A few years after Milo arrived safely, we finally felt that we were ready to try one more time for a sibling. After a few months without success on our own, just as we were mentally preparing ourselves to start another fertility journey, we were happily surprised to learn that Laurie was again expecting. This time, we would have a very different plan of action and hoped to have a much less dramatic journey.
And believe it or not, that's pretty much what happened. We opted to see the same doctor who had placed the cerclage that saved Milo's life (a transvaginal cervicoisthmic cerclage, or TVCIC) even though he had gone into semi-retirement and was now practicing in Tennessee instead of New Jersey. We took a long drive down to see him in late February where he was able to place the same kind of stitch as a preventative measure around 12 weeks into the pregnancy. Once again, it held tight the entire time without any drama at all. Laurie also got progesterone injections starting around 18 weeks (a bit later than intended due to a battle with our insurance company, the pharmaceutical company who makes Makena, and the specialty pharmacy who needed to fill the prescription) until 36 weeks. Laurie was seen regularly by her OB practice and our MFM doctors for monitoring, which ultimately turned out to be routine every time.
Laurie's TVCIC was removed with spinal anesthesia around the end of the 37th week of the pregnancy. This time, our child was slightly more patient, and we headed home still awaiting the arrival of the baby. 5 days later, we were back at the hospital and after lots of walking the halls, Laurie was admitted to have the baby.
Early the next morning, on August 30th, 2015, our daughter Nora Josephine joined us. She weighed 7 lbs, 2 oz. and was totally perfect. We actually were home by the very next day to begin our life as a family of 4. Nora waited until she was 2 weeks old to give us a medical scare when she popped a fever which turned out to be viral meningitis, but fortunately she is perfectly fine after a 3 day hospital stay for fluids, antibiotics, and monitoring.
This final chapter in our family goes to show others dealing with these struggles that when you do finally have a clear diagnosis and a strong preventative plan of action, even someone who has had incredible struggles in the past can have a truly boring, routine pregnancy.
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