Sunday, May 13, 2012

Our pregnancy Journey Part 1


I want to record our pregnancy journey.  I gained so much strength and knowledge learning from others who shared their heart wrenching stories that I want to share mine, and also keep it for myself to refer to.  Be advised it is very personal and also contains a few pictures from my surgery.  (don’t say I didn’t warn you ;)

When I was a little girl I would put balls and balloons under my shirt and pretend I was pregnant.  I would play house and pretend I was a mommy all day.  I have always dreamed of getting married and having lots and lots of babies.  When I was 5, if you asked me how many babies I was going to have I would’ve told you 100.  When I was 10 I said 50, and as I grew up it slowly went down to 12, and now I know that I want as many babies as Heavenly Father is willing to give me.   I knew that the best days of my entire life would be my wedding day and when we had a new child brought into our family. 

As soon as Justin and I were serious we talked about having a family together.  I knew I had to be honest and tell him a few things about my situation.  I didn’t know much and we would learn much more together in the months to come but I wanted him to know that I didn’t know if it would be possible for me to become pregnant. 

Growing up I had extremely painful periods and was put on birth control to help control them.  At one of my very uncomfortable teenage appointment s with my OB/GYN she noticed that I had 2 cervixes and she said she’d have to do 2 pap smears instead of 1.  JOY L  Anyway they ran some tests and did some scans and ultrasounds over the next few months and they told me I had a bicornuate uterus.  A uterus with a thick septum or wall down the middle.  They also told me they didn’t know if I’d be able to have children.  Well for someone whose dreamed of being a mother her entire life this was DEVASTATING NEWS. 

Since I hadn’t found my eternal companion I tried to just put it on the back burner.  Besides we weren’t sure of anything yet and my dr. was a little small town dr. so I wasn’t giving up hope.  As I got older and after I met Justin things changed and I wanted more answers. 

I saw my amazing Doctor, Dr. Wilson and I brought up some of my concerns.  He looked at the tests I had when I was younger and said that it could pose many different complications for pregnancy but it may not too.  Some women have a bicornuate uterus and never know it until they are actually pregnant.  He said we should worry about it when the time came.  I am not very patient with this lack of information but I sure tried.

Doctor Wilson had not actually run any test himself at this point.  He had read reports from past test I had done.  What he explained to me was that I had a large septum that ran from the top of my uterus down through my cervix (making 2 cervixes) and down through my vagina as well.  (This was a very interesting fact to me because I had tried to wear tampons many times growing up and they didn’t work, well NOW it all makes sense, that is because I had TWO sides.  Crazy right?!)  The unknowns were if the uterine septum was throughout the entire uterus and if the 2 sides of my uterus had any “communication”.  See, if sperm was put on the left side and the egg was on the right side, (or vice versa) would there be any way for the sperm to reach the egg or did the wall completely block them from each other.  Dr. Wilson said that couples have about a 10% shot of getting pregnant each month, this may make our chances 5%.  Not exactly what I wanted to hear.  But we didn’t know if the sides communicated and I just held onto my hope that we could get pregnant. 

My other question was what if we DO get pregnant.  What will THAT mean for us?  Dr. Wilson said that there could possibly be some complications.  There would be  a very high chance of miscarriage.  If the placenta attached to the septum then it wouldn’t have enough blood flow for the baby which could cause a miscarriage.  OR the baby could run out of room since it only had 1/ 2 a uterus.  OR my cervix could be to weak to hold a pregnancy causing preterm labor, OR…the list could go on.  All very scary. 

Dr. Wilson also discussed having surgery to remove the septum.  It could pose its own complications making conceiving a baby difficult.  It could cause scar tissue or we would weaken the uterus or damage it or my cervixes etc.  So we decided it would be better to at least try getting pregnant first before trying surgery.  (at this point we didn’t even know if my issues would create a problem getting pregnant.)

