The First Seven Months

We have decided to keep a blog to provide family and friends updates on our bundle of joy we are expecting in February, Clare Lucille. Mitch and I are both very excited but nervous at the same time. Lets just say we were a little surprised when we found out we were pregnant.

Mitch and I have been married going on five years and decided that we were ready to start a family. We just didn't think it would happen so quickly. Our little miracle was conceived in April about a month after we had decided to start a family. I thought for sure it would take at least a year for us to become pregnant. The first trimester of pregnancy was very easy for me with the exception of feeling tired all the time. We took a home pregnancy test at the end of May but the results were negative.

The third week of June I was still very tired and experiencing some stomach pain. I thought for sure my stomach ulcers had returned so I made an appointment with my doctor. I described my symptoms to the doctor and told her I needed a refill on my ulcer medication. The Doctor had a funny look on her face and mentioned that I should take a pregnancy test. At first I was reluctant and told her that I wasn't pregnant because I had taken a test a couple of weeks earlier and it was negative. Plus, I wasn't experiencing any other preganancy symptoms that are common in the first trimester. She insisted that I take a quick test and then we would proceed from there. I was a little upset because I just wanted to get in and out of the office.

The Doctor came back into the room and had a smirk on her face. At that moment, I knew that instead of my diagnosis of stomach ulcers I wasn't feeling well due to the fact I was pregnant. I was completely shocked because I had convinced myself that I wasn' t pregnant due to the negative home pregnancy test. I immediatley called Mitch and at first he thought I was teasing him but eventually he could tell by the tone in my voice that I was serious. He was completely shocked. Our original due date given to us was January 18, 2008.

An appointment was made to see the OB. Mitch and I were able to see the first pictures of our little one at the appointment and the due date was changed to February 18, 2008. It finally sunk in for both of us that we were going to have a baby. Prior to us getting the ultra sound I thought Mitch was going to pass out in the chair. He was so nervous and couldn't sit still. The Doctor thought it was funny how nervous he was. We left the office and decided not to tell anyone for a little while.

We finally started to tell our family at the end of June. They were all really excited especially Mitch's parents because Baby Clare will be the first grandchild for them. My pregnancy for the next couple of months went really well and I finally started to get some energy back. We had another ultrasound in September and found out we were having a little girl. Again, Mitch and I were completely shocked due to the fact that boys seem to dominate his side of the family. Mitch's mom was so excited that she was finally going to have a little girl. Mitch's first question was, "What will I do with a daughter?" I just told him you can do the same things you do with a son.

November was a little scary for us because I started to experience swelling and pain in my legs. I was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis and was prescribed special compression tights to wear for the remainder of my pregnancy. They seem to help ease the problems and my pregnancy continued to go pretty smoothly until December. In December I came down with the worse case of the flu I have ever had and got so dehydrated I ended up in the hospital to receive IV's. My pains were so severe Mitch and I thought I was going into labor but it turned out to be the flu. We were thankful that was all it was.

A couple of weeks later I was experiencing some similar symptoms and we thought my flu was back. I tolerated the pain for three days and finally decided to call the doctor. It turns out I was actually experiencing contractions this time but fortunately my cervix hadn't dilated. The doctor prescribed some medication to stop the contractions and I'm currently taking them three times a day. They seem to be doing the trick. I will continue taking them for a couple of more weeks. The Doctor wants Clare to get a little bigger before she makes her entrance into the world.