To educate oneself...

I got this cute little cupcake at the IGA in Granite Falls. I thought that was pretty impressive that I was able to get something so cute there! Anyone familiar with Granite knows what I am talking about! Anyone not, well, Granite Falls is the little town we live on the outskirts of. It also holds the closest, most expensive grocery store near us. When I only need an item or two, I'll go there. Sometimes they do have awesome meat prices. In any case, Granite is pretty much a camping town. It sits right at the base of the Cascade mountains, which is where we did most of our summer hikes. There are a ton of trucks-logging and mining that travel through Granite and then up the Mountain Loop Hwy. So, as you can imagine, that is the type of grocery store we are dealing with. And no, the turtle cupcake is not for the preggo lady. Last weekend was one of my EA (educational assistant) birthday. She only works with me in the morning so I bought her this and am making mini cupcakes for the kiddos, trust me, they don't need a full cupcake of sugar! They get enough crummy food at home!

So to the title of this blog. I am now 26 weeks pregnant. Last week I met with my midwife for the first time, I was seeing an OBGYN but after much discussion, research and prayer, Scott and I decided it was not for us. Yesterday, one of the midwives called me. Mine was on call later that night and not at work. Apparently they received my lab results from back when I went to my first OB appt and she had some questions about a result that was not positive. Unfortunately, this was the first I heard of it. I am not going to bash the Dr., his office or the nurse. I do not know the facts surrounding why this was never mentioned to me or treated. In any case, here we are, at 26 weeks with a low thyroid which has not been treated. She told me she would consult with an OB they work with and decided what we do from here. I think I should stop and give a little background on why the thyroid is so important in pregnancy. I never knew.

My thyroid provides the hormone to the baby in the first 12 weeks until his or her thyroid is developed. If mine is low then I do not have enough to provide for the baby. Mine also supports brain development in the young baby in those early weeks. An untreated thyroid condition in a pregnant woman can lead to miscarriage, fetal abnormalities, heart problems and/or developmental delays. I should mention that about 7 years ago I was diagnosed with a hypothyroid. I took meds for a bit and it regulated itself. I believe all my exercise helped with this. In any case, I have not had any troubles for years and have gotten tested every year. I have no reason to think I went into this pregnancy with a low thyroid.

Yep, that is what I read yesterday after hanging up with the midwife. Not feeling so good right about then. Thoughts of why was this not mentioned to me before? The midwife said the first test, which is just a screening came out abnormal but then the 2nd came out normal. So...what does one do when faced with the thought that there may really be something wrong with my baby? Freak out? Worry? Cry? Scream? Call a lawyer? Or turn to God?

I chose the latter and crying. You think you are doing everything right and then some for your child and then find out some things are out of your control. But that is just it, Samuel has always been out of my control. He has always been Gods. Does God not love Samuel more than Scott and I? Does He not have the absolute best plans for us? The answer to both of those is that YES! Yes He loves Samuel more than we do and yes He has the absolute best plans for us! This baby's fate was decided long before Scott and I even met. God is way bigger than some Dr or nurse and their oversight or whatever it was!

My midwife, Sky, is amazing! She called me at 7:00 p.m. last night. Who does that? She apologized for not getting back to me sooner. Are you kidding? I didn't expect to hear anything until today or tomorrow! The OB they work with thought it was best that I start meds to regulate my thyroid now and they also sent me today to have it tested again. Sky did say that she feels very good about my 22 week ultrasound and that everything in that looked really good. Many abnormalities would have shown up then and Samuel has always had a very strong HB. As far as developmental delays, there is no way to tell until he starts to develop outside of me. At least I have spent thousands of dollars on an education int his very area and should be able to pick up on any delays early on. Early detection and intervention is the best and so important! She also recommended we meet with the Maternal Fetal Center where they could explain what all this can mean for the baby based on my levels a little more. For now, we rest in God's arms. We cannot possibly spend the next 3 months worrying about abnormalities and then the next 2-3 years worrying about developmental delays! It will get us nowhere and worry is a sin. I do not believe that is what God would want from us. He wants us to enjoy this blessing of Samuel and the pregnancy. He holds all of this in His palm along with us, there is so much comfort in that! Seriously, I slept well last night, stayed focus on work today and just didn't think much about it. Scott did well at work last night too and also feels more at peace about all this.

So why educate yourself? Well, I assumed if anything showed up abnormal in my labs the Dr would tell me. You should never assume such. It is our right as the patient to question everything! I should have asked him to go over my results with me. Scott and I have been preparing for everything and truly studying up on all sorts of things pregnancy, labor and delivery. We can't just take the Dr's word for it. We must ask the questions and get the answers of the effect such and such has on the baby, of the medical necessity of some of the things Dr's recommend. If we are going to question the doctors and nurses though, we need to have some idea of what we are talking about. There is power in education and don't we all want what is best for our baby?

Jer 29:11-13

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
And you will seek Me and find [Me], when you search for Me with all your heart.

I can't begin to tell you the number of times that that verse has spoken leaps and bounds to me and proven true in my life. It is the promise that we are holding onto now as we prepare for Samuel's birth.

So my prayer warrior friends, please do pray for us and for Samuel. Everyday may not be worry free for us and I may need this blog's reminder. We def need all your prayers for us and for our baby though and we appreciate them all!