I’m having a hard time accepting the fact that we are celebrating Wyatt’s second
birthday on Thursday! Where did the time go? It isn’t that I don’t realize on a daily
basis that Wyatt is knocking on the door of “terrible two’s” (tantrums, telling us no,
screaming for no apparent reason, and more) but it is the realization that two years
have passed with this precious miracle for whom we so diligently prayed. It also
makes me realize just how many things have changed in our lives in those two years.
Since bringing Wyatt home, Chris has started a new job, we struggled through
some difficult times learning to lean on each other more than before, enough ear
infections to merit tubes, countless bouts of strep, a ton of illness for all three of us,
and of course selling our house and buying a historic home. This last change alone
could take hours to read if an entire blog post was written about it, but in a nutshell
it has been a constant amount of money, work and challenges thus far with a lot of
questions about why we were lead to believe that certain things were done (or at
least done right) only to find the errors later on. HOWEVER, we love our house, love
the location, and love what this home is going to hold for our future as a family and
wouldn’t change ANY of it!
In addition to those things, we are also expecting our second child! We are so
excited to see what this baby girl will bring to our family when she comes home with
us in May. Usually when I tell people we are expecting, I am asked a series of similar
question which is why I decided to dedicate this post to answering these questions! :)
Will you have the same problems you had in your pregnancy with Wyatt?
The first thing that goes through my mind is that “every pregnancy is different”. I
have seen that so far between the two—I never was sick with Wyatt, was sick as a
dog with this one, had a headache every day with Wyatt, have rarely had a headache
with this pregnancy. Although I am sure that some people ask because they want
to know these things, most people ask because really they want to know if I will go
into preterm labor again. To that, I have a much longer answer. When Chris and I
decided we wanted to try for another child, we had some difficult decisions to make
and lots research to be done. Obviously, I wouldn’t want to be in the hospital again
for months, so we looked into several options that would hopefully help with that.
We decided to pursue a transabdominal cerclage (TAC). A TAC is placed by going
through my abdomen (similar to a c-section) and a band is placed around my cervix.
This band can apparently hold the weight of a bus and keeps my cervix from ever
dilating. If my cervix cannot dilate, then the baby can only come out by c-section. It
is different from a traditional cerclage because it is placed higher up and has a much
higher rate of success. The problem is, there are very few doctors who do them. I
had a consult with a doctor in Indianapolis as well as a doctor in Chicago, and after
much prayer and research, we chose to have this procedure done in Chicago by a
Dr. Arthur Haney. I had only spoken to him on the phone prior to my procedure,
and he truly put all my fear at ease and answered all of my questions (and then
some) without making me feel overwhelmed and unsure about this procedure. So in
April, Chris and I went to Chicago for this procedure, I took 2 weeks off of work and
returned to school without any trouble.
Will you be on bed rest/how long will you be able to work?
This is a difficult question to answer because we cannot predict the future. Because
of the TAC, my concern of preterm labor is reduced by a HUGE amount, but of
course, there are 100 other reasons a person can go on bed rest. At this point in
time, I am not on bed rest and am still working full time! It is my intention to work
until my scheduled c-section, but anything can happen I am sure. With the TAC,
the doctors do not want me to have too many contractions (which I started having
at roughly 18 weeks) so I am monitored for that. I have been put on medicine that
I then had to stop taking because apparently it isn’t good to have a blood pressure
of 60/30 on a regular basis. So I have contractions and know the threshold I am
allowed and when I am to call the doctor. I really do follow the doctors orders. I
realize that I have a lot of contractions, but until she is concerned, I am not going
to be concerned about them. It is still my intention, as well as my doctors, to work
and stay off of bed rest until I deliver this precious girl. That said, I am supposed to
take it easy when I can. I sit during the day when I can. I stay off my feet as much
as I can at home. I do not work out. I usually do not cook dinner. I try to not lift
Wyatt as much as possible. Chris has really taken over the daily household chores
including cooking, cleaning, chasing Wyatt, tending to Riley (in, out, in, out—the life
of a beagle). I sometimes feel like a lazy bum, but I know that I am doing what I can
to take it easy and follow the doctors instructions!
And finally, my least favorite question: Why would you decide to have another
baby even after everything you went through?
Chris and I decided together that we wanted to have a second baby. All babies are
a miracle and we were going to try for a second baby when the timing was right.
We knew all along that one baby wouldn’t be enough for us, and we prayed that a
second baby would be a realistic possibility for us. And it is. When we found out
in October that we were pregnant we couldn’t have been more happy! Were we
afraid? Absolutely, but who isn’t when they find out they are bringing a baby into
the world and the responsibility of that. Wyatt will be blessed with a little sister
that he will likely torment and pick on, but she will hold her own and stand up to
him we are sure of it! So in answer to the question, why wouldn’t we want to have
another baby? This baby is a miracle. This baby will be loved beyond anything we
know. This baby was prayed for and about. This baby will continue to be prayed
for. Plus, Chris and I did everything we could to make sure that all preventative
things were done to make my pregnancy as easy on all of us as we can. The rest, we
just leave to God. Whatever else happens is going to happen no matter how much
we prepare. And we trust that God will provide anything that we need as the time
continues. We know we are blessed with families that will help us if the day comes
that I am on bed rest. We have a large circle of people around us that will help us if
things get difficult. But ultimately, we have turned this all over to God because we
truly believe that He will provide for us, He will hear our prayers, and He will watch
over this baby girl.
Sorry for the lengthy post, but it is something that I have had on my heart for some
time and figured that now is as good of a time as any to write it! Hopefully, there
wont be a 2 year hiatus from our family blog this time!
Maggie
