Oh how I have longed to be one those lucky lucky women who seem to sail right through pregnancy; whose bodies just naturally know what to do ... whose biggest worries consist of what color to paint the nursery and what style of shoes best accommodate their swollen feet.Alas, I will never be one of those women.
I used to feel a little bitter about it, but really, that's just ugly. Over the last few years I've learned to let go of the envy and instead embrace the struggle. God gets to show off in a major way every time I am pregnant, and that's pretty cool, right?
But being in the midst of the battle means there's never a dull moment at the Wren house. Such has been the case over the last few weeks. Around 12 weeks I began feeling abdominal cramping, which at that time felt like a dull ache similar to menstrual-type cramps. Upon seeing that I had a higher white count in my urine, Dr. Garcia assumed I must have a bladder infection, and started me on an antibiotic. Two days later we got the test results back showing there was no bladder infection afterall. Nurse Debbie called to share the "good news", and I immediately began to cry. Indeed this was not good news to me ... it meant that the cramps must actually be contractions.
Since that time they have strengthened a bit, in frequency and severity. They are now more distinguishable as contractions, coming and going, worsening at different times of the day and under different circumstances. In addition I'm now feeling pain and pressure in my cervix whenever I stand or walk for more than a few minutes. Today I saw Dr. Garcia and he insisted on an ultrasound to measure the cervix, even though I am seeing Dr. Mann tomorrow and she will be doing the same measurement. I love that he takes no chances, waiting 24hrs was just not even an option for him. He is a better-safe-than-sorry kind of guy, and that is just one of the many reasons why I adore him so.
The ultrasound showed my cervix to be 4cm long, which is great news! Dr. Garcia ordered me to start the 17P injections today rather than wait until week 16 as we originally planned. The 17-Hydroxy-Progesterone is the weekly intra-muscular injection that is thought to reduce the risk of pre-term labor. Aetna Pharmacy had already shipped the vials and needles to me about a month ago, but had not yet finalized arrangements for a home nurse to administer these to me each week. So when I came home from Northside, I retrieved my medication and began searching for someone qualified to inject it for me. My first stop was to the sweet servants at the local fire station, who helped me repeatedly while I was pregnant with Jamin and having blood pressure problems. They were eager to help today but explained that their regulations forbid them from administering an injection unless I became a "patient" which meant I would have to go to the ER! No thanks :) I almost got up the nerve to inject myself in the leg muscle (pure desperation!) when I remembered two sweet friends with some medical training. Gotta love generous friends who don't mind getting their hands dirty to do you a favor!
So I was able to get my first shot this afternoon, and beginning next week Aetna will be sending a nurse to my home each week to do these for me. The "standard" protocol requires 17P to continue weekly until 34 weeks gestation (though the thought of "standard" is almost laughable to me!) ... but if this is the case I will have about 20 more of these shots left. This got me thinking about my Lovenox shots, and for the sake of entertainment I decided to count those too. Now I'm wishing I hadn't counted! So far I've had 67 Lovenox injections (tonight will make 68), and if my math is right I have about 196 more to go. I haven't shared the bad news with my tummy yet (it won't be too happy).
In happier news, we are insanely anxious to finally learn the gender of the baby! I've had three ultrasounds in the last three weeks (one today in fact), each time hoping to learn whether we'd be on Team Pink or Team Blue this go-round. Alas, each time the technician could only manage to tell me: Team Yellow. Ugh! I hate hate hate hate hate not knowing! And yes I do realize I am an impatient brat and yes I know that most women have to wait until 20 weeks to find out. I have no earthly idea how these women control themselves that long because I would literally pull my hair out if I was forced to wait until then! So kudos to you ladies! You have much more self-control than I do!
Hopefully our waiting game will end tomorrow, when I see Dr. Mann. She assured me at my visit 3wks ago that we would definitely be able to tell the gender this time ... so unless the baby is curled into a teeny tiny ball with a metal plate covering the pertinent parts, I think our membership on Team Yellow will finally come to a close. James, Gracie, and I are all hoping for Team Pink this time, though James says he has a "feeling" it's a boy. Gracie has her heart completely set on a sister, who she plans to name Moe. She has very firmly made up her mind and I'm pretty sure she's not changing it. I tried to talk to her about the possibility of another brother, to which she declared that we will just dress him in pink and call him Moe anyways. So this could present a slight problem. And I am cheering for a girl, just because the last two have both been boys and it would be fun to have some pink in the house again. But of course I know that my plans are not God's plans (only took me 31 years to figure that one out!), so I will take whatever He gives me :)
Stay tuned for the big announcement tomorrow!
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