It's been a pretty uneventful few days here at Wake Med. I am a giant ball of pregnancy hormones the last couple of days; anything and everything can make me teary. I'm sure after this is over, Eric and I will have many things to laugh about. :)
The weekend was good. I had a few visitors, including the in-laws, plus a friend from work who brought me a Pandora charm - so sweet! A couple of folks could not visit since they were sick/recovering and didn't want to pass on their illnesses too.
Amy, Rachel, and Rachel's friend Jillian recorded a video for me, celebrating 29 weeks. It was the cutest thing, and I saw a shot of Aggie in there in the end. It was so adorable; I was laughing and crying all at the same time.
Eric and Adam got the chair rail put up in Tyler's room on Saturday - hooray! We are now working on finding the best price for the crib mattress, glider, and dresser and will be pulling the trigger on those hopefully this week.
Looking forward to tomorrow night - mini-shower with Jen and the girls from the s crapbooking group. It will be wonderful to see everyone.
Then, on Thursday, Eric will be here for his usual Thursday-Friday-part of Saturday stay. We're also having an ultrasound - whoo hoo! It's been 3 weeks so I'm excited to see how much Tyler has grown.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Gestational Diabetes and more
I apparently am right on the borderline of having gestational diabetes. They did the 3 hour test on Tuesday, and of the 4 thimes they took my blood, I passed 2 and failed 2 (by 1 and 2 points respectively). I thought the doc said they wouldn't change my diet, but they did - no concentrated sugars, etc, and they are monitoring my sugar levels after each meal. One of the docs said it might be just for a few days, but I guess wel'll see.
All the docs are now saying I'll be here for the duration (which I have already accepted), and that they doubt I will make it to 36 weeks w/out going into labor on my own. So now it's a waiting game, hoping to keep the baby in there to "bake" longer.
Jill & Amanda came by Tuesday night to hang out which was a ton of fun. We watched AI and hung out all evening long. Fun fun! Eric has been here since Wednesday after work too. He'll be heading home tomorrow to get the chair rail put up in the baby's room (with Adam's help). My parents also sent money (rather than buying and shipping something for the shower) so he's probably going to order the dresser, glider, and crib mattress.
Baby shower preparations are underway. Jen and some folks from the s crapbooking group are coming by on Wednesday night for a shower here since they can't make it to the big shower on 2/6. Invites for that shower went out today, and I think I mentioned that it's at Amy's house. Eric will be there and I will be video'd in. Should be fun!
All the docs are now saying I'll be here for the duration (which I have already accepted), and that they doubt I will make it to 36 weeks w/out going into labor on my own. So now it's a waiting game, hoping to keep the baby in there to "bake" longer.
Jill & Amanda came by Tuesday night to hang out which was a ton of fun. We watched AI and hung out all evening long. Fun fun! Eric has been here since Wednesday after work too. He'll be heading home tomorrow to get the chair rail put up in the baby's room (with Adam's help). My parents also sent money (rather than buying and shipping something for the shower) so he's probably going to order the dresser, glider, and crib mattress.
Baby shower preparations are underway. Jen and some folks from the s crapbooking group are coming by on Wednesday night for a shower here since they can't make it to the big shower on 2/6. Invites for that shower went out today, and I think I mentioned that it's at Amy's house. Eric will be there and I will be video'd in. Should be fun!
Monday, January 18, 2010
Weekend update
Satuday ended up being a so-so day. I was very bummed about not going home, but as I mentioned the nurse we had was very helpful in getting thru. She answered a ton of questions we had, and the talk with the NICU people was very reassuring. Basically they are ready to take care of the baby whenever we deliver and walked us thru what the challenges can be and how they deal with them.
My super-nurse offered to color my hair for me since I'd mentioned that I didn't get to do it before being hospitalized. I thought that was the sweetest thing, but wasn't going to make her do that...well, she insisted, so she colored my hair on Sunday after Eric went to Walgreens to get the color I use. I do feel a lot better and look better too. :)
Amy came by and we nailed down shower details, all set for 2/6 at her house. I will not be there, Eric will be the 'honoree', and I will get to see everything via video conferencing. Gotta be creative with our situation, you know. :) A few of my friends can't make it so they are going to come by to see me at the hospital. Very exciting!
