Greetings, World!
Well, Matt and I are settled back at home in Virginia, and it feels pretty darn good. We've had two appointments in the past week, both of which had positive results! In fact, I'd venture to say that today was the closest I'll ever get to that long sought after "flawless appointment!"
Last Thursday I went in for my gestational diabetes test. I don't know why I wasn't anticipating this, but I was shocked by how terrible the "fruit punch" I had to drink was. It tasted horrible, but more than that it just made me feel awful! I was sick to my stomach for the next day or so. BUT, to my surprise and delight, my results came back as really good. I have admittedly taken my good health for granted the past twenty three years. The worst thing that's ever happened to me was getting my tonsils out, so this whole blood pressure thing had me pretty shaken up. It felt good to pass a medical test.
They scheduled me for another appointment today so that they could conduct an ultrasound. (Declan is destined to be photogenic.) Everything looks good! Declan is measuring over three pounds at this point, and is in the 85th percentile of largeness. I've watched the "projected due date" creep steadily from July 17th to, at this point, July 4th. That's all fine and well, Baby Boy, as long as you wait until July. Matt has been honored with the privilege of acting as best man in a wedding on June 30th, and will thus be five hours away until July.
My favorite part of the appointment today, ironically enough, was when the nurse took my blood pressure. I could feel my heart rate go up as she called me back and prepared to place that dreaded cuff around my arm. I just kept praying it would be normal, and it was! (well, pretty much normal: 126/82.) Praise God!!
The doctor told me in an ominous tone that they still saw the brightness on the bowel, and asked me why I'd declined the amniocentesis. When someone can explain to me the logic of knowingly putting my baby at risk of miscarriage for a test I couldn't change the result of anyway, then I'll have that test done. I was told the risk of miscarriage due to that test was so low I shouldn't even think about it. The risk of Declan having down syndrome, even with the brightness on the bowel, is lower than the risk of miscarriage due to the amniocentesis. I told her the specialist didn't seem concerned and I wasn't going to be either. She was perfectly nice after that and told me to stay out of the hospital. That is definitely my plan-- until July, when I will be happily accepting drugs and greeting my large and healthy baby boy :)
Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers you all have been sending our way; they have truly made a difference!
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Friday, April 13, 2012
Glory Be To God!
Greetings from Tufts Medical Center in Boston! Not exactly where I anticipated ending up over Spring Break, but I am praising God for good news and a relatively speaking positive experience!
As some of you know, I took a bit of a spill yesterday. I got up to go to the bathroom around 7 AM (and 5 AM... and 3 AM, haha), and fell down the stairs. I missed three steps entirely and landed face flat-- or as I saw it, directly on my stomach.
The worst feeling of my life so far was laying in the hallway thinking that I'd seriously hurt my baby boy. Fortunately, my mom was a few feet away at the time and was able to help me pretty quickly. I didn't sustain any injuries from the fall and was able to get up right away, but needless to say, I was completely panicked. I rushed to wake Matt up and we headed to the ER pretty quickly.
The people at Falmouth Hospital are fantastic. Seriously. I couldn't have hoped for more helpful and encouraging people. They got me back right away and confirmed that Declan's heart was still beating strong-- music to all of our ears! They sent me to the labor and delivery floor just to further confirm that he was okay.
When I got up there they hooked me up to monitors and noticed I was, in fact, having contractions. My blood pressure was also dangerously high. They continued to monitor these things for a few hours, hoping both symptoms would resolve themselves, but no such luck.
They checked a few things out and were at least able to confirm that it didn't seem my body was attempting to actually deliver Declan-- more good news. The doctor explained, however, that my blood pressure was dangerously high. I was getting readings anywhere between 160 and 170 over 110. Definitely not normal. He explained the sort of risks this could present to me, and said that if they couldn't get the levels down they may have to deliver Declan.
Declan is a big boy for his age, but he's still only 26 weeks old gestationally. His lungs are still not sure how to breathe on their own, and the doctor said that while he was seeing some signs that Declan was practicing this reflex, it wasn't for any sustained period of time.
Falmouth Hospital, though a great place, does not have an intensive neonatal care unit, and so to ensure that Declan was in the best hands possible should we need to deliver, the doctor decided to send us to Boston.
They gave me antibiotics for Declan, in case we'd have to deliver, magnesium to prevent seizures caused be high blood pressure, and a shot of steroids to beef Little Baby up-- so Declan and I are both on the juice now. I'm expecting another shot of steroids soon, haha.
Ironically enough, as soon as I got into the ambulance my blood pressure started coming down. The nurse and EMT also noticed that I was becoming dehydrated and started a fluid drip for me. This alone did wonders-- it even slowed my contractions.
