miscarriage

Five things we learned from having a miscarriage

1. We are surrounded by great people: We knew that we had a fantastic family and wonderful friends, but we didn’t realize just how great they truly were. We received so many calls, texts, and messages offering prayers and support that I almost had a hard time keeping up with them! I can’t thank everyone enough for their support!

2. We need to focus on what makes us happy: People have a tendency to get in a rut, especially when nothing is really “wrong”. This shook us up and taught us that life is too short and too precious to be stuck in that rut. We know that our happiness and joy doesn’t come from our external circumstances, but there are things that we need to change.

3. We should not let the little things bother us: I used to let silly things weigh heavily on me. Now, I take a minute to think about whether or not something really matters that much. Yeah, it’s annoying that the driver waited until the last possible second before trying to merge, but does it really make a difference in the long run? We are healthy, we are happy, and we are healing; everything else pales in comparison to those things.

4. We ought to encourage people more often: Over the last week, we have heard from people that we haven’t talked to in ages. It was amazing that so many people took a little time out of their days to encourage us and tell us that they were thinking about us. That meant so much to us, and it made me realize that it doesn’t cost anything to make a difference in someone’s life. I know that sounds like one of those cheesy motivational posters, but it’s true! I’ve started trying to encourage at least one person a day, and it has honestly made a difference in how I feel also.

5. We are strong, and we will survive: I knew that we had a solid relationship, but this proved just how solid it really is. We took turns being “the strong one” and just letting the other one cry, vent, or talk about what was weighing on us. We were able to go through this together, and it has just made us get better and better. We’re still not out of the woods; I have to go back to the doctor every week and have blood drawn to make sure everything is progressing as it should, but we know that the absolute worst part is over and we are going to start moving forward.

Thank you again to everyone who took the time to reach out to us. I promise that the next post will be a lot lighter!

A bittersweet Father’s Day

On May 2, we found out that we were going to have a baby. On June 18, we found out that we were not.

We were shocked and devastated. Until earlier that day, neither  of us had a clue that anything was even remotely wrong. Even in the car on the way to the ER, we tried to remain positive, reassuring ourselves that it was going to be okay, that the baby just didn’t like what I had for lunch, and talking about what features from each of us we hoped it would have when it was born in January.

When I checked in at the desk, the nurse assured me that a lot of women bled when they were pregnant and it turned out okay. I believed her because I had no other choice but to believe that everything was going to be okay. Even when I had to go by myself with Edward the ultrasound tech who knew that I was scared but couldn’t tell me anything, I tried to think that his silence while moving the wand around meant anything but the worst.

Around three hours after we arrived at the ER, they finally had a room ready for me. My husband, mom, and I went back there, and I got hooked up to an IV while we waited for a doctor to come in. When he came in, his face said it all. We had lost the baby.

The word miscarriage is so bizarre. It almost seems like you’ve misplaced something. In no way does it sound like your body rejected this tiny life inside of you for reasons that you’ll never know. It needs to be called something else. It needs a word that will describe the shock, horror, and pain that you and all of your loved ones feel when you find out that it has happened.

The doctor explained everything to us as best as he could. It’s a more common occurrence than I realized. He told us not to blame ourselves because these things just happen. It’s hard not to blame myself. I catch myself thinking that maybe if I had taken better care of myself and not eaten so many sweets or drank coffee or eaten gummy vitamins or skimped on eating vegetables or any number of random things, that maybe we would still have a baby. But, thinking like that doesn’t help anything, and I have to stop myself when I start down that path.

We have received such an outpouring of love from our family and friends. We have cried and laughed and cried some more and will continue to do so. We have written a final entry in our baby journal and then left our house just to escape the heavy sadness that we felt after we closed the book. We have talked about how it may have been better that this happened rather than having a baby born who was in pain because of genetic abnormalities. All of these things have helped, but they still don’t erase the pain.

We are relatively private people, and I debated about whether or not to share all of this with such a wide audience, many of whom didn’t even know that we had ever seen that little plus sign on a test. I finally decided to write it and hit publish for a few reasons. First, just to thank everyone who has been there for us. Whether it was staying in the ER with us the entire time, bringing us food the next day, or just texting, emailing, or calling us to check in, please know that all of those things meant so much to us. Second, since we had told several people about our happy news, it seemed like the easiest way to share our sad news. We have been talking about it to each other and others, but we feel like to start our healing process, it will be easier not to talk about it as much. Third, we are of the age where there will be sweet but misguided people asking us when we’re planning to have kids. Trust us, we would give anything to be having this one. Finally, since I know several other women who have gone through this trauma, I just wanted to reach out and say that I love you all.

Will and I have talked a little bit about what our future plans are. For now, we just want to get through this week and the doctor’s appointments that I’ll have to determine how my body is healing. We do want a child or children, and we will have them, but it’s to be determined whether they will be carried by me or another woman. Either way, we will love them, spoil them, and someday, tell them about their older brother or sister who is hanging out in Heaven waiting on all of us.

Parents, take a minute and give your children an extra hug for us. I know that sometimes you may think your children are terrors (okay, we’ve met some of your kids and they really are…), but know that the fact that they are here where you can hug them is such a blessing. For any of you who have lost children, either before or after they were born, know that you’re in our hearts and prayers. To our families and friends, thank you, thank you, thank you. This will eventually get easier for us, but just knowing that you are there means the world to us.

Tomorrow we will celebrate Father’s Day, and although we are not celebrating it for the same reasons we had planned to, I know that someday we will, and for that reason, we have hope for the future.