Triage might be the worst word in any hospital workers vocabulary, pretty much it means that you can add 3 plus hours to your appointment. But I guess if adding 3 hours is the bad news for the day, we'll take it.
The first NST last Tuesday showed normal heart rate and movement was good with spikes in the heart rate. On Friday, the NST showed the same. The ultrasound showed small increase in blood flow through the umbilical cord. However, the baby is still working harder than normal to get the blood where it needs to be. When we spoke with the doctor, she was happy with the test results. She told us the issue with the blood flow through the umbilical cord usually doesn't get better, but the fact that it hasn't gotten worse was a good sign. She felt that we could go another week with outpatient appointments, yay! What did worry her was my blood pressure, they took it four times and it was averaging about 140/90. High blood pressure equals preeclampsia, which is where triage comes in. Since it was Friday, the doctor wasn't comfortable sending us home to wait for test results on Monday. So we were sent down to Labor and Delivery Triage to test blood and urine. After a couple of hours, we were told all tests were normal and we were sent on our way.
At the next appointment we're going to discuss a plan for early delivery. Our MFM OB is going to consult with Dr. Ilbawi this week to determine our best option. We have a growth ultrasound this Friday as well, so we're really hoping she's put on some weight and is close to or over 4 pounds.
Until next week......praying that we have another week, I kinda want to watch the superbowl at home!
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Saturday, January 18, 2014
33 weeks
First, some clarification on my last post as a couple people have said something....the doctor mistakenly thought the umbilical cord was a penis and commented that we were having a boy. We corrected the doctor so every can rest assured we are still having a girl. We all had a good laugh.
After our first meeting with Maternal Fetal Medicine, they decided they would like to see us twice a week to monitor the baby. One appointment would be a non-stress test and the other would be a biophysical profile (includes non-stress test and fetal ultrasound). Yesterday we had our second appointment for the biophysical profile. The stress test showed the baseline fetal heart rate steady at around 135 bpm. During the stress test they are looking for a 15 beat increase during movement multiple times which was present. During the fetal ultrasound they look at movement, breathing and amniotic fluid around the baby. The ultrasound was a little longer than I expected. When the doctor came in to talk with us we found out why. I don't have all the medical terms (as we were in a hurry to our next appointment to meet the surgeon) but in lay men's terms, they saw that blood flow to the baby through the umbilical cord was static (it should be forward flowing). This means that the baby is not getting the amount of blood and nutrients that it needs to grow at the normal rate. The MFM OB's need to determine if it is better for the baby to continue to grow in the womb or to deliver early and intervene medically. We will be back next Friday for another biophysical profile and probably speak more in depth on what are options are. For now, they recommended I get antenatal steroids to help mature the the lungs.
The silver lining, we met with Dr. Ilbawi (the pediatric heart surgeon) and gave him the news of the last appointment. He re-assured us there were other options if she is too small or not stable enough for the Norwood procedure. He definitely gave us some peace of mind.
I know we have many pray warriors out there and we can't thank you enough for support.
If we could ask for some specific prayer this week as we struggle to understand this new piece of information.
-For her growth and movement, that she show some improvement over the last week and continues to move
-For blood flow through the umbilical cord
-For our doctors that will recommend what is our best option
-For Mike and I as we learn about our options and have to make a decisions.
-For Mike and I to have a sense of peace and calm as we work our way through this unexpected news.
The silver lining, we met with Dr. Ilbawi (the pediatric heart surgeon) and gave him the news of the last appointment. He re-assured us there were other options if she is too small or not stable enough for the Norwood procedure. He definitely gave us some peace of mind.
I know we have many pray warriors out there and we can't thank you enough for support.
If we could ask for some specific prayer this week as we struggle to understand this new piece of information.
-For her growth and movement, that she show some improvement over the last week and continues to move
-For blood flow through the umbilical cord
-For our doctors that will recommend what is our best option
-For Mike and I as we learn about our options and have to make a decisions.
-For Mike and I to have a sense of peace and calm as we work our way through this unexpected news.
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Catch up - the last three appointments.
We had our fourth echo at the end of December with another cardiologist, Dr. Ghandi, at Advocate Christ. She was great and complimented us on our attitude. During the echo she was having trouble getting some shots of the heart and asked if we would go on a walk hoping that the baby would move positions. When we got back from the walk and she started scanning again, the funniest thing happened.
The first shot was with blood flow and the umbilical cord was showing and Dr. Ghandi said, "There's the penis, you're having a boy right?" My heart did a flip flop as Mike did an internal fist pump. But although we're dealing with this heart issue, I'm not so sure I could handle a girl with an extra appendage.
The remaining scans show the same as the previous ones. We scheduled the follow-up for 4 weeks out and at the time we'll meeting the the fetal maternal group and possibly meet the surgeon.
Next was my regular OB check-up, which included stress test and glucose test. All those ladies that said the glucose drink was awful, LIARS!!!! It was delicious. I would have had a second one if the nurse would have let me. I passed with flying colors, making my mom proud (although I think she was nervous with all the sweets I eat, that I wouldn't pass). Puhlease! The stress test showed constant heartbeat between 135-142 and lots of movement. This was probably one of my last appointments before I transfer care to Advocate. I really can't say enough about that team, they have really kept on top of everything even though my care is not fully with them.
Last was the growth ultrasound at Loyola. At 31 weeks, she is weighing in at 2 pounds 11 ounces. The doctor says she's a little small, but from everything we have heard babies with congenital heart defects tend to be on the small side. She will double in weight over the next nine weeks. We're hoping for a little more and she makes it to 6 pounds but we'll see. As long as we're seeing growth we're happy.
The first shot was with blood flow and the umbilical cord was showing and Dr. Ghandi said, "There's the penis, you're having a boy right?" My heart did a flip flop as Mike did an internal fist pump. But although we're dealing with this heart issue, I'm not so sure I could handle a girl with an extra appendage.
The remaining scans show the same as the previous ones. We scheduled the follow-up for 4 weeks out and at the time we'll meeting the the fetal maternal group and possibly meet the surgeon.
Next was my regular OB check-up, which included stress test and glucose test. All those ladies that said the glucose drink was awful, LIARS!!!! It was delicious. I would have had a second one if the nurse would have let me. I passed with flying colors, making my mom proud (although I think she was nervous with all the sweets I eat, that I wouldn't pass). Puhlease! The stress test showed constant heartbeat between 135-142 and lots of movement. This was probably one of my last appointments before I transfer care to Advocate. I really can't say enough about that team, they have really kept on top of everything even though my care is not fully with them.
Last was the growth ultrasound at Loyola. At 31 weeks, she is weighing in at 2 pounds 11 ounces. The doctor says she's a little small, but from everything we have heard babies with congenital heart defects tend to be on the small side. She will double in weight over the next nine weeks. We're hoping for a little more and she makes it to 6 pounds but we'll see. As long as we're seeing growth we're happy.
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