Hi hi! ^.^

^.^ !!!! IT'S A BOY !!!! ^.^

Yorick was born on December 27th, 2007 at 9:21am. He weighed 5 pounds 12.3oz and is a little over 19 inches long. He was 35 and 4/7 weeks so a little premature but he is beautiful, and healthy. We just got home from the hospital yesterday. He was a little to young to be awake for a full feeding, so he was on tube feedings until he got a bit stronger. I surprised the group of doctors by doing so well with the c-section, and was released from the hospital on the third day after the c-section. They originally thought I would be in the hospital longer than my baby due to all the complications I could have had. (I think someone was really watching over me.) I'm an emotional wreck, but it's all happiness now...and a little stress from the lack of sleep. (Yori is fedding every 2-3 hours...which leaves little time in between to nap...but it's soooo worth it!) I'll be posting pics of Yori as I get them into the computer.

December 14th, 2007

We're a little under two weeks away from when I go in to see if the baby's lungs are mature enough for a c-section. I'll be between 35 and 36 weeks, so they want to be sure the baby won't have too many problems once delivered. It's been a very busy month. I gained over 11 pounds, which puts me at 36 pounds total for the pregnancy. (I'm 135 pounds now, and my joints feel every added pound.) I'm still battling the severe joint pains and the constant stuffed up nose from the meds I'm on. We actually had to add yet another blood pressure medication to help keep my numbers lower. So I'm on a rather large cocktail of meds, all that haven't been tested much on babies. (I'm worried about it, but they've been tracking the growth pattern of the baby and it's right on track and everything looks normal to them.)

On Novemeber 30th I was to have my baby shower. It turned into a huge surprise benefit party for me and my husband. (It was actually a larger outcome than my wedding!) A couple of friends of the family got together and posted fliers around the city explaining my rare case and my dad made a website http://friendsoferin.bluedomino.com/ to promote the event. They said it kind of got out of hand when they recieved more than 250 RSVPs back. (All this was kept a huge secret and I was so shocked by it all I think I cried for the first hour. Not even my closest friends hinted something was up.) Many companies donated items for a silent auction and raffle, and four bands played that night. It was truely amazing. The money donated has helped my husband and I greatly, the medical bills alone were drowning us, but with me not working for this entire pregnancy our own mortgage was starting to put pressure on us. This helped us get back on track and it came in perfect timing so we can have a stress-free environment for the baby to come home to.

I've been traveling to the Mayo Clinic every week now for the past three weeks. I go in one more time before the c-section. I've met over a dozen doctors and I think things are starting to line up pretty well. They'll be ready if there's any complications, I'm just hoping that there's not. They will be doing the c-section in a full operating room, and I'll be put into ICU for a least a day after the surgery, so it's not going to be a normal c-section, but at least they aren't going to put me fully out so I can still experience the birth of the baby. I've faced surgeries before, so I'm not afraid of the c-section, just more afraid of the things I wouldn't be able to control anyway. Like if my baby will be healthy and things like that. I know I'll be a nervous wreck the day of, and I'll probably cry more than the baby...but in the end it'll be so worth it. I'm excited...I've never looked more forward to the day after christmas in my life. ^.^

November 9th, 2007

Time sure seems to fly by in a slow way...(if that makes sense.) Looking back, I'm surprised it's been 28 weeks already...looking forward and it seems like an eternity to get to the end. I'm having more BP problems again, so I've upped the dose of two of the three medications I'm on. It's made me feel all that more worse too. (These meds really are torture sometimes.) On a good note, at 26 weeks the baby looked just fine. We're still on track for the Dec 26th-27th c-section. I'll be delivering at the Mayo Clinic (2hours away from home) and I'll have a full team of doctors present just in case there's any complications. They really don't want me going into any form of labor, as that will increase the risk of death to me, so I'm sure I'll be visitng them weekly after my Nov. 26th appointment. It's a lot of driving, but it's worth it.

My biggest complaint has to be my joint pain. (It's a side-effect from the meds.) But it wrecks havoc on my back, which is doubly sore from the pregnancy. I get to the point where tears form in my eyes and I can't breath. (The bathtub has been my best friend for weeks now...but it's getting harder and harder to get out of.) Having a belly is kinda fun, but I'm learning that along with it there's other problems like putting on shoes, and closing doors too close to the tummy, and not being able to breath laying down.

My baby is an active baby, and moves quite a bit throughout the day. It's a great reminder that things are going ok, I need that sometimes. The baby also reacts to my husband's voice. It's like clock-work, all he has to do is get close to my belly and say, "baaaby.." and bam a kick/punch right to where his voice was, soooo cute!

If all goes as planned we're having the baby shower on Nov. 30th, and it sounds like there will be more people than I thought there for it. I haven't seen much of my extended family since I found out I was pregnant due to being house-bound, and it looks like they want to see me with a belly so they are all making the trip for the babyshower. It'll be nice to get out of the house to see them. I hope it's all good news from the Dr. on the 26th...that way I could really enjoy the shower. We'll see though. Until then, I'll just be resting as much as I can, and trying not worry. Take cares everyone!

