Support where I never expected it to be

This post has been inspired by

Fly Girl.

I remember well that time in our pregnancy
when we had to decide if we wanted the triple
screen test. Before we had conceived Piper, I
told Craig that I did not think that I wanted to
do that test. We continued to discuss it because
we both have family histories that put us at higher
risk for abnormalities.

I have a first cousin that was born with Spina Bifida.
She is still alive today and is about 19 years old.
An age, her parents were told, she would never see.

Craig’s oldest brother had a baby that was born
with heart problems (although Craig has never
really asked for all the details). The baby only
lived a few short days.

Craig’s other brother and his wife lost a baby
after testing and scans showed a severely
deformed fetus.

My nephew Logan was stillborn for reasons that
remain unknown to all of us.

We were certainly at a higher risk for abnormalities
but when the time came, I just could not do the
testing. I was far too scared. Craig’s position (on
most things) is to arm himself with as much
information as he can, find out as much as he can,
then work with that information.

I did not and do not know if our pregnancy with
Sweet Pea will be my one and only and I wanted
to enjoy it as much as I possibly could. That and the
fact that I had already decided that I did not want
an amnio. Those risks terrified me even more.

My thoughts are with Flygirl as she nears the halfway
point in her journey and starts to countdown to
birth day. I do not think that there are really any
words of encouragment at the end of the day she
is left with her thoughts. There are many lovely,
caring people that I have met because of my infertility
(and because my sister introduced me to blogging) and
I know Flygirl has many people out there thinking
about her. This is part of our support system and one
that I am thankful has welcomed me in.