Though the nurse told me she wasn't a Christian, she asked if I'd read some Psalms out loud to her, which was really cool. Sometime after that I fell asleep and was pretty much waking up in Boston.
My blood pressure continued to be high upon arrival, but has lowered tremendously! My contractions continued to slow and eventually stopped all together. Praise be to God! They monitored Declan all night, which meant that I was hooked up to this belly band type thing. Between my tossing and turning and Declan's, the nurses were in every hour begging us both to be still and stop disconnecting the monitor, haha.
With the help of some benadryl I finally got some much needed sleep, and Matt was even to catch a few winks on the hospital cot. I cannot tell you how helpful and supportive he has been. I am blessed that he is my husband.
They're holding me here until at least 5 PM to do some testing; they're checking for pre-eclampsia, which the doctor said he does not anticipate my having. We'll have more of an official diagnosis around then, and may have to stay the night again if the tests go late.
Praise Jesus for his always enough provision; He truly is the Great Healer. My son's life could not be in better hands, and I praise God for the wonderful doctors, nurses, and prayer warriors He has surrounded us with. Matt and I cannot tell you how much your prayers and support mean to us. They have truly made all the difference!
Thank you all, and we will keep you updated!
As some of you know, I took a bit of a spill yesterday. I got up to go to the bathroom around 7 AM (and 5 AM... and 3 AM, haha), and fell down the stairs. I missed three steps entirely and landed face flat-- or as I saw it, directly on my stomach.
The worst feeling of my life so far was laying in the hallway thinking that I'd seriously hurt my baby boy. Fortunately, my mom was a few feet away at the time and was able to help me pretty quickly. I didn't sustain any injuries from the fall and was able to get up right away, but needless to say, I was completely panicked. I rushed to wake Matt up and we headed to the ER pretty quickly.
The people at Falmouth Hospital are fantastic. Seriously. I couldn't have hoped for more helpful and encouraging people. They got me back right away and confirmed that Declan's heart was still beating strong-- music to all of our ears! They sent me to the labor and delivery floor just to further confirm that he was okay.
When I got up there they hooked me up to monitors and noticed I was, in fact, having contractions. My blood pressure was also dangerously high. They continued to monitor these things for a few hours, hoping both symptoms would resolve themselves, but no such luck.
They checked a few things out and were at least able to confirm that it didn't seem my body was attempting to actually deliver Declan-- more good news. The doctor explained, however, that my blood pressure was dangerously high. I was getting readings anywhere between 160 and 170 over 110. Definitely not normal. He explained the sort of risks this could present to me, and said that if they couldn't get the levels down they may have to deliver Declan.
Declan is a big boy for his age, but he's still only 26 weeks old gestationally. His lungs are still not sure how to breathe on their own, and the doctor said that while he was seeing some signs that Declan was practicing this reflex, it wasn't for any sustained period of time.
Falmouth Hospital, though a great place, does not have an intensive neonatal care unit, and so to ensure that Declan was in the best hands possible should we need to deliver, the doctor decided to send us to Boston.
They gave me antibiotics for Declan, in case we'd have to deliver, magnesium to prevent seizures caused be high blood pressure, and a shot of steroids to beef Little Baby up-- so Declan and I are both on the juice now. I'm expecting another shot of steroids soon, haha.
Ironically enough, as soon as I got into the ambulance my blood pressure started coming down. The nurse and EMT also noticed that I was becoming dehydrated and started a fluid drip for me. This alone did wonders-- it even slowed my contractions.
Though the nurse told me she wasn't a Christian, she asked if I'd read some Psalms out loud to her, which was really cool. Sometime after that I fell asleep and was pretty much waking up in Boston.
My blood pressure continued to be high upon arrival, but has lowered tremendously! My contractions continued to slow and eventually stopped all together. Praise be to God! They monitored Declan all night, which meant that I was hooked up to this belly band type thing. Between my tossing and turning and Declan's, the nurses were in every hour begging us both to be still and stop disconnecting the monitor, haha.
With the help of some benadryl I finally got some much needed sleep, and Matt was even to catch a few winks on the hospital cot. I cannot tell you how helpful and supportive he has been. I am blessed that he is my husband.
They're holding me here until at least 5 PM to do some testing; they're checking for pre-eclampsia, which the doctor said he does not anticipate my having. We'll have more of an official diagnosis around then, and may have to stay the night again if the tests go late.
Praise Jesus for his always enough provision; He truly is the Great Healer. My son's life could not be in better hands, and I praise God for the wonderful doctors, nurses, and prayer warriors He has surrounded us with. Matt and I cannot tell you how much your prayers and support mean to us. They have truly made all the difference!
Thank you all, and we will keep you updated!
