Coming February 2013: Petite Parish!!!

Chip, Elijah and I are very happy and proud to announce that we are expecting a baby!!!!!! We are so excited, thrilled, elated, grateful happy and just full of joy. As I write this I am just four weeks six days pregnant but by the time we post this and share this I will be about eight weeks along. The last week and probably the next one or two, have been somewhat trying. I have been diagnosed with ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) and am on bedrest until in subsides. It began with a little abdominal swelling that just got worse and worse. To date I have gained about 13 pounds of fluid just in my stomach. I am not swollen anywhere else. So I LOOK about five to six months pregnant right now. It is very uncomfortable all the time and quite painful at times but it should not effect the pregnancy as long as we keep a watchful eye on it. The doctor offered to admit me to the hospital and have it drained but as of right now I chose to tough it out. In the meantime, my amazing mother in law is staying with us taking care of me, Petite Parish (the name I chose for our little one until we have a name) and Elijah while Chip is at work and I am so grateful. Elijah is taking all this change in stride and I see that laid back aspect of his personality shining through! He happily goes about his day which now includes several visits upstairs to see his Mama in bed. It is dangerous for me to lift anything right now as the ovaries can become twisted and require surgery so I stick to hugs and side by side snuggles. It has been so hard not being an active part of Elijah's daily routine but he and Grandmother have found a great rhythm and are enjoying their time together. I am anxious for the OHSS to subside so I can once again join the land of the living, taking care of Elijah, going to church and choir, enjoying Gymboree and enjoying the first trimester of my pregnancy. But one thing is for sure. Things happen for a reason and these weeks of bedrest have their purpose so I will be patient as I pray for the protection of this pregnancy and the life within.

June 14 2013
5 Weeks 0 Days
We had our first ultrasound today and were able to see the sac but no baby yet. They said it was still too early. I will breath a little easier when I see a baby in there too, hopefully at Monday's (6/17/13)  ultrasound. My beta numbers haven't gone up as much as I would like to see. They were 803 Monday, 2562 Wednesday and 3832 Friday (today).  But as I was reminded, the rise in beta greatly slows down as the numbers get bigger so I know we are probably fine. I just tend to do a lot of worrying the first several week. And with the OHSS, I have very little to do but sit and think about my pregnancy and hypersimuation discomfort. The doctor seems to really be for admitting me to the hospital to get it drained but isn't at the point where he is insisting. He told me today to not try to be a hero and said no one gets an award for being superwoman. It is so tempting to get this done and finally have some relief especially after he said it could be another two weeks before we see relief. It has already been about ten days. But I am going to try to get through the weekend, go to my ultrasound Monday and see how I feel then. There is so much involved in getting it drained. First of all, it is an invasive procedure that I am assured will have no effect on the life in my womb but that worries me nonetheless. I would be living with a drain for a couple weeks, which may be better than this pain and discomfort but who knows. There is the financial aspect of it. And there is being away from Elijah for two days and how hard would it be for me to cuddle with him if I had a drain in me. Right now I am so limited on my contact with him because I have to be so careful, I don't want to lose what little time I have with him now. So much to think about. I wish I could just think about Elijah and my pregnancy right now and enjoy them both. I am so grateful for the success of our IVF and this is TOTALLY WORTH IT and that is what keeps me going.

My 5 Week pregnant OHSS belly. That is what 13 pounds of fluid looks like!

June 17, 2013
5 Weeks 3 Days
We had another ultrasound today and everything looks awesome! We are measuring right on schedule and the nurse saw everything that she is supposed to see at this stage. I am waiting for my beta numbers but today they should be (way) above 5000 which is when they stop counting and start just looking at the ultrasounds. My next ultrasound is on Thursday. We will have them twice a week for the next couple of weeks then we go down to once a week until almost the end of the first trimester. I am still seeing no relief from the OHSS but I am determined to tough it out without intervention. I have posted on a pregnancy community board and I have had  a couple other mamas with similar circumstances to mine say theirs resolved by seven weeks so that is what I am hoping for right now. The important thing to me in the health of the life in my belly!

June 20, 2013
5 Weeks 6 Days
We had another ultrasound and the heartbeat was detected. We are beside ourselves with happiness and relief. God is good. Everything looks perfect. My OHSS is still hanging around. I have lost a few pounds but my morning sickness/food aversion has started so I can't tell if I'm actually losing fluid or weight from not being able to eat as much. Only time will tell.

I miss taking caring of Elijah. That has been the hardest part of all this. I am eternally grateful for the amazing care he has gotten from Grandmother but this Mama misses her little boy. I get lots of visits every day but Elijah and I are used to being together 24/7.  I have to say I think it has been harder for me than for him. He is a pretty adaptable guy. He has even started sleeping in his crib. (He and I co slept up until the day I got put on bedrest.). I am a little sad about that. I know it is time and he seems to be quite happy sleeping in his crib but I will miss feeling that tiny little body sleeping next to me.  I will still get to co sleep with him when we go see my parents in San Antonio.........they may see a lot of me. :)

One of several daily visits from my baby boy. 

Grandmother brought dog stairs so that Elijah can climb in bed with me all by himself.

My favorite smile

Playtime with Grandmother and Mama

To learn about how the plot thickens......check out this blog post!