First Ultrasound

Whew.  

These last forty-eight hours have been a roller coaster of emotions, but I think I've finally calmed down enough to be able to post, so here it goes!

Monday night I started having some sharp gas-like pains, so I took it easy and laid down to see if it would help.  Then, upon one of my five-hundred daily pee-trips, I saw what every pregnant woman dreads...blood.  One small gush of red blood with a few small clots (sorry if that grosses some of you guys out!), and then nothing except for when I wiped.  I never had any cramps or anything, and once I passed the clots, the sharp pains went away.  Of course, I started crying and having a mini-freak out session (who wouldn't?!).  After a few minutes, I calmed down (with the help of my wonderful husband) and laid down for the rest of the night.  The whole time, my heart was aching but determined to trust in God's plan.

The next morning, I called Dr T's office as soon as the clock turned seven.  They put me through to the nurse, Kim, who didn't seem concerned at all.  She said they see lots of first trimester bleeding/spotting in their office, and to stay on bedrest for the day and come in Wednesday morning for our scheduled u/s.  She also told me to try and relax and not worry....yeah, right!  That's funny! lol

All day long (which seemed like an eternity since I was confined to the couch, alone with my thoughts and Google), I had dark brown spotting.  Never a ton, but definitely there, and definitely enough to worry me.  Around noon, I started to have some mild cramping, but nothing as bad as when I get my period.  The cramping and spotting both continued throughout the day, but finally stopped once I was in bed for the night.  All we could do is pray and wait...which is the hardest thing ever!  

Finally, today arrived.  I woke up a bundle of nerves, and I could barely get myself ready for our appointment.  My sweet husband got to go with me, which made me feel so much better, but I was still shaking like a leaf while we waited for my name to be called.  

After about thirty minutes, it was our turn.  The u/s tech and nurse (Denese) came in and I briefed them on the activities of the last few days.  Just like before, neither seemed concerned, and said that between the hormones and the growing uterus, some bleeding and cramping is totally normal (and almost expected).  Then came the u/s.  I held my breath and waited while they both examined the screen.  The u/s tech finally turned the monitor towards us, and this is what we saw...

See that black oval in the middle of the picture?  That's our little peanut's gestational sac!!!!!  And the white splotch inside of it is the "yolk sac", which is what provides the baby with nutrients until the placenta can form.  The nurse seemed very happy that the yolk sac had already formed, which, in turn, made us very happy!  I couldn't stop smiling, and the hubs was definitely relieved (and silently beaming) to see that everything was okay!  

They didn't give us a gestational age yet, but I think it's safe to assume I'm still 5W4D.  We are supposed to go back next Tuesday (6W3D) at 7am for another u/s, and hopefully we can see the heartbeat by then!  Eeeeek!!!!

I'm sure you noticed that there's only one little guy in there now.  That doesn't necessarily rule out the chance of multiples, because the u/s tech said sometimes they "hide" behind the other sac, and can't be seen until later.  So for all of you guys out there who are thinking it was going to be twins (or more!), there's still hope! ;)

Of course, there are a million and one thoughts running through my head right now, but mainly I am thinking, "Thank You, Lord.  Thank You, Lord.  Thank You, LORD!"  Once again, I am completely amazed by God's faithfulness, love, and blessings!  I can't imagine ever feeling as good as I did when I first laid eyes on our precious tater tot, but I have an inkling that the blessings are just beginning and there will be many, many more life-changing moments to come! :) 

Thank you all again for all of your thoughts and prayers!  We're far from the "safe zone", so please keep praying for God's protection and His will to be done.  I read this verse yesterday, and I found it so fitting, so I wanted to share it with y'all:  "Jesus said, 'Have faith in God.  I tell you the truth, if you say to the mountain, "May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea", it will happen.  But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart." That's the key to truly trusting in God, is believing that ANYTHING is possible with Him!  If you still doubt that this is true, just look at that beautiful picture again! What a miracle! ;)