A Lot of Good News!

After a long and busy two and a half weeks, we're now 9 weeks and 4 days into our second pregnancy! So much has happened, but things are going really well so far!

I'm still feeling better than I was when I was pregnant with Juliet, but morning sickness has definitely been rough. I've had a few days where I've just stayed on the couch in my pj's, not eating anything. One of the chiropractors I see, Dr. France, gave me Sea Bands and some ginger lozenges a few days ago, and they've made a HUGE difference. Instead of being nauseous and sick every morning, I'm mostly hungry. Although I still get worn out easily and feel a little weak, it's a huge improvement on how I'd been.

I had my second ultrasound on December 13th. Two days before that, I had started spotting lightly. I know the doctor had told me to expect this, but it was still very scary. I'd spent the week and a half before then growing more confident that everything was fine with the baby, and as soon as this happened, all that confidence was gone. I was terrified all over again. Needless to say, as I was laying on the bed waiting for my ultrasound to start, I was so nervous I was shaking. I teared up as soon as I saw the little heart still beating away at an amazing 189bpm! The bleed that they had seen two weeks before was still there, but significantly smaller, almost completely gone! The doctor said this is a very good sign, and she is very happy with how things are looking. The baby is growing right on target, measuring at exactly 9 weeks at the time. I could also see the baby moving around like it was stretching, and I could make out tiny arms and legs already! It was so amazing, and so incredibly relieving!

A week before the ultrasound, I was visiting Sheena, and I got a call from my midwife telling me that the doctors had reviewed my records from Hawaii and had decided that I would not be allowed to attempt a VBAC delivery. Their reasoning was that the incision in the uterus was closed using a single closure instead of a double closure. According to them, this made the risk of rupture higher, and therefore I wasn't a candidate. I was heartbroken when I heard that. Another c-section meant so many other things.. recovery from another surgery, even less chance for VBAC with future kids, higher risk of complications and miscarriage with future pregnancies, and on and on. I became even more determined at that point to find someone who would give me a second opinion. My gut told me that my current doctor was just feeding me excuses for something that they never intended to do anyway (They had told me that their policy is to do a repeat c-section for anyone they dont have a history with, and that they didn't want to pay to have an anesthesiologist and surgeon to be on call the entire time I'd be in labor, rather than just the hour or so it took to do the surgery. We also found out from another source later on that their insurance wouldn't allow them to do VBAC deliveries). So I did some research, and while there is some controversy over the safety of a single vs double closure, there have been several studies done that showed there was not an increased risk for rupture with a single closure. This made me feel much better, after all, a safe delivery is ultimately most important.

While I had been researching that, Sheena had been looking for doctors in my area that support VBAC deliveries. The first doctor she found was Dr. Dinsmore in New Port Richey, about 45 minutes away from my house. I read some reviews and decided to make an appointment and see what she had to say. I figured if someone who supports VBACs and has a high success rate with them told me that I wasn't a candidate, then I'd feel a little better about having to have another c-section.

My appointment was on December 15th. I brought Juliet with me, and I'm glad I did. Dr. Dinsmore is great. She was joking around with me and playful with Juliet. She did a quick ultrasound to get a look at the baby (who is still doing great!!) and talked with me a little bit about their practice. They are very supportive of VBAC deliveries (even in patients who have had more than one c-section), as well as alternative healthcare. I feel very confident that they'll allow me to have the delivery I want. Dr. Dinsmore went over my medical records from my previous c-section with me, and said that I should have no problem at all with a VBAC. I specifically asked her about the single closure, and she said it wouldn't be a problem. They will do an ultrasound around 34 weeks to check the incision and make sure its still looking good, and as long as it is, I'll be allowed to go into labor naturally. I am so very thankful that I trusted my gut and got a second opinion!

Since things are looking so good with the pregnancy, and the baby is doing so well, Matt and I decided it was time to tell everyone about the baby (those who didn't already know, of course). So, together, we let all of our friends and family on facebook know about our wonderful news. I was very happy that we were able to be online together when we shared the news. There is so much of this pregnancy that he can't be here for, and sharing that with him meant a lot to me. Of course, our friends and family are very happy for us!

The next appointment is January 4th, around 12 weeks! I'm hoping that some time around then I'll be able to feel the baby moving around! I felt Juliet around then, and I've read that a lot of second time moms can feel their baby move much sooner. I'll let you know!

Our Second Child's First Photo

Today's ultrasound went pretty well. I am 7 weeks and 1 day pregnant with one precious baby. Baby #2 is expected to arrive on July 18, 2011. He or she has a very fast, very strong heart beat, beating at 168bpm! Such a wonderful sound! When I told Matt about our due date and what the baby's heartrate was, he responded with "Well that's all good news, but isn't fast heartbeating = girl?!?!?!" Haha! We'll have to wait a few more months to find out for sure!

The obstetrician is a little concerned because the ultrasound showed a subchorionic hematoma, which is a collection of blood between the placenta and uterine wall. She said that a lot of the time, these just go away on their own without causing any problems. Sometimes that's not the case though, so to be sure, I have a second ultrasound scheduled in two weeks to see if the bleeding has resolved. I'm a little nervous about this, but I know that stressing wont help anything, so I'm taking heart to the fact that the baby's heartbeat is so strong, and I'm going to take it easy as much as possible and just hope that everything turns out ok.

Juliet and I are leaving in two days to go visit Sheena and her family in Pensacola, FL for a long weekend. I haven't seen Sheena in about two years, so I'm very, very excited about this trip. Plus, I think it will be just what I need to keep me from worrying too much.

