Can it be time now?

Seriously, can it be time for me to catch a break with this pregnancy?!?! Now that I have been getting nutrition for over a month, even gained 9 of the 27 lbs. back, have had energy, and have been feeling pretty well (all things considered), the time has come for the other shoe to drop. As of this morning's doctor's appointment, I have officially been placed on strict bed rest for pre-eclampsia (click for more info)! Unbelievable!

My blood pressure has been running freakishly low this entire pregnancy- thanks to the Hyperemesis- hanging out at about 80/60. This past Monday the home health nurse came to change my PICC line dressing and draw my labs, and my blood pressure was 138/94. We both thought that is was a fluke since she had just been here on Friday and I was still at my normal, low reading. She tested it 3 more times during her visit, both manually and with a monitor, all coming back at about the same reading. She immediately called my OB's office to report this since it was such a drastic change from where I had been. They called me back and ordered a 24 hour collection to check for protein in my urine - protein in the urine is the one definitive diagnostic tool for pre-eclampsia. I got the results today, and I did test positive. At this point it is just "moderate" and does not warrant immediate delivery.

For now, we are still planning delivery for July 13th, however there is a very good chance that it may be sooner. I have 2 appointments next week with my OB's colleague (who, by the way, he brought in to meet us today saying that "he will be delivering the baby depending on how things go while I am gone on vacation"), have to do another 24 hour collection to see if the levels are increasing, as well as additional lab draws that need to be done.

This is all too familiar, as this is what happened when I was pregnant with Brayden. I just thought/was hopeful that having gone through all of this HG stuff that I might actually get spared from this. On the bright side, I got this with Brayden at 32 weeks along and had to deliver him at 35.5 weeks. I am already 35 weeks, so even if this were to progress quickly, Rhylan will be just as "cooked" as Brayden was- and Brayden was fine after a short NICU stay, and no long term effects from being early. We shall see how it all plays out- My hunch is that I will progress more quickly than I did with Brayden just because of how quickly it came out of nowhere this time (literally over a weekend), whereas with him it was gradual and we had warning signs for weeks before I actually tested positive.

35 Weeks

Jason snapped a couple of quick pictures of me and my (finally growing) belly tonight. I am 35 weeks today, so technically 5 weeks from my due date, but we are delivering in 17 days. Next week a friend of mine, who is an amateur photographer, is going to do an actual pregnancy photo session for me- and I am really excited to get that done. In the meantime, I thought I would
post these, even if the are horrible ;)!

Lucky Number 13

I spoke too soon when I posted that Rhylan will be making his entry on July 12th. Due to some "unforeseen circumstances" with Jason, we have had to switch which hospital I have to go to for my c-section.

(See, my hospital is a Catholic Facility, and they can't tie tubes because it is considered birth control. And we need to have something permanent done here, because we are NOT chancing me getting pregnant again. I am not exaggerating, we are both in agreement that it could very well kill me! Well, Jason had a bit of pre-procedure jitters- err, ok, he passed out just talking to the dr. during the consultation for him to take care of this issue on his end. So, now, just like so many things in this world, if something going to get done, you have to leave it up to the woman to do it!)

The new official date is

Friday, July 13th

I guess Baby Rhylan is carrying on a family tradition, as I was also born on a Friday the 13th (explains a lot), and my sister was a 13th baby as well. I think that the date couldn't be anymore of an appropriate ending to this crazy pregnancy!

Shower

Three wonderful friends of mine threw a beautiful baby shower for me today. It was really nice-- the shower itself, having friends and family there to help celebrate the upcoming arrival, feeling like a "normal" pregnant mommy for a few hours- it was just perfect beyond words! Thank you to all of you that helped make this day so special.

Jason had a double header baseball game out of town today, so Brayden came with me to the shower. He loved it, and was more than happy to help open gifts for his little brother. He also got some "big brother" gifts from Grandma's and Aunts, which were a big hit as well. Once we got home, he couldn't wait to show Daddy everything. He was so animated and excited to tell him all about what Rhylan got and how he is going to help take care of his baby.

