We are in the third trimester and it's been a while since I've posted...I was reminded by our teenager that she hasn't been able to read anything about us for a while and it was time. There has been something come up it seemingly daily and it's all we can do to just buckle down and deal.
Let me break it down for you....
Right around the beginning of December, I began cramping, spotting...for those of you that has miscarried before, I don't have to tell you how breathless that makes you feel as you try to figure out what is going on. The baby had noticeably dropped and we were in our doctor's office the very day. After being poked and prodded and questioned, it was decided that I needed to stay off my feet a little more. I had to say good-bye to my job at the brewery for a while. The spotting immediately cleared up and we adjusted to me being at home all the time. I'm quite a busy individual so it has been an adjustment! We didn't know it at the time, but I was headed into anemia, if not already there.
As we were gearing up for the holidays ahead, my grandpa after months of being in and out of an ill state, took a turn. Thankfully, the regional hospital is in our neighborhood and we made frequent use of him being within five minutes of our house. He was a great spirits the last few days we saw him....little did we know our family would be assembling the following week for his bedside vigil into the next realm. We were very close with him and cleaned his house, bought his supplies and just made sure he was taken care of before we moved away from our hometown four years ago. We have so many fond memories of that wonderful man and made great use of his time while we lived near him.
The week of his dying ritual as the family began assembling, the weather here got extremely cold. I was in and out of the doctor's office and it was determined my troubles were a combination of being anemic and the wrathful return of my asthma. I hadn't been on an inhaler in over a decade! I had days and days of being winded crossing the room and really not being able to sleep due to feeling like I couldn't breath. Not a great time to get emotional...it was quite a balancing act to ensure my health and the health of our little one would endure. It was difficult even holding a conversation, I was so winded. I tried to comfort our daughters as much as I could and my husband did his best to convey the messages I felt were key in this situation...he had a wonderfully good life and he has been ready to move onto the next stage. There were times I couldn't even get an updated text from my family without bursting into a wet face. A time in my life I won't soon forget. Trying to remain calm and level headed in such a sad time was so difficult...especially with pregnancy hormones raging through my system. I simply tried to focus on the positive in all around me and my little family was such a big help. Without asking, my husband's shoulder and chest were instantly there to bury my face into whenever the moment hit me...which was quite often. I'm a silent crier, so much of my cues are just simply watching---especially since I had no extra breath to tell tall tales or even convey the sorrow I was feeling.
My family really worried about the funeral and the timing of my Grandpa's passing. Life can be quite ironic. I gave birth to our first born, Keira, the day after my other Grandpa's funeral. I had to endure his death in an extremely pregnant state. The timing is a little different here, but I will have endured my other Grandpa's death before the birth of our last child. My parents worried preterm labor was eminent. The doctors have had us in and out of their offices lots...three unscheduled appointments and probably counting! Honestly, it's a great sense of relief for us. We know our little is doing spectacular.
Which brings me to one of the new experiences we've had....the non-stress test. This was given in our doctor's office after I had to call in because we were having too many contractions and after not sleeping in about 48 hours. They put two sensors on your belly - one on the baby's heartbeat, and one on your uterus to monitor for contractions. They also give you a little button to push whenever you feel your baby move. Our baby performed beautifully for the test. There was no stress when my contractions would come. Great news! Also my cervix hasn't changed so it was another good sign that things are going the way they need to. The only one uncomfortable in the situation was me and it turns out I had a case of the flu along with my symptoms so it was no wonder I was uncomfortable and having some preterm conditions.
Our latest ultrasound showed the Wee Ness was roughly four pounds and one ounce last week. Each week brings us closer to getting to see our little miracle. With having to be homebound and then bed bound a few days to get on top of hydration and contractions, we already know so much about her/him. The sleep schedule is very apparent and he/she has very personal interactions with each member of our household.
Before I got really sick, I made a few items for us to put in our hospital bag...matching labor gear and a Wonder Woman nursing gown!
Now that my anemia seems to be heading in the right direction and my asthma is controlled, I plan on having a little more energy to keep things updates on here :)
Blessings all!
