13 weeks: Baby Peach

Welcome to week 13! Our baby is the size of a peach! Incredible! What's more I have been eating peaches and nectarines this week....so baby is a bit of a cannibal. LOL. The consensus amongst my readings is that Baby Peach is around 3 inches long and weighs between 1/2 and 3/4 ounces. The growth of Baby's giant melon has slowed down. He or she could be booked by the police as fingerprints are formed on those tiny fingers by this point. I can definitely feel my uterus above my pelvic bone if I palpate my lower abdomen. I am glad my OB taught me how to find it via hand over hand palpation at out first visit. He made me feel very relaxed (ok except the ridiculous pilgrim collar/poncho paper breast exam get-up) and basically said their office takes a very hands-off, minimum exam approach w/ only 1 u/s at around 20 for diagnostics and no undressing at the office again until 30 something weeks!

I am going to start discussing birthing options at next weeks appt. I know I am only 13 weeks but I need to know what I can and can not do during labor at the hospital. I have concerns about whether I will be allowed to walk around the birthing room and avoid internal fetal monitoring and IV's unless absolutely necessary. I have real issues w/ the idea of an epidural and labor induction. Mostly because of complications that may be caused by those 2 things as well as my inherent fear of feeling "trapped". LMAO. Jen W if your are reading this...."You're trapping me....you're trapping me!!". I feel sorry for anyone who has had to sleep in the bed w/ me when the sheets are left tucked in! Or perhaps witnessed me attempting to scuba dive or go spelunking (can you say 6 hours of crawling through a cave and discovering I am perhaps claustrophobic half-way through a 30 foot long, 3.5' x 3' tunnel). Let's just say I'm a bit of a control freak. And I don't think I can completely turn over my body to someone else, or a group of someones, while I am unable to feel or move my lower half. Perhaps I'll change my mind when the time comes.

I am not saying that I am completely unopen to any type of intervention. And I'm not ruling out a "walking epidural" (low dose...dulls the pain...still allows for movement of legs, pushing muscles, and, well, walking....ok maybe shuffling!). I definitely need to do more research on that one. I do have a little time to sure up that whole 'plan'. And I still want to deliver in a hospital, w/ all the 'back ups'. I work in a hospital. I have read a lot of articles portraying them as 'the devil' but I honestly believe it's all in your perception. Make a birth plan. Be up front w/ your doc and whoever is going to be in the birthing room w/ you about your wishes. Obviously, if disaster strikes....I'll be right where I need to be. And if not then the nurses can all roll their eyes about the pseudo-granola girl in room 3 who won't let them stick an internal monitor in her, who is pacing around the darkened room listening to soft music, and moaning as she leans over every available surface during contractions swaying her hips around like a crazy person. I admit that the professionals @ the hospital's birthing center have delivered a lot more babies than I have and they may have a little better insight than I do on the subject. But I also believe that women were built for this gig and may not need as much help as is readily given during most labors and births. I've been present for several "normal" hospital births...some that have gone smooth as silk and some that didn't. I guess I am a moderate to the core. I'm not quite ready for a non-hospital birth but I don't want to be completely out of it and miss the details of one of the most important days of my life. All that said, I am still pretty terrified of the whole thing! Anywho.....more on that later.

For now, I am still wearing normal clothes but I definitely have a little pooch. I am still unreasonably tired a times but now I attribute this to inactivity. 90+ degree weather does not help that cause. I am going to go for early morning walks w/ the dog to avoid that or give into the weather and do evening laps in the neighborhood pool. Plus instead of rolling around on my living room floor doing yoga poses, I am going to call my old yoga instructor and find out when she has a class appropriate for a pg gal like myself. Update Saturday morning: couldn't sleep. Got up at 6 am. Took Henry on a 2 mile walk around the lake. It was very relaxing. And quiet! Then Henry and I went out on the deck for a little outdoor yoga session which was lovely until the neighborhood starting waking up and cars started driving around. I suddenly felt a little self-conscious w/ my booty in the air for downward dog so I switched to my traditional ending pose. Although I decided that, to the neighbors, the corpse pose was probably equally disturbing......you know..."Should we check to see if that lady is ok?". LOL. Anyhow, Brad is working on landscaping and I am heading to Louisville to celebrate birthdays w/ my mom (hers was Thursday the 12th, mine Monday the 9th). Hope everyone has a good weekend!

