Raising Arrows

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Week 9 Pregnancy Update

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baby developmentWhen I first found out I was pregnant, everything seemed totally normal for me. I felt very confident in the pregnancy. I quit running, but kept up my regimen of walking and taking my vitamins, eating well, and taking care of myself.

And then I started spotting.

It wasn’t much and stopped quickly.  I was surprised because usually the spotting I experience happens much later due to subchorionic hemorrhaging.  I’ve had SCH in at least 4 previous pregnancies.  I’ve had spotting due to SCH in 3 of those.  It usually happens around 7 weeks and completely resolves within 24 hours.  I had very large SCHs with my back-to-back miscarriages in the winter of 2011 as well, but did not bleed with either of them until I actually miscarried.

The only way to diagnose SCH is via sonogram.  It shows up as a pool of blood near the sac.  There is no real understanding as to what causes them, nor how much they actually threaten the viability of a pregnancy.

About a week after the first incident, I spotted again.

Concerned, yes.  Stressed out, no.

Then, in my 6th week, I was getting ready to head to Chicago to the 2:1 blogging conference with my husband.  In the middle of the night, I woke up to more spotting.  This time it seemed worse.  Add to that the fact that I wasn’t experiencing the usual morning sickness symptoms, and all my hope and confidence seemed to be crashing down.

I called the doctor and set an appointment for a sonogram immediately following my trip to Chicago.  Ty felt going to Chicago would prove to be relaxing and calming to me (I was not speaking and would have no children to care for).  Before leaving, the bleeding stopped.

The conference proved to be very beneficial in so many ways.  One such way was the prayer time we had where we all prayed for each other.  I felt peaceful about the whole thing.  Yes, even if I lost the baby.

That night, I bled again.

And yes, I was still peaceful.

A couple of days later (at 7w1d), I went to my appointment, fully expecting to see no heartbeat.  Instead, we saw a baby measuring 7w3d with a heart beating at 168.  I about fell off the table.

Baby #9 7w1d

And the most amazing part – no sign of subchorionic hemorrhaging!

I would be lying if I told you I wasn’t totally looking forward to hearing the heartbeat again this next week at my first official OB appointment.  I still need reassurance that this is real.

I have only thrown up twice in these 9 weeks.  I have the typical food aversions and do better if someone else fixes my food – my kids are doing a lot of cooking these days!  I sleep a lot, but the nausea is manageable most days.

And then I got to thinking…

In February (about 6 weeks before getting pregnant), I decided to start faithfully taking a magnesium supplement, using magnesium oil and soaking in a bath of Epsom Salts whenever I could.  The reason I did this was because I was having some scary heart palpitations and knew magnesium is sometimes the issue behind heart palpitations.

So, how does this translate to morning sickness???

My friend Kate from Modern Alternative Mama had been preaching magnesium to me all throughout Creed’s pregnancy and I decided it was worth a shot.  I didn’t really think it would work because NOTHING ever helped my morning sickness.  Not high dollar pills, not Sea Bands, not ginger.  Nothing.  Skeptical would be an understatement.

But, when I found I wasn’t experiencing the typical morning sickness symptoms AND baby was ok, I began to wonder about the magnesium link.  So, I kept up with the oil (I buy it from the women who wrote the article about making her own) and soaking in Epsom Salts.  I don’t do well with pills when I’m pregnant and most people will tell you magnesium isn’t well absorbed in pill form anyway.

The verdict so far is pretty astounding.  I am still sick off and on and the bad days really affect my mental state, but as I’m writing this, I feel almost normal.  Food aversions – yes.  Tired – yes.  Pregnant brain – yes.  (Remember all the messed up posts from a few weeks ago?  Yep, that was pregnant brain – my friend Ashley even called me on it!)  But utter hopelessness – not very often.  Not like it has been in the past.

So, this isn’t really a Week 9 update, but more like a Previous Several Months update to bring you up to speed on all that has been going on here behind the scenes.  We are all very excited and very thankful for this new little life and God’s tender mercies!  Please continue to hold us in your prayers.  I have a tendency to fear and really have to fight to keep those under control.  I know Who holds the future. :)


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  1. Congratulations :)!!!! Praying for a healthy pregnancy…. with no more scares.
    I have taken calcium/magnesium for years for leg cramps … maybe that is why I am only ever nauseous.

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  2. Congrats Amy to you and your family, You will be in our prays please keep us in yours as well. We trying as well and I feel like I’m going nuts taking so many pregnancy test ???? every time I see negative sign on it breaks my heart!

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    • Hugs to you as well. We just started trying again after our stillborn twins (August/september 2013) and I was devastated yesterday when it was very evident I was not pregnant. Amy , congratulations! I will be praying for your pregnancy.