And today we did my 2nd one-hour Glucose Tolerance Test. I passed it a few months ago when they made me take it early, but today my levels were a little high. I personally think it's because I had waffles with syrup for breakfast and that was still in my system. Anyway - no food for me after 10pm tonight, and then tomorrow morning we'll do the 3 hour test. Wish me luck!
My super-nurse offered to color my hair for me since I'd mentioned that I didn't get to do it before being hospitalized. I thought that was the sweetest thing, but wasn't going to make her do that...well, she insisted, so she colored my hair on Sunday after Eric went to Walgreens to get the color I use. I do feel a lot better and look better too. :)
Amy came by and we nailed down shower details, all set for 2/6 at her house. I will not be there, Eric will be the 'honoree', and I will get to see everything via video conferencing. Gotta be creative with our situation, you know. :) A few of my friends can't make it so they are going to come by to see me at the hospital. Very exciting!
And today we did my 2nd one-hour Glucose Tolerance Test. I passed it a few months ago when they made me take it early, but today my levels were a little high. I personally think it's because I had waffles with syrup for breakfast and that was still in my system. Anyway - no food for me after 10pm tonight, and then tomorrow morning we'll do the 3 hour test. Wish me luck!
Saturday, January 16, 2010
28 weeks!
Jan 16 - today marks 28 weeks - a HUGE milestone for baby's viability! That is the really good news; we have made a lot of progess since getting here 31 days ago. The bad news for the days is I am not going home any time soon. I had tried to not get my hopes up too much but human nature won out and I am kinda down about not getting a little bit of normalcy back in my life. However, I know it's for the best being here where they can take excellent care of me. I'm still dialated about the same, and I have what is called "hourglassing membranes" which menans a marble-sized portion of my membrane is coming thru my cervix. With that, the doctor did not feel comfortable sending me home to continue home bedrest. I know the docs meet regularly to discuss high-risk cases like me and I'm hopeful that they will give me an idea of "the plan" later this week.
Today I have a great nurse who has been very supportive. She also has a call into the NICU people to come by and spend some time talking to us about how much the situation has changed since we first had those scary conversations 4 plus weeks ago.
Today I have a great nurse who has been very supportive. She also has a call into the NICU people to come by and spend some time talking to us about how much the situation has changed since we first had those scary conversations 4 plus weeks ago.
Monday, January 11, 2010
pretty fingers & toes!
Sunday 1/10 - Jill came by to visit for a bit (and brought me lunch - thanks Jill!) on Sunday, and then a little while later Amanda showed up and they pulled a surprise on me! They gave me a manicure and pedicure and painted my fingers & toes! what a treat from two really cool, special friends!! Amanda hung out here for a while until my friend Kristen got here, and then she headed home and I hung out with Kristen (and Ed came by too). Kristen also brought us some yummy dinner! So nice to get caught up with my wonderful friends!
Today (Mon 1/11) Joan and Lynda from work came by to visit. It was great to see them and hear what was goingon at work and stuff.
Still plugging along with no further developments, which is good. The doctors are still cautiously optimistic about me going home soon. Still keeping my fingers crossed there.
Today (Mon 1/11) Joan and Lynda from work came by to visit. It was great to see them and hear what was goingon at work and stuff.
Still plugging along with no further developments, which is good. The doctors are still cautiously optimistic about me going home soon. Still keeping my fingers crossed there.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Saturday Update
27 weeks today!!
Since we last chatted here's what's been going on....
- Dr. Wells, the perinatologist, came by to confirm that the ultrasound and associated measurements looked really good. We discussed Eric's and my "plan" (I put that in quotes because we're not the doctors and will do whatever they say) is to get to the first milestone of 28 weeks, and then pretty much every even week after that - 30, 32, etc...and liberalize a little eat each point. From 28 to 32 weeks I'll probably stay horizontal as I am now, just getting up to eat, shower, and go potty. Then maybe sit up a little bit more after 32 weeks. Dr. Wells said after 36 weeks I can pretty much go take a job around the block, so that is my overall "big" goal.
