Updates

Holy moly it's been exactly a year since my last post. Obviously things had gotten busy for us and I just didn't keep up with my blogging goal. I figured most people weren't reading it at the time anyways, so I wasn't too worried.
Fast forward one year later and we're now 2 1/2 months away from meeting our first child (a lovely little daughter). I am no longer working, and figure this would be a great time to start up again to help keep me sane, and also to update friends and family on our life as we transition into more than just the two of us.

We recently had a little scare with the pregnancy. On March 20th I was 22 weeks along and we went to the doctor's to find out what the gender of our baby was. We were told it was a girl, but also that my fluid looked low. They did a test (once while resting, and a second time during a cough to "strain" a little) and on the second round the test strip came back positive for amniotic fluid. They were really concerned and thought I was leaking fluid (which would have explained why my fluid was so low). So they sent us straight to UCSD hospital where they did an ultrasound to confirm the low fluid levels and I was admitted and immediately "hooked up" to get fluids and antibiotics. They did some more tests again, but didn't come back with the same positive reading for fluid leaking. The doctors were really good at explaining to us what was happening and why it was concerning. I was only 22 weeks at this point, and if my fluid was indeed leaking the baby could go into distress and would require an emergency C-section. However, babies delivered this early have a really low viability or survival rate (like less than 10%), and an even lower rate of not having any mental or developmental disabilities.

Talk about a shock! We had just planned on going to a happy appointment to find out if we were having a boy or girl, and by the end of the day they were ultimately telling us that our baby might not make it! Needless to say it was very scary, stressful, and shocking. However, it also was very calm, strengthening, and powerful. We were extremely supported by both of our parents who showed up to the hospital that first night, and also by the surge of prayers that were offered on our behalf, many not even knowing what was going on or why they were offering them. I have no doubt that those prayers are what helped us through it all. I was in the hospital for almost 3 days and honestly there was only one instance where Danny and I broke down in a very special moment together. Despite having multiple tests, multiple doctors coming in and out, (still) not having an answer of "why" this was happening, and having to make decisions about the possibility of our daughter not making it through this, we were strong and took everything as it came. I can be a pretty emotional person, so the fact that I was able to keep everything together through all of this is just a testimony builder for me that I definitely was NOT in it alone, and that I had an army of angels and even my dear Savior himself holding me up.

Throughout my stay they had tested about 6 different times to see if they could find evidence of a leak or rupture. All of them eventually came back negative. As I continued to rest and be on fluids they did an ultrasound each day to check my fluid and it was slowly increasing. Granted, it was still low, but it wasn't decreasing or staying as low as when I came in. Since they couldn't prove there was a leak (unless we did an amniocentesis, which we decided against), they couldn't really prove that anything was wrong. The poor doctors were so confused and I could tell it bothered them that they didn't have any answers. For us it didn't matter why it happened at this point, only that our daughter was healthy and had a good chance of making it. They offered to let me go home, which we decided would be okay, and we made sure to get a list of "warning signs" to look for just in case I had actually ruptured and started to get an infection. We set out knowing that we would have to go in to the doctors once a week to have an ultrasound to check my fluid levels just to make sure they didn't get too low again. They also put me on modified bed rest, meaning I was allowed to get up and shower and heat up a light meal, but otherwise should be resting. It doesn't sound super awesome, but it was better than spending the next 4 months of the pregnancy in the hospital. Obviously this meant I wasn't returning to work, but my company was so amazingly supportive and it wasn't an issue. We continued to receive amazing support from our friends and family. My parents (only living two streets away from us) were doing our laundry and helping with cleaning and food. We had a bunch of friends from church offer and set up a schedule to bring us dinners twice a week. I also had a few visitors to come and help entertain me. Both of our family was excellent in helping me to get to my weekly doctors appointments since Danny had already taken time off work and we wanted to save as much as possible for when baby actually comes.

As of last week (April 25th) I had been on bed rest for 5 weeks and the doctor finally said I could start moving around a bit more! My weekly checks have continued to look "good" and stable as far as fluid levels are concerned and I am currently about 29 weeks along. Viability has increased significantly (although we're still hoping she stays in as long as possible), and things are moving along. We still understand that this doesn't mean everything will be perfect from here on out, but the outlook is bright. I will continue to have weekly checks for fluid and to monitor baby girl's growth as they will use that to help indicate if she becomes distressed. We are hopeful, optimistic, and continue to be grateful for our many, many blessings.

Though this could have been perceived as a tragic event in our lives, we have been blessed with the perspective and ability to notice the good and see it for the adventure that it is; the adventure that life really is. In case you're wondering what in the world I'm talking about, here's a short list of good things we've enjoyed:

- I get to see my daughter on ultrasound every week, and usually get photos to take home (whereas most parents will only get 2 photos throughout their entire pregnancy). We have a nice album pasted all over our fridge right now. I've actually become quite fluent in reading ultrasounds and knowing what the technician is looking at.
- We've gotten to try a variety of different meals from the many people who have brought them. All of them have been amazing, and it's been fun being exposed to different types of food and to get some new ideas of options for me to make later on.
- Our testimonies of eternal families has been strengthened. We knew, and still know, that if anything happened to our daughter we are still sealed as a family and will have the joy of being with her again.
- I got to stop working. We were blessed to have gotten our finances in order for me to stop working only weeks before this event and it hasn't been a burden on us. I have actually been enjoying my time home relaxing and trying to prepare for baby.
- We've learned a TON about the whole process of being in a hospital, insurance needs, and multiple things relating to mine and baby's health. I had never before this been admitted to a hospital so it was a brand new experience. Danny and I were talking about how much we wish we could educate ourselves on certain things, and this has actually helped a lot.

There are many other blessings we've seen come from this. The list is just too long to post, and it continues to increase as time goes on. We are so grateful for everyone's support and love. We will continue to move forward with hope and optimism and know that even if everything doesn't work out the way we had planned, we will all be okay.

For your entertainment, here are some pictures from our adventure:

This is us making the most of the moment as we wait at the doctor's office for them to tell us which hospital I'm going to be admitted to. It took them a while because everyone was on lunch.

The view from outside of the hospital (UCSD) in San Diego. I waited out front in a wheelchair while Danny parked the car.

Me posing for Danny to take the picture of my beautiful bed and luxurious living space.

I honestly loved the hospital food. To be honest that was one part I was a little bummed to be leaving once I was discharged.