I wanted to utilize this post to give an update on our current pregnancy. Just a little bit of this and a little bit of that; I always find pregnancy and birth stories fascinating because everyone's is always so different!
After we lost Aiden, it was hard to imagine wanting to go through another pregnancy. We knew that we would eventually want another child, but that it would be a bit before we were ready to try again. There was much physical and emotional healing that needed to take place before we felt like giving parenthood another shot. However, here we are, 2 years later and pregnant with a baby girl!
We decided this past fall that we wanted to try for a second child. However, I ended up being very sick during the fall and winter seasons; I fought for months with bronchitis and walking pneumonia. I don't remember a time I've ever been sicker. I was having breathing issues to a point where I considered going to the hospital a few times. I went to the doctor six times and completed six rounds of antibiotics and inhalers (I've never had asthma or breathing issues before). At one of my appointments in November, I asked to get a chest x-ray but found out that this was not an option for me at the time. A pregnancy test that I was required to take before they would take an x-ray revealed that God had blessed us with our second chance at parenthood. I was surprised at how quickly the news came after having just made the decision to try again. However, I also remember feeling like the timing was perfect because I finally felt like I had learned how to trust God to take complete control over my anxiety and depression (something that I have to remind myself of on practically a regular basis).
After finding out that Baby Simpson 2 would be a girl, Brad and I discussed names. And by discussed names, I mean I read him an insanely long list of names I had hoarded over the years and he said no to all of them but 2! We knew we wanted Baby 2 to share a middle name with her older brother, so whichever name we chose would be paired with the middle name, James. Since the first name Avery was too similar to that of a popular jewelry store, we settled on Ava James. I love that it just so happens that our children will also share the same initials!
I decided to choose another OBGYN for this pregnancy. Not because I think that my previous doctor was a bad doctor, but simply because I wanted a fresh start and wanted to explore other methods for getting the care that both Ava and I need. I prayed and sought out recommendations from friends and there was one particular doctor that 2-3 people had all recommended. I did some additional research and this name just kept popping up and I felt like that was God's way of pushing me in the direction of her care. I'm so glad he did because this doctor is incredibly personable, caring, and proactive.
I described to her my experience with our first pregnancy, along with the physical side effects that I had been experiencing ever since that pregnancy (calf pain, heart palpitations, frequent light-headedness & occasional chest pain - I had been to the doctor many times to try to figure out why I felt this way, including a visit to a cardiologist). With this information, she ordered a Venous Thrombosis Profile and the results came back showing that I have a slight Protein S deficiency. Protein S deficiencies can mean an increased risk of developing blood clots and pregnancy clots that can lead to miscarriage and stillbirth. This very well could have been the cause of our first loss so my doctor took care to do some research and even reached out to three other OBGYN's to get multiple opinions about how to safely treat the deficiency during pregnancy. She concluded that I would need to give myself daily blood thinner injections (a low dosage) in the stomach every day through the entirety of the pregnancy.
The current plan is to discontinue the injections around week 37 or 38, and then I will be induced soon after to make sure that I don't go too long without the blood thinners. Daily injections are certainly not fun, but it does give me some peace of mind and hope for a safe and healthy delivery of our baby girl!
This pregnancy has also differed quite a bit from the first because of the worldwide pandemic that everyone has been enduring. While things are beginning to open back up and return to some version of normal, my doctor is still recommending that my husband and I continue to social distance ourselves throughout the remainder of the pregnancy (and then some). It is disappointing because in the last few months of it just being Brad and I, we haven't been able to go out and do some of the things we love to do. (Mainly go out and eat lots of mexican food - hah!) Plus, because of clinic policies, Brad doesn't get to come to any of the doctor appointments or ultrasounds so I've been videoing them for him. We miss seeing our friends and family, however, we are doing whatever we can to keep our baby girl safe and healthy. It will make for an interesting story to share with her when she gets older!
It all is becoming more and more real as we get closer to our due date. My doctor is suspecting a delivery date closer to the beginning or middle of July, as opposed to the end of July when my actual due date is. We (mainly Brad) are working hard to complete the major home renovation project that we decided to take on so that we can get the nursery cleared out and ready to go. Unfortunately, a traditional baby shower is out of the question but we are looking forward to the sweet drive-by baby shower that my in-laws have planned.
Sorry, I know this post was long but I wanted to share our excitement about this current stage in our lives and I truly look forward to bringing our baby girl into the world in a few weeks!
God bless,
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