*This is about my wife’s, Shelby, pregnancy after infertility*

Wow, it’s ICLW already? Where is the time going? Thank you for visiting my little corner of the web.

I can’t believe our Level II ultrasound is here already. The first few months of this pregnancy went super slow, but now it seems as if time is speeding up. Shelby is already rounding the half way point. As I mentioned in my post, The Secret Pregnancy Handshake, I still feel awkward at times when people talk about our pregnancy. It’s out in the public, Shelby is showing more and more every day, so it’s hard to deny. However, there is a part of me that still feels like our struggle with infertility is now invalid. Maybe invalid is too strong of a term, but part of me still needs to pay recognition to our struggle. I feel very out of place when other pregnant woman are blissfully talking about what crib or stroller they are going to buy. Sure, I can compare notes, but all our concentration is about having a healthy baby boy. The crap we buy is so insignificant compared to that.

However, somewhat reluctantly, it’s time to really admit to ourselves that this baby is going to happen. It’s time to shop. I know it sounds a little hypocritical given my last paragraph, but I’m really looking forward to picking the baby gear out. Slowly, I’m feeling like less of a fraud and more like a real dad to be. It’s a hard line for me right now and I don’t know how to really act as a expecting infertile. I don’t feel like I’m in either sides “club.” I just don’t have that same click that fertiles do. Our path is different, even though we have a pregnancy in common. It’s an adjustment, and there aren’t really any books about this one.

On to the good stuff however. Our scan was amazing. We haven’t seen our little guy in a month, and this transformation was huge. It really looks like a baby now, perfectly formed. He is weighing 12 ounces now. We saw fingers, toes, hear chambers, feet, bones, and baby boy bits. Our little guy seems stubborn and moves right at the wrong time. He gets that from his mom :) Speaking of which, Shelby seems to be doing great. She has energy back, and is getting a beautiful, perfect pregnant profile. She looks amazing.

I do have one question though. While our scan went great, and nothing was a concern, our doctor mentioned that her placenta was a little too close to the cervix. Not close enough to be considered “abnormal,” but close enough to warrant a follow up appointment at 27 weeks. Dr. Google, who I have a love and hate relationship with, tells me that it increased the chance of a c-section (which we already are facing, Shelby has a narrow pelvis) and you need to keep an eye on any bleeding (duh!). I also read that in more server cases that pelvic rest is required (which we were not put on). The doctor did not seem concerned at all, as the  placenta tends to gravitate up as you get father along, but I’m curious if anyone has had any experience with this and can offer any input.

Finally, we got a few awesome shots. I’d like to share my favorite one with you (the cute shot of a button nose was my 2nd favorite.

I like to call this shot, “Two Tickets to the Gun Show”

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