Not exactly as planned....

God will comfort all who mourn, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. (Isaiah 61:3 - paraphrased)

This is truly how I feel. As I write this I am 13 weeks pregnant with a wonderful miracle. God has given Jamie and me the scary and sacred responsibility of becoming parents to the little one that is growing inside of me. I'm still in a bit of shock, but the ultrasound confirmed that it's in fact happening, and that paired with my pants beginning to fit a bit more tightly....... I can't deny it any longer! I truly believe that this little one can and will bring joy to my family and help us grasp the hope that is in our future. :-)

One thing I know full well about God's plan is that it doesn't always come in ways that we plan or expect. Last May was proof of that....

On my first ultrasound at 8wks, my doctor found something she wasn't planning on. She suspected a type of ovarian cyst called a "dermoid." Thankfully it did not seem to be interfering at all in the pregnancy! After talking to a specialist, she scheduled me for an MRI to better determine what exactly it was and determine the best course of action.

The MRI showed a mid-abdominal Ovarian Dermoid Cyst (doctor says this is a good thing!). It is roughly the size of a softball - maybe slightly smaller. My doctor and the specialist decided that surgery is necessary. The cyst has completely taken over the ovarian tissue, so surgery to remove the cyst means surgery to remove the ovary as well. Docs reassured me that this is fine. Many women function normally with only 1 ovary. :-)

Okay. Now comes the scary part. What type of surgery? Typically whenever possible, they would lean toward laproscopic surgery because it would minimize recovery time, size of incisions, etc.... HOWEVER there are many factors that lead them to want to schedule a normal "open you up"/ "c-section" type of surgery in my case. Some examples:

1) size and location of cyst

2) laproscopic would mean puncturing/draining/removing cyst... usually leads to infection in healthy people because of the "gunk" that can be left behind inside the body.... NOT GOOD for pregnant people.

3) time under anesthesia would be more with laproscopic - not good for baby.

Downside - recovery time from this surgery (with a vertical incision - yikes!) is typically 4-6 weeks off of work. I pretty much laughed when they told me that. SO we are going to plan 2-3 weeks off work, then take it week by week with me hopefully coming back in some capacity before the 4 week mark (like sitting at a desk - clerical/administrative type stuff).

When, you may ask? Safest time for baby is between 15-16 weeks. That means between January 27-Feb 4. It's been scheduled for Thursday, January 30th at 10:30am. I will be in the hospital for 24 hours after surgery and on some meds to calm the uterus (aka prevent premature labor). After that... I'll be limping/crawling my way home to become a couch potato/hermit for 2+ weeks.

God is good however, because the chance of miscarriage due to this surgery is actually quite low. I'm lucky that the cyst's location is high enough in my abdomen that they wont really be anywhere near the baby (on my right side about even with my belly button.... and the scar will heal enough for me to have a normal delivery (God willing)!  Yay!

So now the prayers begin for me not to be overwhelmed when the time comes, and for my team at school to be able to find the best possible Music Ed sub for my absence. My team now also has to take 100 students to Disneyworld during the last week in February without me! I am struggling to not feel guilty about leaving them behind, and doing my best to balance the need to take it easy for my baby only 4 weeks after major surgery. 

This post is not meant to scare, but rather to inform and ask for prayers for a speedy recovery, for steady hands and clear minds in the 2 doctors completing the surgery, and for my team at RCS. I'm so very thankful for Jamie (whose boss told him to work from home for the entirety of my recuperation) and for my family on both sides. A mom and a sister who are coming the week of my surgery for 5 days, and a mom/dad-in-law who plan to pop in to help later! 

God really is good. :-)