October 4th, 2007

Sorry it's been so long since the last update. Things here have finally settled down a bit, and for once the doctors are saying "When you have your baby" instead of "If you make it long enough." I was able to get my blood pressure under control, with a lot of trial and error. I also have been able to gain weight, my lowest weight was 98 pounds and I'm now at 113 pounds. Both of those things have helped make my doctors feel so much better. I'll be having my baby around my 36 or 37 week, so it'll be right after christmas. I'm looking forward to that gift! ^.^

The whole family is finally allowed to be excited about the baby, and my husband is the sweetest man alive. He's really been my main support, and I don't think he knows how happy it makes me to see his excitement over the baby. He was able to feel the baby kick a week or so ago, and that really lit his face up. Now he's always putting his hands on my belly to see if it'll kick him more. We discussed names some more and ended up changing the boys name from Aiden to Yorick. My husband loves that name, and I didn't know Aiden was the number 1 name for boys since 2003.. (we're fond of unique names anyway.) We're still keeping the sex of the baby a surprise, it just seems right not to know...and it makes it even better for a christmas gift.

Health wise we've put me on hold for additional scans for the tumors and have just decided to wait until the pregnancy is over. I still feel like crap most of the time, but at least I can believe that I'll make it long enough for the baby to survive nicely. I go in again in two weeks to see my baby in the ultrasound. So far everything is looking good, andI'm hoping it'll stay that way. I'll keep you all posted. Until then, Take Cares!

August 7th, 2007

It's been a tough couple months for me. I knew this pregnancy was high risk, and that there was going to be a fight on my hands to make it to 6 months, but this pregnancy really has tested me on how much I can really handle. I was finally sent to the Mayo Clinic where I am now a case study. My rare illness of a pheochromocytoma has since been changed to something even more rare called Carney Triad. (It's a defect in a chain of my blood that makes my stomach full of tumors and makes two other different types of tumors, one being pheochromocytomas.) The rarity of this is HUGE, only 79 people since 1955 have been diagnosed with it. (and I happen to be pregnant on top of it. so chalk one up for me to be even more rare than the rare!) It would be an easy fix if they could find the tumors, but the MRI I had showed up clear. I go in for a heart echogram and an ultrasound of the bladder in two days. I'm praying they find something. If they can take out the one tumor it would make my pregnancy a lot easier to manage...after the baby comes out I'll be able to look into the next step of curing Carney Triad by the removal of my stomach. (Drastic isn't it?)

I guess living with the illness I can handle, but it's the not knowing if I'll be able to make it long enough for my baby to be born. They keep telling me they may have to take out the baby if I can't control my BP, or if they find the tumor in my chest or bladder, or if there's any sign of my health getting worse. I want to be excited about having a baby. I want to be able to think positive and start looking at things to buy for a baby, but I can't because I won't know if I'll be able to hold on long enough for the baby to survive. (which is why I get depressed coming here. Everyone else seems to be having fun with pregnancy, morningsickness aside, and looking forward to the little bundle that's cooking inside them.) I want to be able to do that so badly, but if I allow it now, I may be setting myself up for a huge dissappointment. I don't know if I could handle that on top of being so ill all the time.

I'm trying to stay positive, the baby has been healthy through out these last 15 weeks, I've had no signs of bleeding and I get to see my baby again on the 14th. But hearing the doctors over and over telling me not to get excited about the baby is starting to wear on me...any advice? has anyone here been through a high risk pregnancy before?

June 28th, 2007

I went to the doctors again this week. I've gained back 6 pounds of the 10 I had lost. The baby looks great! We couldn't hear the heartbeat yet, but they could see the heart beating when we did the vaginal ultra sound. My baby is a little peanut! It was staring at us when we had the ultra sound done, so we didn't get to see a good profile, but the peanut shape was all I needed to see. The little heart was going at 185 bpm, and they said I'm right on track for baby growth. (What a relief!)

My BP is harder to manage than I thought it would be. I'm not allowed to go to work for the rest of my pregnancy, and they want me to be as stress-free as possible. So a lot of rest and minimal movement. I'm a little worried about not bringing in money, but I'd rather struggle with cash than harm my baby.

I've experienced my first mood swings (mainly crying over nothing.) I hope my husband doesn't think I'm a nut job heheh. My morning sickness is getting slightly better, but I'm still taking zofran to help keep the food down, and I don't have anymore cramping or sore boobs, but my back does hurt from time to time. Other than that, I'm doing well. I just hope it continues this way. ^.^

June 14, 2007

I went to the doctors the other day and finally found out some news about my pregnancy. Because I have a pre-existing condition called a Pheochromocytoma, I'm a very rare case. (about 120 or so are known.) The risks are high for both me and the baby, and the doctor gave me a 60% chance that things will go ok. They all believe I will be forced to have a c-section very early, but they're hoping that I make it to 27 weeks. I was sad to hear that news but more upset that one doctor said that he'd understand if I wanted to terminate the pregnancy. Yet even with that news I'm happy to say I'm elated! Because I saw my baby for the first time.