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  3. Congrats! I have never posted here before but just wanted to let you know I had a similar situation in my current pregnancy. I’d had some spotting with 2 of my 3 previous pregnancies, but this time it was outright bleeding, sometimes heavy, from about 8-10 weeks. I had a u/s at 10 weeks, and they found a small SCH. The bleeding actually stopped a few days later, and at my 18 week u/s they didn’t see anything unusual. I’m 31 weeks now and haven’t had any spotting or placental issues.

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  4. I’m glad everything is going well! I got a 7 week ultrasound yesterday as well and it’s so reassuring to see that heartbeat!

    I also started Magnesium supplements AFTER I found out I was pregnant. I’m still pretty sick and miserable right now, but the friend that referred me to it says sometimes it takes a while to build up my body’s stores. It’s good to hear you think it’s working for you! It would be SO nice to carry a child without throwing up all day. :( Here’s to hope for the future!

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    • I’ll be honest, it sort of freaks me out to NOT throw up all day, but I would be so thrilled if this is finally the answer to my morning sickness.

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  5. With both my pregnancies I developed preeclampsia after pregnancy induced hypertension kicked in near the 3rd trimester resulting in early c-sections, preemie babies. After deliver I was hooked up to a magnesium IV.

    Someone told me there is a special magnesium supplement at the food store made so that it is better absorbed in our bodies… I think it’s called “chellated magnesium”??

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  6. I have been taking magnesium for years now in a fizz form with calcium. I have Hyperemesis. I am 16 weeks pregnant and just found out about the oil you spray on your body. Started that a couple of days ago. How long does it take to build up a store of it? Also, spotted until week 13. Baby looks good so far. I will pray for your little “peanut”. :)

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    • My understanding is that your body has a really hard time absorbing it in pregnancy, so BEFORE you get pregnant is the best time to be taking it. I heard about the spray, but I’ve also heard it can make you pretty itchy.

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  7. Congratulations and blessings to you! :) I saw you speak a couple of times at TTD in Nashville. You were a great encouragement for this scattered mama!!! :)

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  9. This is very interesting for me. I am currently 12 weeks with my 3rd child. My first 2 pregnancies I was quite sick. This time around I am much better. Not wonderful, but overall better. I was trying to figure out why. In the last few months I have been taking a calcium, magnesium & zinc supplement as I found out my calcium is really low. I also started taking a prenatal vitamin with a higher level of vitamin B6. I thought it was the B6, but maybe it is because of the magnesium?

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  10. Good to hear about the magnesium! I have heard that really helps, and take it myself for my hormones. :) Im very happy to ear you are not sick.

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  11. Do you have any websites or any other place to gather info on the magnesium? How do you apply the oil? Just curious. I don’t get extremely sick during pregnancy, but if this will help take some of what I do experience away, I would like to try it.
    Thanks!

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  12. We will be praying for you amd your family! I understand the fear…we are 15 wks pregnant. But after 4 pregnancy loses it is HARD to be positive. I am having a hard time believing this baby is going to be OK. I know God is in control and I try to relax. However, we haven’t told anyone we are expecting …not the kids, only the MD. I have another ultrasound on May 27 and if all is well plan to tell the kids….who will tell the universe. :-) It was just so hard to tell the kids when we lost the last one that we felt we would wait longer before sharing the news.

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    • Has your doctor trsted your progesterone levels? Low progesterond levels can cause miscarriages. With 4 miscarriages, it would be something to check into.

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      • Also, have you had your thyroid checked? I had a miscarriage and several months later was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. My TSH was not terribly high (5.29, I believe… it should be 1.0-2.0ish) but I still wonder if that’s why I had the miscarriage. Thyroid health has a definite impact on pregnancy.

        If you find that you have hypothyroidism, I highly recommend Dr. Ken Blanchard’s book “A Functional Approach to Hypothyroidism”, which led me to my current treatment and feeling pretty normal again.

        I’m sorry for your losses. That must be so painful. Hope this pregnancy goes wonderfully well!

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  13. How exciting! I’m usually pregnant when you are, and this round is no different (due Oct 30th here)! And the funny thing is I haven’t had any morning sickness at all this time either – I expected no heart beat as well. But sure enough, there it was :) I don’t usually feel the baby until week 18-20, so I’m still a little cautious, but I chalk it all up to God’s goodness as we were moving, suddenly, cross country and there’s no way I could have gotten everything done if I was sick. I have been deathly tired though these last couple of weeks to make up for it. Truth be told, I think the morning sickness is worth the comfort it brings. So excited to follow you on this journey!

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    • I’ve always been afraid NOT to have morning sickness, but it is so debilitating. The times I’ve prayed for the morning sickness, I’ve gotten so sick I could hardly stand up. A few pregnancies ago, I decided no more of that. I prayed for shorter morning sickness and GOT IT! This only throwing up twice, though, is REALLY unusual for me.

