30 Weeks!!!

Hello everyone!

It seems like it's been a long time since I have posted. This is because my pregnancy has been going wonderfully! I have been gaining weight consistantly and my doctor has been very happy with the way things have been going. I have been having appointments every two weeks and hearing the baby's heartbeat so regularly has really put my mind and heart at ease. Baby has also been moving a lot and has been having the hiccups multiple times a day. I am so thankful for this reassurance that there is life inside of me! I am still at work and see no reason thus far to not continue my teaching until the day that this baby comes. People think that I am joking when I say this, but I want to be able to spend as much of my year off with baby as possible.

Today I had my 30 week ultrasound in Winnipeg. I always get excited to see baby but nervous at the same time. There are always those thoughts that something will be wrong. Marie was my technician again and she is just so wonderful! She immediately pointed out everything on the baby and reassured us that there is nothing wrong with this child that she is aware of. the brain is developing perfectly as well as the body. Baby enjoys having its feet in its face and has the longest fingers. It is already developing chubby cheeks just like its father! He says that every baby has these but I think this is genetic for this baby :). Baby is already weighing about 3 pounds which is about the size that Mason was when he was born. Marie kept saying that baby was smiling at her and that she needs a picture when he/she is born since I will probably be delivering in Winkler. I assured her that she would be receiving one since we will be proudly showing baby off to anyone and everyone!

I asked Marie what the chances were for this baby if it happened to be born today. She told me that there is over 90% chance of survival and a normal life. I think that us having living children has now become a reality! Nathan and I thank you all so much for your prayers. God is awesome and this is definitely proof! I hope that my next post will be with a child in our arms!

-Crystal

20 Weeks!

Hi!

According to ultrasound measurements I was 20 weeks along yesterday. Wow! Halfway already!!! Where has all of that time gone?!! At 17 weeks I started to feel baby kick. It is the most wonderful feeling in the world! I just pause what I am doing now when I begin to feel him or her. Nathan has even felt the kicks in the last week. We are just so excited!
I can't even begin to tell you all how much your prayers have meant to us! We have felt them for so long and know that this is not a journey that we are taking on our own. All of you are sharing it with us!
Today was my big ultrasound. The one where the tech and doctor look over the baby's complete anatomy to determine whether or not there are any developmental problems. We had it done in Winnipeg at Fetal Assessment (Health Science Centre). The tech was Marie; the same person who has done our other ultrasounds. I'm sure that she has many women that she encounters daily, but she remembers us and asks questions about personal things to make us feel important to her. We love that because the building just seems so impersonal. Anyway, Our ultrasound went extremely well! Everything on baby is developing perfectly. There is no omphalocele or diaphragmatic hernia. The lungs are developing well and the stomach is where it should be. Baby is moving a lot and Marie keeps saying that he/she definitely has momma's long legs! He/she also has lots to say so Nathan is convinced that it must be a girl and that he will have even more to listen to in the future! :) Once Marie was done with all of the measurements she had Dr. Reed come take a look just to make sure that she didn't miss anything. He was the doctor that did all of Mason's ultrasounds so we got to see another familiar face. He also didn't find anything wrong. After the ultrasound Marie said that there is no need for another ultrasound because of baby's development but offered to give us another one at 30 weeks just to continue reassurance. So we will be seeing baby again in 10 weeks!
God is so good and we are being so blessed! He is obviously listening to all of you!!! I guess we will be expecting a healthy bundle around January 19th!

God Is In Control

I have been feeling great!
This last Monday I was exactly 13 weeks along and I was feeling like having a baking day. I had the bun dough rising and was beginning to make banana muffins. I felt the need to go to the bathroom and realised that I was bleeding heavily. I panicked and cried out to God about how I could again be losing a baby. I decided to go to emergency and called Nathan to meet me there. Once I got there I was sent to the trauma room to wait for a blood test and ultrasound. I had a wonderful doctor who told me that my eight week ultrasound might be a positive thing to hold onto. Miscarriages happen way before the bleeding usually starts. She also said that heavy, bright red bleeding is not a good sign and that if a D & C is needed that I may have to wait until the next day. I was so distraught! I couldn't believe that this was really happening. I felt that this was probably God telling us that children are not in our future.
About 2 hours later I was scheduled for an ultrasound. I was wheeled into the room and came face to face with the same tech that I always have. She looked at me with the saddest expression ever and told me that it was too early to see me. I agreed. I lay down on the bed and she placed the paddle on my belly. Immediately she whispered, "I see a heartbeat!" I started crying and saying God is good. She also got teary eyed and continued to check the baby. It was measuring at exactly 13 weeks which is perfect and was bouncing around. There is a sack of blood beside the uterus that just bleeding out now. Apparently this is common and nothing to worry about. I was so relieved and excited that I smiled all the way back to the trauma room and said with excitement to Nathan that it is still alive.




Yesterday I had my first ultrasound and Fetal Assessment in Winnipeg. I was really nervous for this appointment because I knew that the doctor would probably be able to see if there are any major defects. As it turns out, everything seems to be developing perfectly! The heartbeat is great and baby is moving like crazy! He/she even waved to us. Little show off! :)
The tech showed me that the belly is forming beautifully and that there is no bump in the umbilical cord, which means that there is no omphalocele.



She also measured the heart from the head and it is exactly where is should be. If there was a diaphragmatic hernia then the heart would be pushed to the side because of the stomach being in the chest. We just keep having good ultrasounds!!! I just pray that this continues. Our next ultrasound is in 7 weeks where they will do a thorough check of everything to make sure that development is perfect. I continue to pray for a protective hand on this baby and for peace that God is in control. Nathan and I have felt all of your prays and thank-you for continuing to think of us. Please keep them coming! We can hardly wait until January!!!!!

Another Try?!!

Hello all!
This last year has been an incredibly stressful one! I've had some work challenges, a miscarriage, and we had to bury my niece. Sometimes you just wonder how God is able to allow so much pain in one's life. His plan is so hard to accept sometimes!
Nathan and I are still hoping to be able to raise children. We know that this may not be God's plan for us and we will accept that if and when we feel that He has given us that clear answer.
In April we decided to try taking fertility medication to see if I would ovulate properly. I have been having cycles that have ranged from 21-36 days and it has been very frustrating.
On May 17th I was on day 37 of my first month on Clomid. At 3:30am I just couldn't sleep so I took a test. It looked positive, but I knew that I had to take another to be sure. I lay awake for the rest of the night thinking about how our lives might change next year. Just before Nathan left for work that morning I took another test and it was also positive! I told him he was going to be a daddy again! His response was one of joy and excitement!!!
On June 9th (8 weeks) I had an ultrasound at Boundary Trails hospital to make sure that this baby has a heartbeat. I had so much anxiety about this ultrasound because we have never come out of an ultrasound room with smiles on our faces.
I asked if Nathan could be in the room with me at the start of the exam, but it is against their policy so he had to stay in the waiting area. The tech who did my ultrasound was the same one who did the one with my miscarriage and with Mason and she remembered me. In Winkler it always seems like an ultrasound exam is a big secret and the patient isn't supposed to know anything right away, but I think that she could tell that I needed her to tell me about this baby right away. As soon as she saw this little miracle she told me that there was a strong heartbeat. I was so relieved! She turned the monitor to me and showed me where the head was and the little, tiny heart that was pumping strong. Then she did a few measurements and confirmed that I am eight weeks along. She also told me that I have a tilted uterus. She didn't know if this could be the reason that we have a hard time conceiving, but some believe that this could be why. After this she called Nathan into the room and showed him this beautiful baby! We even got to see the spine and the little limbs that are developing! What an incredible miracle!!!