There’s a lot to update y’all on, and I’ll try to not write a novel about it. We’ve had quite an adventurous weekend!

But first, back a couple weeks to week 14, when we heard the heartbeat for the first time! That appointment was one of our favorites so far. Ryan recorded it on a voice memo on his phone, so we’ve been able to listen to it over and over again. It’s a big jump from 8 weeks (our last appt) to 14, and it was such a realization to hear our child’s life inside my belly! During our first ultrasound we didn’t get to hear the heartbeat because the machine was apparently a new model that didn’t have that feature. So hearing our baby’s heart pumping at 149bpm was such a fun experience.

Fast forward a couple weeks to last Sunday. We were at 15 1/2 weeks, and just going about a normal Sunday. I was sitting on the couch, and all of a sudden I felt this pain in my back. At first it just felt like a pinch, so I stood up to see if my back needed to crack while I straightened out. I walked into our bedroom, and before I knew it, I was on the floor, unable to get up. I called for Ryan and told him I felt like I was having the worst menstrual pains in my life, except it was all in my back. We waited it out a while until I threw up for a second time, and then Ryan called our OB office. The nurse on duty surveyed me over the phone, and told me I most likely have a UTI, and something with side flank something… yea, I was in too much pain to really understand what she was talking about. She told us to get to the ER, so Ryan grabbed all his stuff and we walked/crawled out the door. By the time we got there I was very dehydrated and they immediately put me on an IV (I remember my lips being so dried out, but unable to drink water). I continued to throw up as the Dr. there was trying to ask me questions.

Y’all, I am a pretty private person. I had the hospital gown on, untied in the back, and I literally did not care who saw me naked. I just wanted someone to fix whatever was going on. Keep in mind too that we had no idea what was happening, and we were both really worried about the baby.

The Dr. took a look at my back to listen to my breathing, and was surprised at how much my back and left side were bulging out. She kept feeling it and telling me how tight it was (uh.. I know!). After trying to ask me questions which I could not answer through the puke bag, she decided to just get me some medication and come back later to talk.

After a low dose of morphine was in my system, it brought my pain level down enough to sit still and have a conversation. They weren’t able to give me enough to make the pain go away, but I was happy for whatever I could get. They then did an ultrasound to check on the baby, and we got to see our sweet little one and rest in the knowledge that it’s perfectly healthy. When Ryan saw it he said, “Look, it’s doing bicycle crunches, and it’s got one hand behind its head!” That made me laugh a bit, and definitely calmed me down. The Dr. said it is very healthy and very active.

My results came back with a minor UTI, which our (ER) Dr. said should not cause the bulging, and she was pretty sure I must have strained something. I am not sure I agree with her (sorry) because of a few reasons: I was sitting on the couch when it happened; I exercise regularly and have a considerably strong core and have never hurt my back in any activity or exercise; I hadn’t worked out since the Friday morning before, and it was Sunday afternoon. My mom said it sounded like I had a kidney stone, and after looking up kidney stones during pregnancy and identifying with every single thing people were writing about, I’m also convinced that’s what it was. One mom even wrote that her kidney stone during pregnancy was worse than her labor. After reading so many testimonies, it made me feel a little less like a wimp (a UTI and a back strain?? I was for real getting worried about how in the world I am going to be able to push this thing out of me).

That night and next morning were pretty miserable, as they sent me home and told me I could take Tylenol (what??). But thankfully the pain never got worse than it was in the hospital, and mid-morning on Monday it straight up disappeared. I could still feel a pinch in my back, which I’ve been really careful about, but no pain.

I’m so thankful for our community of friends who stepped in and took care of us. Because I could not get up for more than 30 seconds without throwing up, Ryan was on 24hr duty taking care of me (sweet man woke up with me every hour through the night). Our friends contacted Ryan and coordinated breakfast, lunch, and dinner for us. We also received very unexpected gifts and were flooded with prayers. I am beyond thankful, and the generosity and love we received from them left me speechless.

Also, my husband is the best. I know he was scared out of his mind, but through the whole experience he kept calm and prayed over me and our baby, encouraged me, and took care of all the logistics of going to a hospital like a pro. I could see on his face how hard it was for him to watch me in pain and unable to do anything about it. He is my favorite person and I can’t imagine doing any of this without him.

One of my friends prayed over me this week that I would have a very unexciting pregnancy for the remainder of it. I’m ok with you all praying that over us as well. :)

The main thing I learned through this whole situation is a deeper understanding of how our lives are in God’s hands. When I have no idea what is going on inside my body, and I have no control over the protection of my child, I am brought to a place where I have nothing but to trust in God’s goodness. There were times that night when I could not even speak, and all I could think was Jesus’ name. I came to a point where I knew that whether that situation were to turn out good or bad, He is still good, and He has our best good in mind, including our baby’s. That is a hard place to be, but in that moment, my belief in Him grew. I’m thankful to belong to Him, and I’m thankful for even the difficult opportunities to trust Him better.

 

16 Week Update:

How Far Along: 16 weeks

Maternity Clothes?: None yet, but I’m definitely running out of clothes to wear. It’s like I’m too small for maternity clothes, but too big for regular clothes. And I refuse to buy clothes a size up when I know I’m just going to grow out of them in a month!

Stretch Marks: Nope.

Sleep: Sleeping so well now that I’m not in pain anymore!

Best Moment of This Week: Seeing our baby on the ultrasound, healthy and kicking like crazy.

Miss Anything: Lifting heavy (during workouts).

Movement: Not yet! Supposed to be able to feel something within the next few weeks.

Food Cravings: Soup soup soup. Especially Chick-fil-a chicken noodle and Jason’s Deli broccoli cheese. And a nice salad to go with it.

Anything Making You Queasy or Sick: Eating even just a little bit too much. I feel like it sits in my throat for the rest of the day.

Have You Started to Show Yet?: Oh yea, that babe is letting it all show now.

Gender: Still don’t know, and won’t be able to find out until week 20. :(

Happy or Moody Most of the Time?: Really happy and energetic this week. No idea where all that energy came from (maybe cuz I’m not on a hospital bed feeling like I’m gonna die).

Looking Forward To: Our appointment on Monday! We have another checkup on Monday which should be similar to our last one.