It's been awhile since I've done an update, and for good reason. We had quite the scare a couple weeks ago, and we weren't sure what was going to happen. But God is good, and continually takes care of us. So here is our update for the past few weeks and some pictures from the beginning of our pregnancy and on:
Our 8 week ultrasound went wonderfully. We got to see baby's little face in our 3D ultrasound and baby's heartbeat was 172 bpm. At 10 weeks, we had two back to back appointments--our last appointment with Midwest Fertility before they'd release me, and my first appointment with my OBGYN at St. Vincent's.
Our 10 week appointment with Midwest Fertility was wonderful. Baby's heartbeat was 171 bpm and during the 3D ultrasound, baby was holding the cord with his/her precious little already formed hands! It was darling. This appointment was SO hard. It was my last one with the people that have been my family for the last year especially (even though they've taken care of me now for 4 years). These people held my hand through tough news; hugged me when I cried and cried because it seemed like everything was tough news; excitedly called me or embraced me when we would finally receive good news; brought me puke buckets and cold wash cloths whenever meds made me sick; wrote me cards or emails of encouragement during the difficult infertility journey; offered up prayers for Thomas and I; cried with and for us when we lost our May 2016 baby; and so much more. These people mean the world to me and leaving them that day to move onto the OBGYN was harder than I can express. They have been there for me in the toughest and darkest time in my life, and never made any comments that made me feel insufficient or hopeless. Instead, they did the exact opposite. They gave me hope, no matter the bad news we faced. Midwest Fertility holds a huge and special place in my heart and they gave me so much more than I could have ever asked for. Not only did they help to give me a baby (God's doing, but through their hands/work), they gave me happiness in a time when it wasn't easy to find. As I left that day and told them goodbye for now, we all cried together. It won't be the last time I see them most likely, but it's different now. I've relied so heavily upon them, and that's going to be a hard adjustment to trust another doctor/practice with. I thank God SO MUCH for leading me directly to Midwest Fertility 4 years ago. They've changed my life for the better in more ways than one.
After my release appointment with Midwest Fertility, I went straight to my 10 week appointment with my OBGYN. During my ultrasound, I got to watch our baby dance up a storm! It was the first time I had ever gotten to see our baby awake and moving around! This was about the only happy part of the appointment. Shortly after, the doctor called me in and we met for the first time. He told me that my ultrasound was concerning to him. He said that the baby's neck looked too thick at this point. He was perfectly nice and told me that he really hoped he wasn't scaring me for nothing and not to worry too much at this point--but obviously, I was immediately a mess. He told me that this could mean our baby either had Down Syndrome or Turner's Syndrome.
I was a mess. I am a special needs teacher. I think kids with Down Syndrome are angels. Their happiness, positive outlook on life, senses of humor, and golden hearts are my favorite and they make my life happier because they are themselves and happy with that. I do not pity them...I think that they live happier lives than most people because of their positivity and happiness. However, I know the terrible things that can come with having Down Syndrome. I know how children with Down Syndrome are far more likely to develop childhood leukemia. I know the health problems that they may face their entire lives. I know how terrible our overall special education system in the US can be, and how other kids would treat my child just because they were different. I see how hard the parents of my students have to work to make sure their child is loved, accepted, and treated as they should be. And that is why I took the news hard. I also took it hard because I was told that Turner's Syndrome can sometimes cause miscarriage later on in the pregnancy. And after all that went into having this baby, and the immense love and gratefulness I have for our baby, I was devastated that we could lose it because of chromosomal abnormalities. It was hard news to take after you've had about 10 months of constant bad news.
My doctor told me that I needed to have genetic testing done, and that would be able to determine if there were any chromosomal abnormalities. He told me the results would be back in 7-10 days. More waiting. More worry. More uneasiness. And this was the day before we left for Disney. He also told me I needed to see a specialist when we returned from vacation, for more information. As soon as I left the practice, I called Dr. Will, my doctor at Midwest Fertility. He helped me feel better and told me that I was in good hands, and to call him as soon as I knew anything. Between him and my momma (and later Thomas once he got off work), I calmed down and was able to relax about our overall situation. I decided there was no point in worrying and I prayed a lot.
Exactly one week later, my phone rang as I was looking at the ocean from our balcony in Florida. I had prayed a lot about our baby and to have peace no matter the results, and had only had one complete meltdown about it....which for emotional me, that's good. My nurse immediately said, "It's all good news." The relief I felt was inexpressible. Thomas came running out because Megan had told him who I was on the phone with, and the relief was evident in his face as well. Our baby has all the correct chromosomes-no less, no extra. We are still attending our specialist ultrasound so they can get a closer look at baby to make sure nothing minor is wrong. They think all is well, but want to be safe, and I am in full support of that.
Also, since we did genetic testing, the doctors know the gender. Thomas didn't want to now until 18-20 weeks at first, I wanted to know the second they knew. We've now compromised and are finding out tomorrow at our specialist ultrasound. We are waiting a couple weeks to tell everyone, but we are excited to know.
We would appreciate prayers yet again with the appointment tomorrow. I am 13 weeks and all we want is a healthy baby.
Here are some of our pictures we've taken throughout the pregnancy thus far:
Our 8 week ultrasound went wonderfully. We got to see baby's little face in our 3D ultrasound and baby's heartbeat was 172 bpm. At 10 weeks, we had two back to back appointments--our last appointment with Midwest Fertility before they'd release me, and my first appointment with my OBGYN at St. Vincent's.
