19 weeks and appointment update

Thank you for all the nice birthday wishes, they always make a girl smile! Today we are officially 19 weeks, which feels like such a huge accomplishment. I know I say that every week - but I still pause each Monday and think that we have been so blessed to be at this point. Tomorrow I'll try to post an updated belly shot and a better update.

Today was a quiet day by myself, after a great weekend filled some time with the family. I have come to have a new appreciation for both. Yesterday my OB said that he would like to see me today for another cervix check since last week's was a little shorter and I was having what sounded like contractions. As I mentioned yesterday - I was a little surprised that he wasn't waiting the week between appointments like was the plan at the end of last week. But I never mind the close monitoring. Overnight I actually felt like I finally was having less contractions than I have in the last few days - like things were slowing down. Since this is my first pregnancy - it was weird to start feeling these things I weren't even sure were contractions at first. But now they have gotten regular enough and frequent enough that I now have no doubt what a contraction is. Basically my abdomen just tightens all of the sudden and gets as hard as rock. It then will relax, and in a little bit later, sometimes it happens again. Sometimes they are uncomfortable, sometimes they are not very uncomfortable.

Today at my appointment they could see on the monitor that I was having a contraction here and there - so that was reassuring in some weird way to know that what is actually happening is indeed a contraction. I despise the unknown, and it unnerves me a lot to not know when something is happening to my body. Or that something is happening, but not know what to call it. It's like I find if I know what's going on, or have a name for something or a cause of a problem - then I feel like I can start to deal with it. I can move forward, and pretty much get through things if we just decide to pull ourselves together, and move forward. Does that make any sense? I guess another way to put it is that I fear the unknown?

So yes I am still having contractions - although less frequently today. Yay! Game plan of today is to increase my p17 shots from once a week to twice a week (which was not something that I knew they did). This provides smooth muscle relaxation of the uterus and hopefully less irritability. If in a day or two they are not continuing to decreaes - then we will add indocin to the mix for the short term, and then see how I do with that. We can always pull out the bigger guns if necessary. One step at a time. My cervix is still a problem child. Can you believe that pesky bugger shortened a tad bit more from last Wednesday at my anatomy scan to today..less than a week later? It wasn't a huge change - but once again - shorter. Hmm, all these talks I've been having with Ms. Cervix don't seem to be working. Any suggestions? Perhaps a more stern approach is in order? I can be a little bit of a softie.

My OB wants to see me twice a week for a little while, just until things quieten down a bit. But instead of feeling like, GULP.... I feel more like PHEW. The extra monitoring makes me feel more comfortable, and not necessarily more nervous. So I go back on Wednesday. On a really happy note, I found out last night that a childhood friend of the family (the daughter of my mom's best friend) just got a BFP after doing an IVF cycle. They had been trying for 6 years to have a child and have had numerous failures. She lives out of state, but we have been in contact daily throughout her latest cycle - and I actually felt so happy for her that I felt like I myself got a BFP all over again. I am so excited for her and her husband, they have never before gotten this far along.

During my cervix check I got to peak at our little girl again, which made my heart smile. It's nice knowing that while she might feel like there is an earthquake going on in her neighborhood with the contractions and frequent internal checks - that all still is stable with her. In fact at the end of the ultrasound our little girl Spot gave us the thumbs up (if you look closely) to let us know that she was still doing okay, and wanted to hang around for awhile longer.


If you get a chance - go give Lost in Space some kind words and a hug or two - she's just been put through some beta hell after her IVF cycle. Also, if you want to read a really good post about why infertility should be covered by insurance companies for logical reasons - check out When all else fails. I think the bedrest insomnia bug has hit me again and that post sure makes for some interesting reading at 1AM- now if I could just fall asleep :-)