I don't know about the rest, but for me I was thinking, "Wow, there really is something there inside of me!" We saw the heart rate of 142, and they even got the measurement so they know the exact amount of days I am along. I'm 7 weeks and 2 days. (only 4 days off the guess day we had.) So for now everything is going well for the baby

I've lost 10 pounds due to severe morning sickness. The doctor perscribed Zofran for me, but when I went to pick it up the $450 price tag for 15 pills stopped me dead in my tracks. I broke down today though and bought 2 ($56 later) and I've tried the first one out. It works wonders! I've never felt better and I even had energy to clean a bit! So now I'm stuck thinking about buying the rest. I'm going to wait to see how I feel in the morning. (that's me at my worst.) If I coast through my morning I'll fork over the money just to feel this relaxed for the next month.

So in short, I am feeling better, and I have high hopes for my baby, even if the doctors don't. We'll see what happens!

June 7, 2007

I just had a horrible night from 1am to 8am I was in and out of the bathroom trying my best to not throw up. I broke down once and cried like I little kid cause I just wanted to stop spinning. I think I just about tried every remedy I read out there. I ate enough that I didn't lose my food, but I had gagging problems through out the night. I finally got to sleep for an hour and a half, and I feel great now. I'm eating yogurt, and drinking juice for breakfast. Went to the gym to weigh myself and found that I lost 5 pounds but I gained an inch in my waist. So I ran out and bought those shakes for inbetween meals that help gain weight. (I really can't afford to lose much to begin with!) I'll be calling my doctor today and asking for some meds for the nasuea, hopefully then all things will smooth out and I'll be able to return to work. My job is going to kill me for all these sick calls! (and that's a big stress on my shoulders, which I'm sure isn't helping the morning sickness.) Ah well, I'm looking at the end result of all this and it's worth it...I just wish it didn't take 9 months. It seems forever to me.

June 1, 2007

Hi there, I'm just feeling well enough to start making changes to my page here. I found out I was pregnant May 21 2007 when I went to the doctor's for the Gardasil shot. I asked for a pregnancy test because I was one day late for my period, and I had just watched the ad on TV saying to not get the shot if pregnant. Needless to say I didn't get the shot. My husband and I are so thrilled. It is our first child, as it is the first grandchild on both sides! I am what they consider a high risk pregnancy, as I've had blood pressure problems since I was 16. We've opted to have a cesarean when the time comes, as BP is known to go up while delivery. I'm trying my hardest to keep a positive mind, at the same time keep calm over all the changes my body is going through. Morning sickness has already taken effect morning,noon,and night...so I'm just focusing one day at a time. Good luck to the other ladies! and congrats!! ^.^

Pregnancy Survey
About You
Name:	Erin
Age:	24
Height:	5'3
Pre-pregnancy weight:	107
About The Father
Name:	Sean
Age:	24
Height:	6'1
Are you still together:	Married
About Your Pregnancy
Is this your first pregnancy:	Yes, and a happy surprise!
When did you find out you were pregnant:	May 21, 2007
Was it planned:	We were planning for next year, but this is just fine too. ^.^
What was your first reaction:	Shocked, happy, nervous
Who was with you when you found out:	My mom (she choked me as the news was revealed. "I'm not ready yet!" she cried. hahaha!)
Who was the first person you told:	Husband
How did your parents react:	They were thrilled. But feeling old. ^.^
How far along are you:	6 weeks
What was your first symptom:	Pain in the right side (I thought it was a cyst.)
What is your due date:	Jan. 30, 2008
Do you know the sex of the baby:	I will on Jan. 30th, I want it to be a surprise.
Have you picked out names:	Yes
If so, what are they:	Girl: Aislinn Jean, Boy: Yorick Patrick
How much weight have you gained:	I've lost a little, but my pants are fitting snuggly.
Do you have stretch marks:	Not yet
Have you felt the baby move:	YES!.
Have you heard the heartbeat:	I go to the doctor soon for it.
About the birth
Will you keep the baby?:	Definatly
Home or hospital birth:	hospital birth
Natural or medicated birth:	cesarean
Who will be in the delivery room with you?:	My husband.
Will you breastfeed?:	No
Do you think you'll need a c-section?:	Already planned
Will you cry when you hold the baby for the first time?:	Yes, I even cry watching the baby shows on TV!
What's the first thing you might say to him/her?:	Hello love, I've waited a long time to see you.
Would you let someone videotape the birth?:	Pictures maybe, but videos can wait until after it's out.
Are you excited about the birth, or scared?:	Excited, but nervous about everything going smoothly.