I'm 27 years old and married to an amazing guy named David who is about
to turn 31. I've never been pregnant and I've had a severe case of
babylust for about seven years, but I've only been married for one
year. David and I have three dogs who are our substitute kids; they are
Odin, a three year old border collie/golden retriever mix, Sjofn
(Sophie), a one year old german shepperd/husky mix, and Friia, a
wolf/malamute mix. They're spoiled and very much loved. We all live in
Toronto, Ontario, Canada. My wonderful in-laws live just down the
street and although they have three grand-children already they are
anxiously awaiting more. My mother and her husband have no
grand-children so needless to say they are impatient for us to get
going. My younger brother and my dad keep asking if I'm pregnant yet.
Soon, I hope!
I work as a residential counsellor in a group home for adults with
psychiatric illness and a developmental disability. I love my work most
days but it can get very stressful at times. My co-worker has a one
year old and my supervisor has three kids so they're waiting for me to
join the motherhood club.
My husband is a computer geek, I mean programmer. He is presently
setting up the computer systems that operate telephone chat lines. He
doesn't really like his job right now but being in computers he has a
lot of options.
David and I decided to start trying to conceive on our one year
anniversary which is February 21, 1999. Well, maybe I decided and he
agreed. It's been horrible just having to wait this long, but like most
husbands he worries about finances and lifestyle changes. I understand
his reasoning, and he seems to understand the babylust.
I plan to be a midwife after I've had a few kids of my own and I am
presently studying to be a childbirth assistant (doula). I would love
to have a homebirth with a midwife BUT I have a genetic disorder called
Ehlers-Danlos so there won't be any homebirths for me. This condition
causes collagen deficiency in the skin,
joints, intestine, and blood vessels ,depending on which type you have.
I have type II which mainly affects the joints, skin, and heart valves -
I usually dislocate various joints about 2-3 times on an average day, my
skin is very soft and stretchy, and I have a heart murmur. In pregnancy
there are added complications for someone with EDS because the cervix is
largely made up of collagen and if the baby has the condition (50%
chance) then the membranes can be affected. I will need to be monitored
closely for signs of premature dilation of the cervix and premature
rupture of the membranes. There is a very high miscarriage rate with
this disorder but becuase I already know what to watch for I should have
no problem carrying to term. Another problem is that the hormone
relaxin that is released during pregnancy is sure to cause more joint
dislocations. The one huge advantage of having EDS when pregnant is
that labour is significantly shorter - the longest labour I've heard of
was six hours for a first baby. Another woman went from her first
contraction to delivery of the placenta in two hours with her first
baby! Thankfully I live only 7-8 minutes from our local hospital.
Which brings up another glitch in the baby plans: Because I knew that
EDS could cause complications during pregnancy I sought pre-conception
care ahead of time. I first met with my geneticist who told me that the
condition is dominant so the baby has a 50% chance of inheriting the
disorder and that there is no tests to figure out if the fetus is
affected (which didn't matter to me because I could never abort). I was
then referred to the special pregnancy unit of one of the major
hospitals here in Toronto to meet with a perinatologist. This hospital
is about 40 minutes away at the best of times and has an interventionist
approach to birth. My local hospital is not only very close but has a
family birthing unit that has private rooms that you use throughout the
entire labour/delivery, recovery and postpartum, and they are less
interventionist in their care. I haggled with the perinatologist and we
have tentatively agreed that he will monitor my pregnancy but I will
also meet with an ob-gyn at my local hospital and deliver there. Yohoo!
So...it's February, I've been taking Materna vitamins for almost six
months, the doctors are ready for me, my parents and parents-in-law are
anxiously awaiting.
IT'S TIME TO GET PREGNANT! I hope it doesn't take too long, although
David will enjoy the trying. My period is due on the 12th so I'm due to
ovulate on the 23rd since I have a 25 day cycle. Poor David won't know
what hit him...I told him to eat a big breakfast that morning.
Until next time, |