What a journey

So on the first I was required to move rooms, but it was short lived as I started getting contractions. They checked me out and found that I was 5 cm dilated. I was immediately moved to L & D. On L & D I was in pain for most of the day/night, my contractions at one point slowed down after I became dilated and we caught a little sleep. Then they woke me up becoming more intense and faster...they ended up checking me but the baby's head just won't engage because she is to small and I have too much fluid. Instead they found that my full bladder was causing the contractions. They emptied it for me and it was like instant relief. We slept for most of the following day and into the night...we are now here. Today is the first day I am allowed to eat something other than jello and italian ices. I still get contractions but they are few and far between and not as painful.

It's now a waiting game, either my water breaks or her head gets low enough for it to be safe for them to break my water, i'm guessing they are hoping my water breaks. They will keep me like that until they have a reason to not, which means I am still here...waiting...I do get to sit up in bed now though :)

Things they don't tell you about being in labor: you have NO control over your bladder so sometimes contractions = peeing :(

Tidbits:
-Crackers were the first solid food I have consumed in three days.
-Pooping in a bed pan, NOT something I want to repeat...
-Getting your hair washed after 5 days is a WONDERFUL feeling
-They antibiotics they have me on makes my pee smell...which gags me...
-I've went through two IV's...mine seems to leak...
-All nurses hands are cold!

Happy Birthday Indeed

So lets recap the previous days events:

Monday I went in for a routine appointment/ultrasound. During the ultrasound we discovered I went from 1.3 to no cervix left. So I was immediately admitted to the hospital. My doc came in and checked me out, I was 2 cm dilated and my amniotic sac was bulging through the opening. There was a lengthy discussion about whether or not to keep or send my to Syracuse. My doc talked to her uncle who deals with cases like mine more often, who then talked to the NICU doc at Wilson, who then called and talked to the NICU doc at the hospital in Syracuse. In the end they decided the best course of action was to send me to Syracuse. The deciding factor was the fact that the baby was only 27 weeks and 5 days old, Wilson only takes 28 weekers+, so they thought that Syracuse would be the better place for me to be. I was immediately then put on Magnesium again (oh yay!) and prepared for shipment.

The ambulance ride was interesting...I ALMOST made it without puking :(

At the hospital I obviously needed to con't the mag treatment as they wanted to get me to 28 weeks. This time the mag made me SUPER sick. I couldn't keep food down...(I'm SO sorry mom that when you were sick while carrying me I made you bring up cold milk...your right it's NOT fun). I was starving but everything I ate came right back up, except for jello...how much jello do you have to eat to feel full? Try it next time you are starving...lol.

I also froze the nurses and Jason in my room since I was DYING of heat, so I had them turn the furnace down low...Jason spent most of his time with his coat on.

Yesterday morning they stopped the mag. I was then moved down a floor to the Antitpartum of this place. This is where i will remain until I deliver, so yay for spending your birthdayin the hospital :(

They did another ultrasound and found that her heart has NO fluid around it, so all those possible defects from the two vessel cord are no more. We also have a few more ultrasound pics.

Other issues, this place is absurd when it comes to "extras". Cable we have to pay $5 a day for, phone another $4. Parking is $12 per day, $35 per week or $70 per month. The cafeteria chargers per pound for a lot of their food...it's just ridiculous. So we are trying to NOT have the extras and deal for now...

Hopefully as much as it sucks we will be here for a little while longer :) Our little one is also finally 28 weeks...which means that she has a GREAT chance of not having any long term disability. She will have to spend time in the NICU however, but we can deal with that :)

Good no Grrrrrrreeeeaaaaaatttt News

So even if you don't get to go home tomorrow due to contractions we did get GREAT news today.

My cervix is still 1.3...which means it didn't change...which is excellent news.
The fluid went down from 30 to 25. 25 is considered normal, just bordering on getting to high..