Justin and I were married and after 8 months we were ready to start trying.  I went off the pill in January of 2011 and didn’t know what would happen.  We went and saw Dr. Wilson just to talk about our options and complications etc.  He encouraged us to just enjoy trying and to be patient.  We may not even need to help to conceive so why try anything that could potentially have side effects or make it more difficult to conceive.  If we didn’t conceive then we could worry about looking into why and possible solutions etc. 

I wanted answers and didn’t want to try for a year if something was wrong.  But I thought we could at least give it shot.  So we prayed and fasted a lot and had fun trying. ;)

After 6 months my patience had run out and I wanted some answers.  We went back to Dr. Wilson and after much thought and talking to Dr. Wilson we decided it would be best to have the surgery to increase our chances of having a baby.  Dr. Wilson’s plan was to go in and look around and see if the two sides communicate and remove the uterine and vaginal septum, and possibly the cervical septum as well if possible. 

We had the surgery at the end of June.  It was very scary for me, but I was so grateful for my sweet and supportive husband and for the priesthood.  We went in for surgery and I got very weak and thought I was going to pass out after they got me all ready.  I was so embarrassed.  But sweet Dr. Wilson held my hand and so did my hubby. 

The surgery took 2-3 hours LONGER than expected (about 5 hrs total) and poor Justin was terrified.  He was expecting it to be an hour or two and he waited and waited with NO WORD of how I was or why it was taking so long.  FINALLY Dr. Wilson came out to Justin and explained everything and showed him pictures and also told him while they were in there the found extensive endometriosis that they scraped away as much as they could and they got a large amount about the size of a golf ball. (this is what took all the extra time)  He explained to J and later to both of us that there was NO communication between the  2 sides of my uterus.  The cervical septum was not removed, and there are actually 2 openings therefore 2 distinct cervixes.  He didn’t want to give me an incompetent or weakened cervix so he just left that septum alone.  He didn’t remove the entire uterine septum either because it is dangerous to get too close to the top of the uterus, so there was still some remaining at the top.  (sort of making my uterus heard shaped, if that makes any sense)

The recovery was long it seemed, but I was surrounded by a loving husband, family and friends.  And I felt like it brought us one step closer to reaching our goal.  A BABY!  I am so grateful everything went so smoothly. 

Funny Dr. Wilson sent the pictures of my insides (upon my request) and said it could make a great “FHE activity” haha always the funny man! 
Here are some of the pictures I found most interesting from the surgery.  I WARNED YOU REMEMBER ;)
(Dr. Wilson says my case is rare and interesting so he documented well with pictures)
Here is my left and right side of my uterus (you can even see the  fallopian tube in some of the pictures) the septum is labeled and white (not a lot of blood flow to it) and the last pic on the bottom right is the tool they used to remove it and you can see how thick it was.  The top left picture shows a probe that was inserted into my abdominal cavity outside of my uterus and they were pushing down on the uterus)

This picture is so cool to me.  Dr. W inserted a light into one side and it only lit up 1/2 of the uterus because of the septum.  The bottom is a pic of the endometriosis.


A pic of my pretty uterus and ovaries (the white things) and below is the other 1/2 of my uterus lit up.  Crazy right?

I saved the best for last...the top 2 are my 2 cervixes.  and the septum down the middle.  The bottom left I wish I could remove so we didn't have to see it but I can't...it is the large vaginal septum I had.  The bottom right is who knows what ;) 


Well it is late so I will finish this saga soon.  TO be continued….

19.5 weeks



How far along? 19.5 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 5-8 lbs gained so far depends on the day and time I get on the scale.  It jumped a little this week. YIKES! Here we go.

Maternity clothes? Oh dear this has been the interesting story of the week.  My jeans are finally starting to dig into my tummy a bit and are quite uncomfortable.  SO I searched for clothes all week.  Target – zip; Khols – zilch; motherhood – got 2 things for way too much $$; Ross- hit the jackpot found 3 pairs of cute shorts/capris.  FINALLY! Now if I could just find something to wear to church! That’s my next goal J
 
Sleep:  I can’t complain yet J It is a little harder now but I know it’s worth it!  I am going to be borrowing my sisters pregnancy pillow soon and I’m counting down the days!  I can’t wait!

