"Bradshaw, Party of Five...."

Yep, #3 is on his/her way!  And there is our little peanut!

We are so excited about our newest little blessing, although we were a bit surprised by the news.  We've been wanting to have #3 for a while, but with all of the goings on of Jonathan's new dental practice, we were waiting for a few more months.  At least we thought!  We are confident in the Lord's perfect and sovereign timing, and we know that this little baby is coming at just the right time.  We are so thankful for this, and truly we believe that children are a blessing from God.

I am due June 14, 2011.  Currently, I am 8.5 weeks along.

I want to write about my pregnancy up to this point for me to remember, but also to encourage anyone else if they have a similar experience.  I found out that I was pregnant on October 2.  To say I was shocked is seriously an understatement.  I took a test, and the line that indicates pregnancy appeared in my opinion, but was so, so light.  It was so light that Jonathan insisted that it wasn't really there, but I was super suspicious.  We bought a digital test later that day, and even though I took the test just before bed time, it clearly came up positive!  My response:  I was hitting Jonathan on the arm saying, "I TOLD YOU!  I TOLD YOU!"  He was just laughing hysterically, so happy and shocked and full of joy.

I went to the doctor about two weeks later on October 21.  I thought at that time that I was 7 weeks, 2 days along.  However, when I went for the ultrasound, the doctor immediately commented on how small the baby was measuring.  "You're early," she said.  "When did you test?"  Baby #3 was measuring along at 5 weeks, 6 days.  10 days smaller than I thought I should be.  The doctor began to ask me about my progesterone levels in my earlier pregnancies, and then told me she wanted to draw my blood that day to check my hormones.  Now, I have known enough women that have had miscarriages that I knew what she was wanting to look for.  She wanted to check my levels to see if my body was caring for the baby or not.  I walked out of that appointment a bit shocked.  And scared.  My previous pregnancies have been blissful.  Simple.  Without any complications.  I am blessed.  So, I wasn't really expecting any red flags to come a'flyin'.

The next day I got a call from the nurse to confirm that my hormone levels were indeed lower than they would like.  "15 is a solid number," she said.  Mine was 12.5.  She called me in a prescription for Prometrium which I was to start that evening.  She told me to come in the following Wednesday to have my bloodwork taken again to see if my numbers were improving.

When I got that call about my levels, I think I thought a miscarriage was on the horizon.  I didn't know what my levels were in previous pregnancies, but I was truly afraid that the baby wasn't thriving.  We went to Care Group that night where I was encouraged by everyone there, and actually heard of several ladies who had been in the same place I was, each of whom had full-term, healthy babies.  In fact, it was at that point that I began to think that perhaps I wasn't miscarrying but was simply confused about the dates and when I actually ovulated and conceived.  For a few days, I was battling anxiety, but through prayer, encouragement of my husband, family, and friends, I tried to gain my confidence in the Lord's perfect plan.  I trust him.  I know he is a good God.  He is sovereign and good and wise and caring.  He would carry us through whatever happened.

 I went back to get my blood drawn, and when I got the results back, my progesterone levels had increased from 12.5 to 36.5!  That is a HUGE jump, apparently!  Also, I found out during that phone call that my HCG levels (pregnancy hormones) were over 50,000.  It seemed as though the baby was doing well, but I still had to wait for my next appointment (a week away) to see for certain. 

Last Thursday, November 4, 2010, Jonathan and I went to the appointment together.  We began with the ultrasound, and it was immediately apparent that our baby was much bigger than two weeks prior.  We could instantly see a heartbeat, a head, and even leg and arm buds.  We got to hear the heartbeat several times, which was around 178 bpm.  It was such a sweet relief to see our little love bundle on that monitor!  I feel like I was finally able to take a deep breath and just relish the fact that once again I have a precious miracle growing inside of me.  Have I mentioned that I LOVE being pregnant!?

I go back to the doctor the first week of December.  For now, I am continuing to take Prometrium and I am also taking a Vitamin D3 supplement for a deficiency I have.  Other than that, I feel (relatively) great!  I am just so thankful that the Lord is answering my prayers.  My prayers for the past three weeks or so has been that the Lord will sustain this life inside me.  We are so blessed and just overcome with joy that we will have 3 kiddos!  THREE!!!

Thanks to everyone for their congratulations and encouragement!  We are blessed so much more than we deserve.