Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Home Bedrest update

I had a Drs appt yesterday to check how my cervix was doing.
I was SO nervous, hoping that I had done a good job on lying low at home! I did NOT want to be sent back to the hospital!
Final results - my cervix which had been at a 1.5 (with pressure) the week before, was now at a 1.9!!
With no pressure, I am at a 2.4!
The pills, shot, hardcore bed rest...are paying off!! If I had been able to, I would have jumped up and down :D

I could tell the Dr was relieved too - he said that if I had been worse, I would have been back in the hospital flat on my back, if not tipped back even farther then that...!

Thank you to everyone for your prayers and support these past few months.

Will keep you posted next week on how things are looking! I get tested for GD (Gestational Diabetes ) next week, so I am crossing my fingers that it goes well.

Hospital Stay

On May 7th I had another Drs appt with MFM (Maternal Fetal Med/high risk Drs).
The week before my cervix had measured at a 2.3. At this appt, it had shortened to a 1.5.
The Dr was very concerned, and sent us to the hospital so that I could be monitored to see what was going on.

I ended up being in the hospital for 5 days, only being allowed to get up to use the bathroom and to shower. I was SO relieved that I was able to shower myself and use the bathroom by myself!





My days in the hospital consisted of pills and shots every few hours, and being hooked up to a monitor so they could watch for irritation and contractions. The first few days I had quite a bit of contractions, but gradually they started to lessen. Every morning and night they would monitor babys heartbeat to make sure he was still doing ok. I started to get use to getting to hear my babys heartbeat before I went to sleep :) Depending on the time, he would either cooperate for the nurses and let them get his heartbeat, or he'd be bouncing around doing his own thing! I wish I'd had a shirt that said "catch me if you can!" because that was definitely him!



If anyone has ever been on bed rest before, you know it is hard. Try being on HOSPITAL bed rest, THAT is a lot of fun!

Even though it was kinda fun at first being able to order room service, it got old after a while.
I missed being in my own home, being able to see my puppies, and going to bed with my hubby.
It was hard when he'd leave for the night............. :'(

Throughout all of this, Trevor was AMAZING. He took my lists of things I wanted without complaining, and came to see me before he started work and on his way home at night. I know it was stressful and tiring, but he didn't ever complain to me! <3

I kept myself occupied during the day working on Teagans John Deere blanket that I had been crocheting and watching a LOT of TV. I became known as the "John Deere blanket patient/mom" among the nurses :p
I also had lots of visitors which helped to pass the time - I know it can be a bit depressing to visit someone in the hospital, let alone try to carry on a conversation, but I really do appreciate the people who came to visit me and bring me things to read and food to eat!

The nurses would come in every few hours to make sure I was still doing ok, as well as monitoring me on the screen at the nurse's station. The Dr would make his rounds in the morning to come and update us on what he was seeing.

On Friday morning, the Dr came in and said I had two choices...I could either stay in the hospital until Monday or Tuesday and have an ultrasound then to check everything. Or I could have an ultrasound done that day and possibly go home. I gave the obvious answer :)

The ultrasound showed that my cervix was no worse, so they began the processing of getting my paperwork together so I could go home!!!
My friend Anny came to get me (Thank you again!) and even took me to pick up my prescriptions on the way home.
I couldn't stop smiling and saying "I can't believe I'm going home!".
Being home the first night...I can't even describe how happy I was :)





Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Baby bump!


     For those of you who don't know, I am 23 weeks and 5 days pregnant as of today :) My due date is Aug 30th. We found out in December 2011, and since then have been planning and getting ready.
     I went through the typical pregnancy "symptoms" that everyone goes through, morning sickness, a bit of moodiness, unable to eat certain foods. After I got to the second trimester, it got easier and I felt like my normal self, except for the fact that my stomach was starting to grow :p

     We were so excited to find out what we were having, a boy! His name is going to be Teagan Ryan - and trust me, we discussed a lot of names! Teagan; because we like it and Ryan after his daddy’s middle name :)





     At that ultrasound visit, the doctors noticed an issue with my cervix. Instead of it being 4 centimeters like a normal cervix, my cervix was at a 2.4 and funneling; basically making way for the baby to come out sooner. Strenuous exercise was only going to make it worse, with a possibility of losing the baby.
     My regular doctor sent me to the MFM (Maternal Fetal Med) doctors, who are basically the high-risk pregnancy doctors. I was given strict orders not to go back to work, and to be on bed rest so I would not risk losing the baby. They also started me on a Progesterone shot, which is supposed to help reduce preterm labor/birth.
      It was also discussed by the doctors to do a cervical cerclage, basically put a stitch in to help keep the baby in longer. But because I am not below a 2, the doctors are leaving it up to us to make the decision to have the stitch or not. I have a doctor’s appointment today at 3pm, and from there the final decision will be made on whether or not they'll be doing the stitch.

I will let you all know!