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| Family picture at 19 weeks |
This post is going to go into detail about my pregnancy with this little lady. I hope that it can serve to assist other preemie parents who are thinking about trying again. So if you are looking for Benton update please check out the other posts :)
From the day I found out I was pregnant I was both ecstatic and anxious, which was understandable given my previous pregnancy. In the early days of my first trimester I just prayed for a healthy pregnancy. As I met with my high-risk doctor he went through our game plan. I would have a cerclage placed at 13 weeks and after that I would be on modified bed rest so my activities would be limited. No picking up Benton, no exercise, no travel. I knew what was in store when I got pregnant, but it doesn't make it any easier to not be able to pick up and cuddle your precious son. Luckily I was able to have the preventative cerclage placed with minimal issues, though my doctor did note that I had so little cervix (less than 1cm) that he hoped it would hold on to 28-32 weeks. He wasn't optimistic for full term, but I kept faith.
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| Prom pose at 20 weeks |
My doctor also advised me that once I hit 16 weeks I would need to do weekly progesterone shots to help maintain my pregnancy. Well let me just say those are not fun. But anything to keep this baby cooking for much longer than little Benton. In addition to the progesterone shots and cerclage, I also had bi-weekly cervical length checks via sonogram. I always looked forward to these as it was not only a chance to see the baby but also I was grateful each visit when my cervix continued to measure over 3cm (i.e. the magic number)!
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| 24 weeks and counting!!! |
To be honest, the hardest days of my pregnancy were weeks 16-24. Each twinge, each pain, each small amount of discharge (sorry for the TMI) would send me into a panic. In my last pregnancy with Benton I started bleeding due to placenta previa at 17 weeks and by 22 weeks my water had broke. It was inevitable that I would compare the pregnancies in my head. On the same day that I started bleeding in my previous pregnancy I constantly was checking to make sure that it wasn't happening again. Even though I knew I didn't have placenta previa this time!
At 21 weeks I had a scary episode where I thought my water had broken early again. I went to Labor & Delivery and luckily it was nothing. After a short bout of monitoring and a quick vaginal exam I was on my way. Honestly nothing terrified me more than having my water break prematurely again. Those weeks where I compared each and every occurrence from my previous pregnancy to this pregnancy were some of the hardest. I just couldn't help comparing. I swear that I went to the doctor at least once a week just to hear that everything was still progressing fine.
24 weeks was the turning point. I had Benton at 23 weeks and 1 day -- technically before viability. Once I hit 24 weeks not only was this baby considered viable in a way that Benton was not, but I knew that the doctors would give this baby girl a great chance at life if I did deliver early. In addition, it was a huge relief to no longer be able to compare each and every day of the pregnancy with my last. It felt as if a weight had been lifted off my chest. I could look forward instead of backward - what a blessing.
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| Bump on Christmas morning (26.5 weeks) |
As I have continued to progress in my pregnancy I have felt feelings I never had before. I have experienced the joy of feeling your baby move and kick your stomach to such an extent that your husband can feel it too! I have had hemorrhoids, acid reflux, sleepless nights where you can't get comfortable no matter how hard you try, and a big beautiful belly that shouts from the rooftops I am pregnant. I never experienced any of this with Benton. Having had a baby so early you never fully experience pregnancy especially the third trimester's growing pains. While there are certainly aspects of the third trimester I wish I could avoid (hello hemorrhoids), honestly I just feel so blessed to be here that every minute gives me joy.
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| Hello Third Trimester: 28 weeks and getting bigger |
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| Feet are about to disappear for the first time ever! |
Currently I am 32 weeks pregnant and what a miracle that is! I have defied my doctor's expectations and now he is looking forward and hoping we can schedule my csection at 37 weeks. Fingers crossed for full term! At my 32 week checkup I had a growth sonogram done and baby girl is measuring large at 5 lbs 2oz. As my doctor explained to me he hopes I can make it to at least 34 weeks as that would mean the baby would no longer need steroids to help her lungs. According to him I have passed the red zone (24-28 weeks) and the yellow zone (28-31 weeks) in pregnancy and I am now in the yellow-green zone of pregnancy (32-34 weeks). The green zone is anything 34 weeks and above as those babies have the same long term outcomes as full term babies! I am so close and am just keeping faith that we can make it to 34 weeks and then 35 weeks, 36 weeks and finally 37 weeks.
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| Hanging outside at 29 weeks :) |
Every single day of this pregnancy I have thanked God for blessing me with this miracle of life and I have counted every single day past 23 weeks as an extra special blessing. Having a baby at 23 weeks definitely makes you appreciate every moment of your pregnancy even more the second time around. Passing 23 weeks deserved celebration. It meant that I could look forward and no longer compare this pregnancy to the last pregnancy because ultimately they were different. I can't wait to update everyone on the arrival of our little bundle of joy and hope that we will be able to take her home with us thus avoiding a NICU stay.
Please send prayers for a healthy full term baby girl, a complication free csection and many happy days ahead as a family of four.
