We're almost there...so what happens next?

Yep! I have 4 more weeks until my due date. Well, I guess technically that's not quite true. I'm due April 14th, and today is March 14th...so I guess it would be more accurate to say that I am officially in my last month of pregnancy (give or take a few days)!!

We are getting pretty excited around here. Isaiah is often more concerned with my inside-out belly button than anything else. He thinks it hurts, so he has to rub it to make it feel better. Haha.

Isaiah is growing up before my eyes - and the new baby isn't even here yet! The other day he recited the entire alphabet, without making one mistake. I was a little shocked.

During these last few weeks of pregnancy I've been trying to get clothes organized, baby room cleaned & organized, and the house CLEANED. Did you know I've never washed the walls in my bedroom? They're dusty. Gross, right? And don't get me started on the ceiling fan. *barf*

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So what is going to happen after the baby is born. If you're anything like me, you might have forgotten (or shoved to the back of your brain) that I still have MS. It still sucks, and I'm still not happy about it. But here's what we're going to do...

I will not be nursing my baby. About a week after baby is born, I will be starting IVIG (Intravenous Immunoglobulin - click the link). It will hopefully help me with my immune system, to hopefully avoid a large relapse shortly after the baby's birth. This will be once a month (probably 3-5 days) in the hospital, for 4 months. I don't think I will need to be admitted, it's just for an infusion...but I will have an IV port in my arm during those times. At the same time I start the IVIG, I will also be starting Copaxone, a self-injection treatment. So it just doesn't make sense to be nursing - I don't want to risk anything being passed to the baby. I NEED to be on medication - I don't really have an option. My MS Specialist told me that my MS is VERY active, and that I need to start something sooner rather than later. After a few months we will do another MRI and see what's going on...if the medication isn't working we'll try something else. Trial and error I guess.

So that was my answer. I will start treatment so that I can be the best mother possible - I still need to be healthy and be able to take care of my children. So...for those who think that I should still try to nurse and "can't you just start medication later"....you can go eat rocks.  This is a hard enough decision for me to make, I don't need guilt trips. (Was that harsh?)

It's scary to think about what may or may not happen after the baby is born. All I can do is be prepared, and know that I have a TON of support from my family and friends. :)