Baby #3... the adventure of a lifetime!

First of all, I can't believe how easy it is to just have a big ole' lull in my blogging.  I love doing it-- mostly so I can remember all of the sweet things that happen in this crazy life that the Lord has blessed me to live.  However, in light of recent events, I most certainly do NOT want to forgot any of the blessings that have been heaped upon me by a gracious, loving, all-knowing Heavenly Father.

So here is the story of a sweet boy and the power of a praying people...

PART I-- the journey of faith...

I love being the mama.  I love being pregnant.  I love the thrill of watching my tummy grow, move, and, at times, make strange noises.   This baby is #3 for us, so I was feeling pretty confident.  However, around 20 weeks, it was discovered that I had a condition known as placenta previa.  It wasn't too big of a crisis, and we prayed diligently that the Lord would help to correct this "bump" in the road (no pun intended! ;) ).

Due to the high risk factor that comes with the previa, I was required to have an ultra-sound every other week (LOVED looking in on my little man!) as well as a twice-weekly monitoring session known as an NST (non-stress test).  Again, not too terrible-- more of an inconvenience as I dashed across town before or after school to get this monitoring in without having to use any of my precious sick leave.

When I was 30 weeks, during one of my "normal" ultrasounds, the doctor became very suspicious that the placenta had indeed begun to implant into my uterus and cervix.  After further reviews and scans, it was confirmed:  my previa had turned into a full-blown placenta accreta.  The diagnosis was that as long as I wasn't having any preterm labor or bleeding, I could continue working.  However, due to the size of my baby (we grow 'em big!) and some excess fluid around the baby, I would have to have a schedule C-section at 35 weeks to deliver the baby and also remove my uterus. 

(As a side note: my hubby and I had been praying about whether or not we should have any more children after this one.  We felt like the Lord was giving us the "your shop is CLOSED" pretty loud and clear! ;) )

Those 5 weeks flew on by as we scurried to get things ready.  Since not much about this pregnancy had been "normal" to date, it wasn't a surprise that the delivery would be "special", too!  I had to deliver at the high risk hospital in Norfolk, VA and was scheduled for delivery on April 25.  My parents and two sisters drove over from WV on April 24 so that they could help take care of our older two sweet ones while I was in the hospital-- and Ashe was caring for me. 

This is where the adventure really took off... but I'll save that for another post! :)