- He also confirmed that if I go on home bedrest, I'll likely go to see hm on a regular basis so that they can assess the growth regularly
- and 36 weeks is only 9 weeks away!
- being on bedrest is a real pain, and not something I wanted, but after the importance is laid out to you, it makes it a whole different picture. I'll do whatever is needed, and Dr. Wells said the investment we're making right now will payback for about 80 years!!
- got to take a shower today - whoo hoo!!
- Dr, Wheeler came by this morning and said that they all discussed my case at their high risk meeting this past week and were pleased with the progress I'd made so far. They all agreed that IF ALL GOES WELL, I can go on home bedrest next weekend. They will check me the latter part of this coming week and if that looks good and all my NSTs (daily monitoring) etc look good then they will be ok with that. I will go in for weekly appts once I am home since I'm now really a high-risk case. Not getting my hopes up too much, but I'm cautiiously optimistic about going home soon. I will do whatever it takes and not get distracted by the fact that I am home.
Since we last chatted here's what's been going on....
- Dr. Wells, the perinatologist, came by to confirm that the ultrasound and associated measurements looked really good. We discussed Eric's and my "plan" (I put that in quotes because we're not the doctors and will do whatever they say) is to get to the first milestone of 28 weeks, and then pretty much every even week after that - 30, 32, etc...and liberalize a little eat each point. From 28 to 32 weeks I'll probably stay horizontal as I am now, just getting up to eat, shower, and go potty. Then maybe sit up a little bit more after 32 weeks. Dr. Wells said after 36 weeks I can pretty much go take a job around the block, so that is my overall "big" goal.
- He also confirmed that if I go on home bedrest, I'll likely go to see hm on a regular basis so that they can assess the growth regularly
- and 36 weeks is only 9 weeks away!
- being on bedrest is a real pain, and not something I wanted, but after the importance is laid out to you, it makes it a whole different picture. I'll do whatever is needed, and Dr. Wells said the investment we're making right now will payback for about 80 years!!
- got to take a shower today - whoo hoo!!
- Dr, Wheeler came by this morning and said that they all discussed my case at their high risk meeting this past week and were pleased with the progress I'd made so far. They all agreed that IF ALL GOES WELL, I can go on home bedrest next weekend. They will check me the latter part of this coming week and if that looks good and all my NSTs (daily monitoring) etc look good then they will be ok with that. I will go in for weekly appts once I am home since I'm now really a high-risk case. Not getting my hopes up too much, but I'm cautiiously optimistic about going home soon. I will do whatever it takes and not get distracted by the fact that I am home.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
3 weeks down!
Jan 7th -been in the hospital over 3 weeks now.
Yesterday Jen K and Jen M stopped by to visit and brought lunch (thank you again!). They had great timing, because the ultrasound technician came by while they were here so they got to see baby Tyler on the ultrasound with us. He's growing well, just shy of 2 lbs (842 grams) which means he's grown a lot since we first got here. The u/s tech said everything looked normal which is a victory!
This morning the doctor on call stopped by and we discussed shower priveleges. Earlier in the week they had said we'd assess this mid-week. She said she'd prefer to wait, she is self-admitted very conservative about this, but if I were going nuts she would sign off on shower priveleges. We met in the middle and decided we'd reassess and if all goes well start showering on Saturday. (Don't worry, I still get spongebaths in bed!). She also mentioned that she was on bedrest with her twins for 9 weeks and delivered at 28 weeks, and her twins are healthy and happy. I want to go much further than that, but it is good to hear another success story!
Yesterday Jen K and Jen M stopped by to visit and brought lunch (thank you again!). They had great timing, because the ultrasound technician came by while they were here so they got to see baby Tyler on the ultrasound with us. He's growing well, just shy of 2 lbs (842 grams) which means he's grown a lot since we first got here. The u/s tech said everything looked normal which is a victory!