This was the best day I have had in a long time!

It's A Date

JULY 12, 2007!

That is the official date Rhylan Grier will be joining the Atkisson Family and the world!

Small Victory!!

Update on Being "Homebound" : I still am not allowed to drive, but I am exempt from the Homebound Clause that I had to sign!! Yay! Hooray for small victories!

Jason just talked to our Benefits Coordinator for our insurance this morning regarding this concern, and she said that is absurd in my situation. She explained that the reasoning behind that rule is (as I had said), because most Home Health patients are Medicare patients, and it is felt that if you need home care it is because you are unable to get out of the house to get the care you need- which makes sense. However, in my case, the only other place to receive the services that I am getting from the home health nurse would be the hospital. As far as the insurance is concerned, they would rather pay for home nursing care than a hospital admit if at all possible, so this is the best option (I agree!). So, to make a long story short, they can take their "Homebound Clause" out of my chart and burn it!!

Now, who wants to come over and pick me up to go somewhere and get me out of here for a while!?!?!? :)

Latest Ultrasound Pictures

Last Thursday we had an ultrasound of Rhylan. All looked good and he is still growing well. He measured in at over 3 lbs., and was quite active. The ultrasound tech was sneaky and took a couple of shots of 3D pictures- they didn't turn out all that well because my amniotic fluid levels are low, so it didn't have enough in there for the sound waves to bounce off correctly for a very clear picture.


In this first picture, you can see his face. During the ultrasound he was smacking his lips, yawning, and rubbing his face. It was so cute! It almost looks like he is smiling here- which the technician even commented on.



This is one of the 3D ultrasound pictures. It took me a minute to figure out what I was looking at, and then it just jumped out at me. On the left side of the picture, you can see where it is all black, and then the profile of his face pops out. He even had his eye open- which is very rare in utero.


I know I promised I would not have anymore drama happen with me, but I guess that some things are out of my control. I figured I would give a quick update since I have had several people inquiring.

I was admitted to the hospital, (for the 11th time) right from my appointment, for severe dehydration and more weight loss. The doctor decided that it was time for me to have a PICC line (click for more detail on what a PICC is, if you are unfamiliar). I had the procedure performed on Friday to have it placed, and started on peripheral nutrition (TPN) through it that night. After I was released last night, I was admitted to Home Health nursing care, and the nurse came and spent about 3 hours with us to teach us how to set up my equipment and do the infusions, and was back for about 2 hours this morning. The hope is that getting nutrition through the tube feeding will get my nutritional status to a better place, solve the problem of the loss of consciousness episodes, get my blood pressure normalized, and help me to gain some weight- as the baby needs to gain about 1/2 pound a week at this point and the doctor was worried that the baby could fail to get what he needs or worsen my condition further in the process. As of right now, I am honestly not feeling any better from the nutrition, but am hopeful that I will soon. I think that I was so sick when I was admitted, now topped off with being exhausted and overwhelmed, and the increased nausea from the TPN, that my body has just had it.

The home health nurse will be back tonight to check in on me and get the TPN going again for the night. I am happy that I am getting the care I need, but had a little breakdown last night after having to sign paperwork stating that I understand that to have the in home care, that I have to remain home bound while I have the PICC line- which is until delivery!! Not getting home care isn't an option as they supply the TPN, equipment, and have to do my dressing changes, and blood draws 3 times a week. I am not happy about this agreement, and will be dealing with the director of the home nursing company early next week. I understand that I am already supposed to be on modified bed rest, and that it is a liability issue for them, but they also have to understand that I am not their usual elderly patient with infection, post surgery, etc.! The home bound clause is something that was implemented by Medicare, which I am very obviously not on! I already feel so isolated and depressed having gone through all of this the past 7.5 months, I can not imagine not even being able to go to a friend's house, or to the store with my family, nothing, until the baby is born.

