Please bear with me, for I am writing at 4am between contractions which are about 3 minutes apart. I tried not to get too detailed for those that are reading, but wanted to give enough info. that I could look back later and know what is happening or has happened. Again, this is also our journal.
My amniotic fluid started leaking Thursday morning. I have been in the hospital ever since and will be here until we deliver. My fluid loss has increased over the last few days, but the baby can be fine without it at this point and will keep making more. They have been giving me anitibiotics to prevent or fight any infection, that I am now at increased risk for. I have been fine up to this point, things had been pretty mild and my contractions had spread apart. Right now, I am getting a little nervous because I am bleeding slightly and contracting approx. every 3 minutes. The contractions are a little more intense than they have been in the past. I am blogging to keep myself occupied and less focused on the contractions, plus I couldn't attempt to sleep at this point (that is what woke me in the first place).
The doctors don't seem too concerned at this point and are monitoring me very closely. There are two things that could be happening (why I'm bleeding and contracting): 1) my cerclage (stitch) is still in place (we think) and there could be a lot of tension/pulling on this. It could hold and it could tear. Actually, this is the best case senario. They will not check me until I am in intense pain and seem to be in full labor or the baby is having a little harder time. The reason for this, is to prevent infection. Matthew is doing fine now, but again they are closely monitoring him. 2) the placenta could be detaching from the uterus wall. If there is only a small part it is fine. If a large part separates, then the baby will be distressed and they will have to get him out. They don't think this is happening, but it is a possibility and cannot be ruled out.
There is definitely possible that my contractions could settle down and become less frequent, and things could go back where they were about 1 1/2 hours ago. Or things will continue to progress. We just have to sit tight and see.
Eric and I met with the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) last night and feel really good about Matthew's care if he is born now. Of course, we would rather take him home, but making it to 36 wks is no longer an option. I will update you on that later, after he is born.
It is now 5:40 am. Contractions are farther apart, but more intense right now. I will most likely not update any further until all has settled down.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Life Is Full Of Surprises
Sometimes life is full of surprises. Some of them are absolutely wonderful, some a little scary, others we wish we never had to experience. But every new experience, every new encounter, helps us to grow, to learn, and to live.
Monday, January 26, 2009
We Can't Thank Everyone Enough!
I don't even know where to start. We have now made it to 28 weeks and are so excited!!! We never could have gotten this far without ALL of you, your support, your concern, your thoughts, your prayers! Praise God for everyone and for his loving hand on our little one!!
I'd like to give special thanks to my father, who has been here since the beginning. He has been sooooo wonderful, and has put up with us day in and day out. Besides taking great care of Andrew (who just loves him dearly), he has taken on cooking, household chores, Andrew's health issues, appt.'s to physical therapy, my mood swings :), just to name a few...words cannot describe how incredible thankful we are! He has taken time (3 weeks+ per month!!) out of his busy schedule (and normally his time in the warm weather of Texas) to spend helping us. We Love You Dad! Of course, the same goes to his loving wife, who has had to spend so much time at home without her husband...thank you for your love and understanding.
Thank you to those who have helped on days my dad could not be here, for dinners that have been delivered, phone calls, cards, emails, prayers, and visiting me at home. We are very blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives!!!
I'd like to give special thanks to my father, who has been here since the beginning. He has been sooooo wonderful, and has put up with us day in and day out. Besides taking great care of Andrew (who just loves him dearly), he has taken on cooking, household chores, Andrew's health issues, appt.'s to physical therapy, my mood swings :), just to name a few...words cannot describe how incredible thankful we are! He has taken time (3 weeks+ per month!!) out of his busy schedule (and normally his time in the warm weather of Texas) to spend helping us. We Love You Dad! Of course, the same goes to his loving wife, who has had to spend so much time at home without her husband...thank you for your love and understanding.
Thank you to those who have helped on days my dad could not be here, for dinners that have been delivered, phone calls, cards, emails, prayers, and visiting me at home. We are very blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives!!!
Friday, January 23, 2009
Muscle???.....What's that?
Today I was so excited to take a shower and actually feel like a human being! By the time I got out, I trully felt like a new woman....a 90 year old woman that is :) Muscle???? My body has obviously forgotten what that is. WARNING...some of you may not want to continue... I was in the shower and looked behind me and actually thought I'd see a "behind" me, but it was gone!! As I looked a little closer I realized that it was there...right behind the back of my knees!! Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating A LITTLE. As I looked at my legs and arms I realized there is no muscle left there either. Wow...this surely is an interesting journey.
