Some News....

Hi Friends,

It's been a while since I have posted...Thanksgiving, to be exact. It isn't for lack of things on my mind, just lack of things I was ready to share. It is getting hard to hide at this point, so here goes.

The Larsen family is expanding! We are expecting baby #2 at the beginning of September. We are excited, stressed, anxious, unsure, all those things that come along with pregnancy. I think I'm actually more nervous this time around!

My pregnancy with Connor seemed to last forever. I was so excited to be a mom, I just couldn't wait. This time around, I need everything to SLOW DOWN! I can't believe that I'm already through my first trimester. There are so many decisions to make and changes that need to take place before we're ready for this baby! Don't get me wrong, I'm excited again....I'm just too busy and stressed out to spend much time thinking about it.

As some of you will recall, Connor was born prematurely (at 34 weeks). Thankfully, he was perfectly healthy, breathed on his own, and had no trouble eating. We were so blessed with our little mini-baby. One thing that was discovered, though, is that his platelet count was low. Again, fortunately, they went up on their own and he never needed a transfusion. Because he had no sign of infection and the platelets did start going up as soon as the cord was cut, they did some blood tests on me. It was discovered that I had an HLA-antibody...something so rare no doctors at my OB clinic had ever heard of it. I had to see a hematologist and perinatologist to see what this meant and how it might affect future pregnancies. Apparently, something clashes when you combine my blood with Mike's blood. Somehow, my body was exposed to Connor's blood/fluids (probably a small tear in the placenta, which is apparently pretty common) and my body created antibodies to fight it off. I am so thankful Connor was born early, because the longer he was in there, the more platelets he would have lost, and labor trauma could have caused him to bleed internally. It is so scary, but I'm so thankful everything turned out the way it did because now we know what we're up against.

As soon as I found out I was pregnant in January, they took a blood sample to see if those antibodies were still present in my blood. If they were, they would start attacking this baby right away. If not, this baby would have the same risk as Connor (much lower). We waited and waited to hear the results of the test. Finally, we had our appointment with the perinatologist (high-risk OB) this past Monday. When we got there, we found out I had been given the wrong test! I was so upset. I'd been worrying about it for over 6 weeks, and no one bothered to notice it was the wrong test!?!? UGH. Anyway, I have now been given the right test and should get the results in a couple weeks. We did find out that there is a plan, though, for preventing both preterm labor and the antibody thing if necessary. Even though we didn't find out if there are antibodies present, we left the appointment feeling pretty good about the fact that there is a plan.

We also got to see the baby on ultrasound for about a half hour. Everything looks perfect! Stubborn little bugger wouldn't allow the ultrasound tech a good measurement. Frustrating for her, great for us because we got to watch our little munchkin for quite a while. Every time I have an ultrasound, I am so amazed by God's goodness. What a miracle babies are!

Aside from worrying about the baby's health, there are also a lot of decisions to make when it comes to transitions for Connor and my job/financial situation. We have a lot on our minds, but I am doing my best to just enjoy this pregnancy and look forward to another sweet little baby. Prayers for a healthy and full term pregnancy are appreciated--I know they help!

Take care! Julie