On a positive note, due to the severity of the complications of this pregnancy, my doctor has moved my c-section up by 2 weeks. Rhylan will be making his appearance into the world in just under 6 weeks- the week of July 4th!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

By Popular Demand....

I was on the phone with my good friend, Susan, who lives in Colorado. She had mentioned that she wanted to see what my belly looks like at this point. This was one of several requests I have had in just the past week, both from people that are far away, and friends here because I don't ever go anywhere or see anyone these days.

I will be 30 weeks pregnant this Tuesday. (Well I count Tuesdays as my week change anyway. It is confusing because I have 2 due dates- the original one based on just math, which is August 2nd, so that would put me on Thursday, and the updated one is based on ultrasound and when we had our infertility done, which is July 28th, which would mean Sunday's are my week change. So, for simplicity I just count smack dab in the middle. Doesn't matter much anyway since it will be a planned c-section at 38ish weeks. We will hopefully know more of a definitive date this Thursday after my ultrasound.....)

Don't mind the fact that I have on no makeup! Hey, I at least showered and decided put on some clothes just for the picture. Jason and I thought it would be nice if we had one picture of this pregnancy for the scrapbook where I am not in PJs!!

Scary Day

It really wasn't my intent to use this blog to post the woe's of this pregnancy, but it just seems to keep being the biggest news in our house. Today was no exception- only this drama was new and different than anything I have ever experienced.

I swear, I can't seem to catch a break! So, I woke up this morning feeling pretty well- or at least well comparatively speaking for me. We took Brayden to his last swimming lesson, then to Home Depot to get paint for the nursery and flowers to plant in the front yard. It felt so good to feel somewhat normal and be out w/ my family on a beautiful day. Brayden had to go to a birthday party this afternoon, so we decided to just grab some lunch while we were out (I had actually kept down my Cheerios this morning!). Brayden LOVES a particular Chinese buffet in town and really wanted to go there, so we did.... That is when the fun started.

I took Brayden up to get his food, and before I even got a plate, I turned to Jason and said "Honey, I am not feeling right, I need to go sit down". On my way back to the table I lost all of my peripheral vision and was just overcome by the strangest feeling. All I can remember after that was looking at a booth across from me thinking "maybe I should lie down before I pass out", but not wanting to look like an idiot by doing so, and then a lady 2 tables away asking "Are you ok honey, you don't look very good?". I remember saying "No, I feel really weird." The next thing I knew, Jason was holding my head, I was shaking, sweating profusely, and my eyes were rolling back in my head, 2 women had Brayden, and there were several people standing around me, including an off duty EMT on the phone to 911 saying that I had a seizure. I remember being asked questions, but I couldn't answer them, and the voices were all warped and echo-y. Then things go blank again. I don't remember anything more after that until I woke up in the back of an ambulance with an oxygen mask on me and them trying to start an IV.

My BP was WAY low in the ER- 78/52, and they were saying that was "up" from what it was when the ambulance first got me. The ER doc wants me on a heart monitor for 3 days to track what is going on, but he couldn't get a hold of one today so I have to wait until Monday to go to the Cardiac Care Center to get hooked up on the monitor. I also have to go to my OB on Monday for him to follow up and to see if this is PG related (I am guessing so!!) etc. In the meantime, I am to take it easy, check my BP and heart rate often, and absolutely no activity or driving. I have fainted before, but never anything like this- it was SO scary. I experienced what is called Syncope or Vasal Vagal Episodes twice when I was pregnant with Brayden, which isn't all that uncommon in pregnancy. They are scary fainting episodes, and despite being very scary they are "harmless". This was very different from that, and I can't even explain the feeling that overcame me before this happened today, or when coming to.

Oh, and just to top off the fun, I have a Urinary Tract Infection. If you all recall, I was in the hospital on Monday for contractions on top of a constant "pressure type pain" in my lower abdomen. I am guessing this would explain why the pressure is still there!! I got a big shot of antibiotics while in the ER and hopefully that will do the trick, but my Dr. will following up on it when I go on Monday.