This morning the doctor on call stopped by and we discussed shower priveleges. Earlier in the week they had said we'd assess this mid-week. She said she'd prefer to wait, she is self-admitted very conservative about this, but if I were going nuts she would sign off on shower priveleges. We met in the middle and decided we'd reassess and if all goes well start showering on Saturday. (Don't worry, I still get spongebaths in bed!). She also mentioned that she was on bedrest with her twins for 9 weeks and delivered at 28 weeks, and her twins are healthy and happy. I want to go much further than that, but it is good to hear another success story!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Our Friends, Family and Employers
I knew we had cool friends and family, but this little hiccup in our plans has really shown us both how absolutely wonderful they are. We have the most generous, helpful, and just amazing friends out there.
Here are just a few things they have done for us during our time at WakeMed:
- Eric's parents and his brothers family have been alternating taking care of Aggie. I miss her a lot but know she's in good hands with them.
- Kristen wrapped all of our Christmas presents for us. I'd done all the shopping online before the hospital stay but had no way to get them wrapped
- Nick brought us an air mattress for Eric to sleep on which has been a lifesaver for him
- We have had tons of treat brought by - dinner, brownies, cookies, hot chocolate, lunch
- My boss and coworkers have been great. The leave of absence team and disabilty people have been great to work with, and relatively easy. My boss knows I'll be out for approx 6 months between bedrest and maternity, but still calls to check in on me. And our disability coverage rocks as far as pay and benefits.
- Eric's boss and insurance have been great as well. Eric used sick days the first week we were here as we didn't know what was to come, and his boss was great about it as well. We are on his company's health insurance and it has amazing benefits
- we have had TONS of visitors
- TONS of text messages, phone calls, Facebook comments & messages
- beautiful, handmade cards in the mail
- neat care packages that have been hand-delivered and mailed - with puzzle books, travel games, magazines, TV guide, and a Pandora Charm
Here are just a few things they have done for us during our time at WakeMed:
- Eric's parents and his brothers family have been alternating taking care of Aggie. I miss her a lot but know she's in good hands with them.
- Kristen wrapped all of our Christmas presents for us. I'd done all the shopping online before the hospital stay but had no way to get them wrapped
- Nick brought us an air mattress for Eric to sleep on which has been a lifesaver for him
- We have had tons of treat brought by - dinner, brownies, cookies, hot chocolate, lunch
- My boss and coworkers have been great. The leave of absence team and disabilty people have been great to work with, and relatively easy. My boss knows I'll be out for approx 6 months between bedrest and maternity, but still calls to check in on me. And our disability coverage rocks as far as pay and benefits.
- Eric's boss and insurance have been great as well. Eric used sick days the first week we were here as we didn't know what was to come, and his boss was great about it as well. We are on his company's health insurance and it has amazing benefits
- we have had TONS of visitors
- TONS of text messages, phone calls, Facebook comments & messages
- beautiful, handmade cards in the mail
- neat care packages that have been hand-delivered and mailed - with puzzle books, travel games, magazines, TV guide, and a Pandora Charm
Holidays at WakeMed
Sure didn't plan on celebrating Christmas and New Years at WakeMed, but we made the best of our situation.
Eric brought our table-top, fiberoptic Christmas tree to the room. We do have a giant tree but ti's in storage and too big for our house, so we use the fiberoptic one, which is great because it was easy to move into the room.
Eric's mom and a few other friends brought Christmas decor too, so we had a pretty festive room.
For Christmas Eve, Eric's parents came over and we did our gift exchange.
Eric got me a Pandora Bracelet and an acorn charm to commemorate how we met in Raleigh (the city of Oaks). I'm super excited about this as I'd been hinting for it for a while, and can't wait to add to it!
I got him a battery, remote control, and battery grip for the big camera, figuring we'll be using this a ton in 2010. I also got him a video game for his PS3 and the book The Dangerous Book for Boys so that he can read up on things to teach Tyler. :)
His parents got me the Clip it Up for scrapbooking, a nightshirt, and a bookmark. they got him some needed accessories for the PS3. We got them a CD, a book, and a white noise machine.
