Evolution of a Fetus

I am incubating a little person.  Yet again :)

This will be our fourth child in 4 years. Teryn was born in 2010, Ryder was born in 2012, Adria was born in 2013, and this baby will be born in 2014.  2011 was the only baby-birthless year we've had since we were married in 2009.  I laugh when I think about it.  My premarital doc told me I would most likely never have children.  Sure proved him wrong!

I already get crazy looks with my three under 3 (I guess Teryn just turned 4, so it doesn't count anymore, but still.) at the grocery store.   Every once in a while I get the "You have your hands full today!" as if I'm babysitting.  Ha!  No ma'am, they all came out of me.

Upon learning of my current pregnancy, several people have hesitantly asked if I'm excited.  Of course I'm excited!  Yes, this baby will be close to Adria in age, but Adria and Ryder were closer than these two will be so I feel like I've been there, done that.  Did we plan this pregnancy?  Not really.  But did it happen at the right time?  Without a doubt.

I actually stopped taking birth control last November because it was messing with me.  I wasn't taking anything different than I had taken before but my body and mind just weren't having it this time for some reason so Tyson and I agreed that it was best to just stop and use our own means of birth control.

I'll spare the intimate details, but I want at least a simple, recolective story about it for my own memory.  There was a night in January when Tyson and I skipped the contraception and when all was said and done, we were both sure we had made a baby.  We were absolutely positive.  The feeling in that moment was undeniable and both of us knew it.  And we were happy about it.  Excited even!  We were at peace.

I started figuring the due date and after a month or so called my doctor's office to get an appointment.  I told the receptionist how far along I was and asked for an appointment near my 12th week.  She said we'd better be safe and get me in as soon as possible and set an appointment for me the following week.  At the time of the appointment she set, I figured I would be about 7 weeks along.

The doc did an ultrasound and I was definitely pregnant but there was hardly anything visible.  No heartbeat, no movement.  He told me that meant one of two things: a) I was not as far along as I thought I was and what we were seeing was perfectly normal, or b) I was as far along as I thought I was, the pregnancy was not normal, and that I would miscarry.  I remember immediately tuning into my heart to see how it felt and it was peaceful.  I knew that everything would be OK and despite doubts that would arise in my mind in subsequent days and weeks, my heart knew that I would not lose that baby. 

Rather than waiting weeks to get an answer, my doctor sent me to the lab for blood work.  He requested a quantitative HCG test to see what level my HCG was at that day and then requested that I come back to see how the level had changed 2 days later.  He told me that if the level doubled within 2 days that would prove a normal pregnancy.  

So I returned for testing 2 days later.  I talked to the lab nurse about how the test worked so I could understand the amount of time I could expect to lapse before hearing from my doctor.  She said the higher the HCG level, the longer the testing time because they have to keep diluting it to get a read on it.  That being the case, I didn't get too anxious and let the day go by without hearing from anyone, hoping that meant my levels were high enough for the test to take some time.

I called my doctor's office later in the day and my doctor's nurse told me they would like me to come in as soon as possible for a quick ultrasound.  I was able to catch my nephew before he traveled home from school so he could come be with my kids while I ran to the hospital.  They got me right in for a quick appointment and the doc told me that the first HCG level came back at 12,000 and the second came back at 19,000 so it hadn't quite doubled, but it was significant enough progress that he was hopeful.  He did an ultrasound and we did indeed see significant growth AND a heartbeat!  It really was amazing to see the difference just 2 days made. 

So he was hopeful for the pregnancy, although still wasn't confident confirming that it would be normal and full term.  Again, I tuned into my heart and felt that everything would be OK so I left his office with comfort and a smile.  According to the baby's heart beat and measurement/mass that day, I was just 5 weeks and 4 days along.

I had another appointment and ultrasound around 7 weeks but it wasn't until my most recent appointment at 11 weeks that my doctor was confident about the baby's growth and my pregnancy.  I smiled, knowing that I had known all along.  Not one of my previous 3 pregnancies/due dates could have been accurately calculated by my LMP- -why would I think this one could be?

That question isn't hypothetical- -the answer is: The feeling Tyson and I had that night back in January.  We were so sure.  And that night was smack dab in the heat of my fertility period in coordination with my LMP so it HAD to be true!  Medically, it had to be!  Right?  For the first time in my life, I would be able to calculate my pregnancy according to my LMP! But now the doctor was telling me I had conceived 2 weeks after that time?  So what the heck?  Why that feeling?  How could Tyson and I BOTH feel such a feeling if it was wrong?  

I thought a lot about that.  It may sound silly, but I felt a range of emotions about it.  Mostly confusion about why we felt such a feeling, disappointment that we were so wrong and frustration that it wasn't true. But I came to a realization one day.  That feeling brought Tyson and I closer together and lifted us to an equal level of excitement/anticipation for another child.  Both of us felt at peace and so comfortable about the idea.  We both knew it was right, even though we hadn't thought about or planned it.  And most importantly- -because we thought the deed had already been done, we stopped using contraception.  *ding ding ding!*  If we hadn't had that moment of surety, we would have continued preventing the opportunity.  The fact that I rarely ovulate, that moment needed to happen or we wouldn't have caught my ovulation that time around.  Because who knows when the next time would have come?  Really, only God knows and that's why He gave both Tyson and I that feeling. I know that now.

The cool part about all this run around is the chance it gave me to see the evolution of my baby.  From an embryo to a fetus.  Life is truly miraculous.  

Isn't it amazing? A miracle, really.  That last ultrasound at 11 weeks was so much fun.  The baby was already crazy active!  We could see both arms and both legs moving all around and the doctor even tried to see the gender since the baby's legs were so outstretched.  That caught me by surprise- -I didn't expect that to be an option at only 11 weeks!  He decided he couldn't see anything, which is good because Tyson and I aren't going to find out but I hadn't told the doctor yet because I thought it was too early to know anyway!  I was so shocked when he tried to see that for a moment I would have let him tell me!  ha!  I let him know that we want it to be a surprise so I won't be tempted at future ultrasounds =0)

So I am about 14 1/2 weeks along now.  Hello second trimester!  

Bring on another baby!