Month: May 2015

We have belly pictures… 🙂 Here are a few of our favorites!

I was a little skeptical about doing maternity pictures mainly because I wasn’t sure how I’d feel in front of the camera but also because I didn’t want to force Mike to take pictures again. (although he was a champ and super handsome in our engagement pictures, it’s not his favorite activity). So it was great when my sister gifted them to us because both of these things were out of my hands! I could not be happier with how they turned out and I am so thankful we have this precious time documented forever.

I had high hopes of blogging a before and after of our apartment. We will be staying in our one bedroom for the next two years until we relocate for Mike’s surgical fellowship. Who says you can’t raise a baby in a one bedroom apartment in NYC?!?

A HUGE thank you to Krystal Balzer Photography!

She was wonderful and we can’t wait to have her back to take pictures of our little lady.

Well hello! Apologies for the radio silence since March. Life as I know it has sped up and become increasingly busy! So much has happened over the past couple of months and I’m happy to report that I’ll be blogging A LOT more between now and the big B-Day. 🙂 Look for posts about what’s in my hospital bag, my New York City baby shower and my maternity pics!

First let’s touch base about this picture:

This is my back and what it looks like currently…well 5 years ago when I had this X-Ray taken. I have 4 Harrington rods secured to my spine that will stay there forever.  I had two scoliosis surgeries, one when I was 9 years old and the other when I was 10. My spine was not only curved but it was twisting my rib cage. Some, when diagnosed with scoliosis, have the option to wear a brace first to try and straighten out the spine. My only option was to have a pretty serious 14 hour surgery where my amazing surgeon would place two rods on both sides of my spine (lower back) . A year later at my check up I was told I needed to have my second surgery because my upper back was still curved. So I had another lengthy surgery to add two more rods from the middle of my back up to my neck.

I recovered well and have had some minor back pain throughout the years as my only “complication”. To be honest, I am blessed everything went as well as it did and I don’t take any of it for granted.

So why am I telling you this?

Well, when I had these surgeries I was told that I would have to have c-section deliveries when I wanted to start a family. At the time that seemed like light-years away and compared to my curved spine and the complications that would arise from not doing surgery, it was a no-brainer.  Fast forward to now and I am delivering next month!

Good news, science is amazing and has come a long way. Women who have scoliosis surgeries no longer require c-section deliveries! However, there is a question as to whether or not I can have an epidural. Womp womp…there is the bad news. I have spoken to my doctor and seen an anesthesiologist at the hospital. The plan is to go into labor and try to get an epidural. If it works GREAT! If not I will then be given IV narcotics that will only last in my system for 5 minutes or so at a time. I’ll push a button each time I feel like I need more and hope for the best.

I’m a little nervous about this but to be honest there is nothing I can do about it. I trust that I am in good hands and will be given good care and that is all I can do. I’m thankful to be pregnant and that vaginal delivery is an option for me.  🙂

On a different note Daddy has been doing some “homework”. My mom gave him this book for Christmas and we recently spent an afternoon in the park. I tried hard to sit on the ground comfortably without complaining for a couple of hours.

Meanwhile this is what Mike did:

My heart melts…

XO

For more information about Scoliosis and pregnancy check this site out: FAQ about Scoliosis