keeping calm and carrying on

The doctor’s appointments continue. I am starting to get weary of all this time spent in hospital and clinic waiting rooms. But the news continues to be stable or good so at least I am encouraged by that. Today Phil was not able to get time off work so my sister-in-law came with me to my ultrasound. It was nice to have company to keep my mind from worrying during the long waits between my different appointments. The current status is that the fluid around the lungs is staying the same. As the baby continues to grow the lungs grow as well so even though they are somewhat restricted by the fluid pockets, the difference is becoming less severe. So, for now we continue to wait and watch.

Two not-so-great things are that I didn’t pass my initial glucose screening, so I will have to go through the full day fasting test again next Monday. I am not looking forward to that and I am really hoping I pass that test as I don’t think I could deal with one more issue right now. The other thing is that the amniotic fluid appears to be more than normal. This doesn’t pose any immediate risks but they are going to have to watch that closely in the coming weeks as well because if it continues to increase it could cause pre-term labor. At least that explains why I am looking so much further along than I really am, it’s not just my imagination! For now they said I don’t need to restrict my activities but I should be prepared for the possibility that I might need to be on bed rest if I start to experience regular contractions or pain. Bed rest would be interesting with a two-year-old at home.

They will continue with the weekly monitoring and testing and, as we get closer to July, decide whether they might need to induce labor early. If that is the case they will have me meet with the NICU and Neonatal staff and go over what to expect when the baby is born as far as how long we would have to remain in the hospital, what procedures might need to be done, etc. I’m still just praying that this issue goes away on its own and that I can have a natural healthy delivery…but mostly just for a healthy baby in the end.

26 weeks (but feeling bigger)

rough day

I try not to use my blog to vent and complain because I know I am truly blessed in many ways. But sometimes it's juts a rough day.


I have been stressing all day about passing my pregnancy glucose test because last time I was pregnant I failed the first test and had to do the full-day version (which I ended up passing just fine). It was one of the worst experiences I have ever had. I had to fast for 12 hours, then chug a nasty sugar syrup and have my blood drawn every hour for 4 hours. Meanwhile I sat in a uncomfortable waiting room chair just praying that I wouldn't throw up or pass out because then I knew I would have to do it all over again. It is such an inhumane thing to make a pregnant woman endure. Now that I have gone through labor I would have to say the full-day glucose test was actually worse. 


So, because I was so worried about passing the test the first time so I wouldn't have to go through that again, I have been eating high protein all day (torture for me) and not snacking before the test even though I was starving because I didn't want to spike my blood sugar. I made arrangements with Phil for him to come home from work early to watch Liam and I finished up my own work early so I could get to the doctor's office on time. When I arrive, they tell me that whoever scheduled me must have made a mistake because the lab is about to close so I'll have to reschedule. I burst into tears. Right there, in the middle of the waiting room, I cry my head off. I start apologizing because I know it's not the lab tech's fault and I babble about coming to the doctor every day and being tired and hungry. I just wanted to run away.


I have been pleasantly surprised at the grace God has given me throughout this whole ordeal so far but I guess a lot of stress has been building up. The truth is, I am sick of going to doctors appointments. Sick of sitting in waiting rooms. Sick of paying for parking at the hospital. Sick of trying to arrange babysitters. Sick of making Phil take time off work. I'm worried that he won't have any vacation days left by the time this baby comes. I'm worried that we'll never get to use vacation days for an actual vacation. Worried that we'll never get to do anything fun together again. Worried that our relationship will suffer from all this stress. Worried about how Liam is being affected. Worried about the baby.


In my heart I know that this time will pass and that everything will work out. But today was a rough day.

feeling loved

I just have to brag about how wonderful my little boy is. Today he has been extra sweet to me.

On Fridays I try to finish my work early so that I can spend some time on housework before the weekend. Of course cleaning gets harder during pregnancy and since we are also doing some remodeling right now I just have to accept that the house won’t be perfectly clean for a while. Liam is a great helper though. He collects all the smaller trash cans from around the house and dumps them into the large one on trash day. He brings that laundry hampers into the front room and helps me sort by colors. Today that was especially helpful because it has become too awkward for me to carry our hamper in front of my big belly anymore so he drug the huge basket all the way out for me. Once the clothes are sorted I turn on the washer and put in the soap and then he does all the work of bending over and putting the load into the machine. Then when it’s time to dry he stands next to me while I take out the wet clothes and he bends down to put them in the dryer. It really is amazing how much help a two and a half year old can provide. Not having to bend over all those times is such a relief.

I sat down to rest for a minute after sweeping and he came up to me and said, “Mommy, you feeling better?” “Yes, I’m feeling ok”, I said. Then he added, “Remember when you were sick you spit in the toilet and flush it?” I laughed, “Yes, I’m feeling better now that I was then.” He smiled and I could tell he was glad I'm not feeling as sick these days.

Later I sat down on the floor to play with him and he came over and started rubbing my shoulders like Phil often does. Then he wrapped his arms around my neck and gave me a big hug and kiss.

Then at lunch he was eating his sandwich and I had a salad. “Mommy, will you share with me?” he asked. I gave him a carrot from my plate and he smiled and said “You shared your carrot with me, that makes me happy!” then he puckered his lips and said “Come here Mommy I kiss you.”

I feel so blessed to have such a helpful and good-hearted little guy in my life. He must learn it from his dad.

sorting laundry

no news is good news

Last week we went into Children’s Hospital to see a pediatric cardiologist for a fetal echocardiogram. The spent nearly an hour doing an in-depth scan of the baby’s heart, checking every valve and blood vessel. It is amazing what they can see. The doctor told us that the function and structure of the heart look completely normal! This is what we expected and were hoping for but it is still a huge relief because the condition with the baby’s lungs is commonly associated with heart defects. Praise the Lord that this does not appear to be the case!

The next day I also got back results of some blood tests they did on me that showed I have all of the correct immunities and no exposure to infection during my pregnancy. This is also great news because infection was another possible cause of the lung issue and would have been one of the more difficult causes to treat. So, we are narrowing down the list of possible causes, but still no answers.

Today we had another ultrasound and things appear to be stable. The baby’s overall growth is normal and the fluid around the lungs has not increased at all. The perinatalogist said she was very pleased to see this and that, while the condition is still serious, the prognosis looks promising. While we still don’t know the cause of the pleural effusions, it appears to be an isolated issue and we will likely be able to put off the drainage procedure until much later in the pregnancy or after delivery, or possibly not even have to do it at all. They are going to continue to see me weekly and do an ultrasound every other week to monitor the situation. I am feeling so relieved. I just have an overwhelming sense of peace knowing that this baby is going to be alright. I just believe it will be.