Best moment this week: Celebrating our 2 year anniversary.  I LOVE THIS MAN MORE THAN ANYTHING I COULD IMAGINE!! And celebrating Mother’s day (hearing Justin give an amazing talk in church.  He talked about our pregnancy journey and it really REAlly touched my heart to hear his feelings and thoughts.  He also talked about how amazing our mothers are.  We really are so blessed!) And knowing that NEXT year I will have a baby to love and snuggle! 

 Miss Anything? Sleeping on my tummy – but if that’s all I can’t complain J  I also really need some new dresses for church and shopping isn’t so easy. It’s either hideous or so expensive.  BOO!  Looking forward to visiting my sis Tiffany soon and hopefully raiding her maternity wardrobe! J

 Movement: some here and there…still looking forward to more! I LoVE it!

Food cravings: I haven’t had any crazy cravings yet.  But pizza still just sounds So delish!  A BIG greasy pizza hut pizza…but I am trying to have self control so I haven’t had it yet.  J and I have a delicious alternative that is much healthier and I love it too! Pita pizzas with whole wheat pitas and bruschetta…YUMMY!

 Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really J Thank goodness! I am appreciating not feeling sick much more now!  I do find that it is harder to eat 3 meals a day.  I can’t eat as much as I used to in one sitting and I seem to get hungrier more often so I think snacking throughout the day works best for me. 

Have you started to show yet: Yep, I’m showing but I still feel like I don’t LOOK pregnant.  Just like I have an old mans beer belly.  Haha!  But my view when I lay down on my back still amazes me to see this bump growing bigger and bigger.  I feel like it has really grown in the last week or 2.

Gender: Let’s hear it for the BOY!

Labor Signs: No, and I thank Heavenly Father every day!  You stay strong cervixes of mine!

Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: SO happy!
Looking forward to:  Feeling more movement and making it to the HALFWAY mark!

Sunday, May 6, 2012

2 Years! Is that all?


Friday night Justin and I went over to our friends Jeff and Angies for our May game night date.  They made  us a delicious dinner and we just visited the night away.  It was good times as always.  I thought I felt some movement that night and since everyone tells me I have probably already felt it I just didn’t know it, I have been waiting for ANYTHING or ANY feelings in the tummy vicinity and Friday was the first time I felt anything that I thought might be it. 



Then Saturday Justin surprised me with fun plans to celebrate our 2nd anniversary.  We slept in, then he took me to Scottsdale to the Studio Movie grill and we saw The Avengers.  We REALLY enjoyed the movie and the environment was so much fun.  Justin ordered a Dew and I got a blue slushy and we shared yummy chips and salsa.  It was WONDERFUL! 




While we were watching the movie I felt the baby move.  I’m almost 100% sure of it!  It made concentrating somewhat difficult but it was pretty amazing.  It was stronger than I had expected, at least at this stage in my pregnancy.  But it is a pretty amazing feeling.  I am looking forward to more movement so I can be sure that is what I was feeling.


Next we went and checked into our hotel.  The Talking stick resort.  The room was on the 6th floor and was GORGEOUS!  They had white robes and I couldn’t help but put it on and love every second of it.  One of my favorite parts of any hotel stay is cranking that AC down low and not worrying about the bill and snuggling with my honey under the covers! 






As we got hungry we decided to go to … Benihanas.  We have never been to a Teppanyaki resturaunt and we thought it would be fun, and it SURE was.  It was very entertaining and after they served our yummy meal they sang us a Japanese song for our anniversary, took our picture and printed it off for us, and gave us a free scoop of chocolate ice cream.  Perfection!


 They made a heart with the chicken fried rice...aww so romantic ;)

 They made an onion train and steam came out...very cool!



We went back to our room and enjoyed time together snuggling and watching tv and waiting for Baby D to move some more.  Could you ask for anything better?  I think not!  

