Friday, June 19, 2009

Our little peanut


Last week we had our first ultrasound and we got a sneak peek at baby #3.  Everything looked great!  The baby measured to be about 8 1/2 weeks along instead of 10 weeks like we thought, but that's ok.  We'll have about 10 more days to prepare for his or her arrival.  The new due date is January 17, 2010.

This pregnancy will be a little different than my first two.  It will be a high risk pregnancy due to the fact that I was recently diagnosed with an autoimmune disease.  It is not life threatening, however, there are some annoying symptoms to deal with and some potentially serious risks with pregnancy.  My body is producing antibodies that are attacking my healthy cells and tissues.  Unfortunately, these antibodies can cross the placental barrier and attack the fetus as well.  It is unknown how long I have had the disease or if it has recently been triggered from this last pregnancy, but since we know it is currently active, baby #3 will be monitored much more closely and regularly.  I will have to stay under the care of an OB instead of a midwife this time.  

We are all staying positive and worry-free and trusting God with our little one!  Besides, my two other little ones are keeping me so busy that I don't have time to stop and worry!

6 comments:

aunt pat said...

Adorable. Hope you're doing ok. Keep us posted.

Sherri said...

Thanks for the update. We will be praying for the pregnancy to go smoothly and for you through it all.

Miss you!

Decker and Christine said...

Congrats on baby #3! If you don't mind me asking, what's the auto-immune disease called? It sounds like something I went through in my pregnancy.

Kristen said...

Hey Christine! - It's called Sjogren's Syndrome. So far I have the classic symptoms of dry eyes, mouth, and skin, but it has also affected my sinuses, lymph nodes, and lungs. This disease causes inflammation in moisture producing areas of the body and joints so I am getting more aches and pains than usual too (I'm becoming known as "Grandma" around here because I move so slowly these days :)). It is in the lupus family and often is present with lupus. I guess the biggest concern are those antibodies that are killing my healthy cells and tissues which can attack the baby too. There is also a high percentage of fetal heart block and failure before 20 weeks gestation so we will be monitoring the baby's heart most closely. I remember reading that you had to have shots throughout your pregnancy. We have talked about that option...what did you take and what was the reason again? Thanks Christine! I hope you are doing well!

Decker and Christine said...

I took Lovenox throughout my pregnancy and then 6 weeks after the delivery. I had something completely different than what you are going through. Mine was called anti-cardio-lipid antibodies. It's a blood clotting disorder, meaning my blood clotted too much during pregnancy. The danger for the baby was the possibility of blood clots in the placenta, and the baby is starved of oxygen. Without help, it's very hard for the baby to survive, and there's a very high rate of miscarriage. The lovenox was a low-molecular heparin blood thinner that helped to prevent the blood clots. It did its job with Laralyn, thank goodness! Anyway, I was tested 6 weeks after delivery, and the entire issue was gone. Looks like I only have to worry about it when pregnant. Hopefully the same will be for you too!!! Sjogren's Syndrome sounds awful. You and the little one are definitely in our prayers. Keep me updated!

p.s. If you decide to go with shots, it's not as bad as it sounds. The first time is hard, but it gets really easy after a couple days.

Tucker Family said...

What a precious peanut! I will be praying for a healthy pregnancy. :)