Today marks 3 weeks since our little miracle was born. We call her that for more than just because life in and of itself is a miracle. Here is the story...
Three months before Mr. Galaxy and I got married, I was told by a renowned OB-GYN that he thought I would have a very hard time getting pregnant without medical intervention based on my period history and some blood tests. He wanted me to come back after our honeymoon for further tests to see about endometriosis and the potential infertility he suspected so strongly. My fiance and I grieved deeply over this news because one of our greatest wishes was to be parents. In fact, infertility was probably my very biggest fear ever since I was a teenager, because I love children and I have always wanted to be a mother. As we walked through the months between receiving the news and our wedding day, we came to accept that God was in control and if He wanted us to have children, He could easily prove doctors wrong, and that we needed to live "open-handedly" no matter what happened.
We got married in May, went on a fabulous 2-week honeymoon to Mexico, and immediately moved out of state for my new husband to take a new job. We never did follow-up with that doctor, but figured whenever we decided we wanted to try for children, we would go to a doctor and get advice on it then. And in the meantime, we didn't need to worry about birth control, right? :o)
I got sick at the end of June with a massive kidney infection and was admitted to the hospital for five days. It took three days for my white blood cell count to start going down (normal levels are between 5,000-10,000 and mine was over 35,000). I wasn't really better at the end of the five days but my WBC count had receded to about 7,000, so it was safe enough for me to go home and just finish up my antibiotics there. During my hospital stay and following I had extreme nausea and had a hard time eating enough to stay hydrated. After I went home, I continued struggling with nausea, but it would come and go, based on how much medication I was taking. I went to my doctor for a follow-up visit three weeks later and my urine-analysis showed the infection was still present, so he gave me another round of antibiotics. I finished those, went back for a follow-up again, and they found my urine was still infected! So I got a different antibiotic and was instructed to take it and come back for a follow-up after that. Well, the nausea was not getting any better--in fact it was getting worse. I couldn't work, I couldn't do any housework, I could barely get out of bed most days, and even laying still was miserable. Everyone at church was convinced I was pregnant, but I knew there was no way--I was still recovering from the kidney infection, my husband and I hadn't even been trying, and besides we were supposedly infertile! Well, I finally broke down and bought a home pregnancy test, took it, and I didn't even have to wait the usual two minutes for the result. As soon as I dipped it, the plus sign appeared!
We went to the doctor the next day to have it confirmed and yes, we were indeed pregnant! We confirmed my antibiotics were safe for pregnancy and my doctor referred me to an OB at the hospital. My first visit to her was cut short because I was so nauseated that I carried a barf bag with me everywhere I went--she sent me right over to the ER to get rehydrated through an IV. That was only the beginning of my ER visits during that first trimester. I went back two more times because I could not eat or drink anything and keep it down. The OB then referred me to a high risk prenatal clinic because of the kidney infection (which STILL hadn't gone away!), and because my sister had a stroke a month after she had given birth, and my OB just wanted to be on the safe side and make sure I would be okay. After our initial visit at the high risk clinic they did a huge round of blood work which revealed I have a protein deficiency that could indeed cause a stroke, so they transferred my primary care to the high risk clinic. After my second ultrasound, they found that our baby had a 2 vessel umbilical cord. Most babies have 2 arteries and 1 vein in the UC, making it a 3 vessel cord. Our baby only had one artery and one vein. The doctors assured us this could mean nothing, but they wanted to keep an eye on it because it could indicate a low birth weight and often was a factor in babies with heart defects. My kidney infection gave me the "privilege" of carrying Group B Strep which can be transferred to baby during delivery (yikes!).
So many things against us in this pregnancy! Suspected infertility, kidney infection on the outset, 2 vessel cord, protein deficiency, and throughout the pregnancy the kidney infection never did clear up--it was a constant problem and I was going on high dose antibiotics (sometimes 2 at a time) every month or so. So many people prayed for me, for my health, for our child, for her health. We are so grateful for good insurance! The doctors at the high risk clinic were so wonderful and so concerned about making sure to cover every base to ensure the best pregnancy outcome possible.
Rylea Krystal was born May 6, 2012, completely healthy. Her heart is fully formed. She weighed in at 6 lbs and 14 oz and was six days early. She has had no withdrawal symptoms from me being on antibiotics the entire pregnancy, and while I am <still> battling the pesky kidney infection, we rejoice that Rylea is healthy. And I didn't even pray for her to be a healthy baby--I prayed for her to love Jesus and grow up to serve Him. I am overwhelmed every day when I look at her, knowing all that was against a positive outcome and seeing God's hand so evident in her life and even in her conception.
