Anointed

“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven” (James 5:14-15, NKJV).

My sister asked one of the elders of her church to come over to and pray for me on Sunday while I was visiting at my dad’s house. The elder asked me to explain what was going on with the baby and then read some words of scripture (Joshua 10:12-13). He also said that I had to be careful and not make the want of a baby an idol above God. My family then gathered around me and everyone placed a hand on me and he read James 5:14-15 and rubbed some oil on my forehead and prayed for the baby. He explained that the oil was just baby oil and that it wasn’t any type of magical oil. It was just symbolic. I know this must really sound strange and I was very nervous when my sister mentioned it to me. My family is Baptist, but once I became an adult and started to attend church on my own I’ve attended nondenominational churches. I think this was a nice thing that my sister did and it has given me some peace of mind. I keep reminding myself that God is in charge and whatever the outcome on Wednesday I have to remember that God has a reason for everything even if we don’t understand what that is. I have a lot of people praying for me and my pray is for God to let the baby be ok and if not to grant me peace and acceptance.

Enlarged Yolk Sac

I was feeling a bit stressed about my last visit and the baby measuring behind a week so I called for an appointment this week. The baby has grown but is still behind. He is measuring 7 weeks 1 day and I was 8 weeks 4 days when the scan was taken. I did hear the heart beat which is so amazing but then I got some bad news. The yolk sac is measuring 9.2 mm and it should be disappearing and becoming the umbilical cord. This is an indication that something might be abnormal with the baby and I could suffer a miscarriage.

I found this on-line: The yolk sac first appears during the fifth week of pregnancy and grows to be no larger than 6 mm. Yolk sacs larger than 6 mm are usually indicative of an abnormal pregnancy.

I'm trying to stay strong and positive but it is really hard right now. I know that God is in control but I just can't understand why he would bring me so far in my quest to have a baby only to snatch it away. I go back on Wednesday Jan 20th for another ultrasound. I will keep everyone up to date.

Snow in Georgia

We got a rare 1/2 inch of snow in Atlanta on Friday. Of course the city shut down because we aren't equipped to deal with snow. All the schools closed and lots of people couldn't make the drive to work. I live close enough that I knew I would be able to make the 6 mile drive in. Most of my staff was late but at least they made it work safely. The picture is from my front porch, isn't it pretty.

I'm 8 weeks pregnant today. I will post a picture later but my husband left for the gym before I was up and showered. I have been so exhausted this week. I can barely function in the afternoons at work and of course I'm slammed with closing the books for the end of the year and trying to get ready for the auditors. I even had to work yesterday and I really needed to stay home and rest. I still haven't gained any weight which is my goal. If I can make it 12 weeks without gaining anything I will be thrilled.

I was so tired when I posted about my doctor visit on Wednesday that I left off several things. My doctor is thrilled that I am finally pregnant. Of course he told me that I'm not really out of the woods yet and we needed to hit 12 weeks to get past the danger zone. I have 4 weeks left. I woke up at 5am in a bit of a panic thinking about this. My next ultrasound isn't until Jan. 20th. I'm debating calling and seeing if I can get one this week. I want this so badly and I'm trying so hard to keep the fear away but it is really difficult. My RE did tell me I could reduce my estrogen and progesterone medicines. He also said I could exercise but not to get my heart rate over 140 bpm. I have a treadmill and an elliptical at home plus I bought a prenatal yoga DVD. Hopefully soon I'll have a little bit of spare energy to actually do something. He also said I could continue acupuncture. He said he didn't know what value it really offered after you were pregnant but it was my decision. My acupuncturist wants me to come until I'm 12 weeks pregnant. I had an appointment yesterday but it was cancelled due to the snow and ice. I love acupuncture and I find it very relaxing so I plan to continue going over the next 4 weeks.

I'm off to shower and get ready for church. I will post my belly picture later today or tomorrow.

Heart Beat

We heard the heart beat today and it was so amazing. The baby is the tiny dot in between the two plus signs. He is measuring 6 weeks 4 days even though I'm 7 weeks 4 days. The RE said not to worry as long as the heart beat was present and everything looked good. Hearing the heart made everything real. I haven't had any morning sickness and my breast aren't sore (but they are getting bigger). I go back in 2 weeks for my next ultrasound and I will stay with my RE until I'm 12 weeks.

I feel so blessed by God right now and my sister told me any time I feel afraid that I need to say "Step away from my joy filled Spirit Satan". I like that visualization and plan to practice it.

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone reading my blog and posting comments, it means a lot to me to be able to share this journey.

Happy New Year 2010

Happy New Year! I'm 7 weeks pregnant today. I still can't get my head around the fact that I'm actually pregnant. I wake up each morning and thank God for this miracle and the last thing I do each night is thank God again and ask him to keep the baby safe and snuggled into my uterus. The spotting has stopped for now and that is a relief.

