Hello & Intro (long)

Hello ladies! I am new to the adoption board. My husband and I recently decided that we would be adopting our 2nd child.

I have a one year old daughter named Adalyn. My pregnancy with her was a disaster. I suffered from Hyperemesis (HG) from 3.5 weeks through pregnancy. I lost almost 20% of my body weight, went through IV therapy, several ER trips and hospitalizations. I'm still recovering from the toll it took on my body to carry our daughter. I also had serious complications during delivery (abrupted placenta after 3 hours of pushing that resulted in me losing over a liter of blood). 

After a lot of soul searching in the last year, I have decided I do not want to be become pregnant again, at least not in the near future. We want to expand our family and for our daughter to have a sibling, and have chosen adoption. My husband has always wanted to adopt a child. His brother is adopted and he feels very strongly about providing a home for a child in need. I do not want my daughter to have to watch me suffer. I am amazed my marriage and friendships survived my first pregnancy, I can't imagine the kind of toll that it would take on a young child to see their mother like that. My husband said he felt like he was watching me waste away.

It is still a new and heart-wrenching idea for me. I am grieving for things I expected to happen in my life (be able to carry a child without putting my life in jeopardy), but I know without a doubt that whatever child we end up with will be loved just as wholly and as deeply as our daughter. 

Anyways, that's my story. I will probably just be lurking and asking questions. It is still a little ways away for us (I'm in school), but I like to research thoroughly before I do it.