Baby Blog 6

When I had gotten sufficient results back from my blood tests, I decided it was time to contact family medicine and start the rest of my appointments on post.  Weeelllll, I called them yesterday, and they told me they didn't want my blood work from some other place. Instead, I needed to go there and have my blood drawn in their lab.

Wow! That's the third time I'd had blood drawn in under a week.  I was getting to know the drill.

Anyway, the nurse told me to contact her after the blood was taken, which I did.  I called her this morning and we've set up an appointment for Wednesday next week.  I have to say I'm pretty excited.  I doubt a whole lot will go on at the appointment, but I'm ready to sit down and at least talk with a doctor about my pregnancy.  I have so many questions I want to ask! :)

Out of curiosity, I asked her if she could tell me what my hCG reading was from yesterday, and she said it was 596.  That's 3.5 times what it was on Monday.  So, it's increasing steadily.  The nurse asked me if I had picked up my packet, which I had no clue I was supposed to get.  They had some information they need me to fill out before the 24th.  

So, my wonderful husband graciously picked it up for me while on post today.  Luckily, I got a nice little book for free and, at least for now, I have a detailed chart of what nutrients I need.

My counteraction to worry about this pregnancy is to stop and immediately thank the Lord for the blessing of a precious new life.  It is amazing how simply thanking HIM for this gift takes away my worry and puts all perspective where it should be.  Not to mention, it brightens my mood quite a bit to think of the wonders of the Lord's creation.

Baby Blog 5

God has been teaching me so much in the folly of my own self and the peace that comes from being at rest with him.  Here I have been so often worrying about little things like a cramp here or there or the fact that I was nauseous one day but not the next.  I worried that maybe it wasn't a strong pregnancy.


Well, I was wrong.  I got my second blood test back yesterday and my hCG jumped from 26.8 to 170.6! It was supposed to double and the new number is like 5 times the old one.  How silly I am.  Only because I know I'm pregnant do I worry, and I did not make this baby get here.  God created you, little one.  And only God will continue to craft your life.
"For YOU created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb."  Psalm 139:13


It is the Lord who will do it all, and I am only ridiculous (and probably offensive to God) to worry about things.  God is helping me let go.  His patience is beyond anything I could imagine.


As far as pregnancy symptoms go, they are on and off.  Every now and then I have headaches.  Then, sometimes, I don't.   Nausea has been very on and off, but it has mostly been off and very mild when on.  It is still early, and I am aware that it probably won't kick in for me until next week or the week after.  I have been so moody.  Thank you, Lee, for putting up with my craziness.  He is being so patient and so giving.  Also, I have a sensitivity to specific smells.  A kid opened a locker somewhere in the hall yesterday, and I smelled sweaty old gym clothes.  I asked the other teachers if they smelled that and they didn't.  It's only certain smells, though.  It will probably be everything later. 


Little baby bean, you are loved so much and your life has just begun.

Baby Blog 4

I got on my knees and prayed last night (I have not physically gotten on my knees to pray in quite some time).  I sent my anxiety and worry up to God; things began to calm down quite a bit.  It is one thing to realize that this baby is a gift from God; it is another thing to accept it.  Being able to say something and understand it doesn't mean I'm good at practicing it.  But God did wonders and lifted much of my troubles.

And every time I feel a worry is rising, I hear a still small voice of God saying "you know who is in control."  

As far as symptoms go, I could barely finish my oatmeal this morning.  I felt the need to throw it up.  Baby, you don't like oatmeal? Okay, fine.  Send me your menu, and I'll make a specialized order. 

Haha..just kidding... :)

Baby Blog 3

The blood results are in aaaaannnndddd...

(drumroll please)

I'm for sure

PREGNANT

Who'd a thunk it?

Baby bean is about a week old according to the blood results.  They took blood again today to make sure my HCG levels are rising properly.  I think they are, but I do hope that I find out a good result tomorrow from my blood work done today.

Little baby, I laid awake most of the night last night worrying about you.  Every little cramp I felt made me panic.  I didn't want to lose you, and I'm scared of that.  I was so nervous about what the blood test would say today.  So, I prayed because I was tired and not able to sleep.  I asked God to help me with my worries and anxieties.  I kept reminding myself that worrying wouldn't do any good or solve anything.

Then, God reminded me that you are really his baby.  You are his wonderful and miraculous creation that HE is in charge of.  I am only having you on loan for as long as he chooses to grant that to me.  And I will thank him for every precious minute given to me. 

I found out today, that you have a brain, nervous system, heartbeat, and an intestinal tract!  What a miracle!  Something so small is forming into an incredible, complex being.  How could anybody deny this is a real HUMAN LIFE with this knowledge? 

All I can do is continue to pray "thrive, little baby bean, thrive."

Baby Blog 2

Unless 12 different pregnancy tests I took were all wrong (and the line getting darker is wrong), my symptoms are all in my head.  But, right now (in whatever stage of the pregnancy I'm in), I am having headaches, fatigue, my face is breaking out in zits, my hair is greasy, and little bean decides I need to get nauseous too.  

On Friday night, I had nausea and some vomiting in the evening.  Then, I went all day Saturday with almost no symptoms whatsoever.  There was some minor fatigue but that's about it (plus the acne and bad hair of course).  I was even a little worried about the lack of symptoms. BUUUUT as I laid down to sleep, THEN was the time for me to feel sick to my stomach and get headaches.  Thank you, little one, for waiting until I'm ready to sleep to do a number on my body. 

But it is really all good because those are supposed to be symptoms of a healthy pregnancy, and it does put me at ease a bit.  I want you to hang in there, little one, even if I'm throwing up every day.  It is amazing how, even right now, every part of me desires to nurture and care for this tiny life growing inside of me.  Even if God only permits the baby to live for a few weeks (which I hope isn't the case), it is still a precious beautiful life and a miraculous work of God.

Another symptom I've been experiencing is hunger.  I don't have strange cravings, but I get hungry often.  So, I'm going to have to watch it because I will blow up like a balloon if I'm not careful.  I wake up every morning now at around 6 or 7 am very hungry, and I cannot sleep until I go downstairs and satiate that hunger.   All I really need is a little snack, and I'm finding apples will do the trick (or a yogurt).  

The thing I find interesting right now is that pregnancy symptoms are not necessarily obvious, and I can see how many women could think they are not pregnant when they are.  Because I honestly didn't think of any of these things as pregnancy symptoms at first.

It was only after I got a positive result that things began to piece together and make sense.  

Little one, you are precious to me and I pray for you every day that God will enable you to grow and be strong.  You are a wonderful creation and a blessing to Lee and me.

Finally, a few extras.  Since my First Response Pregnancy tests did come in a package of 3, I kept the others to space out just to see how much the line darkens.  This one, I took this morning, which is much darker than the one I took on Friday.

I did go ahead an develop a baby/pregnancy ticker online.  So, if my calculations are correct, this is where the baby is developmentally right now.  If the doctor says otherwise, I'll update and change the ticker.