Monday, April 2, 2012
I Met With The Specialist Today
Well, today was my appointment with the specialist, and I feel really at peace after meeting with him. Everybody at that office, from the receptionist to the genetic counselor, treated me so graciously and patiently. What a blessing that was! They were so nice, I didn't even mind the hour and half wait, haha!
They took an ultrasound of Baby Declan, which is always my favorite part. This kid is going to come into the world already photogenic, with all of the pictures he's had so far! He didn't want to move his head in the direction the ultrasound tech was coaxing him, despite her pleas with him. I wanted to tell her not to take it offensively; he doesn't speak English yet. She had me do jumping jacks for about five minutes, which accomplished little more than a jump start on my exercising for today.
After she gave up on whatever measurement she was trying to get, I met with the genetic counselor. She is the nicest woman in the world, and was really patient in her explanations to me. She essentially said that everything on the ultrasound looked good today. Baby Declan is almost three pounds, which is big for his age. She told me that more times than not, brightness on a bowel resolves itself and turns out to be nothing. She explained that it can be indicative of a chromosomal disorder, such as Down Syndrome, but it seemed like a silly thing for the other doctor to highlight to me, since it usually ended up being nothing. She also said that it can be an indicator of about four other things, all of which are pretty unlikely. She did say that as it is an abnormality, they would probably want to keep seeing me throughout the pregnancy.
Next I met with the doctor who diagnosed my fibroid. He essentially told me the same thing as the genetic counselor. However, he said that they did see the brightness on the bowel today. I'm not sure if he was mistaken or if it was the genetic counselor, but it didn't seem like a big deal either way. He said that, as the genetic counselor told me, there's a good chance this is nothing. He wanted to run a few blood tests to rule out certain infections and meet with me again in six weeks. He also said that they'd probably keep meeting with me throughout the pregnancy just to make sure everything was going smoothly, but that Declan looks great. As long as the baby looks healthy and is growing at a good rate (he is, trust me), they're not really worried about it.
So, essentially I got the same news as last time from an entirely different perspective. Maybe these doctors are just used to seeing abnormalities, and so they know when something is serious and when it's not, but they definitely put my mind at ease today. They said that yes, this could be an indicator of Down Syndrome, but that it was pretty unlikely-- especially since Declan has shown great prenatal development. All in all, it was a very encouraging appointment!
In other news, Matt and I will be heading up North for Easter/Spring Break to visit with family. We're really looking forward to that, as it will probably be the last time we head up before the baby is born. Time is flying! God has blessed us in countless ways this past year, and we're filled with His joy upon entering into this next phase of life!
They took an ultrasound of Baby Declan, which is always my favorite part. This kid is going to come into the world already photogenic, with all of the pictures he's had so far! He didn't want to move his head in the direction the ultrasound tech was coaxing him, despite her pleas with him. I wanted to tell her not to take it offensively; he doesn't speak English yet. She had me do jumping jacks for about five minutes, which accomplished little more than a jump start on my exercising for today.
After she gave up on whatever measurement she was trying to get, I met with the genetic counselor. She is the nicest woman in the world, and was really patient in her explanations to me. She essentially said that everything on the ultrasound looked good today. Baby Declan is almost three pounds, which is big for his age. She told me that more times than not, brightness on a bowel resolves itself and turns out to be nothing. She explained that it can be indicative of a chromosomal disorder, such as Down Syndrome, but it seemed like a silly thing for the other doctor to highlight to me, since it usually ended up being nothing. She also said that it can be an indicator of about four other things, all of which are pretty unlikely. She did say that as it is an abnormality, they would probably want to keep seeing me throughout the pregnancy.
Next I met with the doctor who diagnosed my fibroid. He essentially told me the same thing as the genetic counselor. However, he said that they did see the brightness on the bowel today. I'm not sure if he was mistaken or if it was the genetic counselor, but it didn't seem like a big deal either way. He said that, as the genetic counselor told me, there's a good chance this is nothing. He wanted to run a few blood tests to rule out certain infections and meet with me again in six weeks. He also said that they'd probably keep meeting with me throughout the pregnancy just to make sure everything was going smoothly, but that Declan looks great. As long as the baby looks healthy and is growing at a good rate (he is, trust me), they're not really worried about it.
So, essentially I got the same news as last time from an entirely different perspective. Maybe these doctors are just used to seeing abnormalities, and so they know when something is serious and when it's not, but they definitely put my mind at ease today. They said that yes, this could be an indicator of Down Syndrome, but that it was pretty unlikely-- especially since Declan has shown great prenatal development. All in all, it was a very encouraging appointment!
In other news, Matt and I will be heading up North for Easter/Spring Break to visit with family. We're really looking forward to that, as it will probably be the last time we head up before the baby is born. Time is flying! God has blessed us in countless ways this past year, and we're filled with His joy upon entering into this next phase of life!
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