Thankful

{Written November 25, 2010... Thanksgiving Day!}

Blood work #1: Thursday, November 18, 2010; Positive with HCG levels at 445! (Phew!)

Now, that is great news, but as I'm quickly learning, there will always be something to worry about. First, was making sure I was definitely pregnant. Next? Of course I learn that there is always a chance of an ectopic pregnancy (where the embryo implants itself in the tube instead of the uterus) and there is no chance of a healthy pregnancy not to mention it can actually be fatal to the mom. Awesome. In order to prevent the loss of a fallopian tube or death, my doctor continues to run blood work every few days until the HCG levels reach 2000. Why? Because 1) increasing HCG is a good indicator of a healthy pregnancy (If the levels aren't increasing, this could mean an ectopic pregnancy), and 2) Once your levels reach 2000, the embryo is actually visible on an ultrasound and the doctor can officially confirm if it's in the uterus.

So Tuesday (November 23) I went for my second blood test. Since my sister is a teacher, she has the week off for Thanksgiving and she went with me. We ended up having a great day together: a trip to The Galleria, manicures, and lunch! This was a nice distraction but it was still hard not to wonder what the outcome of my blood work would be.

Since I would get the results the day before Thanksgiving (and of course the doctor's office would be closed Thursday and Friday and are always closed on Mondays) I had asked the nurse if they would let me know my results as soon as possible and that if my levels were high enough, could they get me in last minute for an ultrasound. (We have been planning on telling extended family on Thanksgiving and this would make it so much easier) She said they would try their best but there wasn't much likelihood that my levels were already above 2000.

So here it was Wednesday, and putting myself aside, my brother-in-law was coming home after serving our country for 6 months! (PRAISE GOD!!!) I ran some errands with my friend, and since I hadn't heard from the doctor, I called my MIL and asked her to pick me up on the way to see Jeremy land. (A ton of the family was going to greet him on the tar mac) Jeff was going to meet us there since he was still at work.

And what do you know? Minutes before my in-laws are suppose to pick me up I get a call! "Your levels are well above 2000. We can get you in for an ultrasound but you have to be here by 11:40." OMG!!!!! It was 10:20. I was shaking. So exciting but so scary. Thankfully, Jeff was able to get off immediately and we went straight to the doctor.

My doctor's office is amazing so the wait is never too bad. But when you're waiting to find out if your pregnancy is viable, it feels like eternity!

When we finally got to the ultrasound, the doctor didn't hesitate one bit, "It already looks good." Phew! Another deep sign of relief! The doctor went on to tell us how healthy the pregnancy looked. (Another PRAISE GOD!)

5 Weeks. Jelly Bean is actually a tiny dot within the dot (aka: sac) but what a beautiful dot!

Of course the doctor did remind us to guard our hearts. Until he can see the heart beat (in a couple of weeks), there is a 1 in 4 chance of a miscarriage. (Once he sees the heartbeat, the chances go down to 5%) I also still have an existing cyst that is trying to go away and a new one. He assured us that almost all his patients have these during pregnancy and as long as we take the appropriate precautions, everything should be fine. In order to prevent the cyst from rupturing, he's putting me on Prometrium. I will be a high risk pregnancy so I just have to be a little more careful. I'll cut my exercise back to only walking and the elliptical and I can't lift anything heavier than a milk jug. As much as I'll miss my workouts, jelly bean is totally worth it!

Even though it is still early, we decided to share the news with our families today. What a great day to celebrate with family! We told Jeff's side by having his grandma (Mimi) say the blessing and end it with "I'm especially thankful for the news that I will be a great grandmother!" Now, the family was spread throughout the house and Mimi is soft spoken so there were a lot of "What?" "Huh?!?" then finally "Katie's PREGNANT?!?!?!?!" Haha! It was so fun! My family's Thanksgiving is much smaller so I just came right out with it! (It's news that's just so hard to keep to myself!) Everyone was excited and it was so special to have everyone celebrate with us.

We have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving! I can't give God enough praise! Thank you Lord for Jeremy's safe return home and thank you for this little miracle You are growing inside of me!

(Please continue to pray for a healthy pregnancy, a healthy baby, a healthy mommy, and for Jeff and myself to place our fears in Gods hands!)