12 1/2 weeks

Since I didn’t get my 12 week picture, here is my 12 1/2 week pic.

I also just wanted to write a post to say thank you to my friend, Amanda, in Ohio.  Amanda and I met about 4 years ago through this very blog.  In October 2010, I flew up to Ohio to surprise her for her birthday.  So, we’ve only met in person once, but I consider her one of my dearest friends.  Weird, huh?  LOL!  She never stopped believing that I would get pregnant again. Even when I had serious doubts myself.

Before Olivia and Logan were born, I went through 3 years of fertility treatments and finally on my 8th IUI, I got pregnant.  Because of my extremely premature labor with twins, I didn’t want to risk getting pregnant with multiples again.  So, my husband and I decided that we would no longer pursue fertility treatments. 

Four years and a diagnosis of diabetes later, I surprisingly got pregnant in May 2011.  Now, I don’t want to be lumped into that category of people who just “stopped trying so hard” and got pregnant.  I credit my sudden fertility to taking a medication called Metformin to manage my diabetes.  Without Metformin, I do not have periods and do not ovulate.  With it, I do and therefore have at least the hope of getting pregnant.  That is just my experience with it.  For others, it doesn’t work like that.  Metformin is also prescribed to people who have polycystic ovarian syndrome (my official infertility diagnosis.) PCOS is linked to diabetes because it has to do with insulin resistance.  I was on it during my fertility treatments, but the highest dosage I was on was around 500-1000 mg.  I needed at least 1500 mg for my body to be regulated and 2000 mg to become pregnant.  Sadly, that pregnancy ended around 7 1/2 weeks.  It was deemed a blighted ovum and never developed enough to even have a heartbeat.  Nonetheless, I was heartbroken and confused as to why God would surprise me with a pregnancy only to have it end so soon. 

Amanda still insisted that I would get pregnant again.  I thought that maybe getting pregnant on my own was just a fluke. . .a 1 in a million chance.  But, exactly 5 years (to the day) after I found out I was pregnant the first time. . .I found out I was pregnant again. 

Here I am now at 12 1/2 weeks pregnant and trying to enjoy and treasure every minute of this pregnancy.  I don’t breathe that sigh of relief after the first trimester is over like most women do.  I thought I was in the clear with my first pregnancy and I was wrong.  Honestly, I won’t truly be able to breathe a sigh of relief until that healthy baby is in my arms.  Amanda says it’s a boy and, well, she’s been right about everything else so far!  But, boy or girl. . .I feel so incredibly blessed.