Friday, July 1, 2011

We're Having a Baby!

Source
 
I feel like shouting that from the top of the highest mountain.

We're having a baby!

This has been a long and difficult journey for my husband and I. When I married at 24, I had it all planned out. Spend 4 years getting used to being husband and wife and build or home. At 28 try for our first child, and then at 30 try for the next. I wanted a boy and girl. It sounded easy enough. Well at 28 I had my first of 4 miscarriages over the course of 10 years. 

Not only did I have the heartbreak of miscarrying, I also have a rare condition while pregnant called Hyperemesis Gravidarum. Less than 2% of woman are burdened with this condition. Why I get to belong to this exclusive club, I don't know! The only way to describe it, is it's like having food poisoning 24/7. At 6 weeks I could not keep any food or liquids down and was vomiting 7 times a day. At my worst I was vomiting every 30 minutes. I lost 20 lbs, was hospitalized over a month and went without eating anything for a month straight. I couldn't work. I had no energy. It was basically hell.

After my 4th miscarriage last year, we decided that we needed to seek the help of fertility specialist if we were ever going to make our family a reality. Because of my Hyperemesis and how sick I get when I'm pregnant we decided to try IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) and selected to have the embryos genetically tested for any chromosome abnormalities. We felt that this was our best option for guaranteeing a healthy embryo be planted in my uterus. Out of the 9 eggs they retrieved, I had one normal egg. ONE. The other 8 were no good. I was so thankful for that one perfect little embryo. But even with all the extra steps we took, I still worried about miscarrying. For those first 12 weeks I was optimistic yet cautious. And at 6 weeks my Hyperemesis hit. However this time we tried something new. My doctor had me start Corticosteroids to control the vomiting and anti-nausea meds (Zofran) for the nausea. And it worked! It has been like a miracle drug. For the first time I am able to function. It's been a real blessing, almost a miracle.

My husband and I are ecstatic that after 15 years of marriage we are finally going to have our own family unit other than our two very spoiled dogs. And I get to decorate the baby's room! A new project!

Thank you for letting me share our good news with you.


 xoxo,
Jenny

P.S. It's a girl (they can tell you that with genetic testing, pretty amazing!) and I'm due 1/2/12.

23 comments:

  1. Congratulations!!! What wonderful news for you and your husband.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What wonderful news!! Congrats to you and your husband!! The good Lord is watching out for you both!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Bill and I are so thrilled for you and Jim! You two will make incredible parents. I look forward to talking to you more about your exciting news when I see you later today. xo, A

    ReplyDelete
  4. What wonderful news!!! Congratulations! Thank you for sharing it with all of us. I hope you continue to feel well the rest of your pregnancy and look forward to seeing your wonderful projects to come! Many best wishes!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Jenny, I know I have congratulated you several times now, since I have known for a while, but I just want you to know again how happy I am for you and Jim!! And a little girl?? I can't wait to see the baby's room!!! And the baby pages!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Congratulations on your amazing news can't wait to see the photos and the up and coming projects.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Jenny I am so excited for you! I think more excited than when I was pregnant myself! And a girl, she will be spoiled rotten!

    ReplyDelete
  8. What wonderful news! I'm so glad you wanted to share it with all of us.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Laurie CornelssenJuly 1, 2011 at 9:12 PM

    Congratulations!!! We are so happy for you too. Can't wait to see how you decorate the baby room.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Congratulations Ma'am

    xoxo Hermine

    ReplyDelete
  11. WONDERFUL WONDERFUL WONDERFUL!!!! I am so happy for you! I can't wait to submit my nursery board for your approval!! :-))

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thank you all for the well wishes! We couldn't be more thrilled. I already have a zillion ideas swimming around in my hear for the nursery and can't wait to share them with you :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh Jenny, I am SO THRILLED for you!!!!!!!!!! I have tears in my eyes......
    And congrats to your awesome Jim for being patient and supportive, you know he'll be a great dad.
    And you, I've always felt, will be a fantastic mommy!
    Get going on that nursery because you're not going to have much crafting time come January!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Congratulations!!! Babies are a WONDERFUL passage into the next life chapter. My babies are 28 and 26. HOld on girl. You are in for the ride of your life.

    ReplyDelete
  15. So happy for you!!! I can't wait to see your projects with the baby's room!! I just love your blog and am a new follower. I was inspired by your home collage! Take a peak at my post when you can!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I am so happy for you Jenny! I am with Heather, when I first saw your news, I was so so excited for you guys! What a lucky girl she is to have you guys for parents!! Can't wait to see all the crafty goodness to come.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Jenny, again, so happy for the two of you. I had no idea what you had gone through to get to where you are. Looking forward to the decorating ideas and all the girly scrapbook pages!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Congratulations! Being a parent is the most wonderful (and difficult) experience in the world. It will change your life in ways you can't even imagine. It definitely made me a better person and you can't believe how much you can love someone until you have a child. It's like nothing else.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Jenny!!! I had no idea of the struggle and heartbreak you've gone through, but that's over now! Honestly you & Jim will be amazing parents and that is one lucky girl!! Being a parent is like nothing else, such powerful love. I'm with all your other friends, extremely happy for you!! This news has seriously made my week!!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Wow Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!! arghhhh i hope he/she will get your hair. hehehe why its beautiful! :D

    ReplyDelete
  21. Jenny first and foremost...CONGRATULATIONS!! Though my story was slightly different in that I never wanted children. I fell in love at 39 and married at 40. However, on our first date my future husband told me he wanted children. He had none from a previous marriage and was very wanting. So I prepared myself, but sadly had two miscarriages. I was more than devastated. At 42 we were blessed with a beautiful baby girl. She is five now and heading off to Kindergarten in the fall. She changed our world in so many wonderful ways. You are in for the ride of your life and it just only keeps getting better. We were unable to have any more, but I am just so grateful for our independent, rambunctious, brave, witty and forever talking little girl.

    Enjoy and be prepared to share all your fun crafting stuff. That part I am still getting used to.

    Laur :)

    ReplyDelete
  22. Thank you all!! Jim and I cannot wait to be parents!

    ReplyDelete
  23. congrats!!!! I missed this somehow!



    that is all

    ReplyDelete

I love receiving and reading your comments...

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...