It's a boy ... and other good news!
/- that my iron counts are right where they should be (which is a concern since I was severely anemic throughout my whole pregnancy with Jocelyn).
- that my blood sugar levels and blood pressure are both right where they should be (which is a concern since being on prednisone during pregnancy can cause high blood pressure and high blood sugar).
- that Robert's head and facial bones and tissues are all properly developed (which is a concern because the only documented - albeit rare - side effect of prednisone in pregnancy is craniofacial deformities and because my nephew was born with a cleft lip and cleft palate, so we had two strikes against us for that).
- that I've actually lost a couple pounds since my last check-up a month ago, when they restricted my carb intake since the prednisone was keeping me from metabolizing those good ole carbs. That puts me only slightly above where I should be weight-wise at this point, and the doc isn't concerned about that at all. So, yes, I still have to restrict carbs, but what I've been doing is working so we don't need to change anything else - YAY!
- that everything else - his heart, his little bones, his size, and so on - is looking perfect!
- that, as of today, I'm down to 10mg of prednisone for my arthritis, which is exactly where my docs want me, and my joint pain is minimal. When I dropped to 15mg, my joints were not happy, to say the least, so we didn't think I'd be able to get to or stay on 10mg ... so far, so good!
We are so thankful for this little boy! I'll post some of the ultrasound pictures soon, but I was so excited that I wanted to share the news right away!
We're also pleased that we don't need to paint, since the office/nursery is already a dark green color that'll be perfect for a little boy. Almost every large item we got for Jocelyn, like the stroller and car seats, weren't gender-specific, nor was her crib bedding, so we're all set there. Clothes are another story, though, since pretty much everything we had for her screams "GIRL!," either with lots of pink or purple or with embellishments like ruffles or bows. God provided above and beyond our needs for Jocelyn, though, through generous friends and family, so we are trusting that He will meet our needs once again!