Yesterday, April 6, was my due date. It never really meant much as a milestone because I knew that one way or another, there was no way that I would have an April baby. Instead, I sit here on my couch, nursing my 3 1/2 week old baby girl while I type out this post.
But let me back up. As I mentioned in my last post, I finished up work a few days past 34 weeks. I had appointments twice a week - Thursdays at the hospital for NST/doppler/growth scans/AFI (fluid measurement) and Mondays with my OB. The Thursday appointments were full of entertainment because my blood pressure was just above the 140/90 threshold and caused a lot of excitement with the nurses (and earned me extra bloodwork/24 hour urine samples). The techs also always seemed to fail to read my appointment information correctly and did growth scans way too often (you're not supposed to do it more frequently than every two weeks because of the tolerance for error in the measurements. In fact, I had one doctor measure the baby's head one day and then 10 days later, someone else measured it smaller). It was quite a roller coaster, but in the end, my OB kept me sane throughout the craziness and assured me that my body was doing fine and that all the excitement was just due to protocols that the people at the hospital had to abide by.
I used this extra "free" time to get through my to do list. I finally bought a car seat and diapers, I washed clothes and set up the changing area...and we bought a minivan.
On Sunday, March 9th, I hit 36 weeks. I started to let myself believe that I could end up with a healthy baby that just might be able to come home with me. At the same time things started happening. That weekend I had a little bit of brown spotting that showed up in the mornings over the weekend.
At my Monday appointment, I had to do another NST just to make sure that it wasn't a placental abruption, and the baby passed with flying colors. I had just bought myself a few more days to keep the baby inside.
That night I woke up around midnight to use the bathroom when I realized that I had lost my mucus plug. Thankfully, my doctor was on call that night, so I called in, got talked off the ledge again, was given instructions for when to go to the hospital (my two previous daughters were induced), and was told to go back to sleep.
Things were quiet the next few days. I laid very low. If I were up and about, my blood pressure would rise, so I spent much of the days laying on the couch working my way through a pile of books that have been on my list for several years. My doctor checked in on Wednesday afternoon while I was out indulging in a slow walk with my dog and we agreed to check in the next day after my NST appointment (we were expecting more excitement due to my BP).
However, I never made it to that Thursday appointment. That night (Wednesday), at 36w3d, my water broke around 9:15. It wasn't a huge gush...it reminded me more of the leakage you get when using progesterone suppositories. I changed my panty liner and let myself be in denial for a few minutes, but when it happened again (and it was still clear fluid), I knew that this was it. I waited for my husband to finish putting the kids to be and to start doing crunches in the family room before I told him. He took a shower, I called in to the on-call doctor who told me to head to the hospital, an then I called my mom to come stay with the kids.
Once she arrived and we wrote the kids a note, we headed to the hospital around 10pm.
I looks like this story requires more than one post, so I will be back soon with a picture or two and the rest of the story.
Monday, April 7, 2014
Sunday, February 23, 2014
34 Weeks
Today, 34 weeks, is a big milestone in my pregnancy.
When I went to visit my OB more than two years ago to make sure that trying for another baby wasn't the stupidest idea she had ever heard, she confirmed that she thought it was reasonable that I could make it to 34 weeks. This became the goal, even before I was even ready to embark on the journey to try to become pregnant.
When I got pregnant last summer, she again reiterated that the goal was to get me to 34 weeks. Today I breathe a sigh of relief (while still maintaining a reasonable level of fear of the unknown). I still have dreams and hopes of making it to 36 or 37 weeks, but I will take it day by day, blood pressure measurement by blood pressure measurement, and appointment by appointment.
It's been several weeks since I posted, so let me do a quick re-cap. When I last wrote, I was worried about an upcoming ultrasound and MRI for a small head measurement from my 28 week growth scan. Two weeks ago I had my follow up appointment and good news...the head size caught up to the rest of the body. All the measurements were around a week to a week and a half small. The doctor that I saw that day didn't see a need to do the MRI, but recommended that I come back in two weeks for a follow up growth scan to see how things were progressing. I asked the coordinator to put a hold on an MRI appointment for the follow up scan just in case, but my husband and I were breathing easy.
