Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Introducing Baby Akin! (or Blob Akin)

We have a baby and it's the most beautiful little blob I have ever seen! (The baby is the little white thing in the middle of that big black hole, in case you're not sure what to look for :) )

We were hopeful that we'd see a baby, but still wanted to be prepared for the worst, just in case. After what felt like hours, the technician came in and began the ultrasound. It wasn’t long before we saw a little white blob on the screen that we knew wasn’t there last week. Obviously, we were thrilled! There was our baby! The baby was measuring 5 weeks 4 days, which means that I’ve only been pregnant for 3 weeks. According to those measurements, I got pregnant on April 29th. But, I got my first positive pregnancy test on April 23rd, and then got two more on April 24th. Confused? There is absolutely no medical explanation for what’s going on and we are perfectly content with that. I believe that I probably did have a blighted ovum and after everyone’s prayers, God put a baby there. Not that I'm suggesting it was imaculate conception. :) We're going in for another ultrasound next Wednesday, June 2nd and they are hoping to hear a heartbeat. If they do, then everything should be okay. But if not, then the baby probably isn’t developing like it should and that could explain why I’m measuring so small. So, please pray that we hear a heartbeat! My doctor is sure that everything is okay because my Progesterone levels (another hormone involved in pregnancy) are so high. My levels were at 25 and she said that most of the time, if a woman is going to miscarry, the levels are 15 or below. That was definitely encouraging.

This is the third time I’ve been 5 weeks pregnant. ha. I would love it if I could just make it to 8 weeks! At my first ultrasound, I thought I was 6 weeks 6 days, and yesterday I thought I was 7 weeks 1 day. This could be the longest pregnancy in history, but I'm going to enjoy every second of it.

Thank you so much for your prayers! You are all a part of this little miracle and I can't wait for you to meet him/her so you can see what life you have been a part of from the VERY beginning.



Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Levels went up!

I was shocked when my nurse called and said that my levels only went up to 18,000. I was expecting them to be at least 27,000 since we thought they would double. But, my doctor wasn't alarmed. She said once they are as high as 13,000, they don't expect to see them rise so drastically. I still wasn't convinced and did some research and found this interesting website.

http://www.americanpregnancy.org/duringpregnancy/hcglevels.html

It was comforting to read that in week 6 (which I'm just now in since my due date was probably wrong) the levels should be between 1,000 and 56,000! What a range! I also read that by week 6 or 7, it could take up to 84 hours for the numbers to double. We'll know for sure at the next ultrasound, but so far so good! I'm just going to keep thanking God for this baby!

Monday, May 17, 2010

Some good news!

I love how alive scripture is! I can read the same verse 50 times and each time it applies to me in a new way. Last week, after our sad ultrasound, this verse was in my devotional.

"Each time he said, 'My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.' So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me."
2 Corinthians 12:9

I never understood that verse. How can you boast about your weakness? But, now I think I am getting a teeny tiny taste of what Paul meant. I have been so excited to know that God is going to use this situation to make me a better person and to show me how incredible He really is!

Now, on to the update...

I went in Friday and again this morning to get my hCG levels checked. HCG is the pregnancy hormone and if the pregnancy is progressing like it's supposed to, the hormone levels should double every 48 hours. So, we won't know anything for sure until tomorrow when we see if they've doubled between Friday and today. But, the nurse said that my levels on Friday were high! (Insert middle-school-girl-squeal here) That was such good news! I could tell that the nurse didn't want us to get our hopes up but, I'm fully confident that there is a baby in there somewhere, just waiting to show itself to the world! Is this any indicator of how stubborn my child may be? :) In fact, I'm so confident that we're having this baby that Thursday we went shopping and I came home with 5 baby books to start our baby's library. :) I feel too pregnant to not be. I've been queasy almost constantly and Nick can tell you that my hormones have been out of control. Poor guy! He's so understanding and sweet! We've still got to wait one more week for the ultrasound, but we're pressing on! Thank you for your continued prayers and encouragement! We love you all!

P.S. If you ever have to give blood and the nurse looks angry, go home and give blood another day. An angry lady with a needle hurts. :)

Thursday, May 13, 2010

What a rollercoaster ride!

I know you aren't supposed to ride rollercoasters when you're pregnant, but we have been on a non-stop one since yesterday. I didn't update you after my first doctor's visit because frankly, there was nothing new to tell. They confirmed that I was pregnant, did some (okay, A LOT of) bloodwork, asked questions about our medical history and did all the usual female check-ups. I was shocked when they said I should come in for an ultrasound the following Wednesday. They said we couldn't hear the heartbeat until 8 weeks, but they still wanted to look so they could get a more accurate due date. Nick and I were thrilled! We couldn't wait to finally see our baby! Well, unfortuantely, there wasn't a baby to see. Just an empty gestational sac. We were broken-hearted and confused. The ultrasound tech said that my sac measured 5 weeks and 3 days pregnant, so it's possible that I'm earlier than we thought, which would explain why we couldn't see anything. Then she said that it could mean I had a blighted ovum. That means that the sac that protects the baby develops, but the baby doesn't make it. She wanted us to see the doctor on call so that he could answer any questions we might've had. I was unsuccessfully fighting back tears when the doctor came in. He reiterated what the ultrasound tech told us, saying that there could be a baby or there may not be. The only way to know for sure is to give the baby more time to develop. So, we'll go back for a second ultrasound on May 24th. He told us not to lose hope. I've tried to be strong ever since we left the doctor's office, but it's hard. I'm going to be completely honest with you, I know that this an incorrect way to think, but I have felt like if I cry about it, that's saying that I don't trust God. I know that's not true and that it is okay to cry. I know that God understands my pain and confusion. I'm feeling much better now after reading story after story of women who had the same diagnosis and then saw a baby and heartbeat at the second ultrasound. There is ALWAYS hope when you serve the God we do! We want this situation to bring Him glory, no matter what the outcome is. I know He has a plan greater than anything we could imagine! But, please do pray for us. Pray for God's will. We only want what He wants, no matter what that is. For now, I'm going to keep praising Him for this baby, because I have hope that he/she is still in there.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

6 weeks!

I can’t believe that it’s been two weeks since we found out we’re expecting! I didn’t think it was possible, but we are getting more and more excited every day! Our first doctor’s appointment is in the morning (May 7th) and I can’t wait! It’s early still, but we’re hoping to hear the heartbeat. I get chills every time I remember that there is a person living and growing inside of me! I’m not sure if that will ever sink in. I’ve had fun learning about Baby’s growth each week. In week 6, Baby’s face starts developing! The well-known verse, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb” has never felt more alive. I know that right now, God is designing the beautiful face of our child and I can’t wait to see what He comes up with! I also love this verse in Psalm 139: “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Isn’t that a wonderful thought? God knows my child’s name, who they’ll marry, what they’ll be when they grow up, and everything else about them! It’s encouraging to know that as children of God, all of our days are ordained by Him! It’s hard to believe in accidents or coincidences when you know that, huh?

We’ll write again soon to let you know what the doctor said! Thank you for your love and prayers!