It's 4ish and I had a few contractions because I had to pee but other than that i'm clean :) I just have to try and stay that way :)

Update

I just realized that I didn't do one of those update posts after I sent out the last e-mail...so here goes:

I asked the doc about going home on Monday, which I thought would result in a no but has left us waiting for test results...if they are good we are going home. So we are hoping for a long cervix this morning and less fluid. We will take the same numbers for each if we must. If those are looking good we are then going to go of the Magnesium and see if I don't have any contractions. So we are hoping today I am taken off Mag.

We did have an interesting IV incident. I moved to grab something and felt a snag. I turned back around and my IV had come undone! The tubbing had separated and I was loosing IV fluids from one side and blood out of the other. I capped the tube and then called the nurse, I also proceeded to yell at Jason to find the other end since it was spilling all over my pillow. The nurses had never seen an IV split like mine did, which makes me another rare case...lol. It was a strange occurrence I have to say and it's a good thing i'm not squeamish around blood, since mine was every where...the nurses also didn't come racing down here...they did however race when they saw the blood...

They have me on the GD diet, which sucks, they have me eating only 15 carbs first meal, which means that I can't eat two pieces of toast or milk and toast...so I eat eggs, which has gotten really old quick! I do get to eat 30 carbs later as a snack, which is maybe a bowl of cereal or two toasts. FINALLY at lunch I get to eat 60 carbs, which means I can actually begin to feel full. They did eventually bump my morning carbs up to 30 so I could do two pieces of toast...that definitely helps.

I think that is everything :)

Strep B

My test did come back positive ... so I have strep b which isn't a huge deal. It means that I have to be antibiotics during delivery and the baby will probably be put on antibiotics as soon as she is born. This will just ensure no problems...here is what I found on the inet in case your interested:

The Science Behind Group B Strep. Group B Strep or GBS is a bacteria commonly found in the bowel, vagina and bladder. Usually it causes no symptoms at all, and people that carry these bacteria generally do so on a temporary basis.

Most women if tested consistently would probably come up positive as a carrier of Group B Strep or GBS at one point or another during their life. The only time Group B Strep is typically problematic is during pregnancy.

In rare cases Group B Strep or GBS may cause bladder or womb infections in a pregnant mother. It can infect the fetus before or during the birth process, though infection is rare.

Babies infected with Group B Strep or GBS may go on to develop pneumonia or even meningitis. Others may have long term problems such as hearing or vision loss during their lifetime.

In some infants Group B Strep or GBS doesn't develop until a week or more after delivery. This is an even more rare occurrence however than infection and detection immediately following delivery.


Routine Testing
Most women who test positive for Group B Strep or GBS will be treated during labor with an antibiotic such as penicillin. A positive culture does not mean a baby will become ill. It simply indicates that the mother is a carrier for Group B Strep.

Treatment with antibiotics is usually administered in the following situations:

• Mother experiences preterm labor, defined as labor occurring before 37 weeks gestation.
  
• Fetal membranes are prematurely ruptured which may increase the risk that GBS will travel up through the cervix.
  
• Mother exhibits fever during labor.
  
• Mother gave birth to child with previous GBS infection.

Treating women for Group B Strep or GBS does not necessarily remove the bacteria from the woman's system but may help prevent infection of the newborn infant.

Most physicians will give antibiotics to all women who haven't had a culture prior to labor or whose results aren't available when labor commences.

Your doctor will typically have the results of your GBS test available within 24-48 hours of testing. If you have any additional concerns about GBS, it is important you consult with your physician so you go into labor armed with information and knowledge rather than fear.

Remember that infection in babies with Group B Strep or GBS is very rare. Your chances of delivery of a healthy baby even if diagnosed positive are very good.

3D BABY PICS!