Ok, somewhat seriously...I really was totally exhausted, in fact by the time I finished getting ready, my heart was racing and right now I feel like I could take a very long nap. I almost didn't finish blowdrying my hair (sitting in a chair, mind you), it was a lot of effort...then a friend called and, even though I laid back down, I believe she could her my heartbeat right over the phone...or maybe that was my inability to catch my breath :) This experience, even though I trully do feel a whole lot more human, makes me wonder how much effort a walk around the block will be. This is the first time in my life I actually feel what I hear a lot of people say, "I'm too old for this!"
Oh ya...I still have to go through labor:)
Well, it's all worth it and I'm trying my best to find humor in everything, so bear with me. I hope not to offend anyone (It's a good thing I can't post pictures...honestly, just kidding).
Ok, back to the serious side...I guess...
The last couple days have been great, I have kept myself very busy and having this blog really helps already. I feel like I can actually communicate with those I love and keep my sanity at the same time. This week has gone by fairly fast.
Even though I am still experiencing contractions, the last couple of days have been minimal (3-5 daily vs. 2-3 an hour...major difference here). Hopefully this continues for a while and I won't be visiting the hospital until my next visit. It is nice to be home. I miss my family so much when I'm gone. Andrew is my little entertainer, loves to keep me company, and is a great snuggler. He has been learning some new games while I have been on bedrest, like UNO. He is doing great and we have been so thankful that he has remained healthy through all of this. We are getting a little behind in the therapy department, but I'm sure he enjoys the break, and we will catch up when I get off the couch. He doesn't seem bothered by any of this, in fact, if I'm not on the couch for some reason, he says, "Where's mom, she is supposed to be on the couch", he gets after me quite a bit (someone has to keep me in line) :) Eric is doing great too, back to his old job as of today. He has a lot of responsibility now, but is such a strong, wonderful person. I don't know if I would handle everything as well as he does. He always comes through for us and I don't drive him too crazy.
Ok, somewhat seriously...I really was totally exhausted, in fact by the time I finished getting ready, my heart was racing and right now I feel like I could take a very long nap. I almost didn't finish blowdrying my hair (sitting in a chair, mind you), it was a lot of effort...then a friend called and, even though I laid back down, I believe she could her my heartbeat right over the phone...or maybe that was my inability to catch my breath :) This experience, even though I trully do feel a whole lot more human, makes me wonder how much effort a walk around the block will be. This is the first time in my life I actually feel what I hear a lot of people say, "I'm too old for this!"
Oh ya...I still have to go through labor:)
Well, it's all worth it and I'm trying my best to find humor in everything, so bear with me. I hope not to offend anyone (It's a good thing I can't post pictures...honestly, just kidding).
Ok, back to the serious side...I guess...
The last couple days have been great, I have kept myself very busy and having this blog really helps already. I feel like I can actually communicate with those I love and keep my sanity at the same time. This week has gone by fairly fast.
Even though I am still experiencing contractions, the last couple of days have been minimal (3-5 daily vs. 2-3 an hour...major difference here). Hopefully this continues for a while and I won't be visiting the hospital until my next visit. It is nice to be home. I miss my family so much when I'm gone. Andrew is my little entertainer, loves to keep me company, and is a great snuggler. He has been learning some new games while I have been on bedrest, like UNO. He is doing great and we have been so thankful that he has remained healthy through all of this. We are getting a little behind in the therapy department, but I'm sure he enjoys the break, and we will catch up when I get off the couch. He doesn't seem bothered by any of this, in fact, if I'm not on the couch for some reason, he says, "Where's mom, she is supposed to be on the couch", he gets after me quite a bit (someone has to keep me in line) :) Eric is doing great too, back to his old job as of today. He has a lot of responsibility now, but is such a strong, wonderful person. I don't know if I would handle everything as well as he does. He always comes through for us and I don't drive him too crazy.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
We've Made It This Far!
Well, here we are at 27 weeks, 5 days. This was only a dream 7 weeks ago, when we first found out I was having contractions, funneling, and my cervix was getting even shorter. At that time, we were praying we would make it to 23 weeks, so they could actually try to save our baby boy. Any time before 23 weeks is considered a miscarriage and the baby has no chance of survival outside the womb. For those that don't understand funneling, it is like a small tornado above my cervix which usually occurs when I am contracting. Instead of being a nice, rounded surface, it is a V-shape and the cervix can become shorter. This usually happens (to my understanding) later in pregnancy when your body is getting prepared for labor.
Contractions are normal throughout pregnancy, but our concern is more in the shortening of my cervix. My cervix was short to begin with, so any loss is significant (at least to us).
To make a long story, a little shorter, my cervix started at a thickness of 3.5 cm (which is shorter than average) and is now at 1.5 cm. I had a procedure at 13 weeks to put in what is called a cerclage, which is a stitch that holds the cervix closed. Right now, the only thing between the baby and "the outside" is that stitch. So now...it really is just a waiting period, and so far that stitch is doing it's job.