Two years doesn't seem like very long and I remember our wedding day like it was yesterday.  I'm so grateful to have this amazing man in my life.  He is everything I ever dreamed of.  I can't believe all my dreams are coming true.  I feel so overwhelmed with gratitude to my Heavenly Father.  I love you babe and look forward to Eternity together.  Thanks for making our weekend SO special!  

18 weeks


We got our FIRST boy gift from my sweet friend Carmen at work AND I LOVE IT!!!!  I couldn't wait to show Justin.  We have it hanging in our living room so we can stare at it all day!  The shoes are SO tiny and the little outifit is just PRECIOUS.  Talk about excitement!  

My tummy is growing a little there right?  


17 weeks

Nothing too big yet, just looks like I ate a big lunch, but I can feel a difference.  It's growing slowly!


Gender Reveal Party!

After the ultrasound Tuesday morning we invited over close friends for the gender reveal.  We invited: Sam, Casie, Jeff and Angie and Elsie, and Merri and Rich and family.   I haven’t ever really thrown a party so I was a bit nervous about making it fun, and it is extra difficult when you work late.  But I feel like pulled it off with A LOT of help from my amazing hubby. 

We made stove-top chicken and a delicious oven cooked broccoli for dinner.  With “skinny” pink and blue frosted cupcakes, chocolate dipped strawberries and pretzels with pink and blue sprinkles, pink lemonade, pink strawberry whoppers, and blue and white York peppermint candies.  We also provided pink or blue necklaces for guests to wear and asked the guests to dress in pink or blue depending on if they were “team he” or “team she”.  It was LOTS of fun.  It was also very exciting to show off the great pictures of our baby we had taken that morning at the ultrasound!  (I loved saying, “would you like to see pictures of our baby?”)








 Our Sammy
 Miss Casie and Elsie
 Jeff and Angie (Jeff says he didn't put on the blue shirt on purpose - but we know subconsciously he was routing team BOY)


 Let's do this already!!


The Yummy cupcakes I forgot to put out :(  

We proudly displayed the envelope that would reveal boy or girl.  I thought everyone would eat first but we couldn’t wait.  So I called up my mom on one phone and she was at the store, so I had to call up my dad on the hubby’s phone. 



My honey stood by me as we opened the envelope and pulled out a picture and paper that read, “CONGRATULATIONS, it’s a BOY.”  We were THRILLED and in awe.  Tears came to my eyes and it immediately felt so real and wonderful.  We are SO blessed. 




Thanks to all of my amazing friends and family for your love and excitement.  We LOVE YOU!!    We also got the cutest gift from my talented friend Angie.  She MADE these adorable little blocks for Baby D to play with.  They are amazing!



I enjoyed taking special cupcakes into work too on Thursday.

I filled the center with blue cake so they would have to bite into the cupcake to find out BOY OR GIRL.  It was a lot of fun!

 Jenny and Leah - SURPRISE!  haha their faces are awesome!

 Louise and Brit!  Ready...


 The CUPCAKE (I haven't been too much of a baker so I am proud ;)

Aint he ADORABLE!  Hope our lil baby D looks just like his Daddy!

What will it be? A He or a She?


Tuesday May 1, 2012

Today I went for my 2nd visit with the Amazing Dr. Richard Wilson.  He is the best man and Dr. anyone could ask for.  And I never thought I’d say that about any OB/GYN - but it's the truth. 

First we had an ultrasound today and it was PHENOMENAL.  First thing we did was hear the beautiful heartbeat and it was normal and strong at 140 bpm.  We immediately saw the beautiful spine and then we looked at the brain.  We saw the cerebellum  and both hemispheres.  We saw Baby D wave its hand and bat at the umbilical cord, kick its feet, open its mouth wide and do all sorts of wiggles. 

Baby D kept his feet together and stayed all balled up most of the time.  It was amazing to see the entire baby on the screen.  The ultrasound tech said that next time we won’t be able to see the entire baby.  She asked if we wanted to know the gender and we said yes but if she would please put it in an envelope for us.  She was happy to oblige.  She told us to look away if we didn’t want to see, but we told her that if we saw - we saw, sadly I didn’t see ANYTHING I could interpret.  Which makes me a little nervous since at the nuchal translucency ultrasound they said 80% it is a boy, but I didn’t see any boy parts J Now I am really wondering what you are baby D!  Later she tried to get a better picture of the boy or girl parts and we didn’t peek then, just to be safe.  Now I’m thinking maybe I should’ve.

