Operation Rainbow Baby

         

          Yes, it is true! Nate and I are expecting our rainbow baby on December 29, 2016! For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term “rainbow baby”, urban dictionary explains what it is perfectly.  “A ‘rainbow baby’ is a baby that is born following a miscarriage, still birth, or child loss. In the real world, a beautiful and bright rainbow follows a storm and gives hope of things getting better. The rainbow is more appreciated having just experienced the storm in comparison. The storm (pregnancy/child loss) has already happened and nothing can change that experience. Storm-clouds might still be overhead as the family continue to cope with the loss, but something colorful and bright has emerged from the darkness and misery.”

            The news that we are expecting again has been bittersweet for us. Nate and I miss Hunter so much and it has been hard to deal with all of the emotions and anxiety that come with expecting another baby after such a great loss. This baby will never take the place of Hunter, but we are so excited to add more love and joy to our family.

How I Found Out

Finding out about our rainbow was quite a surprise. I work at the OB/GYN office where I have been a patient for the past four years and I was getting some blood work done to make sure I was ovulating since I only have one ovary and fallopian tube. They told me it would take three to five days to get results, so I was back at my desk working when one of the nurses asked me to go back to speak with Rachelle, one of the Nurse Practioners. I didn’t think anything of it assuming it was work related.  Rachelle was sitting at her desk when I walked back and she smiled at me and said, “there’s still two minutes left, but this test is positive.” She handed me a positive pregnancy test as my brain tried to process what was happening. “Are you serious?” I asked. I had started to shake and I could feel my eyes burning with tears. How could they get a positive this soon? My monthly visitor was still almost a full week away and I hadn’t even left a urine sample, so I was really confused about this pregnancy test and how they had gotten it. I thought maybe it had been confused with someone else’s test, but they reassured me that it was mine and explained how they could use the hemoglobin from my blood on a urine pregnancy test to get an early result. I was absolutely stunned! I couldn’t believe it and now I had this huge smile glued on my face. I literally felt like I was floating.

How I Told Nate: After I found out, I called Nate and asked him if he wanted to go out to dinner once he was done with work. I told him I would pick him up in a bit and ran to the store to grab some onesies for the big announcement. Here is a fun video of him finding out the BIG news!

Operation Rainbow Baby

             If you have been following mine and Nate’s journey, then you know that pregnancy for us is pretty risky. We found out about a year ago that I was born with an abnormal uterus. I have what is called a unicornuate uterus. This means that my uterus is about half the size it is supposed to be. This adds extra risk to pregnancy, as the possibility for preterm labor and other not-so-fun things is fairly significant. It is however possible to have a perfectly healthy pregnancy and this is what we are hoping for! My doctors are amazing and are monitoring this pregnancy closely to keep this baby cooking for as long as possible. Everyone on the medical and office staff have become like family to us since they have all been with Nate and I through so much and it has been so much fun to share this journey with them.

So far this pregnancy has gone pretty smoothly. I am currently 12 weeks and 3 days and I have another appointment this upcoming Wednesday. I have already had some genetic testing and our baby looks as healthy as can be. We were also able to find out the gender of our little one thanks to this testing, but our lips are sealed for a few more weeks! If you are one of the people we have shared that news with, please don’t say anything. J  

What's your guess?!

Thank you everyone for your well wishes and encouragement. We have a long road ahead of us and the love of our family and friends is helping keep us positive. We love you all and we will keep you posted! <3

We got to see our little 5 week dot!

5 week dot is now a 6 week blob!

9 weeks and starting to look more like a baby

Getting a little pooch! Grow baby grow!