Peaceful Baby

I am 17 weeks pregnant with our third baby! As I'm sure you can imagine, the thought of being pregnant again is pretty terrifying after two consecutive miscarriages. And this pregnancy hasn't been without complications. I actually found out I was pregnant because my cardiologist insisted I run a routine pregnancy test before he could perform my scheduled angiogram. We were in the midst of figuring out what was wrong with my heart. The echo cardiogram, which was performed about a month prior to finding out I was pregnant, revealed a possibly clogged coronary artery, and a definite atrial septal defect (a hole in my heart). Google both of those in relation to pregnancy and it does not look good. Most sources Trenton and I looked at suggested abortion because the risk was so high for the mother. Any additional testing on my heart had to be put off until after pregnancy, so all we were left with was the hope and faith that with the help of Heavenly Father, my body would be able to withstand the physical demands of another pregnancy without me having a heart attack. I had to stay in bed the entirety of my first trimester, mostly because I had experienced the miscarriages, and bled some, and to give my heart a chance to adjust to the 50% increase in blood. But my morning sickness was so bad I wouldn't have wanted to get out of bed anyway. Once I started to feel a little better I was so excited to get out of the house and be among the land of the living. I enjoyed about 3 weeks of the outside world until I began bleeding heavily. I thought for sure I was experiencing another miscarriage, but it turns out I have placenta previa. The concern with previa is that the mother could begin bleeding and hemorrhage before life-saving measures are available, resulting in both mom and baby dying. So back on bed rest I went, and that's where I'll stay indefinitely. Thankfully I'm not on the type of bed rest that requires me to stay at a 45 degree angle at all times and only shower twice a week. I am able to get up and tinker around the house as long as I'm spending most of my time resting. Bleeding is especially a concern for me because, for what ever reason, my platelets drop when I'm pregnant-so my blood doesn't clot properly. If I were to start bleeding substantially, it could be catastrophic. Unfortunately, low platelets also mean I'm facing the possibility of delivering without an epidural. Pray that my platelets rise, or at least maintain. If they drop much more I'll be having a c-section under general anesthesia. All of this does make for a long pregnancy, but I can't even begin to explain how much I would endure if it meant a healthy baby in the end.

Now to the good stuff...This baby has been giving me reassuring signals from the womb since the beginning. The doctors were able to detect its heart from a very early gestation, I began feeling it move at 11 weeks, and at my most recent ultrasound the little person flashed me the "peace" sign! If that isn't a pleasant foreshadowing of the type of human being this will be, I don't know what is. This has been one of the hardest, most physically trying, loneliest times of my life. But this ultrasound picture always reminds me of when the savior was speaking to his disciples at the last supper. He said, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27)


Until Next Time,
Janet, Trenton, Emma, Ben, and Baby