This past Wednesday was that follow up appointment. I guess the fun never really ends. On the growth scan, the baby continued to trend smaller, with all measurements except for the abdomen measuring consistently small by about a week and a half or so. Fluid is trending lower, but still within the normal range. The abdomen, on the other hand, measured perfectly average at 60+%. This doctor, the same one who I had seen at 28 weeks, was concerned as to why the stomach and bowels looked distended (compared to my small baby). I couldn't help but ask whether this was something that would cause me to be induced that day (yes, I packed my bag last week in expectation of someone, sometime, sending me straight to L&D). Thankfully the answer was no, but she recommended that we consider doing the MRI. It wasn't a "you must do this so that we know what we are dealing with" sort of thing, but more of a "this will tell us what is going on".
The MRI was uneventful and I heard back on Thursday evening that everything looks normal. The baby's head is small but normal. The stomach and bowels are normal. I just have small babies. I didn't realize until I got that call how stressed I was about all this.
At my weekly appointment with my OB on Friday, she agreed to clear me to leave work. I will work tomorrow and maybe Tuesday to finish up a few things and then I will be off to rest and start getting ready for the baby. I have twice weekly appointments now - one at the hospital for NST, doppler, and fluid, and one with my OB for urine, BP, measurements, etc. I now live three or four days at a time, waiting for a shoe to drop and to be told to head to L&D to be induced.
We're not yet at the end game, but I do feel like the end is near. I would be thrilled to make it to 36 weeks which would put me into familiar territory in terms of fetal development and NICU expectations, but that's still so far away and so much could happen during those two weeks, so I just hope to clear tomorrow's appointment at the hospital.
One day at a time. It seems like this little mantra has helped me through so many different phases of this journey.
When I went to visit my OB more than two years ago to make sure that trying for another baby wasn't the stupidest idea she had ever heard, she confirmed that she thought it was reasonable that I could make it to 34 weeks. This became the goal, even before I was even ready to embark on the journey to try to become pregnant.
When I got pregnant last summer, she again reiterated that the goal was to get me to 34 weeks. Today I breathe a sigh of relief (while still maintaining a reasonable level of fear of the unknown). I still have dreams and hopes of making it to 36 or 37 weeks, but I will take it day by day, blood pressure measurement by blood pressure measurement, and appointment by appointment.
It's been several weeks since I posted, so let me do a quick re-cap. When I last wrote, I was worried about an upcoming ultrasound and MRI for a small head measurement from my 28 week growth scan. Two weeks ago I had my follow up appointment and good news...the head size caught up to the rest of the body. All the measurements were around a week to a week and a half small. The doctor that I saw that day didn't see a need to do the MRI, but recommended that I come back in two weeks for a follow up growth scan to see how things were progressing. I asked the coordinator to put a hold on an MRI appointment for the follow up scan just in case, but my husband and I were breathing easy.
This past Wednesday was that follow up appointment. I guess the fun never really ends. On the growth scan, the baby continued to trend smaller, with all measurements except for the abdomen measuring consistently small by about a week and a half or so. Fluid is trending lower, but still within the normal range. The abdomen, on the other hand, measured perfectly average at 60+%. This doctor, the same one who I had seen at 28 weeks, was concerned as to why the stomach and bowels looked distended (compared to my small baby). I couldn't help but ask whether this was something that would cause me to be induced that day (yes, I packed my bag last week in expectation of someone, sometime, sending me straight to L&D). Thankfully the answer was no, but she recommended that we consider doing the MRI. It wasn't a "you must do this so that we know what we are dealing with" sort of thing, but more of a "this will tell us what is going on".
The MRI was uneventful and I heard back on Thursday evening that everything looks normal. The baby's head is small but normal. The stomach and bowels are normal. I just have small babies. I didn't realize until I got that call how stressed I was about all this.
At my weekly appointment with my OB on Friday, she agreed to clear me to leave work. I will work tomorrow and maybe Tuesday to finish up a few things and then I will be off to rest and start getting ready for the baby. I have twice weekly appointments now - one at the hospital for NST, doppler, and fluid, and one with my OB for urine, BP, measurements, etc. I now live three or four days at a time, waiting for a shoe to drop and to be told to head to L&D to be induced.