Our 10 week appointment with Midwest Fertility was wonderful. Baby's heartbeat was 171 bpm and during the 3D ultrasound, baby was holding the cord with his/her precious little already formed hands! It was darling. This appointment was SO hard. It was my last one with the people that have been my family for the last year especially (even though they've taken care of me now for 4 years). These people held my hand through tough news; hugged me when I cried and cried because it seemed like everything was tough news; excitedly called me or embraced me when we would finally receive good news; brought me puke buckets and cold wash cloths whenever meds made me sick; wrote me cards or emails of encouragement during the difficult infertility journey; offered up prayers for Thomas and I; cried with and for us when we lost our May 2016 baby; and so much more. These people mean the world to me and leaving them that day to move onto the OBGYN was harder than I can express. They have been there for me in the toughest and darkest time in my life, and never made any comments that made me feel insufficient or hopeless. Instead, they did the exact opposite. They gave me hope, no matter the bad news we faced. Midwest Fertility holds a huge and special place in my heart and they gave me so much more than I could have ever asked for. Not only did they help to give me a baby (God's doing, but through their hands/work), they gave me happiness in a time when it wasn't easy to find. As I left that day and told them goodbye for now, we all cried together. It won't be the last time I see them most likely, but it's different now. I've relied so heavily upon them, and that's going to be a hard adjustment to trust another doctor/practice with. I thank God SO MUCH for leading me directly to Midwest Fertility 4 years ago. They've changed my life for the better in more ways than one.
After my release appointment with Midwest Fertility, I went straight to my 10 week appointment with my OBGYN. During my ultrasound, I got to watch our baby dance up a storm! It was the first time I had ever gotten to see our baby awake and moving around! This was about the only happy part of the appointment. Shortly after, the doctor called me in and we met for the first time. He told me that my ultrasound was concerning to him. He said that the baby's neck looked too thick at this point. He was perfectly nice and told me that he really hoped he wasn't scaring me for nothing and not to worry too much at this point--but obviously, I was immediately a mess. He told me that this could mean our baby either had Down Syndrome or Turner's Syndrome.
I was a mess. I am a special needs teacher. I think kids with Down Syndrome are angels. Their happiness, positive outlook on life, senses of humor, and golden hearts are my favorite and they make my life happier because they are themselves and happy with that. I do not pity them...I think that they live happier lives than most people because of their positivity and happiness. However, I know the terrible things that can come with having Down Syndrome. I know how children with Down Syndrome are far more likely to develop childhood leukemia. I know the health problems that they may face their entire lives. I know how terrible our overall special education system in the US can be, and how other kids would treat my child just because they were different. I see how hard the parents of my students have to work to make sure their child is loved, accepted, and treated as they should be. And that is why I took the news hard. I also took it hard because I was told that Turner's Syndrome can sometimes cause miscarriage later on in the pregnancy. And after all that went into having this baby, and the immense love and gratefulness I have for our baby, I was devastated that we could lose it because of chromosomal abnormalities. It was hard news to take after you've had about 10 months of constant bad news.
My doctor told me that I needed to have genetic testing done, and that would be able to determine if there were any chromosomal abnormalities. He told me the results would be back in 7-10 days. More waiting. More worry. More uneasiness. And this was the day before we left for Disney. He also told me I needed to see a specialist when we returned from vacation, for more information. As soon as I left the practice, I called Dr. Will, my doctor at Midwest Fertility. He helped me feel better and told me that I was in good hands, and to call him as soon as I knew anything. Between him and my momma (and later Thomas once he got off work), I calmed down and was able to relax about our overall situation. I decided there was no point in worrying and I prayed a lot.
Exactly one week later, my phone rang as I was looking at the ocean from our balcony in Florida. I had prayed a lot about our baby and to have peace no matter the results, and had only had one complete meltdown about it....which for emotional me, that's good. My nurse immediately said, "It's all good news." The relief I felt was inexpressible. Thomas came running out because Megan had told him who I was on the phone with, and the relief was evident in his face as well. Our baby has all the correct chromosomes-no less, no extra. We are still attending our specialist ultrasound so they can get a closer look at baby to make sure nothing minor is wrong. They think all is well, but want to be safe, and I am in full support of that.
Also, since we did genetic testing, the doctors know the gender. Thomas didn't want to now until 18-20 weeks at first, I wanted to know the second they knew. We've now compromised and are finding out tomorrow at our specialist ultrasound. We are waiting a couple weeks to tell everyone, but we are excited to know.
We would appreciate prayers yet again with the appointment tomorrow. I am 13 weeks and all we want is a healthy baby.
Here are some of our pictures we've taken throughout the pregnancy thus far:
A couple days after we found out!
The excitement is clearly evident :)
Greatest picture ever...they clearly don't know what to think
One of the pictures we sent to friends to tell them our good news!
Baby at 8 weeks
Baby's First Visit to his/her future favorite place, Disney World :)
Just the cutest ever. Soph wants me to have a girl..no surprise there.
I have had this shirt since December 2016. At that point we were trying and we were going to Disney in January 2017. I took a pregnancy test the morning we went to Disney and thought for sure it'd be a positive. It was another negative and two weeks later we started fertility treatments. So the joy that I experienced finally getting to wear this shirt was a little ridiculous. I loved every second of it.
One of my #1 supporters from day 1 <3
We love you all and love that you're still following our journey. Our baby is really going to love you all. We sure do.
Abby & Thomas
**Also if you're family/close friends wondering why I didn't tell you immediately about the scare, don't be offended. We kept it a secret because we didn't want to unnecessarily worry anyone. We figured if we got bad news we'd tell after we knew for sure. So no worries!
Congrats on the peanut!
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