I Should Play the Lotto

After a tubal ligation 3 years ago when Allison was born, we just found out on Tuesday that we are expecting baby #5!

I can't really explain why I even thought to buy a pregnancy test. I mean, I spent at least ten minutes in Walgreens trying to decide if I needed to spend $10 when I KNEW it would be negative (because it had to be, right?).

Let me back up...I have had some medical issues in the last few years that make my cycles irregular. So, YES...I did miss my period, but this was not the first time. I have had some nausea in the morning, but when I take my meds on an empty stomach (which I do pretty frequently) I sometimes feel a little sick. So I really didn't think much of that. Really, I have just had A LOT of fatigue. I mean I am WIPED OUT by about 1pm. At first, I thought it was just that I wasn't sleeping well. Or, it could've been me falling off the Gym Wagon. I started potty training Allison in March (we won't talk about that), and taking her to speech therapy once a week in April, and I found it easier & easier to skip the gym for other things. I figured the fatigue was because I wasn't working out as much.

So, back to Tuesday...I did buy a test & took it. To my surprise, it was PoSiTIvE! What?!!? How?!!? I'm surprised I didn't pass out. I literally could NOT breathe. I called downstairs to Bryan & he said he'd be up in a minute. I jumped on the phone to the nurse @ my primary care doctor's office. I told her the situation (tubes tied + positive home test = FREAKING OUT!), and she said she'd talk to the dr. I called Bryan again. He came up (poor guy thought he was getting a little something-something), and I showed him the test. We both just kind of sat there freaking out. Bryan was very surprised, but supportive. He was much more accepting than me.

About an hour later, the nurse called back & had me come into the lab for another pregnancy test. When the urine was positive, the tech drew some blood. Yay, now what? Well, I spent the rest of the evening worry-ing about the status of everything. Of course, I love the internet & the availability of information, but sometimes ignorance really is bliss. Or at least better than the alternative.

The chances of getting pregnant (at the most) after a tubal are only like 18 in 1000 women. Most sites said that it was about a 1.4-2% chance. Crazy...but not the bad news. About 35-50% of pregnancies after a tubal are ectopic. Ectopic pregnancies are where the embryo has implanted somewhere other than the uterus, and therefore non-viable. Knowing this increased risk, I was afraid to let myself really think about the fact that I was prego with a baby.

Wednesday morning, I immediately got on the phone to leave a message for the nurse @ my obgyn's office. They called back, and they were able to get me in for an ultrasound & to see the dr. After hurriedly arranging some childcare & transportation, I was off. I think they had to fit me in, so I had to wait for what seemed like FOREVER in the waiting room. They called my name & took me into the ultrasound room. The tech asked me some questions about why we were doing the ultrasound (because I want to know everything is OK!), etc. FINALLY! She could immediately tell me that the fetus was in the uterus and that it looked to be about 8wks. She then turned on the sound so I could hear the heartbeat & I couldn't help crying. It didn't look much like a baby yet, but I could see it & it's heart beating. Wow...It's real now. I did have a chance to meet with my OB in his office, and he just kept saying, "Wow." I asked my questions about my diabetes, exercise, meds, etc. He said he looked at the hospital report & said that everything seemed fine, but I doubt he'd come out & say something if my doctor had screwed up my tubal.

So, this is where I am now. I'm shocked, but OK. I'm relieved that all is OK, and now I can be happy. It definitely wasn't in my plans, but it looks like we'll have a brand new addition to our family the first or second week of December.