Pregnancy

Our Journey

March 19, 2012 By Katrina

Good Monday morning, dear readers!

I have some news that I have been wanting to share with our Building Cathedrals family for some time now. As some of you may have already gathered, I am pregnant with baby #5 and due around the 4th of July.

Shortly before Christmas, we found out that our baby has a condition very similar to that of our first daughter, Lucy Rose (and also Kellie’s (“Red’s”) sweet Therese Joy), a neural tube defect called acrania/anencephaly. This means that the skull, and therefore the brain, have not developed properly, and that our baby will not be able to survive after birth. Some babies with acrania/anencephaly are stillborn, as Lucy was, while some live for a couple of hours or even a couple of days. There is no way to predict the length of this baby’s life, but we will be prepared for all scenarios and will celebrate this baby’s life, no matter how short or how long.

We have talked to several different doctors who are experts in their field, and at this point in time there is no medical explanation for why we have now had two babies with neural tube defects. There are a few places across the world doing research on NTD’s, and we will participate in all of their studies. However, the genetic counselors tell us to expect that nothing abnormal will show up, which was the case when we had Lucy’s cord blood tested as well.

We have recently also found out that our baby is a girl, and have decided to name her Anastasia Rose, but will call her Annie. Anastasia has several meanings for us – in Latin, Anastasia means “to stand again,” and St. Anastasia is mentioned (along with St. Lucy) in the litany of saints following the consecration at Mass. We love hearing Lucy’s name when we go to church, and will look forward to hearing Anastasia’s name as well. Rose is the middle name for all four of our girls, and is in honor of Our Blessed Mother.

At this point in time, our family is doing very well and we are just taking one day at a time. We are sad for many different reasons, but we are also joyful because we know that God has a very special plan for our family. We are also upheld and humbled by the kindness and support of our friends and family both near and far. It is not easy to walk with someone through suffering, and we have watched many people overcome their discomfort in order to ask us how we are doing, how they can help, and how they can be praying for us. For us, these signs of compassion and courage are humbling, and we are reminded daily of how blessed we are to be a part of such wonderful communities.

In a recent conversation with our wonderful pastor, we received some great advice on the questions and thoughts that we might reflect on. It dawned on me that these thoughts apply not only to our situation, but to all of us as followers of Christ, and so I would like to share them here.

*Rather than asking God what he wants me to do, ask instead who he would have me be.

*How will I parent my child, and how will I allow myself to be parented – by God, by those who love me, by my community?

*God does not ask of us the impossible – he only asks us to do the ordinary, and he will take care of the extraordinary.

*When faced with difficult choices, always make the loving decision.

Thank you for letting me share my thoughts here at Building Cathedrals, and please feel free to ask questions. I will continue to write about Annie and our family, as these are the things that I am thinking about these days. Each family has its unique blessings and struggles, and we do not count our struggles as any more painful than those of other families. Please be assured of my continued prayers for all of our readers.

Many blessings to all of you as we enter this fifth week of Lent. Mary, Mystical Rose, pray for us!

Filed Under: Motherhood and Parenting, Pregnancy

You know a pregnancy is going downhill when…

March 13, 2012 By Bethany "B-mama"

your youngest son (3) comments,

“Wow, Mommy, that is BIG!”

and he’s not referring to your tummy! Lord, have Mercy!

Filed Under: Children, Keeping It Real, Motherhood and Parenting, Pregnancy

The First Two Weeks

January 16, 2012 By Kellie "Red"

Her eyes are finally open!

Josie will be two weeks old tomorrow. It has been a very blessed and very tiring two weeks. Some call it a baby moon, but that term doesn’t seem to do justice to just how taxing those first few weeks can be! It is truly the best kind of exhaustion, but we are all exhausted none-the-less, and now that I have older children, I am realizing that the postpartum time is a true transition for them too. Two of my children have adjusted to life with Josie with nothing but joy and excitement. The other two love their little sister but are having a bit of hard time navigating their new roles in our family. It will take another few weeks, and I know that by February they will all have forgotten what life was like without her.

It’s funny how after delivering 6 babies I am still learning and relearning things about my postpartum self. I had forgotten how good it feels to not be pregnant. Those who know me well know that I suffer from great anxiety and even depression when pregnant. I feel an intense and wonderful transition in my mood within a few hours of childbirth. It is as if someone is pumping happy drugs into my system, a happiness that I don’t often feel when pregnant. After my last two deliveries, that feeling of deep joy and peace was masked by postpartum bleeding complications. This time around I got the right medical attention immediately after childbirth and so the sudden positive emotional change has been wonderful.

I am also relearning that Dad does a tremendous amount of work in the first month. I am on night duty and nursing duty, but with each subsequent delivery staying off my feet in the first few weeks has become more important. That means Mr. Red has to deal with all his office responsibilities during the day, and also tend to a great deal of housework, cooking, child care, and cleaning in the morning and evening hours. He is very tired too, and it is very easy for me to forget his tiredness when the baby awoke 4 times last night.

I am also learning about jaundice in babies that arrive early, about newborn size baby clothes (I’ve never needed or owned clothes of this size before!), and about “block nursing” for women who overproduce milk. I am relearning how good it feels to get a new pair of running shoes–shoes that will be used for running in one month! And I am doing all of this learning while holding a sleepy newborn baby in my arms, which is really the best way to learn.

I hope your week is off to a blessed start!

Filed Under: Children, Motherhood and Parenting, Pregnancy

Josie’s Arrival

January 5, 2012 By Kellie "Red"

The Birth of Josephine Marie–

First, I would like to thank my sister Elizabeth for the following beautiful photos of Josie’s arrival. She did a phenomenal job capturing Josie’s first moments outside the womb, and I had a very difficult time picking ONLY 10 photos for the blog! If you live in the Philadelphia/Southern NJ area and are interested in her services, visit the Sweet Pea Photography website.

Now on to the birth! Josephine arrived 3 weeks early due to a very small abruption in my placenta. I am overwhelmed with gratitude that I had enough “symptoms” of this issue and that my doctors and midwife acted to hasten things along in the labor department. I had A LOT of anxiety during the process, but the prayers of many family members and friends provided great comfort. After only 5 hours of labor, little Josie arrived just before midnight on Tuesday January 3rd.

Back in the fall we made the decision to have Gianna come to the hospital to be a part of Josie’s entrance into the world. My sister was generous enough to act as our photographer and Gianna’s support person. Gianna is still rather young, so we had her leave the room for the last hour of my labor when things got rather intense, and she returned immediately after Josie’s birth. She stood behind a curtain and heard her sister’s first cries. She was the first to offer her little sister kisses and held her hand during the newborn exam. It was so special to have her there!

And now, onto the photos…