All of my pregnancies have been high risk for one reason or another. My first pregnancy at 14 ended in induction because of Preeclampsia. During two pregnancies I developed pulmonary emboli (blood clots in my lungs). I spent the latter part of A's pregnancy and almost all of B's and K's pregnancies as well as several weeks post-partum on an injectable blood thinner, called Lovenox, to prevent the blood clots from forming again. I am currently on Lovenox this pregnancy as weel.
Rebecca was born at 37 weeks and struggled with recurrent ear infections which, to this day I contribute to formula/bottle feeding. She had tubes put in her ears when she was a few years old. Other than than the pulmonary emboli Ashleigh's pregnancy was great- I worked up until several hours before she was born. She was born a few days before her due date, was and still is my little peanut. I nursed her for the first few months but then switched to formula, which I still regret doing, especially since she suffers from Allergies like she does. I blame a lot of my formula feeding on being naive about the tremendous benefits of breastfeeding and being young and inexperienced.
In September of 2005, around our anniversary, we unexpectedly conceived. From the second I found out, I wanted that baby, our baby, with every fiber of my being. Sadly, I started bleeding the day after I got the positive test (October 4, 2005) and it was confirmed by multiple quant levels that I was in fact having a miscarriage. Following 13 months of hoping and praying with every beat of my heart, Béla's pregnancy was filled with anxiety. I was terrified of something "bad" would happen and spent the entire pregnancy very anxious which made me a bit loony. Physically things were great until the last trimester when I was in significant pain, had pre-term contractions, and did a lot of complaining. I got the induction I wanted and he was born happy and healthy at 37w6d.
During Kadie's pregnancy, which I thought was meant to be my last, I was diagnosed with a subchorionic hematoma (SCH) by ultrasound at 8 weeks. It spontaneously resolved by 12 weeks. At our "big" ultrasound at 18w6d I was diagnosed with Complete placenta previa. According to our OB the complete placenta previa was still there at our follow-up ultrasound at 30 weeks and I would need a c-section. Eventually I came to terms with this very high risk complication and with the fact I needed to have a surgical birth. Imagine our utter shock when we discovered during a "false alarm" L&D trip one week before our c-section that my placenta had moved up and back and we would not need a c-section!
I had done a complete 180 from our son's pregnancy and when our OB/gyn mentioned possible post-term induction at our 39 week appointment I hoped and prayed she would come on her own before we would be considered post-term...I did NOT want to be induced. Kadie Marie was born happy, healthy, and vaginally one day before her official due date! My water broke all on it's own with no warning (no contractions, no mucus blog, no bloody show) at 12:30am on June 8th (night of a full moon) and she was born at 7:52am. Consequently, the tubal ligation I was going to have done when I had the c-section I never had done and I have no regrets what-so-ever.
We conceived our youngest the first cycle we were "not trying, not preventing." We had sex once the entire cycle and much to our utter shock we actually conceived. Daddy told me on Valentine's Day that he thought I was pregnant and I got the first official BFP (big fat positive result on a home pregnancy test) the day after Valentine's Day. Our little Valentine became our little Pumpkin arriving on October 17th.
When you're told you have a complication like Pulmonary Emboli or Complete Placenta Previa and you or your baby could die it really puts things in perspective. I did not start out my parenting journey as a baby wearing, breastfeeding/extended breastfeeding, cloth diapering, attached, co-sleeping/room sharing, stay-at-home mommy. It wasn't until my pregnancy loss followed by the 13 months of hoping, praying, and crying to conceive that I really understood what a blessing pregnancies and babies are. Since then my life-focus has become my children and my family. Naturally, when you cherish something with all of your heart you want to take the best care of it possible...being a stay-at-home mother and an attached parent leaning to the crunchy side is a natural extension of that love and passion for me.
I am very, very blessed and very truly and utterly grateful for everything I have, including my wonderful (albeit a little crazy) family.
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