TIP JAR

Sunday, February 5, 2012

The Post After this is Sentimental and Nice. Really.


Now that “The Holidays” are over I can finally say it. Fuck Baby Jesus. My womb has felt gut-wrenchingly empty for about 34 weeks or so. I’ve been reading about other women who got pregnant over the summer at almost the same time as me on a chat room-type website that I used when I was pregnant with Ava. Why do I torture myself by doing that? It’s the only way I know it was real.
This morning I tried to log back in and it wouldn’t let me. Then I re signed up just so I could say hi to some of the women who are still trying to conceive after all this time or the ones that are about the same gestation as I would have been. Even still, the stupid website must have been down or just knew letting me in was a bad idea. Can’t post or blog on my profile without logging in.
I got rid of the positive pregnancy tests almost the moment the blood stopped flowing. I woke up early on the day of my daughter’s 3rd birthday miscarrying. Now, the due date looms just about a month away. It was a totally unplanned pregnancy. I had gotten Mirena just a few months before (99.9% protection for up to 5 years!). Right. The damn thing fell out. I went back to the doctor right before we left Oregon and swore something had to be wrong with it but he blew me off. Unfortunately, there’s nothing like getting pregnant that makes a woman wish she were having another baby.
Last time I lost a pregnancy, it was early on and we conceieved Ava 3-4 months later. (Hence, getting pregnant (accidentally) taught us we were ready. When the due date (which coincidentally was March as well) of the lost pregnancy came around, I remember just being frustrated. “I WOULD BE DONE BY NOW if that first one had stuck!” It’s hard to grieve the loss of a pregnancy when you can’t even see your shoes, round with a daughter who reminds you she’s okay with constant nudges.

The OB/GYN I saw a few weeks after my 2nd miscarriage was so optimistic. I told him all the complications I had with my last pregnancy and he promised me that there were so many more options that just weren’t available or studied even just that many years ago and getting me through a pregnancy wouldn’t necessarily be easy, but possible. That kept me going for months. The possibility.




As an update to an earlier post, I am now doing self-catheterization (not nearly as bad as it sounds) when I need to so I’m not dragging a bag around. I really didn’t know how annoying it was until it was gone. I’m also awaiting some tests and hopefully explanation as to why I can’t pee. One explanation could come from an Ortho doctor who ordered an mri of my spine. Said doctor spent way too long looking at what he could see of my spine going back and forth on one frame from my hip mri whispering “right there”. I’m thinking “the possibility” is probably forever gone. Ava likely will never have a biological sibling and it doesn’t help that she asks all the time where are her brother and sister.

3 comments:

JadeEJF said...

Ahh, E., I am so sorry. I used to do the same torturing kinds of things until I just couldn't take it anymore, and finally cut off contact with pretty much everyone who was due around the same time as I was when I lost the twins. I've only gotten back in touch with one person, because it still hurts too much.

When will you find out what the spine MRI showed?

I am so sorry- losses are always hard, and in some ways, I think they are more difficult when you already have a child, because you don't get the same kind of support- people take it less seriously somehow, which is silly because it hurts just as much :(

Anyway, if you ever need to talk, feel free to call.

Latitude said...

Thanks Beth. I love you and miss you guys so much! I haven't even had the mri yet but I bet Radiology will be calling first thing tomorrow to schedule it, hopefully soon.
I'm scared it'll say I should never have another baby but I know that's really premature. I heard you're coming in March?!

JadeEJF said...

Oh, okay! For some reason I thought you'd had it already. Definitely let us know what the results are, though! I'm coming with Julia in March for a quick weekend for my grandma's birthday. Not sure how much time I'll have because my mom's really on me to spend time with !family! but I'll see what the time I have looks like- and I'm trying to come back for a week in August around Andrea's wedding so I'll have more time to spend with my friends.