***Promise to self: The next blog entry I post will be drama free and about a wonderful day that I have been able to have!!!***

Our Stay in Rockford

Jason had business to attend to in Wisconsin this week and last, so he dropped Brayden and myself off in Rockford with my family for a week. We will be back in Champaign late Wednesday or early Thursday.

Yesterday I was able to meet a few of my friends from high school, and catch up, while we let our kiddos have lunch and play at the park. This particular park also has a petting zoo, The Children's Farm, so we took the kids to see the animals. Brayden really enjoyed playing with "new" friends, having a fun day, and enjoyed the beautiful weather.

Today Grandpa Bob is taking Brayden to go fishing for the first time, which he is really excited about. I will have to update later to let everyone know how it goes, and if they catch anything. While they are there, my sister, Bethany, and I are taking my mom to a Day Spa to have a "girl's day" and get mom (and ourselves) pampered a bit for Mother's Day. We are getting Mom a massage, facial, spa pedicure, manicure with paraffin treatment, and some other little goodies. I am looking forward to my hour long facial and spa pedicure while there!! (I opted not to do a massage because I am holding out for an appointment w/ my friend, Sally, to give me a nice, long pregnancy massage!)

The next hour can't pass fast enough- I am so looking forward to a little indulgence! I had a pretty rough day yesterday, so I am looking forward to it even more. I started having pains in my lower abdomen yesterday morning, kind of a really intense pressure. I kept thinking it would pass. After taking Brayden to the park/Children's Farm, it was getting worse. Then on our drive home, I started having contractions every few minutes. I called my doctor's office in Champaign and they had me go directly to Labor and Delivery at one of the hospitals here, given my past record of pre-term labor with Brayden. With him it started at 30 weeks, and I am 28 weeks right now. I was scared to death, but went in. Luckily, all of the tests came back fine, except I was really dehydrated (again). The monitor strip showed some "uterine irritability" and contractions, which they thought were probably being caused by the dehydration. So, they got a fast drip IV started and kept an eye on it to see if hydration would bring the contractions down. Thank goodness, that is what it was, and things settled down the more hydrated I got. As far as the intense pressure, they are thinking that I actually pulled my round ligament (which usually stretches gradually in pregnancy) since my belly has literally "popped" in the past 2 days. I couldn't fit in maternity clothes when I got here, and now that is all I can fit in- granted they are still huge and look ridiculous, but I am in them nonetheless.... FINALLY! (I jokingly describe it as I "sprained" my belly by popping so fast.) So, I spent most of my day and all night at the hospital, but am now back at my parent's and things are settled back down.

(That was hospitalizaton #9 for this pregnancy, anyone want to make wagers on the total count before Rhylan is born?!?!? We could form a pool of some sort! I am so, so, so sick of this. But he looks really good, and that is what matters in all of this- a happy, healthy little boy joining our family in 10 more weeks... not before!)

Rhylan's First Pictures

Finally got around to scanning some ultrasounds of Rhylan and thought that we would post a few:
12 weeks- profile










21 weeks- Face

21.5 weeks- 3D Ultrasound. If you look closely, his face is looking to the left (and buried in my uterus). You can clearly see closed eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and his arm bent at the elbow and hand tucked behind his head.



25 weeks- Profile of face and hand waiving



11.5 weeks to go!!!!

I am getting to be a regular...

I was admitted to the hospital again this morning. We were supposed to be leaving this afternoon to head to Rockford for my Grandma's 90th birthday party. I am hoping to get enough fluid back in me so that we can leave tomorrow and make it in time for the celebration. I am bound and determined that I am going to be there, no matter how I feel!!

I am home

I just got back home from my 3 fun filled days in the hospital in Peoria. It was so nice to come back here, to a place where I can sleep, watch what I want on TV, not be poked at, and to see Brayden. I have really missed him with being in one hospital or another for pretty much a week straight!

I am exhausted, so I am going to keep this short. Hospitals are not a place to get any rest. The lights on and off, nurses in and out, middle of the night vital checks, roommates being moved in at midnight, and I am not really sure why they had to weigh me at 4:30 in the morning everyday, I am pretty sure that the scale would have said the same thing at 7 or 8 o'clock!! And that is all of the fun not counting the 12 times that they tried to start an IV on me, just to have my veins blow with each attempt!! (And for those of you who don't know, IVs/needles are my single biggest fear!)

All is very well with baby, and as well as it can be for me. The ultrasounds on the baby showed no abnormalities (Thank God!!) with his head, and everything else looked great. He is weighing in at a pound, which is a good 1/4 lb. bigger than average at this point. So, that was wonderful news!!

I did not end up getting a feeding tube, or any sort of line placed for now. The perinatologist said that although I have had a significant weight loss- about 20 lbs., that it seems to be pretty much maintaining within a 2-3 lb. range for the last few weeks or so. That, in combination with baby looking good, he felt that the risks (infection, etc.) outweighed the benefits of placing a line at this time. If I maintain at this weight, or hopefully gain, I should be ok. If I lose anything more, we will be coming back to the discussion. I am really relieved on so many levels about this decision. However, he did say that I may still end up hospitalized or at home on IVs should I continue to have "good days" followed by a relapse or set back where I become dehydrated- like what happened last week.

I did end up having a lot of contractions last night and was placed on a fetal monitor, which showed an active pattern. They were strong enough to warrant having another ultrasound this morning to make sure that they hadn't caused any dilation, and that I wasn't in danger of any on set of preterm labor. All looked good in that ultrasound, and we even got to get a couple of extra souvenir pictures of baby- 3 of them in 3-D !! I will get those scanned and posted as soon as the proud papa of the house brings them home from showing them off at work.

Thank you to all of you that have sent emails, cards, flowers, called, made meals, and stopped by to let us know that you are thinking about us. This has been a rough road, but I am over 1/2 way there. (21 weeks down, approx. 17 to go!) I still pray that this subsides completely, but in the meantime I am happy with just staying out of the hospital and continue hoping for the occasional day where I feel like I can function, or get out of the house to enjoy some of this spring weather!

Many of you have asked if I am "showing" yet with the weight loss. My answer to that would have to be a big negative. I actually took a picture of my non-existent belly today to have for this baby's scrapbook. Here you go...

I am trying to patiently wait to feel/look like a pregnant woman should!

Update on Baby Atkisson, and Mommy too

We got to have our much anticipated 20 week ultrasound yesterday. We were so looking forward to it so that we could find out the sex of this little creature growing inside of me, and in hopes that I could feel more "connected" with this pregnancy with how sick I have been. (And of course wanted to know if everything looked good with the baby.)

Drum roll please..........

It's a BOY!!!

We really didn't care either way, but we are ecstatic that Brayden will have a little brother to play with!

The rest of my appointment was not filled with anymore fun news though. I lost 2 more lbs. since last week, and my ketone levels were at the highest level that they can measure. (Ketones are the protein that your body produces when it is dehydrated and breaking down.) I was directly admitted to the hospital from my appointment. I will hopefully be re-hydrated enough to go home late today, or tomorrow at the latest.

Once I get discharged from here, I have to go to a hospital in Peoria first thing Monday morning and will be admitted there. They are guessing I will be there at least 3 days or so. My doctor has been working with a perinatologist (a doctor for high risks babies while in utero) there on my case. That doctor will be placing a feeding line of some sort during my stay. We won't know until after his evaluation as to what type of line this will be, but it will be something surgically placed, and semi-permanent until my body starts maintaining enough food on it's own to support me, and the baby. I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared to death, but I know that I am in good hands and this is not about me, but about bringing another happy, healthy baby boy into our home!

