an elective ultrasound done this past Saturday. I thought it would be cool to see the baby with the 3d ultrasound, and I couldn't wait to find out the gender. The baby was positioned a little strange so we didn't get the best pictures, but the tech was able to tell that the baby is a GIRL! It honestly caught me so off guard. Everyone, including myself, was convinced it was a boy. I kept asking the tech, "are you sure? Are you really absolutely positive?" And she said I could go ahead and paint the nursery. I have another ultrasound next week at a high risk doctor (just as a precaution for lupus) so I will wait to make sure it's still a girl before I go overboard with the pink.

I'm feeling better this week after getting sicker than I've ever been in my life. My doc prescribed me an antibiotic, and I had a horrible reaction to it. I'm getting my appetite back and feeling much better now. The fatigue has really kicked in now, and I'm counting down the days till the end of school. 5 more weeks!

Pictures: gender reveal cupcakes, first shopping trip after finding out it's a girl, picture of baby, and 17 week belly picture. (I feel huge!!)

14 weeks

I wish I could say I've been feeling better in the second trimester, but morning sickness has come back full force. I thought it was supposed to go away by now?! Other than that, I'm feeling pretty good. My belly is definitely growing, and it's getting to where I either have to wear maternity pants or my regular pants with a belly band. I bought an at home doppler and check the baby's heart beat a couple of times a week, and it has been in the 160-170 range. Old wive's tales say a high heart rate means it's a girl! Hopefully we will find out for sure in two weeks. I have a early view gender determination ultrasound scheduled for then, and they say they can almost always accurately tell the gender at that point. I'm so ready to find out! We did buy a crib because we found a good deal on one, and Lane's parents bought us an awesome upholstered glider, but those are the only things we've bought. Once we know the gender, I'm sure I'll go overboard buying stuff for the nursery.

Baby Stroud!

Baby Stroud is due October 9th! Lane and I are so excited that it's pretty much all we talk or think about. Both of us are so ready to be parents!

We found out the good news in January a few days after my birthday. The line on the test was so faint that we didn't think it was right, but Lane went to the store to get another brand. 3 tests later, we knew for sure we had a baby on the way!

I am almost out of the first trimester and will be so relieved when I am. I have been constantly worried that something will go wrong. I've had several ultrasounds and appointments and have received good reports. I even have a little belly starting to show!

We are so happy to be on this journey ad can't wait to see where it take us.