As I was visiting one of my OB docs last week, he said something like "you just want to keep this interesting for us, dont you?" and "Laura, you are only allowed so many questions". Those of you that know me and have already been on this journey with us can appreciate both of these statements! I will not be seen at the OB office until 29 wks, mainly because they don't want me traveling and I need to rest as much as possible. If I have major issues, that do not require me to go to triage (labor & delivery), they will come directly to the house. They have been wonderful to us and we feel that we have made an excellent decision to travel to UofM for care! As far as medication goes, I have been taken off of prometrium (progesterone). I still remain on Niphedipine to help with contractions and the relaxation of the uterus. There is no harm to the baby in using this med. We will have a full ultrasound at 29 weeks to get an idea of how much Matthew weighs and hopefully get some good pictures.
Today's update is good. My contractions (which are no longer unnoticeable) are decreasing and becoming less uncomfortable. Matthew (the baby) is doing great. He is a real kicker and likes to turn or flip (at least it feels that way) often, which is not always fun for me, but sure is reassuring and fun to watch! Andrew got to feel the baby kick last night, he was so excited!! It was fun to see his facial expressions. Matthew's heart rate has always been strong and he gets the hiccups here and there (which is also a good sign in development). We got his room painted today and are starting to slowly prepare in anticipation for his arrival. I believe his chance of survival at this point is around 90%, but there are still mental and physical complications that can occur. Every day at this point counts and is a huge milestone for us. I was reading today and it said that the baby can now open his eyes! How exciting!
As I get going further with this journal/blog, I will try to figure out how to do a timetable, so you can see all the adventures we have been through in the past and with this pregnancy. I know most of you that are reading this (if you've gotten this far) probably don't want to be bored by all of the details. But since this is also my journal, I will add some to a sidebar later.
Contractions are normal throughout pregnancy, but our concern is more in the shortening of my cervix. My cervix was short to begin with, so any loss is significant (at least to us).
To make a long story, a little shorter, my cervix started at a thickness of 3.5 cm (which is shorter than average) and is now at 1.5 cm. I had a procedure at 13 weeks to put in what is called a cerclage, which is a stitch that holds the cervix closed. Right now, the only thing between the baby and "the outside" is that stitch. So now...it really is just a waiting period, and so far that stitch is doing it's job.
As I was visiting one of my OB docs last week, he said something like "you just want to keep this interesting for us, dont you?" and "Laura, you are only allowed so many questions". Those of you that know me and have already been on this journey with us can appreciate both of these statements! I will not be seen at the OB office until 29 wks, mainly because they don't want me traveling and I need to rest as much as possible. If I have major issues, that do not require me to go to triage (labor & delivery), they will come directly to the house. They have been wonderful to us and we feel that we have made an excellent decision to travel to UofM for care! As far as medication goes, I have been taken off of prometrium (progesterone). I still remain on Niphedipine to help with contractions and the relaxation of the uterus. There is no harm to the baby in using this med. We will have a full ultrasound at 29 weeks to get an idea of how much Matthew weighs and hopefully get some good pictures.
Today's update is good. My contractions (which are no longer unnoticeable) are decreasing and becoming less uncomfortable. Matthew (the baby) is doing great. He is a real kicker and likes to turn or flip (at least it feels that way) often, which is not always fun for me, but sure is reassuring and fun to watch! Andrew got to feel the baby kick last night, he was so excited!! It was fun to see his facial expressions. Matthew's heart rate has always been strong and he gets the hiccups here and there (which is also a good sign in development). We got his room painted today and are starting to slowly prepare in anticipation for his arrival. I believe his chance of survival at this point is around 90%, but there are still mental and physical complications that can occur. Every day at this point counts and is a huge milestone for us. I was reading today and it said that the baby can now open his eyes! How exciting!
As I get going further with this journal/blog, I will try to figure out how to do a timetable, so you can see all the adventures we have been through in the past and with this pregnancy. I know most of you that are reading this (if you've gotten this far) probably don't want to be bored by all of the details. But since this is also my journal, I will add some to a sidebar later.
Just Getting Started
I am just starting this blog site. I hope this will be a helpful way to communicate with everyone on how things are going with our pregnancy. The way I see it is, if the baby is born early, I can use this site to keep everyone updated on how he is doing in NICU and even after we bring him home.
Later on, I can use this site to keep everyone updated on both boys and our general family news.
I know I should have started this 7 weeks ago, when I started my bed rest, but I am hoping to fill everyone in (that is interested) about our journey as I go. Plus, this will be a great way to pass my time and keep my mind off of my contractions, etc.
This will save me a lot of phone calls, plus I forget who I have updated and who I haven't.
Here we go...
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