Running towards a Rainbow: Gathering information....finding a diagnosis

Proud big sister checking out her new ride

And just like that, I've entered the third trimester. For the Facebook world, this happened really fast. For me, not so much. I found out I was pregnant on January 7th, so shortly after the New Year began. This means I have been pregnant for ALL of 2016. I have been pregnant for half a school year (we were still in second quarter when I found out). I am at that point where I forget what it is like to not be pregnant. But aside from all this, it has gone relatively fast. While this pregnancy has not been as easy as Hope was, I still have it easy compared to many pregnant women. Mostly, I actually like being pregnant. Having gone through what we went through to have Hope and how much of a miracle it is that I am pregnant again, I am trying my best to embrace and enjoy the blessing that this pregnancy is. So many women don't get to experience this miracle, so I try to enjoy it in their honor. But being pregnant while working full-time and caring for a toddler is no joke. During the first trimester, I was sicker than I was with Hope. Food was not interesting to me at all, and vegetables that I usually love were downright repulsive. I was not hit with the exhaustion I had with Hope, but I was still pretty tired. The food aversions lasted well into the second trimester, and up until recently, I really just felt bad more than I felt good. The second trimester was filled with migraines, which are less than pleasant, especially since there's nothing that seems to get rid of them other than sleep, which I don't often have the luxury to do. I hope to escape those as I enter the third trimester.

I am proud of myself though. I made it to work every day, except the days that Hope was sick and I had to stay home with her. I kept running and I am still running today. With Hope I ran a half-marathon at 7 weeks. This time I ran two - one at 12 weeks and one at 21 weeks. Running a half-marathon at 21 weeks was a huge goal and really kept my eye on the prize. I am no longer running much more than 4 miles at a time, but I am happy to at least still be running. The next goal is 30 weeks, and that is only two weeks away. As summer begins though, I know I will be much more guided by the weather than I have been to this point. I won't run if it is 80 or above.
I am happy to have finally reached the third trimester. It feels like the home stretch. 10 weeks from now, the summer will be over and we will be a week away from meeting our second child. It feels unreal and I'm still struggling to accept that we will have a second.

There is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding number 2. We went back to Children's on June 9th to see if Dr Friedman could find anything else out. The echo itself took an hour and a half. This is a long time to be on a table with someone wanding your belly. He was able to find a pulmonary artery - at least he thinks. Basically, he was able to rule out the best case scenario (Truncus Arteriosus) and the worst case scenario (no pulmonary artery, lots of tiny collaterals instead (severe MAPCAs). So we're left with Tetrology of Fallot with Pulmonary Atresia. This is the same condition that Hope has. What we don't know is how severe it is. Textbook Tetrology of Fallot is pretty straightforward. Add the pulmonary atresia, and it becomes a bit more complicated. Here is a really good write-up of facts from the CDC on pulmonary atresia. What we don't know is how severe it is. Hope was relatively mild as far as TOF / PA goes, but it's still considered a "complex congenital heart defect" or a "critical congenital heart defect". The thing they worry about most is the collaterals that form off the aorta. If there are too many of them, they are small and spindly and don't allow blood to flow easily. This is called MAPCAs. Some doctors would classify Hope as MAPCAs, some wouldn't. She has two pulmonary artery collaterals, so they were nice and wide and it was easy to reroute them and make the blood flow in a way that her heart can function well. Our plan of action will depend upon the width of the pulmonary artery - it looks to be pretty small, but not unworkable and the number of collaterals, which we haven't been able to determine. If her anatomy is like Hope's, they will operate within the first week and perform a complete repair. If it is more complex, it is possible they will actually send her home with the hope that her collaterals will grow. The more complex it is, the more procedures she will need because it will have to be done in stages. We will go back on July 21 to see if we can see anything more, though it is pretty unlikely. This will also provide us the opportunity to review logistics and prepare for delivery.

This afternoon, I start my 2 week visits with my midwife. I will be staying with my midwife until I am about 34-35 weeks and then I will make the switch to Beth Israel. This will be shortly after my next visit at Children's. Once I move over to the BI, I will be going weekly and getting weekly ultrasounds. As it is right now, I am getting monthly ultrasounds. We really don't learn much at these ultrasounds. They are basically checking to be sure she is growing properly, though there's not really reason to think she wouldn't be.

As the school year winds down (today is our last day!), people keep asking what my plans are for the summer. My response is doctor's appointments, lots of doctor's appointments, and a few trips to NJ, but mostly just laying low / getting the house in order and ready for baby...nesting, I guess. I am happy to have the summer off, but sad to see the school year come to a close. As challenging as this year was, it is ending on a very positive note and I'm a little sad that I won't be there that long next year. As I said good-bye to my kids, I felt a little teary knowing I'd only see them for one day in the fall. I have to admit, the timing was pretty lousy...but, I know better than anyone that it was out of my control, lol. It is nice however that I won't have to work more than a week during the third trimester. My plan is to lay low and do all I can to relax and prevent preeclampsia. I really want to make it to 39 weeks. I want this baby to be born in September and not August.

I also want to do a lot of fun things and make a lot of memories with Hope. These are the last weeks it will just be she and I during the day, and I want to savor it and make it as special as I can. She won't remember it, but I sure will. I will take lots of pictures to show her how special this time was for me when she gets older. Field trips to the zoo, Boston, the beach, Walden, etc. I'm looking forward to doing some special things on the weekends as a family too, while life is less complicated. The fall will be tough, and busy, and there won't be a lot of time for fun activities until the baby comes home. We have no way to tell when that will be, so we're trying to pack it in now.

Hope continues to do well. She's starting to climb - which is really exciting! Most people would be terrified, but I know it's an important skill for her to learn. Up until recently, she'd ask to be lifted, now she is doing it on her own! She's also talking a lot. She's starting to use her words more and starting to get less frustrated with things as she is able to communicate better. She's still a little behind - she's doing things most 18 month olds do at 20 months, but this makes sense to me, given her start. Since she was born, she's always done things on her own time.

That's the news from the Crellin family!

Here are some photos: