Earlier this week I was sitting down brainstorming what I should make the topic of this week's edition of "Love Is..." and then, all of a sudden, it hit me. Literally. First in the hip, then in the ribs, and then lastly, straight to the bladder. So this week I decided to write about my new, tiny, growing life. So, here I sit- 30 weeks pregnant with a little baby bug kicking, hitting, moving and shaking all around. Feeling SO blessed to be expecting my second darling daughter. Deciding to have children is one of the MOST wonderful, most terrifying adventures any couple will go on. And some of us are crazy enough to have more than one! :)
But, getting pregnant or staying pregnant, does not come easy to everyone. I know couples who struggle for months and years to conceive a child... and for some that dream never comes to fruition. Thankfully, with the help of modern technology and a God that has been SO good to us, we were able to have our healthy, beautiful, spoiled rotten little girl in July of 2009, and her little sister will join us in October of this year. They did not come without heartache, though. After two miscarriages in 2008, my doctor ran a series of tests on me and my husband to see if there was any reason why this was happening to us, or if it was just a case of- "this is not your time."
Before getting pregnant the first time, we had prayed faithfully and truly felt like God was giving us the green light. So after our second loss, we were really struggling to understand why this was happening. To say I was angry at God.... would be an understatement. I was livid. I cried, John cried, we were crushed. Then- my blood work came back. My doctor called us in to the office to tell me that the tests showed two abnormalities with my blood. One- a folic acid deficiency, and the other- a blood clotting disorder. Both with a high miscarriage rate. She told us right away that she had seen this before and it was a TREATABLE condition. AMEN! We were so thrilled to know that other women with this disorder had successfully carried a baby to term. Then came the "bad news." The treatment?? Daily injections of blood thinner. that I would do myself. in my stomach. everyday that I was pregnant. SAY WHAAAAAAAT?
John and I talked about it... for about half a second. I immediately knew I wanted to do it. I have known since I was about 6 years old that I wanted to be, no, that I was CALLED TO BE, a mother. So my doctor sent us to a Maternal Fetal Medicine doctor. He told us the plan was- as soon as I got a positive home pregnancy test, I was to go to the pharmacy and fill my prescription for a drug called Lovenox. It's a once daily injection, straight in the gut. So, we tried again. and got pregnant right away. Hallelujah! So off I went to the pharmacy, got my prescription and went home and gave myself my first ever shot. I ended up doing 232 shots my first pregnancy. It was not NEARLY as bad as I had first imagined. For the miracle that is our sweet Kennedy, it was an extremely small price to pay.
So, in my 30th week of pregnancy with baby #2, I've done approximately 161 shots... not that I'm counting. ;)
People go to MUCH greater lengths than I have to have a baby. I've known people that have spent their entire life savings on fertility treatment. A friend of a friend re-mortgaged their home to do ONE.MORE.ROUND of IVF... so I am counting my blessings. I am grateful, thankful and extremely happy that all I have to do is a tiny little shot in the belly everyday. Every time I tell people my story, they immediately say "there is no way I could do that." To which I reply "You could if you had to." And it's true, if you were really faced with that choice, you'd do it... because THAT'S what Love is.
Rebekah
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