Saturday, January 05, 2008

No News is Good News

Wow, I hadn't realized how much time had passed since my last post! I guess time really is flying by. I'm so sorry for letting my loyal readers wait for an update. Happy New Year everybody! The holidays have really kept us busy at Chez Sticky, as has an office move at work (don't worry - I didn't lift anything). And considering my new bedtime is a whopping 9pm, I have not been given much opportunity to blog. I must say first and foremost that no news is, in fact, good news.

Christmas was pretty uneventful. We had our traditional gift-giving and lots of good food. My grandmother made her "famous" macaroni salad with shrimp. I think I ate 3/4 of the bowl it was so delicious. I racked up on presents like pj's, perfume, clothes, and a new Kate Spade bag but it just didn't seem to matter too much. Not that I was ungrateful by any means. But like I had said before, Santa came early for us this year. All that mattered was that the little life inside of me was still alive.

New Years Eve was also pretty calm. We had a dinner at a fabulous restaurant in downtown Annapolis and went home to watch the ball drop on TV. It may not have been the most exciting evening but it was perfect and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I did a bit of reflecting on 2007 and decided it was certainly a rollercoaster of ups and downs for us. We had the really bad (a second miscarriage), as well as some good (beginning treatment in January with the RE and getting a diagnosis, getting our first BFP since our miscarriage in 2005 in April, new jobs for DH and myself, DH getting his masters in August), with the peak being our current state. It is still hard to believe that the year ended on a good note. I find myself still in disbelief that we are here. Again. The reflecting made it seem even more unreal. We had certainly gone through our fair share of emotions in 2007. I wondered what 2008 would have in store for us.

As if it were a premonition, New Years Day brought us a bit of action. In the early afternoon, I started cramping. Mild cramps but constant, unlike the pulling twinges I tend to get. Fearing the worst, we decided to get checked out at the local ER. I had no spotting but I embellished a bit at the desk to ensure we would get an ultrasound. I bit my nails and held my bladder as we waited for a room. A few hours later, we were taken back to radiology. It was an abdominal ultrasound so it was nice not to have to drop trou for once. It only took seconds for us to see our little one. Sunshine measured a day ahead at 8w6d, and had a strong heartbeat of 176bpm. We couldn't have been happier.

However, Sunshine is not the only inhabitant in my ute. The tech noticed that I have a 3cm fibroid in the top layer of my uterus. The doctors did not seem very concerned at all and dismissed it as a side effect of the first trimester hormones. They said it could shrink and disappear later in the pregnancy, or it could grow. If it does grow, it would press on my outer organs and cause some pain and possibly some spotting. My first concern was intrauterine growth restriction, but they assured me that it is far enough away from the baby that it would not affect our little wonder. Dr. Google says this puts me at risk for breech presentation but if a c-section is all I have to worry about, I consider myself lucky. Has anyone else experienced this early on? I'd love to hear about how things turned out.

We also had another milestone this very morning. We heard the heartbeat on our home doppler. We are only 9w2d so I thought it would be a bit early for our olive-sized sweetie but decided to give it a try with a full bladder. I tried by myself at first and found it briefly, but our little one jolted before I could get a clear number on the digital readout. When DH tried a few minutes later, we found it fairly quickly on the opposite side of where I had originally heard it. 182bpm - clear as day. It sounded like a train, not a drum beat as I had thought. But it was definitely fast and strong. Music to my ears. Pure relief.

We have been sitting on cloud nine ever since. We are now past the point at which our Snowflake melted so I am feeling pretty good about things. I know there are no guarantees but I am relishing the fact that at this moment, I am, dare I say, pregnant and could very well bring a baby home this summer.

34 comments:

nancy said...

Good to "hear" from you!

Ahhh. The doppler news made me smile. I remember how awesome it was to have a doppler rented. I listened to my girl's heartbeat every single day until I could just feel her move. But even then, I kept it until birth because when an 8 lbs baby inside your tummy goes to sleep, you sometimes need the reassurance of the heartbeat. One time, I was really grateful for it - I was something like 6 months pregnant which means I had a 12 month old baby too. I was carrying my 12 month old into the garage, took a mistep and fell. I was able to turn midair and land on my back, holding baby and fetus together in safety, but a fall of that magnitude scared the crap out of me. The doppler was pretty much taped to my belly for the rest of the day. Whew.

Anywho - glad things are going well! :) :) :)

Anonymous said...

Yay! I'm glad things are going so well, I was beginning to wonder where you went. :)

Meghan said...

I was just thinking about you this morning. So glad everything is well and your scare turned out to be nothing too serious.

Hope to see you tomorrow!

Grad3 said...

Glad to know that all is going well for you and sunshine! It's so hard to not freak out when you have cramps- it took me forever to accept that they are just gowing pains. I still get them and am expecting so for the remainder of the pregnancy. So heads up ;)

Very happy for you!

Emily said...

so glad to hear from you again! i've missed you!

i'm so glad you heard sunshine on the doppler. i swear those things are the best investment ever. I used mine a lot in the beginningand even more when I started bleeding at 17 weeks. even though i was feeling him i still needed the doppler for reassurance. Lots of times when I couldn't find his HB, I'd have DH come and do it for me..he was always more patient than I.

so happy you are well. xoxo

RBandRC said...

Happy New Year! I'm so glad to hear that things are progressing beautifully and that your little one is happy and active! I think 2008 has some wonderful things in store for you.

