Monday, June 29, 2009

Health and Pregnancy Update

Many of you have been wondering how I have been doing and how my pregnancy is going. Thanks for your concern! I have been pretty quiet on my blog because I have been so tired lately. I'm always tired and sleepy, but I have been even more so for the past few months. I don't know exactly why, but I do have a few guesses:

- We had a hard and busy spring semester. This used up a lot of my strength and energy.
- Extra fatigue due to pregnancy. My body is now trying to not just take care of itself, but take care of a little one, too.
- My body is getting used to medication changes I have had because of pregnancy.
- Symptoms are getting worse in general.
- Symptoms are getting worse for just a time because that happens.
- Summer heat. Even though I don't stay outside when it is in the 80s and 90s, just going to and from the car for church or a doctors appointment takes a lot out of me. It is hard for me to recover from even a brief time in temperatures above 80 degrees.

It could be any of those things, or it could be a combination of things. I am trying to figure out the right balance of rest and activity, which is no easy thing! I definitely do not want to push my body too much now that I am pregnant. However, I also need to keep moving and exercising as much as I can so that I do not become deconditioned. It is a delicate balancing act that I am always working on!

Here is our little one (picture taken 5 weeks ago). I had an OB appointment last week, and everything appears to be going well with the baby. In only three weeks I will be going back to the doctor for another ultrasound. As long as the baby cooperates, we will be able to find out if we are having a boy or girl!

Early on in my pregnancy I had a subchorionic hemorrhage, but that is now completely gone. Praise the Lord! Other than that complication for a few weeks, everything is going very well for me pregnancy wise. I had very little morning sickness. I rarely feel nauseated during pregnancy; I just get a heightened gag reflex and some food aversions. Those lasted about two months for me this time around. I didn't mind at all, though. It just reminded me that I was pregnant, which is a happy thing! I'll take symptoms due to pregnancy any day. Those are happy symptoms to have. :)

I will be having a lot of ultrasounds during this pregnancy because the high risk OB that I had a consultaiton with is concerned about one of my meds, Midodrine. It has been shown to cause stunted fetal growth, but it is not actually as bad as it sounds. Midodrine has only caused stunted fetal growth when given to lab rats in 8-10 times the normal dose. In addition to having too much of the medication, the rats don't need the medicine in the first place! Midodrine has not been reported to cause a problem in pregnancy for people.

My body needs Midodrine to keep my blood from pooling so badly. I would actually be more concerned with going off of the med than with being on it. I certainly do want the blood flow to my baby to be compromised, which I believe it would be, and my doctor agreed with me. If I stand up without Midodrine and compression, I turn blueish from the waist down due to blood pooling. That is not good for the baby! I take Midodrine and wear compression to prevent this.

All that to say, Midodrine is the biggest "risk" right now in my pregnancy. So because it is "risky" I will get to have a lot of ultrasounds. :) If the baby doesn't cooperate the first time around, then there will be several more chances to find out if we're having a boy or girl.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

In Christ Alone


One of my very favorite songs is "In Christ Alone." When I hear this song I can't help but be happy. It is because of Christ, and Christ alone, that I have hope and joy in this life. If you want to hear this song, scroll to the bottom of my blog and click play on the play list. "In Christ Alone" is the first song that will play.

In Christ Alone

In Christ alone my hope is found;
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all -
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,
Fulness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied:
For every sin on Him was laid -
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine -
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death -
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home -
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

--
Words and Music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend, 2001
In Christ Alone Lyrics on Lyrics Mania
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