Waxing Nostalgic Part XIV

During college, I had some abnormal paps and had to have part of my cervix removed both times.  This was something I did not see the future consequences of; I just did not want a chance of cancer.  With my cervix being so thin, I was going to have a very tough time keeping a baby in. At 14 weeks, I had an appointment with a specialist in Little Rock about my cervix. He had recommended bed-rest and frequent ultrasounds. The special thing about this visit was that he let me know the sex of the baby! I was by myself and didn't know that I would find out this early! I found out that day in March that we were having a GIRL!!! 

As far as baby names, we had a girl name and a boy name picked very early on.  The spelling would be "Catelyn" which was partly taken from my maiden name, Cates.  Her middle name, "May" was chosen because May is a very special month for us and Tim's mother's middle name was "Mae." 


In April, at 21 weeks, my cervix shortened tremendously and I had to go on full bed rest. We learned that my cervix was "paper thin" and was definitely not a candidate for cerclage. The days were long since Tim was away at work.  I did have friends who would occasionally stop by and visit. This was such a scary time for Tim and I.  We prayed together every night.  We also had the prayers of church family, family and friends.  Every week that we made it through was a celebration.


But, it was also a really good time.  I remember laying in bed with Tim at night and reading from What to Expect when you are Expecting.  We would also sing and talk to the baby. I first felt her move when I was 17 weeks. In my journal I wrote, "she is very active and I feel her moving all the time!"  I loved when we would get to feel movements and it was really crazy when we could see them happening!  I also had a few food cravings early on.  These were Sprite, chicken and dumplings, Easy mac (I know! Ew!), apple juice and chili cheese Fritos.


The first 6 weeks of bed-rest were very long.  I wrote in my journal that I had been reading, doing crossword puzzles, watching TV, coloring and I even did a latch-hook! 


On May 24th, I had busy doctor visit. I was tested for gestational diabetes, the doctor decided that the pregnancy had given me back spasms, I got the last of my steroid shots to help promote lung growth, the ultrasound determined that my cervix had thickened slightly and confirmed that we were still having a girl!


A lot of our friends were also having babies during this time.  Our friends Johnathan and Stephanie had Kaleb the previous October, my friend Paula had Sawyer in February, my friend Kelly had Reagan in April, and another friend had a baby in June.


On June 6th, I had an ultrasound and my cervix had once again shortened. My doctor decided that I needed to be in the hospital for observation. I was there from that Monday until Thursday. I wrote in my journal that I was SO glad to get home and back on my couch!

to be continued....