Eric's parents and brother and family all came up on Christmas day and brought us Christmas dinner too.
His brother's family got me a charm for my bracelet (YAY!), and got him 2 games for his PS3. We got Adam accessories for his Xbox 360, and got Amy a Memory Foam pillow. The kids got toys from us (video game, bionicle, and Moxie girl).
My parents had already sent us money for Christmas which we used to buy the crib (with a 20% off coupon at BRU). Eric got the crib put together and from the pix he took it looks great.
All in all a good Christmas!
New Years Eve was fairly uneventful, although we stayed up to see midnight. Next year we're gonna have to celebrate big to make up for it. We were happy to be celebrating 2010 still being pregnant! :)
Eric brought our table-top, fiberoptic Christmas tree to the room. We do have a giant tree but ti's in storage and too big for our house, so we use the fiberoptic one, which is great because it was easy to move into the room.
Eric's mom and a few other friends brought Christmas decor too, so we had a pretty festive room.
For Christmas Eve, Eric's parents came over and we did our gift exchange.
Eric got me a Pandora Bracelet and an acorn charm to commemorate how we met in Raleigh (the city of Oaks). I'm super excited about this as I'd been hinting for it for a while, and can't wait to add to it!
I got him a battery, remote control, and battery grip for the big camera, figuring we'll be using this a ton in 2010. I also got him a video game for his PS3 and the book The Dangerous Book for Boys so that he can read up on things to teach Tyler. :)
His parents got me the Clip it Up for scrapbooking, a nightshirt, and a bookmark. they got him some needed accessories for the PS3. We got them a CD, a book, and a white noise machine.
Eric's parents and brother and family all came up on Christmas day and brought us Christmas dinner too.
His brother's family got me a charm for my bracelet (YAY!), and got him 2 games for his PS3. We got Adam accessories for his Xbox 360, and got Amy a Memory Foam pillow. The kids got toys from us (video game, bionicle, and Moxie girl).
My parents had already sent us money for Christmas which we used to buy the crib (with a 20% off coupon at BRU). Eric got the crib put together and from the pix he took it looks great.
All in all a good Christmas!
New Years Eve was fairly uneventful, although we stayed up to see midnight. Next year we're gonna have to celebrate big to make up for it. We were happy to be celebrating 2010 still being pregnant! :)
The Doctors and What They are Saying
I see a practice that includes 7 different doctors that deliver babies. The goal while you are pregnant is to see each of the 7 doctors so that when you deliver, you have at least met that doctor. Each day one of them is on call at Wake Med, so in our stay we have seen each of them multiple times and gotten to know a little about their personalities.
After 3 or 4 days in the hospital, we asked to talk to the doctor just to hear what"the plan" was. The most optimistic of the doctors, Dr. Wheeler, was on call, and she came to talk to us when she had a moment. Se indicated that the plan is to balance the baby's viability with my sanity. So initially we'll be very cautious, but at some point, if things continue to go well, we could liberalize a little bit, perhaps including trips to the bathroom at maybe 26 weeks, and possibly home bedrest at 28 weeks. While trying not to get my hopes up too much, these became the milestones to shoot for. Over the next few days we mentioned this to the other doctors and they seemed to agree that this was a good course of action/goals to have.
Mediction to prevent contractions and Non-Stress Tests (NSTs) on the baby continued. The NSTs are where the baby's heartbeat and my uterine activity (contractions) are monitored for 30 minute sessions. While we could see the number go up on the uterine activity, they are indications of normal activiity and not contractions. NSTs were done twice a day until Jan 3rd, at which point I was moved to once a day, since the tests have all looked good.
I had a bout of low blood pressure for a day or two, but that did not worry the doctors. Being inactive plus the medications causes this, and given that I had no dizziness (except for 2 brief episodes of like 2 seconds of dizzy) it was not anything to worry about.
I had a long bout of constipation that was pretty miserable. Again, inactivity can cause this, so after an initial voluminous bowel movement (that is now a Haywood family joke), I had 8 days of no activity. Misery. Food started to not appeal to me, and I just felt awful. They put me on Miralax and thankfully after 4 days it did it's magic and all is well now.
