Hi! So, here is my story: Alex and I got married in March, had our wedding reception in mid-July, and here I am five weeks pregnant! I am scared--had a m/c last November and am worried about this one. So far so good--hcg levels last week more than doubled in two days. I am trying to not be so scared, but it is hard. I have a history of quite low hormone levels that we have gotten into normal ranges, but are keeping an eye on progesterone. Would be happy to chat with anyone....just write me~!

I am stressed out and tired and I think my husband barely got to enjoy being married before I turned into a crazy person!

Have the first ultrasound scheduled for August 7--keep your fingers crossed!

The hCg tracker:
116 7-18-07
336 7-20-07
2,834 7-25-07 (YES!!!!!)
4,403 7-27-07 (not as high as I would have liked...)
11,018 7-30-07
25,063 8-3-07

7-23-07 Today I feel really dizzy and almost car sick; like the floor is moving underneath me. This is new today and driving wasn't fun! Before today I have been moody, crying, tired and my breasts are quite full...

7-24-07 Just noticed some light spotting...pinkish-brown. It isn't heavy--barely there. Is this normal?

7-30-07 Feeling pretty good--but tired and dizzy.

7-31-07 I woke up last night at 1:30 am to use the bathroom and saw a red stain--spotting again, and this is not brownish! There wasn't very much of it, and by morning was just a brownish mark on toilet paper, but it scared me. The numbers came back so good yesterday--where is this bleeding coming from?

8-3-07 Had another good hcg test today. The plan is: if the u/s looks good on Tuesday we will stop the frequent testing. While I hate needles I do like the frequent updates that let me know things are still good. Anxiously awaiting that u/s...only 4 days away. Can't wait to see that heartbeat!

8-6-07 I realized that I have been so anxious and scared and afraid that I will get attached to the idea of being pregnant and have another m/c that I have not been able to be happy or really enjoy the fact that I am pregnant. This needs to change! I want to be happy and excited....I am just crossing my fingers and hoping for the best at the u/s appointment tomorrow morning, That should really help relieve my mind.

8-7-07
First u/s pics are posted! Yeah!! Everything looks to be right on track...heartrate was 136; length measured 7w, 3d which is exactly what I am. Thank God!!

8-27-07 Today we got back the last progesterone test that was done at 9 weeks. It was 18; the one at 5 1/2 weeks was 26. Shouldn't it be going up? Doppler again didn't pick up a heartbeat, but I know it is early...have an u/s tomorrow...

8-28-07 Heard the heartbeat at 154 and the u/s went great! The baby is soooo much bigger and more formed than the u/s at 7 weeks. Picture is with my other pics--can't seem to get them on this page... :)

10-11-07 My amazing husband Alex ordered a home doppler kit! It is so reassuring to hear the heartbeat. I love it.
I am doing much better than I was for a few months. I started on Paxil and it has really helped me. Not as much crying and staying in bed, and I feel like I have a little more energy. I would feel better not taking it but this is helpful.

10-17-07 Month 4 check up and things looked good. After starting on Paxil my weight gain has slowed way down--I actually lost a pound this past month. Blood pressure was 98/52, so that is low again. The baby's heartrate has slowed to 136 this time, but she explained that depending on if I am resting or moving around the baby's heart rate can change. We cancelled the level II u/s at Mayo and are having a regular next Tuesday at the clinic here. We will know if it is a boy or girl in less than a week!

10-23-07 It's a girl! We both thought so....weight was 8 oz, heartrate was 150, everything was measuring within 4 days of the other parts of the body (head, arm and leg length,...). Things looked good with the spine and heart...we are so excited! I had been so cautious and not really allowing myself to think of things as too real--but after yesterday I went shopping with my mom and now have a few things that I picked out for our DAUGHTER!!!! :) She is healthy and we are going to get to meet her!

11-13-07 Things are slowly changing...I realized that sometimes I make it through the entire night without getting up to use the bathroom--I remember when 3 times was common! My breasts must be nearing two cup sizes larger than pre-pregnancy, yesterday someone that I hasn't seen in awhile said, "you look pregnant" when she saw me, and besides a week of late morning/early afternoon nausea in week 20, I have been feeling better. Still really tired all the time--can sleep ten hours at night and wake up wanting to sleep more. Have an appointemnt today with the midwife with lots of questions ready for her: why don't I ever feel the baby move? What is up with these night sweats when I can wake up freezing? Should I be preparing my nipples for breastfeeding? (my mother says 'yes').

11-14-07 Ok, turns out the placenta is right in the front and that is why I am not feeling much of the baby's movements...yet. I was told that I will soon, but that the lcoation of the placenta is blocking/cushioning the movements at this point. I feel better--I was worried I wasn't feeling much and was 'trying' to feel things all the time! Measurements looked good and the heartrate was 142.

