On January 23, 2012, I was rushed to the doctor and admitted to the hospital. At 15 weeks pregnant, I was diagnosed with a subchorionic hematoma. I spent 2 days in the hospital and came home to complete bed rest. Not sure how long it will last. It's looking like it could be quite a while. Hence, my blog is started :)
Jacob and I have been trying to start our family for about 5 1/2 years. We have been married for 6 years and started "trying" about 2 months after we were married. "Trying" didn't work for about 6 months so we talked with my OBGYN, Dr. Reisinger, and asked her about options. She recommended laparoscopic surgery to correct my endometriosis. We did the surgery and 3 months later still no pregnancy so we decided to go with a fertility doctor. Fast forward, 2 fertility doctors, many attempts at IUI and IVF, a 10 day stay in the hospital because of a botched IVF retrieval and abdominal abscess....still no pregnancy. Needless to say, it has been a very trying and expensive 5 1/2 years.
We decided adoption was the best way to start our family. It's hard though once you make this decision, the paperwork and waiting that then occurs can be so tough! We waited a painful 15 months on a domestic adoption waiting list. About 10 months into this wait, we decided to look at surrogacy as an option because the wait was so difficult. The surrogacy process led us to an amazing fertility doctor in St. Louis, Dr. Sherman Silber.
After meeting Dr. Silber and discussing our history, he was optimistic that we could be pregnant. So we made the difficult decision to try IVF one more time! We didn't have much hope that it could work. IT DID WORK! Here I sit 18 weeks and 4 days pregnant, still in shock!
It couldn't be easy though. We got through the first trimester great. I worked out everyday and felt terrific. Then at the beginning of 15 weeks, complications. And here we get back to my bed rest. I could possibly be on bed rest for the rest of the pregnancy. I'm due July 14th with our baby boy.
So far, bed rest has been boring but tolerable. So many friends have signed up to bring us dinner every night. I've had friends join me for lunch which helps with the loneliness of the day. My mom and Jacob's mom have helped with house cleaning, laundry, and dishes. But my mom is now back in Florida and Jacob's mom left today to go back to Kentucky. Might need more help with household chores. We couldn't do this without all the love and support! Jacob has been amazing. I know this is hard on him too.
We aren't out of the woods. Complications haven't changed and risk is high for something to go wrong. We are praying everyday for our baby boy. Please join us with your prayers!
If you want to help or visit me, please email me at hollykappa@gmail.com. You can sign up to bring us dinner on Meal Train. Thank you everyone!! Happy Valentine's Day!
Holly I have had you on my heart for the last five years, maybe because of female intuition, something told me that you were struggling with the heartbreak of infertility challenges. It thrills me to hear that you are expecting! What joy! Will have you in my prayers until July. July 13th our little boy entered the world in 2005. Granted, where you live the temperature in July is a bit more tolerable than the humidity here in Birmingham! I look forward to following your blog!
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