After 18 days in the hospital, I was cleared for bathroom priveleges on Jan 3rd. I never thought I would celebrate going to the bathroom on my own, but came just shy of posting this as my Facebook Status that day! The first time getting vertical after 18 days was interesting - got a huge headrush, and my legs were very wobbly, but it's gotten much better over the last few days. Also noticed once vertical that my belly has gotten bigger!
After 3 or 4 days in the hospital, we asked to talk to the doctor just to hear what"the plan" was. The most optimistic of the doctors, Dr. Wheeler, was on call, and she came to talk to us when she had a moment. Se indicated that the plan is to balance the baby's viability with my sanity. So initially we'll be very cautious, but at some point, if things continue to go well, we could liberalize a little bit, perhaps including trips to the bathroom at maybe 26 weeks, and possibly home bedrest at 28 weeks. While trying not to get my hopes up too much, these became the milestones to shoot for. Over the next few days we mentioned this to the other doctors and they seemed to agree that this was a good course of action/goals to have.
Mediction to prevent contractions and Non-Stress Tests (NSTs) on the baby continued. The NSTs are where the baby's heartbeat and my uterine activity (contractions) are monitored for 30 minute sessions. While we could see the number go up on the uterine activity, they are indications of normal activiity and not contractions. NSTs were done twice a day until Jan 3rd, at which point I was moved to once a day, since the tests have all looked good.
I had a bout of low blood pressure for a day or two, but that did not worry the doctors. Being inactive plus the medications causes this, and given that I had no dizziness (except for 2 brief episodes of like 2 seconds of dizzy) it was not anything to worry about.
I had a long bout of constipation that was pretty miserable. Again, inactivity can cause this, so after an initial voluminous bowel movement (that is now a Haywood family joke), I had 8 days of no activity. Misery. Food started to not appeal to me, and I just felt awful. They put me on Miralax and thankfully after 4 days it did it's magic and all is well now.
After 18 days in the hospital, I was cleared for bathroom priveleges on Jan 3rd. I never thought I would celebrate going to the bathroom on my own, but came just shy of posting this as my Facebook Status that day! The first time getting vertical after 18 days was interesting - got a huge headrush, and my legs were very wobbly, but it's gotten much better over the last few days. Also noticed once vertical that my belly has gotten bigger!
Day 3 - moved to our new "home"
Dec 19th - Once we finished the mag sulfate day, the doctors decided things were looking positive enough to move me to an antepartum room. I had no idea that all of this existed, but the hospital has certain rooms designated for moms on bedrest.
This day also marked 24 weeks!
I got my first hospital meal - breakfast - which after 2 days of basically no food, was good. I believe I declared the coffee the best coffee ever.
We moved into room 4B24 and got settled in. Well, I was wheeled in, and Eric moved all of our stuff to the new room. This room was bigger and instead of having one nurse all day we had a nurse and a nurse tech who checked in on me on a regular basis. The bed was much more comfortable too. Still not my bed at home but it would do. I was also moved to a flat position instead of feet higher than my head.
Eric had already called in to our health insurance and found that since we are in-network this whole stay would be covered 100% covered (big relief). He went home and got some necessities, including our table top Christmas Tree.
This day also marked 24 weeks!
I got my first hospital meal - breakfast - which after 2 days of basically no food, was good. I believe I declared the coffee the best coffee ever.
We moved into room 4B24 and got settled in. Well, I was wheeled in, and Eric moved all of our stuff to the new room. This room was bigger and instead of having one nurse all day we had a nurse and a nurse tech who checked in on me on a regular basis. The bed was much more comfortable too. Still not my bed at home but it would do. I was also moved to a flat position instead of feet higher than my head.
Eric had already called in to our health insurance and found that since we are in-network this whole stay would be covered 100% covered (big relief). He went home and got some necessities, including our table top Christmas Tree.