There was one other "small concern" during our ultrasound. The baby's head appears to be abnormally oblong- long from front to back, skinny from side to side. My doctor gave no indication as to what this could mean, just said that if he hadn't already referred us to a specialist, he would have been after seeing that. I was a basket case for most of yesterday afternoon- the more I would try not to think about it or worry, the harder I would cry! (Who knew that you can be totally dehydrated and still produce tears?!?!) My doctor, being the wonderful caregiver that he is, made a special trip up to the hospital after his office hours last night to talk to us some more. (Even though he was missing the Illini game for me!) After we had left the office, he contacted the perinatologist in Peoria about the ultrasound. His feeling was that at this point we should try not to be overly concerned. His preliminary thought was, hopefully, that it was the positioning of the baby during the ultrasound, as the baby was transverse and breech- backward and upside down- from where it should be at this point. I felt much better after hearing that, my mind was going all sorts of not so wonderful places!!

I will be having a very in depth ultrasound and full work up while hospitalized in Peoria. I would assume that there is internet access there, and I hope to be able to post to keep everyone up to date on what is going on while I am there. I have really tried to not draw attention to what all we have gone through with this pregnancy, or make a big deal out of it. However, I am at the point that I would appreciate if you could keep me, and my family, in your thoughts/prayers!

Hyperemesis Gravidarum

A little something that made me smile and I wanted to share with those of you that know what I have been going through!

You Know You Have HG When........

~ You choose foods based not on how they taste going down, but how they taste coming back up

~ IV's full of fluid dripping into your arm are a cause of joy and celebration

~ For the first time in your life you actually WANT to gain weight

~ Your husband has to ask permission to get in bed for fear that the motion will make you sick

~ Putting on pants and brushing your hair constitutes the extent of your grooming on a GOOD day

~ Your leg hair is so long that its not scratchy anymore

~ You feel an intense desire and longing to strangle whomever next tells you to eat a cracker

~ You become addicted to Food Network to torture yourself

~ When everybody assumes you are hungover-not pregnant because you look so bad and have no bump

~ Instead of making lists of things you will need when the baby comes, you make lists of everything you will EAT when the baby comes

~ You don't cry when you see greeting card commercials, you cry when you see restaurant commercials

~ When the staff at the Dr's office cheers because you gained a pound

......... Saying that HG is just morning sickness is like saying that labor is just uncomfortable!!!

I am trying to take life with a sense of humor, it is the only way to not go insane!!!

I have tried not to complain, or dwell on my situation, and to keep my chin up through this pregnancy, but I thought that I would take a minute to explain a little about what I have been going through to my family and friends.

I have been dealing with a pregnancy condition called Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) since shortly after conception. What is HG? It is generally described as unrelenting, excessive pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting that prevents adequate intake of food and fluids. If severe and/or inadequately treated, it is typically associated with: loss of greater than 5% of pre-pregnancy body weight (usually over 10%), dehydration and production of ketones, nutritional deficiencies, metabolic imbalances, difficulty with daily activities, HG usually extends beyond the first trimester and may resolve by 21 weeks; however, it can last the entire pregnancy. Please, take a look at http://www.helpher.org/ for more information!

For those of you that I haven't talked to on a regular basis, here is a little about my particular story: I started feeling nauseous before I even knew that our fertility treatments had worked, and I was pregnant. After about 5 days of feeling sick, I took a pregnancy test (very early), and was so excited to see that it was positive! By about the first week in December (less than 3 weeks pregnant), I was vomiting upwards of 15 to 20 times a day- it was totally debilitating and got to the point where I was retching nothing but blood/bile. I tried every morning sickness technique I had used with Brayden or could find online, to no avail. I was then placed on a medication called Zofran, a drug usually intended for the severe nausea associated with chemotherapy. It did nothing for me because I couldn't hold it, or the water to take it with, down for more than a few minutes. By the 9th week of the pregnancy I had lost 15 lbs. (more than 10% of my weight), and was extremely dehydrated and malnourished. I was placed in the hospital for 5 days.

