And the hubby and I comment on all the odd jobs a nurse must do. Putting a band-aid on someone's ass is probably something you never consider when you go into nursing, and while it is an odd thing to do I am assuming that I am likely one of her easiest patients of the day.
I am wife to the hubby, mom to my 3 year old mini-me, recently relocated to Pittsburgh from Chicago, I am a fan of film food music and margaritas, I am dedicated slave to my menagerie, I am 35 years old, and (surprise!) I am pregnant.
Hubby and I had talked about having another, and why would we not want another? We made a damn fine baby the first time. She is beautiful and smart and witty, she understands irony, her favorite color is black, she is a good eater and a great sleeper. She is empathetic and kind. She is freaking hilarious, both when she is trying to be and sometimes even moreso when she is decidedly NOT!
She is hyperactive and chatty. No, she is not just chatty, she is downright annoying with the CONSTANT commentary and questions and observations. All done at slightly higher volume than is really necessary.
She was a "demanding" baby, and always insisted on doing things in a more extreme manner than any other baby anyone had met.
When I was pregnant I lived through extreme morning sickness. Morning sickness that lasted all day long. Nausea that made me hate coffee and swear off all food but apples. Nausea that made me force hubby to eat his dinner in the garage on more than one occasion.
That pregnancy gave me carpal tunnel syndrome, SPD, bloody noses and backne.
She came a week late, cried real tears in the delivery room...and then did not stop for 4 more months. She made all the "colic experts" raise their eyebrows and say "huh? She is exceptional!".
She was just a difficult baby, she nursed constantly and I had to literally wear her on my body at all times. She NEVER slept!
At 8 months she started sleeping, at 9 months she started walking, at a year she was talking and well she has just been a much happier child ever since. She is 3! and she definitely has a flair for the dramatic. No kid is easy, and there are moments every day when I want to send her off to boarding school and then roll over and sleep for a week...but she is just AWESOME!
And really, why would I not want to do that all over again?
So, I found out that this absolutely amazing child is going to be a big sister. And well, I got all excited!
I went to my OB, who tells me that despite what Pittsburghers say there are very few redeeming qualities to this gloomy little city. The one redeeming quality is that it is a great place to raise a family. He says, in his opinion, Pittburghers have great family values. He adds that he does not mean this in a "religious right" sort of way. Did I mention that I really like my OB?
I get some blood drawn for a slew of "standard pregnancy tests" and I head across the hall for an ultrasound.
The good news is that the baby is not even 5.8 weeks old and is measuring at 6 weeks. The extra good news is that baby has a strong heartbeat.
The bad news is that there is a SCH. That is a subchorionic hemorrhage.
This could mean 1 of 3 things:
1)It bleeds badly and I miscarry
2)It simply goes away on it's own and is no big deal
3)It continues to bleed forever causing me to lose lots of blood at random times throughout my pregnancy.
Of course my ultrasound was the last of the day so I did not talk to my OB afterward. Instead I decided to Google it when I got home.
BAD IDEA!
I have read about women out of nowhere passing multiple clots the size of softballs, of women with blood pouring out of their bodies and pooling at their feet, of women passing out in ER waiting rooms while their children frantically scream about mommy dying.
I could need to be hospitalized for transfusions, numerous times if I am rally lucky.
Or I could spend the next 34 weeks lying in bed watching my 3 year old slowly lose her mind.
So, I call my OB the next day. He is not there so I talk to his associate.
She tells me that she cannot tell me what will come of this. It is common enough but nobody knows why it happens and there is nothing I can do about it. She tells me "pelvic rest" and to drinks lots of water. No biggie. But since I am Rh- and hubby is Rh+ I need to rush in and get my Rhogam shot because all the bleeding puts me at risk of becoming sensitized and ruining my chances of carrying another child.
Awesome!
So, that is officially how this is going to begin. This baby is just a 6 week old grain of rice with arm and leg buds, it still has a tail for crying out loud, but it has already managed to one-up it un-one-uppable big sister.
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