Getting Anxious

Well, it's been almost two weeks since my last post. I still haven't gotten sick really, but the mornings are pretty tough these days. For the first hour or two after I get out of bed (sometimes longer, depending on the day), I feel incredibly faint and lightheaded if I'm up and moving around. If I can just relax or lay down, I'm usually ok. Oh wait, I have a 10-month-old. Try resting in the morning with a baby who wants to eat and play and demands 100% of your attention. Better yet, try feeding, and playing with, and giving 100% of your attention to a baby when you feel on the verge of passing out at any given second. Haha. Once I get past the mornings though, I'm usually fine. This is still a million times better than my first pregnancy, so I honestly can't complain too much.. Just for that first hour or two each day.

It's Sunday night, and my ultrasound is Tuesday morning! I'm really getting anxious about this. I'm so excited to actually see my new little one, to see his or her heart beating. But there's also that part of me that is worried there might be a problem somehow. I think every pregnant woman, especially in her first trimester, must have these same thoughts. I know I did when I was pregnant with Juliet. I'm thankful that I'm able to have such an early ultrasound done, so that I can have that peace of mind. I'll also get our due date!! I'm hoping for late July, which will give Matt a better chance to be here for the birth. I know I shouldn't get my hopes up, but that's so much easier said than done, haha!

Hello, Old Friends

I'm guessing I'm around six weeks pregnant now, and my dear old friends, Exhaustion and Nausea, have stopped in to say 'Hello.' Yay. I've spent the past few days falling asleep on couches and fighting wave after nauseous wave, but thankfully haven't gotten sick. Yet. I'm still holding out hope that this pregnancy will be much easier than my first. They're supposed to be different, right??

I've been window shopping for double strollers lately. I think I've found the one I'm going to get! It's the exact same stroller as the one I have now (which I love), except its a double. It has awesome reviews (which is super important!!), and it's relatively affordable. Then, I had this thought that I can't seem to get out of my head: What if I'm having twins??? I'll need a triple stroller! A triple stroller?! Yikes. Three babies under two years old? BIG yikes. Surely there is only one baby in there :)

Juliet and I got back today from our visit to Aunt Kelly's. We had a great time, and I was so happy to be able to share the news of Baby Reif #2 with her in person. I also finally had the chance to meet her fiance, Jon, for the first time. I'm definitely very happy for her, he seems like a great guy. Jules loved him too!

The day before we left for Georgia, I had my first OB appointment. Everything went well- It was a regular exam, followed by the standard pregnancy blood work. Thankfully, everything looks normal. I have a dating ultrasound on November 30 so that we can find out for sure how far along I am, and get a due date for our new little one (and make sure there is just one baby). I pretty much can't wait. We also discussed the possibility of attempting a VBAC, since I'd much rather avoid another surgery if possible. The midwife I saw said that usually, they automatically do a repeat c-section if they have no history with the patient. Um, I have a bit of a problem with that. But, the midwives and doctors will review my medical records from Tripler at their next "High Risk Patient" meeting, and see if they feel comfortable allowing me to attempt a VBAC. I really hope that they will. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what they have to say, or possibly shop around for a different practice?

Also, because I'm a little crazy sometimes (and because I had an extra test under the sink again) I took one last test before my appointment, about a week after the last ones:

I think it's safe to say, I'm definitely pregnant :)

Three positive tests

I woke up this morning at 6am to a call from Matt! I told him our news right away, and he's just as excited as I am. We talked for about two and a half hours about all sorts of exciting new things. As soon as Jules woke up, we were off to Walgreens to pick up another test. I figured I should get two different kinds, just to be sure. It's still early, so the lines on the new tests are pretty light, but they're definitely there!! We're having a baby!

I'm now off to hunt for an obstetrician/midwife in the area, and then I'm going to go visit my mom and my mother-in-law to share the news with them. I'm not planning on telling most people for a while, but I know I can't keep it from our mom's (or my sisters, either, probably).

We're Pregnant!! (Again!)

I took this pregnancy test tonight, completely on a whim. I honestly can't tell you what made me do it. Juliet is almost 10 months old now, and since I'm still breastfeeding her (for now anyway), I wasn't sure I could get pregnant at all yet. Obviously, I knew there was a chance, but I never expected it to actually happen.

Matt is a little over 3 months done with his deployment, and was home from October 19- October 30 on emergency leave after his grandfather passed. So sometime in those 11 days, Baby Reif #2 was conceived.

Anyway, like I said, I took the test on a whim. I had spent the evening with Mum, Matt's grandma, and had just said goodnight and headed over to 'my side' (She has a 2-bedroom apartment in her house where Juliet and I are staying while Daddy is gone). I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth and for whatever reason, I decided to take the test that had been sitting under the bathroom sink for months, since before I moved back to Florida actually. While waiting those long, long few minutes for the test to give its answer, I was kicking myself for wasting it, because surely, it was way too early for it to give me a result (if by some crazy chance I was pregnant). Afterall, Matt just left for Afghanistan 3 days ago! Needless to say, I was shocked. Speechless. Dumbfounded.

I'm still not sure what to think. All I know for sure is that I need to talk to Matt, now. Of course, he's still traveling back to his camp, so who knows when I'll be able to hear from him. I'm hoping it's soon, because keeping this secret is going to kill me.

I have a million thoughts crashing around in my head: When can I tell Matt? How do I tell Matt? Juliet is going to be a big sister. I need to talk to Matt. I need to make a doctor's appointment. If Pa hadn't died when he did, I wouldn't be pregnant now. If the Army hadn't let Matt come home, I wouldn't be pregnant now. I really need to talk to Matt. I'm PREGNANT!? Am I going to have the baby in Florida or Hawaii?

Underneath all of my crashing, rambling thoughts, I'm very excited though. Hands shaking-almost nauseous-can't think straight excited. But excited nonetheless.

I can't believe I'm pregnant.

I think I'll head out first thing in the morning to grab another test and make sure.