Enjoy! HUGS!

Anonymous said...

I'm glad to read that all is well! I was beginning to worry a little, but decided it being holidays and all...

That rocks that you're able to use the doppler! 2008 is starting out wonderfully for you guys!!

Debby said...

Aren't those doppler's just the best thing ever? That's so great that you heard things so early. I got mine at 11weeks and have been listening at least 1x a day since. It's so reassuring and the best investment ever. I'm sure you agree. So glad to hear all is well with you and your bean!

Scrumpkin said...

So good to read your post!
I was worried for a bit when you hadn't posted in days.
Happy New Year!

Scrumpkin said...

So good to read your post!
I was worried for a bit when you hadn't posted in days.
Happy New Year!

Natalie said...

I hate to hear that you have anything to worry about at all - stupid fibroid!! - but am SO happy that the little one is still doing well!!

Geohde said...

You're very clever to get a HB with a doppler so soon :)

J

AwkwardMoments said...

missed ya and glad all is going well

Katie said...

I am wanting a doppler, but am too scared to have it at home, for fear that I DON'T hear the heartbeat and freak myself out. My husband agrees, so I think we will try to go dopperless. I MIGHT change my mind on that, though!

Congratulations on everything going so well. I was worried when we hadn't heard from you. . .

Anonymous said...

Glad to hear all is well. Renting a doppler...hum, I will have to consider that when I get to that point agian. Keep us posted!

Mrs. Piggy said...

Ahhh dopplers...a gift from the heavens :)

niobe said...

It does sound like lots of good news.

Elin said...

oh honey i am so glad you are all safe and well. yey xxxx

JJ said...

Awww, what music to my ears=) Glad the heart beat is nice and strong! Stay on that cloud 9!

E. Phantzi said...

wonderful!!!

Amy said...

Yeah!!! No news is good news!!

Mel said...

So good to hear your update, I am so happy for you that things are still progressing so well!!
Here's wishing you a very wonderful and infant-filled 2008!

Dr. Grumbles said...

Yay! Hoping for a take-home baby this time!

Ashley said...

Glad to hear everything is going well! :] I have been a little MIA myself as well.

Anonymous said...

OH....that is just WONDERFUL!!! I just smiled and smiled through your post!

DOUBLE yeah that you already can hear the hb on your home doppler!! That will surely keep the reassurance going!!

Glad to hear from you and that you had nice and relaxing holidays!!

OrchidLover said...

Ah... the joy of the doppler. I don't think I would have survived another first trimester without one. Try not to go too crazy with it, and congrats on everything going so well. I was really happy to hear it!

Courtney said...

I am so happy to hear that things are so going so well for you! You fully deserve to take up residence on cloud
9! :)

Laura said...

I am so glad you were able to hear the heartbeat on your doppler. That is awesome!

Also, a belated congrats on your news! I have been out of the loop for a bit. :)

SarahSews said...

Glad to hear that things are going well. I just found out yesterday at my NT scan that I have a fibroid too. It looked huge (it is the same size as the baby so it really isn't), and it totally freaked me out. The doc and tech said it wasn't a big deal but they weren't my regular peeps so I'll have to check on it some more later.

MrsSpock said...

I have never had a fibroid, but as an L & D nurse I was privy to my patient's medical history. There were several C-sections I scrubbed in for and saw a big ol' fibroid growing on the uterus. Some do go away, some did get big, and the docs wouldn't touch them with a 10 foot pole. Blood flow to the uterus increases exponentially during pregnancy, so trying to remove one can result in heavy bleeding. As far as I know, having one doesn't really jeopardize the pregnancy.

Anonymous said...

hi, I came over from L&F. unfortunately I have a LOT of experience with fibroids, they're very common. many women maintain completely healthy pgs with fibroids. your doc is right, in your case there sounds like no cause for concern. they tend to grow during 1st trimester from pg hormones. what matters most is location. if it's not sticking into the uterine cavity -- and yours is not -- little sunshine should be just fine. not to worry.

fyi: my old ob/gyn used to treat tons of pg women with fibroids who had no real trouble more than some discomfort. in women with lg. fibroids in bad spots -- I'm talking huge ones sticking into the cavity, not small ones like yours -- she occasionally prescribed bedrest later in pg if preterm labor became an issue. just monitor your symptoms and ask for an u/s if you have any concern. but above all, don't worry! ~luna

Tina / Anxious Changer said...

Glad things are going so well!

At the L&F, there was a request for information about uterine fibroids during PG - I have one (found around 4/03) at the top of my uterus and it did not affect my PG with DS at all.

It is important for you to find out what type (although you know it is outside the uterine wall already_ and where the fibroid is - that will affect PG outcome. Since mine was at the top of my uterus and on the outside, it would not affect the PG.

Fibroids can affect labor and delivery - so, when I had DS (and also in this PG), my doc cautioned me that there was a risk of 1) going into labor early and 2) needing a c-section if the fibroid did not allow the uterine contractions to progress evenly across the uterus, thus resulting in diminished force in pushing the baby out. Of course, neither happened for me with DS, even though I left work a month prior to my due date! I had a normal vaginal delivery and had to be induced a week past my due date.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

In and Out of Luck said...

Good news on the doppler!

Blankenship Babbles said...

THINKING OF YOU...YOU AND SUNSHINE ARE IN MY PRAYERS ALWAYS...CAN'T WAIT TO HEAR MORE!!! LOVE YOU BUNCHES!!