We're not yet at the end game, but I do feel like the end is near. I would be thrilled to make it to 36 weeks which would put me into familiar territory in terms of fetal development and NICU expectations, but that's still so far away and so much could happen during those two weeks, so I just hope to clear tomorrow's appointment at the hospital.
One day at a time. It seems like this little mantra has helped me through so many different phases of this journey.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Trading one worry for another
Today I am 29 weeks 3 days. The anxiety that I felt leading in to viability has subsided, although I did find myself googling "29 week old preemies" last night after some intestinal distress yesterday.
I had a growth scan almost two weeks ago. At first everything seemed great. The baby measured on the smaller side, but still in the normal range (30th percentile overall), which is not unusual for me, but her head was small. The doctor came in to confirm the tech's measurements and confirmed that everything looked good...but then out of nowhere, she asked me if anyone had suggested that I do a fetal MRI to confirm that everything is okay with the baby's brain. Say what?!
It turns out that the head circumference was measuring 2 1/2 weeks behind and she thought it would be best "for peace of mind" to do an MRI with my next scan to confirm that the brain looks normal. Initially I was totally against it because if there is a problem, there is really nothing that can be done (and the thought of being in a long metal tube scared me), but as we talked more, it seemed to make more sense. First, we would get an answer as to whether everything is okay. Second, it's better to do it now while the baby is in utero since if a scan was needed after birth, she would need to be put under anesthesia. That's certainly not something I want.
So I agreed and received confirmation yesterday that my appointment is two weeks from today for an ultrasound first thing in the morning followed by the MRI a few hours later. They suggested that I take valium to relax the baby, but I'm not exactly hot on that idea. We'll see how things pan out. My ultrasound is scheduled for 8AM, so there's no way my husband can drive me (kids need to be dropped off). They say it's voluntary so hopefully not eating for a couple of hours will keep everything quiet and still inside.
ANYWAY. That's the latest worry in this saga. I am hoping against hope to make it another 4 1/2 weeks to the 34 week milestone my OB and I targeted two years ago when we first discussed whether trying for another baby was even something worth considering. So far so good. I have been off my blood pressure medication for two weeks now and it's currently holding steady between 120s/70s and low 130s/80s.
Will post an update after that appointment....
I had a growth scan almost two weeks ago. At first everything seemed great. The baby measured on the smaller side, but still in the normal range (30th percentile overall), which is not unusual for me, but her head was small. The doctor came in to confirm the tech's measurements and confirmed that everything looked good...but then out of nowhere, she asked me if anyone had suggested that I do a fetal MRI to confirm that everything is okay with the baby's brain. Say what?!
It turns out that the head circumference was measuring 2 1/2 weeks behind and she thought it would be best "for peace of mind" to do an MRI with my next scan to confirm that the brain looks normal. Initially I was totally against it because if there is a problem, there is really nothing that can be done (and the thought of being in a long metal tube scared me), but as we talked more, it seemed to make more sense. First, we would get an answer as to whether everything is okay. Second, it's better to do it now while the baby is in utero since if a scan was needed after birth, she would need to be put under anesthesia. That's certainly not something I want.
So I agreed and received confirmation yesterday that my appointment is two weeks from today for an ultrasound first thing in the morning followed by the MRI a few hours later. They suggested that I take valium to relax the baby, but I'm not exactly hot on that idea. We'll see how things pan out. My ultrasound is scheduled for 8AM, so there's no way my husband can drive me (kids need to be dropped off). They say it's voluntary so hopefully not eating for a couple of hours will keep everything quiet and still inside.
ANYWAY. That's the latest worry in this saga. I am hoping against hope to make it another 4 1/2 weeks to the 34 week milestone my OB and I targeted two years ago when we first discussed whether trying for another baby was even something worth considering. So far so good. I have been off my blood pressure medication for two weeks now and it's currently holding steady between 120s/70s and low 130s/80s.
Will post an update after that appointment....
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