Day 2 - Mag Sulfate Day
Dec 18th - Reality is starting to set in that I'm going to be on bedrest for the duration of this pregnancy.
The 2nd day in the hospital I was given the first of 2 steroid shots that would help develop the baby's lungs in case we delivered early. These were shots in my hip, given 24 hours apart, and weren't altogther too bad.
I was also put on Magnesium Sulfate via IV for 24 hours. This was to prevent contractions, and also helps wit the baby's development. No food while I was on this, and my urine output had to be monitored for the full 24 hours. My blood pressure was checked every hour, and the baby and my uters was montiroed the entire day. This stuff was supposed to make me feel pretty poopy, but I didn't find it too terrible at all.
Oh, and did I mention my position for these two days? I was in what they call Trandellenberg, whic is lying in a hospital bed with my feet elevated above my head. And I could not get out of bed for anything. Yes, that means using a bedpan, which went on for over 2 weeks.
The 2nd day in the hospital I was given the first of 2 steroid shots that would help develop the baby's lungs in case we delivered early. These were shots in my hip, given 24 hours apart, and weren't altogther too bad.
I was also put on Magnesium Sulfate via IV for 24 hours. This was to prevent contractions, and also helps wit the baby's development. No food while I was on this, and my urine output had to be monitored for the full 24 hours. My blood pressure was checked every hour, and the baby and my uters was montiroed the entire day. This stuff was supposed to make me feel pretty poopy, but I didn't find it too terrible at all.
Oh, and did I mention my position for these two days? I was in what they call Trandellenberg, whic is lying in a hospital bed with my feet elevated above my head. And I could not get out of bed for anything. Yes, that means using a bedpan, which went on for over 2 weeks.
23 weeks 5 days...."routine" doctor's appt
Dec 17th - Eric and I went to our regularly scheduled 4-week doctor's appointment at Kamm-KcKenzie. We were scheduled to see the last of 7 doctors in the practice, Dr. Hardin. As usual they did the normal checks - blood pressure, urine check, etc, and then we went back t othe exam room. I had my usual list of questions that I bring to each appt and ran down those wtih Dr. Hardin - I was getting over a yeast infection and wanted to make sure that was all cleared up, and also had started over the last couple days feeling pressure in the bladder area. Thosetwo things caused Dr. Hardin to check my cervix, and that's when the world changed.
Dr. Hardin started talking about my "incompetent cervix" and said I was going to have to be admitted to the hospital. Our heads were sort of swimming at this point - this was completely unexpected! He talked about laying me flat to pull pressure of my cervix since I was dialated. Finally when I got my head around what he was saying I asked, do you mean run home and get a bag packed and then go to the hospital? He said, no, go there now. 9:45 am, freak out moment #1.
So, we got in the car and headed to WakeMed. I called work to let them know I wouldn't be in, probably for a long while.
When we got to Patient Registration, we gave them my name, and next thing I know there is a wheelchair behind me. I get rolled to Labor & Delivery (L&D) triage, where I get my hospital gown. IV, and get hooked up to all kinds of monitors. We had to sign papers relatd to me, and to the baby. Freak out moment #2.
At some point they moved me to an L&D room, which became our home for Thursday and Friday. Dr. Rush was on call at the hospital, and she was the first of many doctors to come and see us. Initially she mentioned getting me stable enough to do a cerclage (cervical stitch to keep it shut), so I was told I could not eat anything in case we went that route.
The the parade of doctors started. Dr. Wells, the perinatologist, sent an ultrasound technician over with a portable ultrasound machine over to do a growth scan which would tell us the baby's size, which is important at this stage. The benchmark was if he was over 500 grams, and in addition to more ultrasound pictures, we heard his estimated weight was 533 grams, good news.
Dr. Wells came by himself later after seeing the scan and was reassuring. However, he did not recommend the cerclage due to how far along I was, so I was finally cleared to eat something around 9pm.
The most knowledgeable but scariest doctor (not that he was scary, but the topic discussed was) was the neonatologist - the doctor expert in caring for preemies. He came by and discussed what we were facing, odds-wise, in terms of survivability, potential birth defects, and we had to decide what our plan of action would be if we delivered that day. Freak out moment #3.