While in the hospital I was on IV fluid/nutrition/Zofran. The Zofran worked much better not being taken orally, however, as the dose would taper down before I could get the next one, and the nausea would return. My doctor decided to have me placed on a pump that would administer the Zofran 24 hours a day in a continuous flow. I was placed on the pump, and have remained on it since. The pump is a small device- about the size of a walkman- that holds a syringe of the medication, then tube is hooked to the syringe, and is inserted into my thigh with a needle. Once the tube is in my leg, it stays there for a couple of days, and then we have to remove it and inject it into the other thigh.

Since being on the pump, I have been "better", but not gained any weight back. I still get sick several times a day, but not nearly to the extreme that it had been. I have to call into a home health nurse daily to check in for her to oversee and monitor my care. It is still very hard for me to do much of anything- our house is a wreck, on days that Brayden is home he just watches TV all day while I lie on the couch, I don't go anywhere or do anything. (And if I do, I am really wiped out for days!).

This has had a huge impact on me (and our family) not only physically, but emotionally as well. I feel so isolated- like the world is going on around me, and I am just stuck in neutral. I don't talk to friends much- I have nothing to say. There is nothing new in my life from day to day, and I don't want to pick up the phone just to tell them how crappy I feel! I have missed so many social gatherings in these past few months, so I don't see anyone ever. When people do ask how I am, I typically respond "fine". I figure no one really wants to know the truth- and in all honesty, I don't know that anyone could understand unless they have been in this situation. It is hard to even feel the joy and excitement of being pregnant with this very wanted pregnancy, it is to clouded by everything else. This has also impacted Brayden more than we had realized. Poor little guy has really been through a lot- but we are aware of it, and really making an effort to calm his fears and make life as normal as we can for him. When he told us that he is afraid that "Mommy is going to die", it broke my heart!

Jason has been a god-send through all of this. He is having to handle everything, and through it has not complained, and stood by my side like a pillar of strength. If there were ever a doubt about what it takes to test the strength of a marriage, we are enduring it!! Not only is there the stress of him being the sole caregiver for our family, but I also haven't been able to work in three months. I know I only work part time, but that part time work is what pays for Brayden's preschool, groceries, gas, and any "extras". (Not to mention the stress of all of these medical bills!!)

Last week I got hit by a tummy bug on top of the HG. I ended up losing more weight, becoming severely dehydrated, and being sent to the hospital for IVs. I was actually visiting my family, so I didn't have a doctor there to give orders, etc. As a result, I ended up being discharged, and placed under the care of the home health agency that oversees my pump. I spent 4 days hooked up to IVs at home. Not fun! I got back to Champaign a couple of days ago, and am hoping to start feeling at least back to where I had been before getting the bug.

Sorry about the long entry to the blog today- I tried to condense as best as I could!

Gimme a Beat!

Today was our first ultrasound. Since I am early in the pregnancy, there wasn't much to see- kind of looked like a tadpole or a peanut. But we saw what we were after, ONE good, strong heartbeat. (No twins!! There was a good chance of them because of the fertility treatments.) The doctor said that everything looks very healthy and viable. They look for a heart rate of 100 beats a minute, and we were at 117! I will be adding ultrasound pictures, as we get them, as soon as we have a scanner that is compatible with this new computer.

In true "Kylla fashion" nothing can just be easy or normal in my life. In addition to the baby, they also found yet another cyst enveloping what is left of my only ovary. The cyst is about 7 cm in diameter- about the size of a tennis ball (About double the size of the one they removed last December). As of right now I am restricted to no lifting, bending, twisting, etc. I have another ultrasound on Wednesday, December 20th, to follow up. Hopefully it will start to diminish on it's own- if not, I will probably be looking at surgery during the pregnancy.

Other than that one minor shock today, we couldn't be happier or more excited. What a wonderful early Christmas gift!