I'm terrible at blogging. But I made a commitment to keeping up with this. So I'm going to give you the best update that I can from the last time I posted…. it may be very VERY long! (or maybe not, we'll see)
Let's start with the journey of what baby Esparza #3 is…. though most of you already know! On February 19th a very good childhood friend of mine (my sister from another mother) took me to the school she graduated from to have an early gender scan. Since she's a sonographer and I was about 14 weeks, she said, if baby cooperated, we'd be able to tell. Through a series of unfortunate events, we were unable to get me scanned - not that the baby didn't cooperate, but we couldn't even get a scan at all. I was more bummed for her because I knew she was excited to be the one to "read" the results for me. I felt like it was fate. I was trying to do it early because I'd be traveling to Oklahoma for my baby sister, Shaina's, bridal shower and I wanted to tell my family in person. But it felt so weird not having Erik with me. So I think God was really in control. Instead, on March 12th, we had our full anatomy and gender scan. Erik AND the twins were with me and of course it became a video production. So I was thrilled. Going into the scan the vote was:
Mommy: Boy
Papi: Girl
Ephraim: Boy
Elijah: Girl (or maybe boy, depending if he heard Ephraim first or not)
You can see Erik's video here: http://youtu.be/zwPVSy5CnSk He did such a great job and we are so blessed with the way he captures memories for our family. It seriously makes me cry every single time! So now we know, mommy's intuition was right again and I will remain the queen/princess of this house as Ezekiel Erick Esparza joins his big brothers and the rest of his family mid August!
HOWEVER, with that anatomy scan we were also told we were due sooner than we thought. The tech said my new due date was 8/5/15 (from the original 8/14/15). At first I was stoked! 9 whole days closer to meeting my baby. But then, after time to mull it over, I realized how terrible that news was. I'm trying to do this naturally and there is a SHORT window to work in. I have two weeks before and two weeks after my due date that it's safe to proceed with a home birth and my midwife. Anything too early or too late, automatically means hospital. So moving my due date UP moves that window UP and there is a chance that's not accurate. After all, I'm SURE of my last menstrual period so how could my due date be so different? I started to get upset and realized I just needed to breath and talk to Miriam. So I did….
I had a recent visit with Miriam on Thursday. It's always so much FUN to go see her. I seriously never thought I'd say that about a doctor's appointment. But she's not a doctor. She's a midwife. And she LOVES me and the twins. And the twins are CRAZY about her. How much better does it get than that??? So we spoke about my due date… and she is totally on my side. What a complete change. I have NEVER had a conversation that was SO EASY! She just said I was absolutely right and my due date shouldn't change…. WOW! So August 14th is still the magic number. And while I posted a 20 week baby bump "early" on fb…. I'm officially 20 weeks TODAY!
More updates from Miriam…. my post op reports from the csection are back. We both have copies and I'm still awaiting my appointment with Dr. Spencer which will hopefully happen in May. I read through it and while it doesn't make sense, I did find I tested positive for group B strep when pregnant with the twins…. which was super interesting to know since NO ONE EVER TOLD ME THIS! What the heck?!? That's kind of important for me to know. AUGH! Well Miriam was super kind and explained it to me, what it means for me and for baby boy and how they'll test and treat it. So I have so much more ease now. Seriously, it doesn't get easier than working with a midwife. This is such an amazing experience…. I cannot say it enough! Anyways, we also discussed how my gestational diabetes testing would work and when we'd do that. Looking at the beginning of May for that as well. Lastly we discussed the insurance. Insurance came through and she told me what her meeting/discussion with them was like and how much they're going to cover and what I'd be responsible for, and I signed the contract and paid my deposit. So she's officially my midwife on paper, though there was NEVER a doubt we'd work together. She also asked me about my iron levels. I told her I'd be trying to get an appointment for updated blood work but had been striking out so guess what?? She DREW MY BLOOD FOR ME! One more appointment not needed. Life is good! She emailed me today that my hemoglobin is 10.7! So good from the 8.3 it was in October. Still trying to get it above an 11 though. I think we're going to try only over the counter and natural remedies for the month of April and retest in May (with my GD test) and see if my levels have maintained or gone up or down on their own, so it's HUGE for me to stay on top of everything right now. If not, I may need another infusion in May. Only time will tell on that one. She also measured my belly and confirmed that I was right on track to my original due date based on where my uterus was measuring. So that's really good news (cause ultrasounds aren't always right). The best part is that she lets the boys listen to the baby's heartbeat and Ephraim feels so helpful and gets so excited to hold the doppler and push the button. It's ALL HE TALKS ABOUT! So cool to have my boys so involved with their baby brother. That was my number one wish!
Luckily I'm only up about 10 pounds in 20 weeks. But I feel so much bigger/stretched out than that. I'll admit the fatigue is killing me this pregnancy. I've really done nothing physical outside of working with two three year olds all day. I need to throw them in the stroller and go for walks or something - or August might not be as good/fun as I want it be. So that is a discipline I need for me… I can do it, but prayers and cheerleading are always accepted!
With that being said, we contacted Sara Arrate, the doula we originally spoke with, and set up a meeting with her for Friday April 10th…. the afternoon before I fly out to Tulsa for 20 days for a wedding celebration! Buuttt we definitely wanted to meet BEFORE I'm gone for so long. Especially since I'm already at the halfway point. I really loved speaking with her on the phone and I've LOVED how prompt she's been at getting back to me. I have a feeling we'll be proceeding with her. Especially since she also provides placenta encapsulation and that's SUPER important to us. But I guess we'll know for sure in two weeks! I'll also see Miriam again beginning of May when I return from Shaina's wedding for the GD check and my next regular check up as well. By then I'll be 25 weeks along.
I can't say enough about the experiences we're having and I know that no matter the end of all this, we're going to have a strong birth team, a healthy baby, and I'm going to be much better educated and know that I advocated for myself way more than I knew how to with the twins. I know that God is in the center of this experience and it has made it that much more amazing for us!