12 weeks: Baby Lime

Our baby is the size of a lime this week! Baby Lime's biggest develop- ment @ 12 weeks is reflexes. Baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, toes will curl, eye muscles will clench, and it's mouth will make sucking movements (aww!). Supposedly if I poke my belly, the baby will squirm around but of course I still can't feel it. Baby Lime's intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into the abdominal cavity about now, and the kidneys will begin excreting urine into the bladder. Yep, that's right....Baby Lime is already peeing on....or in this case in it's momma! Yuck! I guess it's a little too early to think about potty training.

Baby Lime's brain has established it's form and structures and will now spend the rest of the time in the oven developing mass. Nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in our baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. Baby Lime's face is now supposed to look distinctly human. Baby is getting less 'wall-eyed' as it's eyes have moved from the sides to the front of the head, and the ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump (apparently the standard measurement for fetuses), our baby-to-be is just over two inches long and weighs half an ounce.

Meanwhile back at the uterus........low in my abdomen, just above my pubic bone, my doc should now be able to feel my womb. All the literature says I won't need maternity clothes for a few more weeks which is fine w/ me because I'm not looking forward to the giant stretchy belly pants. I have a feeling that even when I can't wear my normal clothes, those stretchy belly pants will still seem big and weird at first. The tops on the other hand look cute.....and that will be a perfect excuse to shop. But not yet.....

Also, supposedly fatigue and morning sickness are fading now.....hmmph. Overall, I am feeling loads better. While I had a week long hiatus from 'productive' morning sickness, last night I gave up ALL my dinner and then some. The fatigue has lessened but not left me. I still hit an afternoon/evening lull that is worse if I don't have a little snack. I am officially up 2 lbs. Not bad for 3 months. Average or ideal is 3-5 lbs.....but since I was already "ahead of the game" in that dept, I'm sure the doc will be fine w/ that. Papa Bear (Brad) is hanging in there too!

11 weeks: Baby Fig

Our baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. Baby Fig's hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under gums, and some of baby's bones are beginning to harden.

According to my pregnancy book and internet reading, Baby Fig is already busy kicking and stretching. These movements will become more frequent as Baby's body grows and becomes more developed and functional. I still won't feel any of it for another month or two — nor will I notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that Baby's diaphragm is forming. Fingernails are forming too. Baby's neck is developing and lengthening and the chin is rising from the chest. Baby's head is almost half the length of it's body (takes after Brad...haha).

I don't know if it's the reintroduction of a sparse amount of caffeine or the relenting of first trimester pregnancy fatigue, but I cleaned the house tonight. My former Martha Stewart cleaning prowess has been reawakened. I have a little heartburn, especially if I eat tomato sauce or garlic but that's a small worry. I am still eating fruit like it's my job.

My next OB appt is on June 19th. I won't have an u/s, only a doppler to hear the heartbeat (still exciting!!). I also have to come to my appt w/ my first morning urine in hand. I'll keep you updated, but for now its bedtime! Goodnight!

Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish, in lonely frustration for the life you deserved, but have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle. The world you desired can be won. It exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours.
-- Ayn Rand.

10 weeks: Baby Kumquat

First of all, sorry I'm late w/ the update for 10 weeks. Thursday (the 10 week mark) I came home after working, getting my hair trimmed, and doing some pet care for an out of town friend and crashed, clothes and all, in our bed. I got up only to brush my teeth, take my prenatal vitamin, and change into PJ's. Friday after working we packed up the car, dog included, and headed towards Memphis to visit Brad's family. I am writing this now at a "pet-friendly" hotel in Nashville where we will soon depart for the last leg of the trip to Memphis. As I mentioned, they are pet-friendly...their human-friendliness leaves a little to be desired. But I digress.....

