Day Four

Well, praise is the only word I have to describe my day yesterday! I was at the Fetal & Woman's Center for almost 2 hours as they examined everything relating to the baby. I easily cried for the first 20 minutes of the ultrasound as I could see so much of the baby even at 12 weeks! Most importantly...the heartbeat! I even got to hear it this time which was probably the best sound and what I needed to hear. The equipment they were using was so sophisticated. They could even model the blood flow through both chambers of the heart...AMAZING! They checked out every single part of the baby and the doctor I met with said anatomically this baby is very healthy (Praise!) and measuring just right. The baby so graciously showed us its hands and feet...the images were so clear you could count fingers and toes even this early! They even flipped it into 4D a couple of times and it was just amazing to see this little peanut (not more than 10 cm long) and it was like looking into the face of a newborn. The doctor was able to locate the blood clot and it has decreased in size since Friday (Praise!). The doctor noted that the clot does not present any danger to the baby (Praise!) and that my placenta appears to be completely in tact (Praise!). The doctor said I do need to remain on bed rest because the clot has to dissipate and bed rest just ensures that chances of that happening without any further risks. But I got such a good feeling from the doctor, she really encouraged me that everything is going to be fine. My regular doctor will get the results from the ultrasound and the doctor's report and so I hope by Dec. 30 (my next appointment) my doctor will have good news for me.

Relief...I feel like I can manage the next few weeks knowing that right now the baby is growing strong and healthy and I just need to take it easy. I don't have to worry that any little ache or pain or tug or weird feeling is a sign that something bad is happening. Also, they made a DVD copy of everything they did. So, if I ever get nervous about anything, I can put in the DVD and watch 1.5 hours of my baby moving all over the place.

While I was at the appointment I was so relieved to see the images of the healthy baby...but I started to feel a little like a doubting Thomas. Thomas needed to see Jesus' hands and side before he would believe that He in fact rose from the dead. He didn't have the faith the other disciples had. I prayed for and believed that God could work a miracle, but I still relished in the proof that God was working. Reflecting on this, I realized that God says he reveals himself through his creation. And sometimes I think that just means in nature, but I also think that the hour and a half I got to watch my baby was God revealing himself to me (and anyone else that would like to watch my DVD ;-)) through his creation....this baby.