Big News!

I'M PREGNANT!

BJ made me wait the full 12 weeks to tell you, and it has been so hard!  I would've posted the day I found out, if he had let me! 

I'm due on January 5, 2011, but I won't go that long.  Let me explain...

With Mary Grace I had pregnancy induced hypertension, and was on bedrest for the last week.  I also had precipitous labor (3 hours, 45 minutes).  With Claire I had pregnancy induced hypertension, and I had Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy (my liver broke) which can cause stillbirth if the pregnancy is allowed to continue past 37 weeks, and again I had precipitous labor (1 hour, 9 minutes).

If the trend continues, this kid will be born in 23 minutes.  Since having a baby on the side of the road is NOT something I want to get into the newspaper for, and since they keep moving the hospitals farther and farther away from me, I want to be induced at 37 weeks.  This will mitigate the risks of the ICP (which has a 60-90% chance of returning, depending on which study you believe) and the PIH (which usually hits me at the end) and the precipitous labor.

The OB who delivered the girls has temporarily left the area, so I am seeing a midwife (!!!).  I was really concerned that she wouldn't be able to take me as a patient, because of all my issues, but we met with her a couple weeks ago and she said that since I've lost weight she doesn't think the PIH will come back.  The ICP is a crap shoot - they really don't know anything about it, so the 60-90% thing is a guess (anecdotally, though, it seems like the women who have had it get it again).  And she agreed that with my precipitous labors, inducing was the smart thing to do.  She wants to induce me around 12/22, but I'm more comfortable with 12/15.  We'll see if I'm dilating and effacing then, and decide based on what's actually going on, not what we're afraid might happen.

I'll also have a back up OB - I'll meet her in about 6 weeks, just in case things go screwy.  This is a hospital-based midwife, so I won't be delivering at home either way - unless baby surprises us by coming earlier than 37 weeks and I can't make it to the hospital!!  I've asked the midwife if we can leave the hospital 12 hours after the birth if everyone's ok, and she has agreed as long as the baby's doctor - our family doctor - agrees.  So, ideally we'll go in early on the birthday and be out by bedtime.  I do NOT like hospitals and I don't want to stay there if I don't have to.  There's no staph or MRSA in my house, you know?  Plus, I don't have nurses coming in bugging me every 20 minutes at home.  My dad's a nurse, anyway, so we can plan for him to be here to bug me instead.

Now you know why the weight loss posts stopped about 6 weeks ago when I found out.  Did you suspect?  Of course it isn't healthy to diet when you're pregnant.  I'm happy to report that I have not gained anything during my first trimester.  Hopefully I can keep the weight gain to the 15-20 pound range.  I've always done a good job of not gaining too much during pregnancy.  I gained right around 25 pounds with each of the girls, which is ideal.

I've been oddly sick.  I haven't thrown up, but my mouth waters like I'm about to throw up.  It's very disconcerting, and it tastes really bad.  I've switched to taking my vitamins at night, which has helped a little bit.  That never happened with the girls, so I'm thinking maybe it's a boy.

I have also been itchy on my hands and feet, which is the major symptom of ICP.  It can occur this early, but the more likely scenario is that I'm noticing every little itch more than I would if I hadn't had ICP before, and it's making me think "uh oh!"  We're going to monitor the bile acids in my blood (just a blood test) throughout the pregnancy.  Unfortunately the labs here can't process that test, so they have to send it away and it takes a week or two to come back.  This is not ideal.  The levels of bile acid can rise quickly, so having to wait a week or two to get the results back can literally mean the difference between life and death (the higher the bile acids, the more the baby is being poisoned, and the greater the chance of the baby dying in utero).  There's also medication that I can take to help the symptoms and prevent bad outcomes.  We saw a specialist when I was pregnant with Claire, but he didn't know anything.  It's a very frustrating complication, and one I hope I don't repeat.

When I had ICP before, my feet were raw and bloody from scratching, and I poured hot water (really really hot water) and sometimes vinegar over them to try to get it to stop.  It was seriously miserable.  It's not just a little discomfort - it's the kind of itching that keeps you up all night, and leaves scars on your hands and feet.  Once I deliver, though, both the baby and I will be fine.  Claire and I don't have any ongoing issues.  I have confidence that we'll be fine.  We know that it's a possibility and we're keeping an eye on it, and I'm not afraid to induce as early as necessary to keep Gozer safe.

Oh yeah, we're calling the baby Gozer.  As in Gozer the Destructor from Ghostbusters.  I told BJ, "I have a feeling that this baby is going to be the one that really ruins my body."  He replied, "Gozer is the Destructor!" and it stuck. 

I'm already showing.  With the third your body kind of goes, "Oh yeah, I remember this," and BAM!  PREGNANT!  None of my clothes fit.  I'm going to be rocking a lot of dresses this summer, I think.

I've had a little bit of bleeding, but I did with the girls, too.  That just seems to be how my body does things.  Otherwise, though, everything is fine so far!

We told the kids on Saturday.  They're pretty excited.

Now you're caught up! And now I can write about what's REALLY on my mind!  YAY!