I haven't really had any symptoms yet. I hope I will be one of the lucky girls that doesn't get morning sickness. If I wait to long to eat then I might get a tiny bit queasy but that is the only symptom beside being tired. I've actually lost 2lbs since week 5 and I think that is due to eating less junk and sweets. I've been trying to eat healthier (more veggies and less starches). I read that you should only gain between 2 - 4 lbs the first trimester so I have made that my goal. I bought a prenatal yoga DVD and if I get the all clear from my RE on Wednesday then I want to start doing a little light exercise.

Wednesday is the ultrasound to hear the baby's heartbeat. I'm so excited and my husband was able to rearrange his schedule to go with me and my mom. I can't wait to share the experience with everyone.

Angry Cervix

My cervix has not been cooperating since before getting pregnant so I don't know why I would expect it to suddenly start behaving. It has become irritated from the progesterone suppositories and I started spotting yesterday. I was a bit freaked out and placed a call to the emergency nurse (the office has been closing early during the holiday season). She confirmed my suspicion that it was just an irritated cervix. I just want to have a smooth pregnancy and I really think I deserve that after everything I've been through to get here.

On a happier note, I had my 5th Beta today and it was 20,453. When I spoke to the nurse this morning she said it would probably rise to 10,000 or 12,000. I thought that seemed low since my last one 8 days ago was 5,083. She said everything looked great and my next appointment will be the ultrasound. I cannot wait!

December ICLW

Welcome ICLW bloggers. I am 42 years old and pregnant for the first time. It has been a long 3 year journey to get here. I did 5 IVF’s but only 3 transfers. I have unexplained infertility but along the way we discovered that my endometrial lining was emitting too much cyclin E during the luteal phase of the endometrial cycle. The only way to attempt to correct this was 3 months of medically induced menopause. I have done this twice. The first time (prior to IVF#3) I have no idea if it worked because although that IVF yielded 14 embryos the genetic testing revealed they were all abnormal. It was a year and 2 IVF’s later that I was put back into medical menopause (via Lupron Depot shots) and as soon as I was done we transferred one CGH tested embryo and it stuck! I’m now 5 weeks and 2 days pregnant with my miracle baby. This happened only by the grace of God.

Can you believe that Christmas is just 3 days away? I hope everyone has their shopping done. I actually got mine done early this year because I didn’t want to be stressed out during my 2 week wait nor did I want to take a chance of getting sick.

Today’s beta was 5,083 and everything is on track. I will have one more beta next Wed (Dec 30^th) and then my first ultrasound will be Jan 6^th to hear the baby’s heartbeat. I can’t wait for that appointment. I’m excited and nervous all rolled into one. I just continue to pray that God will carry me through this pregnancy.

So far the only symptom I’ve had is being exhausted. I can barely function at work and things are only going to get a whole lot worse. I’m a corporate accountant and we are fast approaching our corporate year end close. In January I have a really tight time frame to close the books and get ready for the auditors to descend upon me like a swarm of bees. I always dread January and I’m praying the morning sickness doesn’t kick in soon. I hope to be one of those lucky girls who sail through my pregnancy without it.

God's Miracle Unfolds

I'm 5 weeks today and attached is my first belly shot. I think it will be fun to watch my belly grow (but I'm not looking forward to watching my booty grow). I'm not planning to post my starting weight because I gained about 10-12 LBS from all the fertility drugs or as I like to call it my non-baby weight.

My beta on Friday went well, my hcG went from 528 to 1,386 so it is more than doubling each 48 hours. So far this indicates that I have a strong little baby growing inside me. I go back on Tuesday for another beta. My first ultrasound will be Jan 5th. It would normally be the around Dec 31st but my RE is out of town. I'm so looking forward to that first u/s when I get to hear the baby's heart beat.

So far no symptoms good or bad. My girlfriend J told me to enjoy this next week because the symptoms normally hit around 6 weeks. I had my DH pick up some soda crackers today just in case I need them soon.

A friend asked me if I was planning to continue the blog and the answer is yes! I want to document this journey and I hope everyone will continue to follow God's miracle as it unfolds.

God's Answer to my Prayers

God has answered my prayers! I'm pregnant!!! After 3 very long years of trying to get pregnant it finally happened. I want to thank everyone who has been praying for me. Your prayers mean so much and this would not have happened without them. I've questioned God and his timing so much but as one friend pointed out to me this is my turn. So many of my friends have been pregnant this year and it has been a hard year for me but now I will have their wisdom and new mother experiences to help me.

My beta today was 165.6 (hcG level). I go back on Wednesday and the number should double. This is one way to determine a viable pregnancy. I still have to continue taking my estrace pills and the progesterone suppositories until further notice. I think in two weeks I will get to hear the heartbeat. I'm scared but I've decided to enjoy every day of being pregnant and not let the fear take root. God has already mapped out his path for me and this baby and worrying will not change that. I will be constantly reminding myself of that.

Thank you God!