Though baby is barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, our baby has now completed the most critical portion of it's development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.

Baby Kumquat is swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including it's kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout my pregnancy.

If you could take a peek inside my womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.
In other developments: our baby's limbs can bend now. Baby Kumquat's hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over the heart, and feet may be long enough to meet in front of the body. The outline of Baby Kumquat's spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from the spinal cord. Our baby's forehead temporarily bulges with it's developing brain and sits very high on baby's head, which measures half the length of its body. From crown to rump, Baby Kumquat is about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, our baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.

As previously mentioned in my last post, we got to hear the heart beat for the first time at our first regular OB appt. I say it sounded like a tiny drum.......Brad says it sounded like road noise when you are on driving on concrete w/ lots of cracks in it. What can I say, he has a way w/ words. LOL! :)

Before I got pregnant, my uterus was the size of a small pear. By this week, it's as big as a grapefruit. Though I'm not ready for maternity clothes, I am finding that my regular clothes aren't fitting quite right especially my scrubs @ work. I can still wear them (and will be able to for a long while because scrubs are very forgiving) but they have to come up over my belly button to feel comfortable. From what I've read, the thickening in my midsection is most likely due to slight weight gain (2-3 lbs) and bloating at this point. In these transitional weeks between regular and maternity clothes, I will be seeking out my elastic waist band bottoms as often as possible! As previously mentioned, I am still TIRED.....which the OB said will go away in about 20 years or so...I think he's being optimistic! And despite the initially thought to be miraculous qualities of the ginger root pill, I am still hugging the toilet though not daily. I have learned to keep small snacks w/ me at all times. My daily ritual at work is a little box of raisins @ 11 am...if I don't eat them then I am so hungry at lunch that I get sick. Lesson learned! :) With all the fruit I am eating, I wouldn't be surprised if the baby actually does come out looking like one them.... pumpkin?? Mmmm...pumpkin...LOL!

There is a big push in all my pregnancy books to be active during this time. I honestly haven't felt like going to the gym except my first couple of weeks, and I wasn't allowed to then (because of IVF)! The most activity I've been getting is walking the dog (but it is a mile around the lake), using very light hand weights w/ my patients at work, and doing some yoga to stretch sore body parts from all the napping! Ha! I won't give up taking the stairs at work until I physically can't do it and I have to park about a half mile from the hospital everyday at work so I'm counting that too...pathetic I know. :) Hopefully I will get a little more pep in my step soon. Rumors are than the second trimester is the period of pregnancy that you feel the best in and have the most energy. That's less than 2 weeks away so I've got my fingers crossed that I get a burst soon!

In your heart, keep one still secret spot where dreams
may go and be sheltered so they may thrive and grow.
-- Louise Driscoll.

First Appt w/ Regular OB

We had our first regular OB appt today! I am happy to say that we got to hear the heart beat! :) The doctor said it sounded perfect. It was awe inspiring. Wild. Incredible to think that there is tiny person--w/ a HEART-- growing inside me!! I am so happy!

BTW, the appt (aside from the doppler for the HB) was hum-ho. We met w/ a nurse who went over do's and don't's, took my BP (116/62), weighed me, took a urine sample, gave us info on prenatal parent classes, and gifted us a bag-o-goodies that mostly involved free prenatal vitamin samples. Then, we met w/ the doc (Dr. W), went over a timeline of the appt's I will attend over the next 7 months and then ended w/ a full gyn exam and the doppler. On a side note, this particular office uses 'poncho' style paper tops for the breast exam portion. Bizarre. I felt ridiculous! LOL! I even joked w/ the doc about them. He said they get 'mixed reviews'. If only I'd brought in my camera.....too funny.
I got to finish the afternoon w/ blood work at the lab and then wandered around in the parking garage attempting to find my car. Fortunately Brad had not left the garage yet and was able to pick me up and drive me to my car so that I didn't have to set up residency there. I seriously think 'pregnancy brain' is setting in. I normally pride myself on my photographic-like memory re:numbers and info but this week I am having word finding trouble and stuttering every once in a while. What a nerd! God is preparing me to talk non-sense and function as a sleep deprived person. Bring it on!