She looks like we are making a mud baby :) She didn't stay that still for the tech so the pics aren't the clearest but they are still neat and you can see her little nose and stuff ;)

And for those of you counting this is like ultrasound 1,033,565,655 ;)

Another Day

Well we are now at 26 weeks, which is good. Which also means it ups the survival rate:

• 21 weeks or less: 0% survival rate


• 22 weeks: 0-10% survival rate


• 23 weeks: 10-35% survival rate


• 24 weeks: 40-70% survival rate
  


• 25 weeks: 50-80% survival rate


• 26 weeks: 80-90% survival rate <------ Where we are


• 27 weeks: greater than 90% survival rate

The detailed ultrasound told us that she is in the 50th-90th percentile, she is 1lb 12oz and that I am at 25 weeks gestation, but they say that if the ultrasound finds you to be within 1-2 weeks or your estimated gestation that you are good, so no worries there.

This morning I was put on Mangesium Sulfate (again), to stop any possible contractions because my cervix is till thinning. This drug is not fun to be on FYI, since it makes you very icky feeling and you have to record your pee while trying to manage to not drop four cords in the toilet.

Talked to a Diabetic Specialist today. He doesn't feel the need to pick my finger anymore, he wants me to maintain my GD diet though, but thats not a huge deal. He will be repeating the three hour sugar test on Feb 4th. If it comes back negative then we will do it again three weeks after that, I'm not sure where we will go after that point. He did say that extra fluid in the uterus is only caused by diabetes 20% of the time, so it still could be an enigma.

We are hoping for the results of the heart test today...

Monday Night

So not only did we get peppered with MORE bad news on Monday, Monday night also brought more trouble.

I apparently started contracting, and they were coming minutes apart....it started with one nurse but there were only a few so she didn't worry about it, then the second nurse came one and when she put me on the monitor she found I was contracting more and more. So the doc was called and she gave me a shot of Brethine. Which Brethine is another one of those drugs (like Indocin) that isn't for contractions but it works on them. Brethine is an asthma medicine that helps relax "soft muscle" in your body...which your lungs and uterus have both. The contractions ceased shortly after the shot and we made it through the night with no hitch.

The shot did make me feel really shaky though, but thats a side effect that was expected.


Today I now wait for the cardiogram which won't be until atleast noon :(

Another Round of :(

We had our second detailed ultrasound today...which ended with us only getting a picture of her feet, but my girl has definitely been a stubborn one!

It also ended with ANOTHER round of bad news...
It was found that I only have two vessels in the umbilical cord which is called Single Umbilical Artery. This is another one of those 1 in 100 cases...so we now have hit TWO of them...One cause that could do with me is the fact that I could have been diabetic before getting prego, which can cause this problem, which lead my doc to check my sugar level once again. I had some blood drawn (which at the time I didn't know why...lol...someone just showed up and said "Hi i'm here to take a tube of blood...and I was like huh? lol I called my nurse to find out why...) It also means that I am back to getting my finger picked...just a couple of times for now though.

Tomorrow morning I am going for a Fetal Echo Cardiograph to see how her heart is functioning, since the two vessel coupled with the excessive fluid in my uterus can be a sign of heart issues. I guess it can be a sign of kidney issues to but they find her kidneys to be fine.

I am back on Indocin for a few days, this is to take down my fluid level in my uterus. However the indocin can cause the tiny hole in the baby's heart to close (patent ductus arteriosus). So after 48 of going on the drug they are going to repeat the cardiogram or do an ultrasound (I'm not sure I remember what they said for sure).

They also are going to do another ultrasound to check my cervix before i can even think of leaving. So this puts us in the hospital until Thursday at the least, but i'm guessing I will be here until Monday of next week :(

Gestational Diabetes

I'm in the clear..I can eat what I want again!! Yay!!

Took the one hour test and failed it...
Had my fingers pokes for four days four times a day...did well
Took the three hour test and passed it...

No more pokes for me :)

BTW: Whoever thought that having a pregnant lady wait until 11:15 in the morning to eat for the first time was a good idea...well I just suggest they don't tell who they really are or they might find themselves being trampled by 100s of pregnant peoples on their way to food!

(Tomorrow is WEEK 25!)

