Life from the Couch

I could sum it up quite simply and say "it's really boring", but then that just wouldn't be a long rambling post to entertain you good people.

I mentioned it in my last post, but we got it confirmed that I do indeed have a subchorionic hematoma. It's basically a blood clot that has formed between the inside uterine lining and the amniotic sac. It's a pretty big one, about the size of a lemon, but it's not "active", meaning it's not growing. Also Little Friend is not phased by it one little bit; kiddo has a good heartbeat, and at every ultrasound has appeared to be doing some variation of baby yoga, so let's assume that this Carlson Kid is either destined to be a fitness junkie or just crazy active. I'm hoping for the first.

The hematoma can pose the possibility of another miscarriage or preterm labor, but so far our odds are looking good. The doctors did put me on bed rest for a while because I was bleeding pretty heavily and lots of activity doesn't go well with that. Last week I had a couple days where I experienced some dizzy spells and felt really weak. The last ultrasound we had showed that the hematoma is actually shrinking so that's very good news.We go back for another check up in a couple of weeks, so I'm praying from my perch on the couch that the next report will also bring with it good tidings of great possibilities of me being permitted to move around more than just to the bathroom.

Life on bed rest (or from the couch, not much to do in my bedroom) is taking some getting used to. At first with the unsure diagnosis of the hematoma, I felt anxious and normally the way I work anxiety out is to keep moving. Well, with the dizziness that was in addition to the doctors orders I knew I had to sit my butt down.

My first day of bed rest I was home alone and I thought it'd be relatively easy to do but since I can sometimes be an independent idiot of course I was wrong. Watson the Cat kept inexplicably getting locked into a different room and because he's obnoxious he scratches the carpet down to the foundation of the house until someone comes to rescue him, rather than sit and meow loudly like a normal cat. Toby kept requesting more "bapples" (apples), and getting into things that he normally doesn't. To top it all off because hydration is important to pregnancy (and life in general I guess) I had to make a million trips to the bathroom. So day 1 of bed rest was kind of an epic fail.

Our families and church friends have been amazing at stepping in to help us. We've got meals provided for us this week, and my mom and mother-in-law are supergrandmas when it comes to taking care of Toby. All this help is a total blessing, seriously, I'm a little spoiled. But still, I'm looking towards to itty bitty light at the end of the tunnel that brings with it days where I can feel a sense of accomplishment because I did the laundry, instead of watching every show on Food Network.