11-24-07 On Thanksgiving night, after all of the people left, Alex and I both felt two strong movements from the baby! It was so exciting. I had started to feel little ones, but there had only been one strong one before that night. Most are still little flutters, but it is nice to finally be able to feel something.

11-29-07 Had a brief appointment today--and my weight is up to 161! Yikes! I have been eating like a pig; not being healthy at all...that needs to stop.

12-4-07 Free u/s at the tech today--they estimate the baby weighs 1 pound, 8 oz and measured 24 weeks, 2 days--only one day off from what she is! She was moving a lot and at one point they thought she had the hiccups.

12-12-07 6 month visit today--I have gained 26 pounds--4 in the past two weeks. Everything looked good...baby was kicking and moving all over when the midwife tried to get the heartbeat...

1-16-08 It was my 30 week visit today, and I have now gained 37 pounds. I don't feel like I eat that much--but I am getting no real exercize. Midwife isn't worried about it at all. I am measuring 31 1/2 weeks, so it is only 1 week ahead. Everything else looks good.

2-18-08 I am off a week on my visits because I had to go to Illinois to visit my grandmother...so my week 34 visit was in week 35. I have gained 41 pounds and am measuring a week ahead. My cervix is about 50 % effaced...but she said no-where near labor! In her experience, *most* first time mom's go over "at least" 5 days. Not what I wanted to hear...I came 3 weeks early...

3-4-08 Still 50% effaced and my cervix is facing my back--I am guessing that I am not giving birth for several weeks. At the u/s at the tech they estimated the weigh of the baby to be 7 pounds, 9 nine ounces...hope they are wrong.

3-18-08 week 39 visit. 70% effaced, still not dilated, cervix is still posterior facing. I don't think she is coming out for awhile yet. I am measuring 40 weeks and everything else looks good. It is just a waiting game now. Maybe she isn't ready yet!

3-22-08 BABY IS HERE!! At 3 am she made her way into this world...in a speedy delivery at home way!! Contractions started Friday night at around 7...started timing them at 8:30. They were 3-9 minutes apart with no regularity and not terrible pain. Called the midwife and the doula...both said to keep an eye on things and let them know if thingsbecame more regular. After another 2 hours the contractions were all under five minutes and had gotten stronger, although I was doing ok. Called the doula and said it might be time for her to come over and she said she would be here within an hour. During the time between calling her and her arriving, the pain really grew. When she arrived I was in what I guess people call 'laborland'--I was really out of it and was having trouble thinking and talking. Things quickly picked up--I was heaving and my water broke and I thought I was going to pee/poop myself and went to the bathroom. The doula and my hubby were talking and decided it was time to head to the birth center. At that time I had a few super strong contractions in the bathroom and felt with my hand...I screamed for someone to come...the doula asked if I needed some help. I said "Yes, something is coming out of me!" She came in and looked. She told my husband it was time to call the midwife on her cell phone. I knew things were not going as planned but I was not freaked out...my body was pushing her out. The midwife on speaker phone asked me not to push and to pant through...but I couldn't stop it. With the doula on the bathroom floor in front of me standing over the toilet the head came out. I could hear the midwife say that I needed to relax through the next contraction and that the body would come out then. It did! Our doula who had never delivered a baby 'caught' her and my husband was right there, in our bathroom, watching it all! The midwife and her assistant arrived about 30 minutes after her birth and took care of everything over the next few hours.

Presleigh Evelyn

8 lbs, 1 oz

20 inches long

3-22-08 3:00 am.

--spend the first few weeks very anemic and feeling crappy...low grade fever lasted for weeks...hemoglobins were down to 8.2...

6-5-08 This is just an update on some of things that have gone on since Presleigh's birth. I have discharge/bleeding since then, which was almost 11 weeks ago. It started out quite red and then changed to pinkish for a week or so, and then went back to red. It has been very thick, like the fertile mucous from charting in natural family planning. One week ago cramping started and the color changed to a pinkish/brownish color. I have been treated for severe amenia (8.2), a bladder infection around week 4 postpartum, bacterial vaginosis (week 10), and have had an u/s done, which showed no placental tissue but was called 'inconclusive'. My uterus is slighly enlarged (about the size it should be 3-4 weeks postpartum) and I am dilated to 1. My HcG count is less than one, which makes it seem like there isn't placental tissue in there. We have another u/s set for three weeks from now, and if there is still discharge with nothing showing up on the u/s we are doing a hysteroscopy, where they look around the uterus. If there is nothing seen that would be causing this we will then schedule a d and c. Pap and STD tests have come back fine/negative...no-one seems to know what is going on. I have seen an Ob/Gyn, CPmidwife, and nurse midwife....

On June 8 I...expelled (?) a piece of tissue and brought it to the lab for analysis. It was placental tissue and since then my bleeding and discharge have stopped!!! YEAH! It took almost three months but I think it is finally over. They want me to come in in a couple of weeks to check my cervix but I assume everything will be back to normal after this.