Update

Thought I would give another update, since really I have nothing more to do in the hospital.

Last night we had some visitors. Barry, Zach, Sarah and Darlene came for a short visit. They stole Jason to go out and eat at Friendly's of all places (my favorite) which I wasn't to happy about, but at least a friend came by from my job at school last year, Jessica. I would have been in a much worse mood had I been left alone. Jess stayed for a long time while asking me a million preggers questions ;) Which I didn't mind, since I almost kind of feel like an expert at this point :) lol.

So this morning i did some hunting to try and explain a little more about what we are dealing with so lets see if these pictures make sense to you :)

These are pictures of a normal cervix in diagram form and on an ultrasound. The second set of pictures shows one with a shortening and funneling cervix. This is kind of what mine looks like on ultrasound.

The cerclage is placed like what you see below. You can see the same sort of lips on the diagram pictures above to see how it works and where it is placed.


Then this picture is kind of for fun :) this is the camera they use to check my cervix. You can use your imagination for the kinds of names we call it :)

Another Update

I have to say this is really beginning to take the excitement out of being pregnant :(

Had another ultrasound today I'm down to 1.3 cm of cervix left. On Wednesday I had 1.7 cm. My doc wants to send me to Syracuse but they won't take me until i'm showing more signs of preterm labor, so i'm still here at Wilson. On Monday if I'm still here they are going to do another ultrasound and if i'ms till around 1.3 they will more than likely send me home where I will then be given an ultrasound every Monday to see whats going on. In the meantime if I get any cramping, bleeding or anything else that can send me into labor I will be rushed to Syracuse.

I think it is also official now that I have gestational diabetes. They are having me talk to a diabetes counselor sometime today and I will be doing the 3 hours glucose test when the steroids they shot into me are out of my system.

Grumble...

Cute thing is that on this morning's ultrasound Katelyn had the hiccups...which was cute to see and we are getting a TON of ultrasound pics :) :) She also has flipped so her feet are now digging into my cervix and not her fat head...lol

Where to begin??

On December 26th I had another ultrasound which found that my cervix was 1.7. They sent me from the ultrasound to the docs office, which ended in them performing a test on me to see if I was destined to go into labor in the next two weeks (fetal fibronectin). The test came back negative which is 95% accurate, so I was sent home on even more strict bedrest! Only can get up to pee and to shower (then only can shower every other day).

Next appointment was on January 2nd, with my normal doc. She is concerned about the shortening and is worried that I might be headed towards preterm labor SO she admitted me in the hospital directly from my appointment (do not pass go, do not collect $200)...she sent me for an ultrasound to measure my cervix and then it will be measured again on Friday to see if it has changed. I'm guessing that if it does they will be sending me to Syracuse because I guess they have better care there for these kinds of cases and the baby would have a better chance at survival if she is born before 28 weeks there.

She is also worried about my blood pressure, which we think in the end it's just going to be the machines in that office and not a really big problem.

So i'm in the hospital once again...I will be here hopefully only until Friday but there is a chance I will be here longer. While here I also have had a sugar test and my first of two steroid shots (betamethasone). The steriods will help mature the baby's lungs just in case she is born early.

I think from now on out it will be weekly ultrasounds, but i'm not complaining :)

What a pregnancy....

Routine Doc Appointment

So we had our routine friday appointment yesterday. It wasn't with out normal doc as she was out but the nurse practioner was sweet to work with.
They found that I had "ketones" in my urine. Which apparently means that i'm using fat cells instead of consuming enough calories. I did read however that it ALSO could mean that I have gestational diabetes. SO we'll see where this brings us, however I expected to get GD.
They also found that blood pressure is still sor tof borderline and was told that I should cut back on salt, which i'm having trouble with since I don't eat alot of high salt foods to begin with...and I need to have quick easy type food for lunch and Jason isn't that much of a gourmet yet ;)
My belly was measured at 25 cm which has grown again from last week :)
Everything else is good. I will see the same Nurse probably again next friday.

