Well…we are pregnant! I cannot wait to welcome
another sweet little blessing into our lives! I decided to share the process of
this decision…determining when to get pregnant has to be one of the hardest
decisions I have ever made. I wanted to make sure that I had enough one on one
time with Chandlor, but not too much because then the transition would be extra
hard on him. I also wanted to make sure that we could care for more than one
child. Chandlor needs lots of extra care (medicine three times a day, being
cathed four times a day, the list goes on and on). It was really important to
me that the new baby wouldn’t take away from Chandlor’s care…and that Chandlor’s
care wouldn’t take away from the new baby. Since day one Uriah has been part of
Chandlor’s care..I am so thankful that he is willing to step up and share this
responsibility with me. We make a pretty great team :)
For
those who don’t know, Chandlor’s Spina Bifida is genetic. He inherited a
duplication on a chromosome from me. To make a long complicated story short…I
am healthy because I am a girl..he has Spina Bifida because he is a boy.
Therefore, with our next child there will be a 25% chance that it (I hate
referring to he/she as it) will have some form of disability. This also added
to the complicated nature of this decision. Uriah and I decided a long time ago
that this was a risk we were willing to take. Chandlor is so so perfect. If we
do have another child with a disability…we are just extra prepared due to
experience. I think this was probably the easiest part of this decision.
Our
ultimate decision revolved around Chandlor’s weight…oddly enough. I had to have
a vertical c-section (incision from belly button to pelvic bone) with Chandlor
because of the large sac on his back when he was born. This makes me much more
susceptible to uterus rupture in preceding pregnancies. It is recommended that
the average pregnant person not lift more than 35 pounds. Chandlor isn’t quite
as mobile as the normal two year old. He has his own special way of doing
things and getting into things ;) but he requires help getting into the car,
bathtub, bed, etc. I didn’t want to not be able to provide Chandlor with all of
his care for nine months! The thought of it was honestly heartbreaking. Not to
mention having to find someone to be with me at all times to help take care of
him…it just wasn’t feasible. So we decided it was either in the next year while
Chandlor is still small enough for me to carry him…or when Chandlor is six or
seven when he is hopefully independent enough to get himself in and out of
things. I have always wanted my kids to grow up together…and the thought of not
giving Uriah the opportunity to have a biological child for another four years
just didn’t seem fair. He loves Chandlor so much and thinks of him as his own,
but this doesn’t keep him from wanting his own biological child. Needless to
say we decided that now was the best time.
We
started trying in February expecting it to take four to six months…we found out
we were pregnant in March! We were ecstatic! We decided to only tell a few
close friends and family members until I was 12 weeks pregnant. I think we
would have done this regardless, but I am slightly high risk due to the
chromosomal duplication. So far everything looks great! Due to my vertical
c-section I cannot go into labor. Therefore, we actually already have a
tentative delivery date of November 1st (this is the day before
Chandlor’s b-day yikes!). I will deliver at 37 weeks to make certain that I do
not go into labor. With Dr. Case leaving she recommended that I see Dr. Nelson
at Millard Henry in Russellville. So far he has been wonderful! We should know
between 20 and 22 weeks with limited certainty the health of the baby. We
haven’t decided yet if we will make this public knowledge. One of the most
awful parts of being pregnant with Chandlor was all of the sympathy and funny
looks. I think we will know how to move forward once we know. We have faith
everything will be just fine regardless :)
I
wanted to record this thought process for my own memory’s sake. Chandlor has
really shown me how fast time goes by and how important it is to record even
the little things…I hope I have more time to blog in the future!
Uriah,
Chandlor and I are so very excited. Uriah has already proven that he is an
excellent father figure…and I know that Chandlor will be an awesome big
brother!
We decided to let Chandlor make the announcement :)
This is our 12 week Ultrasound