Desires which in our beings burn,
The hopes with which our bosoms yearn,
Are destined to come true.
-- Colfax Burgoyne Harman. Optimism.

9 weeks: Grape

Our little one is nearly an inch long, about the size of a grape, and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. The baby is starting to look more and more human. The essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: our baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Our baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. Baby's eyes are fully formed, but the eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. Our baby has tiny earlobes, and the mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The placenta is developed enough now to take over most of the critical job of producing hormones.

Now that our baby's basic physiology is in place, it's poised for rapid weight gain. For me this week, I am supposed to expect my waist to have thickened a little as well as morning sickness, and mood swings. I would say I'm right on track w/ all those. Tissues and crackers are staples at our house right now. (BTW, technically I'm not 9 weeks until tomorrow 5/15).

This is a goofy self portrait of Brad and I (above) in the car after our appt. He calls this my Ralphy face, as in from the movie 'The Christmas Story'. He claims I had this same face when the doctor asked me how things were going at our appt today and I said, "Um. Ok I guess." He says its like when Ralphy goes to see Santa and can't remember what he wants to ask for and Santa says, "Do you want a football?", and Ralphy says, "Football. Yeah I want a football". Brad had to pipe up and tell the doc that I am actually throwing up.. a lot. He told me to drink extra fluids and call my new doc if it doesn't slow down or if it worsens so that they can give me anti-nausea meds to prevent dehydration (he offered them to me at this appt but I don't want to take meds if I can avoid them). We didn't get to hear the HB! Dr. S claims that seeing the HB is more significant than hearing it because at this point the sound may be blood flow to my uterus instead of the baby's HB.

This is a self-portrait (above) w/ the aid of the powder room mirror. I now understand why Van Gogh cut off his ear. Very frustrating. I was nice and bloaty (we had Mexican food after our appt.....I gave most of mine back.....so to speak...yuck.) and you can definitely tell I'm thickening in the middle. Baby bump + pre-existing "padding" courtesy of 2.5 years of infertility treatments! :)

Here's a close-up of the developing 'bump'.

BTW, I didn't post the u/s pic because 1. it stinks--you can't really see anything, and 2. it is in the car and I am in the bedroom! LOL! Maybe tomorrow!

Hope is not the conviction that something
will turn out well,but the certainty that
something makes sense regardless of how it turns out.
-- Vaclav Havel.

Mother's Day

I celebrated my first Mother's Day! My mom came up to stay the weekend and we went to brunch @ a local tea house followed by pedicures! Then we ended the day Saturday with 2 chick flicks (Becoming Jane and 27 Dresses--Lucky Brad, huh?). I got a very sweet card from Brad on Sunday morning after our giant breakfast (I love breakfast!). And last night I went to bed ridiculously early, which is why I couldn't report on Mother's Day until today!! LOL!

I am looking forward to my next doctor's appt on Wednesday. I plan to come armed w/ a list of questions because @ our last appt I was so awe struck I didn't ask anything. We didn't get to hear the HB last time (we got to see it) so I definitely want to do that this time! I also want to know the heart rate. I don't know my official due date because 12/18 is the date I got on an on-line pregnancy calculator so I want the doc to clarify that for me. And I want to know if I can do inverted yoga positions because I really miss it! Hopefully, all will be fine and the infertility doc will release me to a regular OB.

By the way, I am feeling good. Still tired but functional. Nauseous on and off but hanging in there. Still trying to get Brad to move his office downstairs to free up that room for the nursery. We are moving right along! :)

The very least you can do in your life is to
figure out what you hope for.
And the most you can do is live inside that hope.
Not admire it from a distance but
live right in it, under its roof.
-- Barbara Kingsolver.