My next ultrasound is the day after Christmas, which mom gets to go to :) I'm so excited :) I'm also really curious is all this laying around has lengthened my cervix....lets hope. I read anything over 2 is good :)

The Cerclage

So my surgery went okay it was the after the surgery that didn't go okay.

-Got there at 9:30
-Declothed and was okayed for surgery around 10ish
-Baby's heart rate was checked
-Anesthesiologist came to explain how I will be put to sleep
-Doc came to explain procedure to me
-Wheeled off to surgery around 11
-Came out of surgery I think around 11:30

...then it all went down hill...

-Wheeled into the recovery room
-As I was coming to the doc told me everything went well
-He left and the cramping began
-Nurse gave me a pain killer -- did NOTHING
-Told nurse the pain was getting worse
-She gave me a shot that was supposed to stop contractions -- did NOTHING
-She then gave me another shot that stung like h*ll! -- did NOTHING
-Doc came back...sent me to Labor and Delivery

...in Labor and Delivery...

-Jason met me in the hall to follow me up to L & D
-They started a magnesium treatment to help stop the contractions
-It helped, but it made me feel a little spacey...apparently my brother called and I don't remember this at all!
-As the contractions slowed and stopped I got the news that I would have to use a bed pan...
-They con't the magnesium through the night and stopped it the next morning
-They drew blood to make sure my blood wasn't toxic from the magnesium treatment...they drew it from the side of my arm which left a black and blue mark...
-My doc kept me an extra night just to be sure everything had quieted down

...The day I came home...

-Asked doc to do an ultrasound to see if things were okay
-My cervix lengthened to 3.9 cm :)
-It took forever for them to release me...but finally we made it home I think around 1ish

We won't mention the room mate i had the second night! Lets just say it was our tax money hard at work :\


--Home now on bed rest--

Ultrasound #3

:) and many :(

So my appointment Friday didn't go so well
We did find out we are having a little girl! = :)

First the doc took my blood pressure twice, it came out high twice...133/190. So she told me to nap more during the day and that she would be seeing me every two weeks to monitor me.. = :(

Then we also found out that my cervix is down to 1.9 cm (supposed to be 3 or more). Which they said means I have incompetent cervix = :(
Because of this...
I was put on strict bedrest from the end of appointment until monday, they also have me on drugs to stop any possible contractions. = :(
On monday I will be going into surgery for a cerclage, where they will stich my cervix shut. = :(

After that I think the plan is more bedrest... I'm lucky that hopefully they caught it in time, but i'm still freaking out. I'm not used to having Jason take care of me...i'm not allowed to get up from a laying down position for anything besides having to pee.

It also means no traveling so we won't be going anywhere for Christmas, which sucks since this was our last xmas going north for actual christmas....but hopefully next year we have a little one here to unwrap christmas morning presents with = :)

Another Doc Appointment

Alrighty this was your standard check up. I lost 1 pound according to their scales, so they advised me to eat 5 small meals a day instead of 3 big ones.

Baby's heartbeat is 151.

Blood pressure looking good.

My belly grew a *little* bit nothing major. I'm still not showing. I'm just large enough to not fit in normal pants...:( I had to say goodbye to nice looking pants and hello to maternity jeans...lol!

Thats all there is to report.

Next appoint is accompanied by an ultrasound on Decemeber 7th at 8:30 am....

Doc #2

Today all we did was weigh in, check my blood sugar, blood pressure, measured my belly, and we got to HEAR the heart beat! It was a little weird to hear a heart beat from my lower abdomen but it was cool too :) Baby's heartbeat is 158.

In three weeks we go again, and then they are going to schedule us for a ultrasound so we can see organs and the baby's sex :) So hopefully before December we will know the sex. It probably won't happen before Thanksgiving.

Ultrasound Number 2

So we went for our second ultrasound. Which I over compensated and over filled my bladder this time which bought me another internal...but here is the picture we got :)