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.

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

Coming in December!

Our New Baby

Perspective

Today has been a hard day for me. I've been tired, weak, and faint. The morning started out around 10:15. Will brought me my Gatorade and cereal for breakfast. I wasn't hungry, but I knew I needed food after not being able to eat much at all yesterday. I took my meds, drank my Gatorade, and ate my breakfast. Around 10:45 I tried to get out of bed to get dressed. I had to lie down a few times because I was getting short of breath and was close to fainting. I would not have pushed myself to get up before noon, except that a friend was coming over to visit and I wanted to look presentable.

My friend arrived a little before noon and stayed for an hour and a half. I spent most of that time lying on the floor because it was too hard to sit up. I was short of breath and had a hard time keeping up with conversation at times.

Come 2:00pm I was so tired that all I could think of was getting to bed and resting all afternoon. I needed rest, and I needed it very soon. Will put William down for a nap and went to the library to do some work. Two hours later I had to call Will home because William had woken up and I was too tired to take care of him. Around the time Will got home I realized that I was getting a migraine. I took some medicine and asked Will to take William out for a while so that I could have some silence and rest and recover from the migraine. I have had to spend most of the afternoon and evening in bed, and I'm going back to bed in a few minutes.

While lying in bed to rest late this afternoon I started reading "The Voice of the Martyrs." Reading that magazine helps me to keep things in perspective. In this current issue there are stories of widows in Nigeria whose husbands were Christians and were killed by Muslims. These widows are struggling to provide for their families, and they are persecuted simply because they are Christians. Their homes and possessions have been burned. These women and their children have been beaten and abused. They have seen other Christians stabbed to death in the streets by angry Muslims. Yet these women remain faithful to Christ. They love the Lord, and they know that God has not forgotten them. They have joy in the midst of trials and persecutions. They know that they have hope and a home in heaven that can never be taken away.

My life is hard, and this has been a bad day physically. Despite those challenges, though, I am so very blessed! Here is my day from a better perspective:

I have a devoted and faithful husband who so lovingly takes care of me every day. He brought my Gatorade and breakfast to me in bed as soon as I woke up.

I have a wonderful friend who took time out of her day to come and visit me at my apartment. She didn't expect me to be a fabulous hostess. She didn't mind at all that I was on the floor almost the whole time. She even brought ice cream for me!

When I desperately needed time to rest, I had a soft, cozy, warm bed to rest in. Will made sure the house was quiet for me and did his work at the library.

When William woke up, Will immediately came home to help me out. When the migraine hit, Will was ready to change plans and take William out of the apartment so that I could rest in silence.

I have a Bible by my bedside, and no one has ever tried to kill me because of it.

I am so very, very blessed. God has given me a good life. And the best is yet to come!

My Sneaky Son

Look at those eyes!

Doesn't William look just a little mischievous?

Here is a recent conversation that took place in our house:

William: "Mommy, are you finished eating your donut?"
Me: "No, I'm still eating it."
William: "Hmmm..... May I borrow it?"

I have been laughing ever since!