Our Pregnancy: Part 2

Two days after my "confirmation of pregnancy," my husband and I were on our way to Jamaica, still excited as ever and finally ready to share the news with family. This trip was a family vacation with his parents, brothers, and their wives, and they were going to be the first to know. We decided that we would tell everyone over breakfast on the second day of the trip, which also happened to be my 25th birthday. I told Joe that he had to do it, so he dutifully asked for everyone's attention as the last person was sitting down to the table. He raised his glass of orange juice and offered a toast. After thanking his parents for an amazing vacation (it was their Christmas gift to the family) he proceeded to congratulate them on becoming grandparents again. The whole table erupted with excitement, there were hugs and jokes about paternity from Joe's brothers, and then we settled into a relaxing week where I no longer had to hide my "glow" and I got to eat as much as I wanted while the rest of the family drank Red Stripe and rum runners.

On our fourth evening in Jamaica, halfway through the trip, I decided to check my voice-mail and was surprised to find three messages from my OB's office. None of the messages were very informative, but each one sounded more urgent than the last. The nurse was actually starting to sound pretty annoyed by the third message, stating that she was "going to stop calling" if I didn't return her call by the next day (which seemed pretty unprofessional to me, but that's besides the point). It was after hours, so I tried leaving a message with the answering service to let that nurse know that I was currently in Jamaica, but I was unable to do so. When I got off the phone, I told Joe's family about the messages and retreated to our room. This marked the beginning of the "worried phase" of our pregnancy.

On the next morning, I started trying to call the office at 8:45 (they opened at 9:00). I called repeatedly until, finally, their phones turned over. "Hello, my name's Kristin McGregor, and I have a message from _____ to call and speak with a nurse." "One moment please..." "Hi, this is Kristin McGregor... you had been trying to get a hold of me for the past three days, and I just got your messages..." My blood tests had revealed an abnormally low progesterone level (this is the hormone that supports gestation and is initially produced by the ovaries in response to hCG). The nurse instructed me to begin taking prescription progesterone as soon as possible. Unfortunately, I would be unable to start this medication until I returned to the United States, and so the second half of my vacation took an unexpected turn as I waited impatiently and worried incessantly.

On the plane ride back into the states, it occurred to me that my pharmacy would be closing before I could get there. As soon as we hit the runway and the use of electronic devices was permitted, I was on the phone with the pharmacist. Apparently, my OB's office had neglected to call in my prescription as promised. That was it for me--I fell apart, and my husband struggled to gather my belongings and get me off the plane. As we headed towards customs, I made one frantic phone call after the next. I finally reached the on-call physician and I fought through tears and bad reception as I tried to get him to understand my situation and the importance of calling my pharmacy before they closed for Easter. A little later, I called the pharmacist--they still hadn't heard. I called my friend--she was in line at the pharmacy but there was no prescription yet. Finally, the prescription was called in, ten minutes before closing time on Easter Saturday, filled and paid for and on its way to my friend's apartment where I later picked it up. What a nightmare. I am eternally grateful to that pharmacist and that friend who went completely above and beyond for me.

Starting the prescription helped to ease some of my anxiety, and Joe and I decided to go ahead and continue telling immediate family our happy news. We decided to tell my parents and sisters on Easter Sunday. Because we were in the midst of birthday season (my sisters and I all have birthdays within a seventeen-day period in late March and early April), Joe and I decided that the announcement should come during the gift opening. We presented my parents with a card. It was covered with brightly colored bunnies and Easter eggs, and it said "Happy Easter, Grandma and Grandpa!" When my parents opened the card, they found a signature in my hand-writing, "Love, Baby McGregor." Then came the tears and endless hugs from baby's newly expectant aunts and grandparents. There was also a request for a preview of what my belly would look like months down the road, which I dutifully indulged with my best big belly impressions.We were well into the "worried phase," but our pregnancy was still fun and exciting.

Joe and I did a lot of talking during this time, and we encouraged each other to have faith and trust that our baby was fine and our pregnancy would continue to go well. We prayed a lot--we prayed to ourselves, and we took turns praying out loud. We always asked for the same things, mostly a healthy baby and an end to all of the worry. It's strange to think about those prayers now, knowing the outcome. I know that God was listening--I have no doubt about that. I realize that He had other plans than the things that we were asking for, and even though I was angry about that for a long time, I'm finally getting closer to acceptance. I'm trying to look at our short pregnancy and what followed as a small but important part in His big plan for me and my whole life, a plan that has brought me so many blessings but just happened to include this unexpected event that I will never fully understand.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." (Proverbs 3:5)

(What I'm listening to right now...)
 Various Artists Juno - Music from the Motion Picture