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  14. As always, I appreciate hearing your heart! I’m also glad to hear about the magnesium oil/lotionI have recently started researching this because after my last childbirth 5 months ago, my hormones have been out of whack. I mean, to the point that I wonder if I’m starting perimenopause (I’m 39)! I am about to try Natural Calm and make my own oil or lotion to see if/how much it helps. Thanks for your encouragement that it really does work!

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  15. Congrats, Amy!! I’m so, so glad to hear that the magnesium lotion is helping you so much. That gives me hope for if/when we are blessed with another baby. Thank you for linking to my magnesium lotion recipe- I’ve already had a bunch of orders and I love that more ladies are learning about something that I’m so excited to share! :-)

    I hope you and your precious little one stay healthy and have a smooth and easy pregnancy and birth!!!

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    • Thank YOU, Justyn! I am thrilled with the results, and really appreciate your hard work making the lotion for people like me who just don’t have the time to make it themselves. Bless you!

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  16. Congrats! I am so excited for you guys, and very glad that all is well! Wish I had known about the magnesium oil in my 8 pregnancies. I had horrible morning sickness with all of them, some lasting through the 9 months! But glad you are all doing well! Congrats again! :)

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  18. Congratulations! I was wondering when a new little one would be blessed to you! I am expecting currently, our first ‘faith’ baby that we chose to let God plan not us (third child though) due in September! Not sure if we are called to a ‘quiver full’ life yet but it is something I am praying over. There is something about reading about your experiences that appeals to my heart. Pretty sure my family would not be supportive of a lot of kids though, admittedly that is something that stops me. Praying for a smooth pregnancy for you and a healthy baby at the end :-)

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    • My family doesn’t really get us, but they don’t say much anymore because we’ve reached that point where they have just come to expect a new little one. ;) By the way, LOVE your name – we are actually considering that name as a middle name for a girl because it is a family name spelled exactly that way. Plus, it reminds us of our little Emily. :)

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  19. Do you get middle of the night, shoot straight up out of bed Charlie Horses during pregnancy? THAT was my nemesis, and FINALLY (after 5 babies… I’m slow…) I figured out it was a magnesium deficiency! Epsom Salts baths for me (with essential oils) nearly every night now, and NO Charlie Horse “surprises.” :)

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  20. So glad your baby is okay! I’m pregnant with our 5th, due in October and I’ve had miscarriages so I know how hard it is to trust and not worry sometimes. It’s wonderful you had peace even before seeing the little heartbeat! The Mag info is very interesting and I’m totally going to try that next time. I was quite sick for 4 months this time and man, was it hard! Last pregnancy, I took lots of cal/mag from about halfway through until the end and it made an amazing difference in my labor and recovery as well as no sore feet or back, no leg cramps (usually really bad!) and hardly any migraines. Gotta love that stuff!
    Thanks for writing your blog. I follow it as often as I can. I’ve got all littles right now and we are really busy with our small sustainable farm but I enjoy reading it when I can and I was hoping you’d be pregnant while I am!

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  21. This sounds like the beginning of this pregnancy for me (currently 16weeks)…I’ve never had spotting with any previous pregnancies and I was scared to death. I had quite a few nights of tears and prayer before I finally was seen by a doctor. It took awhile because I had no insurance or GYN at the time. That moment there was a heartbeat and little jelly bean on the screen…well there’s nothing like it and I will never take it for granted again! Congratulations on your new pregnancy! Prayers and excitement your way! :)

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  22. Congratulations! How awesome that you have felt so well!

    I’ve been reading about the link between NVP (nausea and vomiting of pregnancy) and magnesium levels all over the internet – I’m thrilled that you have had such excellent results with it.

    Hoping that the rest of this pregnancy is stress-free for you!
    Diana

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  23. Congratulations on your new pregnancy ! I’m also expecting for Dec and struggling with morning sickness… I keep remembering the guest post you had on morning sickness right before you announced your last pregnancy (I was expecting my 5th) and it is encouraging to me…
    It is interesting what you say about magnésium… I have tried so many things to prevent morning sickness this time and nothing has worked (taking syllimarin before getting pregnant, the beans diet, a no sugar/no flour diet, vit b6…). I’ve read about magnesium helping but was a little worried about taking it : I read it helped to make labor easier so took a lot during my 3rd trimester last time, but my uterus was so sluggish labor took forever and I’ve wondered if it was because of the magnesium. So I’ve just been hesitant to try it… Maybe I will now !
    It will be interesting to see if it prevent RLS as well… Something I deal with too.