8 Weeks: Kidney Bean

Our little "bean" is 8 weeks along! New this week: Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from our baby's hands and feet, it's eyelids practically cover it's eyes, breathing tubes extend from it's throat to the branches of it's developing lungs, and the baby's "tail" is just about gone. The baby even has knees! In baby's brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. It is too early to be daydreaming about our baby as one sex or the other, because the external genitals still haven't developed enough to reveal whether we're having a boy or a girl. Either way, our baby is constantly moving and shifting, though I still can't feel it. Apparently this week, I am supposed to expect bigger boobs (Lord help me), fatigue, nausea, and insomnia. Check, check, check, and check. But woo hoo.....baby should have all it's body parts and I have picked a doctor to help bring it into the world! I have 1 more appt with our infertility doctor next Wednesday (5/14) and then should be released to a regular OB. I called and got an appt w/ our chosen OB for the very next Wednesday (5/21). Now that I have reached the 8 week mark, I am going to allow myself 1 caffeinated beverage per day to see if I can perk up a little and accomplish a little more at home after the work day. Maybe Brad will lay off the sleepy head comments! :)

Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you.
-- Maori Proverb.

Bun still in oven......

OK. Mini-update. I am still alive. Still exhausted. Still puking. Still haven't landed an OB. Will summons energy for OB phone calls tomorrow. Still overjoyed to be pregnant! Yawn. Time for bed!

The road that is built in hope is more pleasant

to the traveler than the road built in despair,

even though they both lead to the same destination.

---Marion Zimmer Bradley

Week 7: Blueberry

I am now officially 7 weeks pregnant. The big news this week: Hands and feet are emerging from developing arms and legs — although they look more like paddles at this point than the tiny, pudgy extremities you're daydreaming about holding and tickling. Technically, our baby is still considered an embryo and has something of a small tail, which is an extension of it's tailbone. The tail will disappear within a few weeks, but that's the only thing getting smaller. Our baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry.

If you could see inside my uterus, you'd spot eyelid folds partially covering the baby's peepers, which already have some color, as well as the tip of the baby's nose and tiny veins beneath parchment-thin skin. Both hemispheres of our baby's brain are growing, and the baby's liver is churning out red blood cells until bone marrow forms and takes over this role. Baby also has an appendix and a pancreas, which will eventually produce the hormone insulin to aid in digestion. A loop in our baby's growing intestines is bulging into it's umbilical cord, which now has distinct blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from the baby's tiny body.

I am feeling good. My m/s has decreased and I only get nauseous if I go too long without eating. I am officially a fruit-a-holic which has been my major "craving". Brad says he is craving tacos...LOL! Poor guy has only been eating meat when he is without me UNTIL today. I made him a hamburger for dinner and even ate 1/3 of one myself! So Baby Daddy is happy too! :)

But the future will roll all away.
Take cheer lonely heart the deep gloom
Will break forth and effulgence of May
Smile over thy beauty and bloom.
-- Colfax Burgoyne Harman. Clouds.

Seeing is Believing!

Awwwwwwwww! That is our little baby! It is a singleton! We had our first u/s this afternoon and here is the proof! Ha! The black circle is the amniotic sac and the little peanut-like blob in the right side of the sac is our baby! I, of course, teared up when I saw the first inkling of the sac and boo hoo'd when I saw the flickering heart beat on the screen. Amazing!!! I love the little one already. Brad was in awe and we were both positively giddy at dinner just afterwards! After dinner we stopped at Babies R' Us and bought the baby it's first presents! Tiny newborn sized fuzzy white socks and a monkey! After all, haven't you always wanted a monkey?