The tech said that the placenta is in the back and the baby’s heart looks AMAZING.  She also said the baby was a “Show off”.  J  We looked at the baby’s lips and nose (no cleft pallet) and even saw the baby open up his/her mouth wide (from a profile view) It was amazing.  Justin loved seeing the baby kick and move it’s legs.  It really was amazing to see because we were watching it’s entire body move.  Baby D is absolutely perfect and we feel SO SO BLESSED.  What a miracle.

After I had cleaned up she called me back to get another picture she had forgotten and the baby had moved into a much more difficult to see position.  Seems Baby D was ready for a morning nap.  Good thing he/she cooperated for the first photo shoot!  WE LOVE YOU BABY D! 

Then I talked with Dr. Wilson who told me he didn't know the gender either.  He is so excited with us! He said everything is looking great!  Dr. Wilson ordered the ultrasound early (typically they do them at 20 weeks) but he wanted to check my cervix sooner than that because I actually have 2 cervixes.  We don't know right now if this will cause any complications so we are just keeping an eye on it.  But as of now Dr. W informs me that EVERYTHING looks boring and normal just how we want it too.  Oh except for those 2 cervixes but we already knew about that.   Other than telling me to stay hydrated he said thing are GOOD!  Another miracle to us!  

Just look at that precious little hand waving to us, and that perfectly shaped head.  Oh my goodness we can't wait to meet you baby!



I just wanted to keep some stats for future reference:  

How far along?  17 weeks 6 days (according to my calculations) Dr. Wilson says 18 w 3 d
Total weight gain/loss: 2 lbs gained since last Dr. appointment a month ago (and overall).  But my weight changes so much on a daily basis it's hard to tell. I should be measuring my waist cause that is what is changing the most.    
Maternity clothes? I wear T-shirts to work and my jeans are low-rise so I haven’t had to switch to anything yet.  But it is getting HOT outside and I need some shorts and/or capris asap!  Things are starting to get tighter though and I definitely have a little pooch sticking out. 
Stretch marks? Not yet.  I’m using oil and lotion frequently but who knows if that is preventing.
Sleep: Eh…sleep isn’t what it used to be for me.  I use more pillows and as soon as Justin gets up in the morning I steal both of his.  I wake up more frequently and still try to slip on my stomach/side but it isn’t comfortable.  And boy early in the AM I sure have to go to the bathroom, but I try to hold it until I have to get up. 
Best moment this week: Seeing the baby on the ultrasound and preparing for the gender party with my amazing friends. 
Miss Anything? Not yet, there have been a few times I’ve wanted tuna and a sip of Justins Mtn Dew but I’m hanging in there J
Movement: Nothing yet L  I lay still in bed every night waiting to feel ANYTHING.  We sure saw baby moving today on the ultrasound though!
Food cravings: PIZZA, carbs, anything unhealthy it seems like.  Broccoli too. 
Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nope, not since I got the awful stomach flu last Sunday when I was supposed to speak in church.  Being really sick when the AC is broken and it’s 103 outside is NO BUENO!  It is funny though how the things I loved BEFORE I was pregnant I haven't wanted or eaten at all, i.e. Chipotle, chicken, pretzels, and cereal (that's right I said CEREAL!!  Crazy right??)
Have you started to show yet: Yep, don’t look pregnant though, just chubby. It is neat to see how the view has changed from when I lay down at night.  There is definitely a bump now.
Gender: We find out TONIGHT!
Labor Signs: Nope
Belly Button in or out? In, very very in.  Justin and I are making bets on this.  He thinks it’ll pop out eventually but my belly button is deep so I don’t think it’ll ever happen.
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: Feeling baby D MOVE!!! :)