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    • RLS is apparently another symptom of magnesium deficiency. I know some people say that you aren’t really going to get the benefits you need if you are already pregnant because you don’t absorb it as easily when you are pregnant, but I was pretty “tanked up” on it prior to getting pregnant and try to keep on top of it even now. I don’t deal with RLS until later in pregnancy, so we shall see there. Also, my uterus was really sluggish with my #7, but I took Red Raspberry Leaf faithfully at the end of my pregnancy with #8 and did amazing! Something to consider. :)

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      • Thanks for the RRL advice. I’ve taken about a quart of it daily for more or less the lest 6 months of my last 3 pregnancies, but still had a sluggish uterus that last time. Although I didn’t hemmorage after birth for those 3 like I did with my 2nd baby and I attributed that to the RRL tea.

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  24. Yes! I tell everyone about transdermal magnesium. You can’t overdo it and if your digestion is compromised transdermal is the way to go. I’m so glad you tried it.

    I got pregnant after using magnesium for several months and had two days where I was a little queasy but otherwise no morning sickness. Also I rubbed it on my back for muscle aches and those eased or disappeared.

    I started putting it on my kids. My pre-teen has less BO when regularly applying magnesium and no longer has sensitive scalp. (Scalp was so sensitive that shampooing or running fingers or comb through would cause tears. )

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      • Sure. The other three I had nausea and queasiness for a month to two months. I ahem…lost it about a dozen times with the first child before I figured out my triggers. I also thought morning sickness is a terrible name because I didn’t tend to lose it until later in the day as long as I had a high protein breakfast with no citrus on an empty stomach. The second pregnancy was slightly better because I knew how to keep my stomach from turning and just suffered through the nausea. The third pregnancy I wasn’t eating much processed food to support my daughter with her newly diagnosed food sensitivity. I had less nausea but had a weird thyroid pressure (like I had a tight turtleneck) for a few weeks a couple of times mid pregnancy. I didn’t know anything about magnesium or how much sugar can hog any magnesium in your system/block absorption.

        Baby 4- I had been using magnesium for two or three months before getting pregnant. After baby 3, I couldn’t eat gluten or high prolamine grains so I also switched to a different prenatal. Super Nutrition bc I couldn’t afford the New Chapter prenatal promoted by the midwife. I think the magnesium made the biggest difference. I was so comfortable this last pregnancy until the end when no one is comfortable. When I forgot to apply it for I started to get lower back aches and pain between the shoulder blades.

        I started with “magnesium oil” and then later switched to a magnesium body butter using recipes from Wellness Mama’s blog. Magnesium lotion or butter doesn’t itch or sting like magnesium oil sometimes does. You can buy the magnesium oil, but I was too cheap to keep doing that. :)

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  25. Amy
    I am sooooo excited for you and your family! Somehow. Stumbled on your blog a few months ago when I discovered I was expecting at age 50 !! I have since miscarried however I am still thrilled to have conceived at this age. ( I do have eight living children). If The Lord chooses to bless my womb with another baby we will rejoice! We were privelaged during the short span of said pregnancy to meet an OB who specialized in vbac. He was supportive of our decision to pursue vbac2 ! The other sweet occur acne was his encouragement for us to try for another pregnancy as soon as my next period began. Wow! I don’t know about you but I was pleasantly surprised at his support of our conceiving at my age.
    Look forward to hearing about your newest blessing.
    Traci

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  26. I can understand how you feel! I have spotted like that, anywhere from weeks 5-10, with 5 of my pregnancies. Only time I didn’t, I miscarried at 11 weeks. I’ve come to see it as my normal….don’t know the reason!

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  27. Congratulations on your pregnancy! I’m glad you’re doing well! I am expecting too….I’m about a month behind you. This will be our 11th.

    I just hit 7 weeks and have had no morning sickness. This is crazy! By 6 weeks, I am usually in full swing of all day icky and throwing up. I’m trying so hard to enjoy this…it’s quite the miracle. The things that I did differently were drinking Kombucha and Kefir in the past couple of months. I read an article linking morning sickness to the H. Pylori bacteria, and consuming fermented food keeps the bacteria at bay. I am also taking magnesium, but I have always taken it…..even through previous pregnancies. Soooo, I’m trying so hard to believe that the fermented stuff is really working, but for a woman who’s tried everything, and nothing has truly worked……I’m still hesitant to sing the praises. My first apt is next week. I am eagerly awaiting that sweet heartbeat to assure me that everything is okay. But already praying for peace in the event things are not.

    Look forward to more updates! Blessings!

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  28. Thank you so much for your honesty and transparency about your struggle with SCH in your pregnancies. I am pregnant with my 4th child and I am was just diagnosed with it at 6 weeks. This is the second time I have gone through this as well. I always get so worried about what may happen, but I am comforted that you have previously and recently went through the same with such strong faith. It is an inspiration. Thank you! I hope you have an remaining healthy pregnancy!

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