Friday, June 25, 2010

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!

12 comments:

Piper of Love said...

ACK!!! Such wonderful news!

(((((BIG HUGS)))))

Yay, I'm so happy for you! xox

Rebecca said...

I am so happy for you! I want you to know that I had the salavating/feel like puking thing with my first boy! I would sit on the edge of the sofa wondering how long before I would be running to the bathroom. So....my guess is BOY! Oh...and so far, #3 has been the easy one! I hope it proves that way for you too!!!
Congrats again!!!

Heidi said...

Yippee!! Here are my two cents:

First - with my two boys I was constantly nauseated but rarely vomited. It was the reverse with my daughter. So my opinion is - if it feels different, it probably is a different sex!

Second - I had three high risk pregnancies monitored by midwives and delivered 3 healthy babies. Midwives rule!!

Congrats Amy & BJ. Oh, and good luck with that sitter for three thing...

Carmen said...

Wonderful news!!! I wondered where the weight loss posts went! I'm so happy for you! I was worried you were off the wagon and depressed about it or something... this is such better news!

Phew! 3 kids! Anyone with more than 2 is a hero in my book. Of course I'm currently up with an 8 month old that hasn't had a decent night of sleep in a month for various reasons so my judgement is tainted:)

I seem to recall a post sometime in the past year where you talked about it getting easier when both your kids turned 2 and how you are past the baby stage... I'm going to try to remember never to say that since it apparently gets you pregnant!Har!

Congrats again!

Eryn said...

Congrats to you! I came here after the thoughtful & thought out post you left in the religion article on 5 Minutes for Mom. I wanted to thank you for taking the time to write your opinions there :)

I'm currently in the process of finishing my certifications to be a nurse midwife, so I'm always so excited by pregnancy posts! I hope really good things for you & yours! Each & every pregnancy is different, so who knows! Goodness, look at how shamelessly I'm over-using exclamation points lol

Anyhow, I will be back to blog stalk you some more, at a time other than 2am ;) Rest well!

~@Leighbra on Twitter

Rob Monroe said...

Hooray! Congratulations on Gozer!

We have a friend who (still, at 3) refers to her son as The Dark Lord Voldemort, or the Dark Lord for short. He's a good kid, it's just a fun nickname. :o)

Anny and I would like you to consider December 16 instead of 15. We share the birthday with each other, and would love to add another to our fun Birthday Buddy Brood. Beethoven shares our birthday, too, if that helps. The 15th is stuck with Don Johnson. Do you really want your child to wear white suits all the time? :o)

Anonymous said...

Quit smoking: check.
Lose weight: check.
Get pregnant: check.

You're awesome, Amy. Congrats to you and BJ and the girls.

Cassondra said...

WOW!! Congrats. It always happens after you lose weight--that's how it worked with me!!! LOL It'll be great. Yeah!! :-)

Chelsea said...

So happy for you! Congratulations :)

P.S.When you mentioned the midwife a few weeks ago I thought you were just planning ahead, you sneaky girl!

amy turn sharp said...

CONGRATS my friend! I am SO SO happy for you all! xoxoxo KISSSSSSSES!

Left of Ordinary said...

Congratulations!!! I hope all goes well. I felt immediately pregnant with my 2nd. Good grief.

I had midwives for both of my births - one a hospital the other a birth center. Both were awesome births. We were home in 4 hours (delivering 10 mins after walking in the door) with my 2nd birth.

Hope you feel better soon!

Rachel said...

Congratulations!