At 23 w 5d, the odds of survival were not good. 50% of babies born at 24 weeks survive, and of those 50% are deaf, blind, have mental retardation, or cerebal palsy. The odds get slightly better at 26 weeks, and at 28 weeks there is a 95% survival rate. Also, at 25 weeks there is no question of what they will do - they will do everything the can for the baby's survival. This was a sobering and scary talk. What they needed to know from us is if the baby came before that point, what we wanted to do. Dr. P gave us some time to discuss this and came by later to see what our decision would be. We knew that the goal was to hold on as long as possible, but that was, to a degree, out ofour control. So, we decided we would move forward and if I delivered, assess the situation at that point and, with the advice of doctors and our hearts, make the call.
Then Dr. Rush came in to discuss my health in connection with delivering now. If I went into labor, and they had to do a C-section, it would be a long cut on my uterus that would make any future deliveries be C-section without a doubt. This was a no-brainer decision at this point.
Eric stayed in the hospital with me that night, and I think it's safe to say our sleep was neither comfortable nor restful. What a day.
Dr. Hardin started talking about my "incompetent cervix" and said I was going to have to be admitted to the hospital. Our heads were sort of swimming at this point - this was completely unexpected! He talked about laying me flat to pull pressure of my cervix since I was dialated. Finally when I got my head around what he was saying I asked, do you mean run home and get a bag packed and then go to the hospital? He said, no, go there now. 9:45 am, freak out moment #1.
So, we got in the car and headed to WakeMed. I called work to let them know I wouldn't be in, probably for a long while.
When we got to Patient Registration, we gave them my name, and next thing I know there is a wheelchair behind me. I get rolled to Labor & Delivery (L&D) triage, where I get my hospital gown. IV, and get hooked up to all kinds of monitors. We had to sign papers relatd to me, and to the baby. Freak out moment #2.
At some point they moved me to an L&D room, which became our home for Thursday and Friday. Dr. Rush was on call at the hospital, and she was the first of many doctors to come and see us. Initially she mentioned getting me stable enough to do a cerclage (cervical stitch to keep it shut), so I was told I could not eat anything in case we went that route.
The the parade of doctors started. Dr. Wells, the perinatologist, sent an ultrasound technician over with a portable ultrasound machine over to do a growth scan which would tell us the baby's size, which is important at this stage. The benchmark was if he was over 500 grams, and in addition to more ultrasound pictures, we heard his estimated weight was 533 grams, good news.
Dr. Wells came by himself later after seeing the scan and was reassuring. However, he did not recommend the cerclage due to how far along I was, so I was finally cleared to eat something around 9pm.
The most knowledgeable but scariest doctor (not that he was scary, but the topic discussed was) was the neonatologist - the doctor expert in caring for preemies. He came by and discussed what we were facing, odds-wise, in terms of survivability, potential birth defects, and we had to decide what our plan of action would be if we delivered that day. Freak out moment #3.
At 23 w 5d, the odds of survival were not good. 50% of babies born at 24 weeks survive, and of those 50% are deaf, blind, have mental retardation, or cerebal palsy. The odds get slightly better at 26 weeks, and at 28 weeks there is a 95% survival rate. Also, at 25 weeks there is no question of what they will do - they will do everything the can for the baby's survival. This was a sobering and scary talk. What they needed to know from us is if the baby came before that point, what we wanted to do. Dr. P gave us some time to discuss this and came by later to see what our decision would be. We knew that the goal was to hold on as long as possible, but that was, to a degree, out ofour control. So, we decided we would move forward and if I delivered, assess the situation at that point and, with the advice of doctors and our hearts, make the call.
Then Dr. Rush came in to discuss my health in connection with delivering now. If I went into labor, and they had to do a C-section, it would be a long cut on my uterus that would make any future deliveries be C-section without a doubt. This was a no-brainer decision at this point.
Eric stayed in the hospital with me that night, and I think it's safe to say our sleep was neither comfortable nor restful. What a day.
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