Anyhow, we go back to the fertility doc on May 14th for a second u/s. If everything looks good, then we will be discharged to a regular OB/GYN (no pressure but I still need to decide on one!!). I am all smiles. I am off the no exercise restriction as well as the "vaginal rest"...LOL! I got to decrease my Prometrium dosage to 1x/day and will likely wean completely off of it after the next u/s. We will be touring a few hospitals over the next few weekends...to help us pick an OB/GYN. Of course we haven't lived in the Cincy area long enough to become acquainted w/ the hospitals (fortunately) so that will be a challenge. I am looking forward to every step but will be glad to have the OB/GYN under our belt....or at least mine...hahaha.

The line between failure and success is so fine
that we scarcely know when we pass it;
so fine that we are often on the line and do not know it.
-- Elbert Hubbard.

Week 6: Lentil (s)

I am 6 weeks pg. Baby (s) Cathey is now the size of a lentil bean. The nose, mouth, and ears are starting to take shape. There are dark spots starting to form that will become the eyes and nostrils. Depressions on either side of the head mark emerging ears and protruding buds represent growing arms and legs. A beating heart bulge is present with a rapid rate of 100-160 BPM! Awww! That heart is beginning to divide into left and right chambers.

Baby Mama is doing well! I am still extra tired but I've figured out how to avoid hugging the toilet...no meat for me! (Don't worry I'm getting plenty of dairy and plant protein.) I am going to bed at the same time as preschoolers and the housework is...well.....thank God for weekends, I may redeem myself then. I am currently working with 4 other pg girls!!!!! So, our non-pg co-workers are up to their eyeballs in estrogen! Now, just biding my time until next Wednesday for the first u/s! Can't wait to find out how many little 'beans' are in there, 1 or 2! Still saying lots of prayers, and soliciting more prayers from you guys, for a nice strong heart beat...or two!

It is difficult to say what is impossible,
for the dream of yesterday is the hope
of today and the reality of tomorrow.
-- Robert H. Goddard.

Yawn, blog, what blog?

I know I've been MIA for several days. Apparently dividing cells can be a bit fatiguing. I love, love, love being pregnant, BUT I do have to say that I've been completely exhausted and struggling to make it through the work day let alone create a witty account of my goings ons. So, to get you all up to speed: I have been peeing like crazy including about 3 times during the night!! And I had to purchase a couple of new bras because apparently the 'girls' decided to not only require constant support (as in a bra literally 24/7) but also to begin blossoming a bit early. LOL! This weekend I did have a chance to rest a little and to start reading my pregnancy books! Great stuff. Some of what I read was common sense but other info was all new to me. For example, I learned that it is important for me to sleep on my left side to ensure the best blood flow to the placenta and developing bambino. For our household, that meant swapping sides of the bed with Brad. Also since spring has sprung in our neck of the woods, Brad started the prep of the flower beds. He insisted that I not help after we read something about being cautious around soil because of potential toxins, fungus, etc.

The bigger picture I got from this week's events was that I have to rely on others more (as in give up some of my 'Miss Independent', 'I can do anything' attitude) and that someone else is dependent on me and my actions (what I eat, how much rest I get, what I lift, what chemicals I'm exposed to, etc). It is a humbling realization. Brad told me he too had a similar epiphany. He said he realized that for the first time someone else was going to be truly dependent on him. He said that if something happened to him before now, that he was sure that I would be able to take care of myself (gee don't sound so confident Hon'-I'm actually quite fond of you) but that now we were about to bring someone into the world that he is supposed to take care of, forever. I think we are both rather awed at the thought of being parents. Gulp. We are in real danger of becoming 'grown-ups'.

P.S. That's my 'belly shot' from week 4. If you think you detect a baby 'bump', let me assure you that it's too early to blame the baby. Fertility drugs maybe, but not baby. We will have our week 5 photo shoot this week (and by photo shoot I mean I will stand next to the same wall in our bedroom). I'll even put on make-up this time so you can see my face in this one! Also, for any of you that are confused about me being in week 5 now.....pregnancy is actually calculated from the first day of your last period. So even though the fertilization age of our baby is only 3weeks, the gestational age is actually 5 weeks. All very confusing, I know. I will try to post some sort of flow chart or something on my next entry.

6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing:
for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
-- Galatians, 6:9.