5.15.2011

Update: How I Ended Up On Bed Rest in the Hospital

Judging by the subject of this post, you may guess that I'm going to be having quite a bit of time on my hands.  So what better time to jump back into regular blog posts!  I probably won't be able to upload any pictures, but hopefully the info given will keep you up to date and give you ideas on how to pray for our family.

Let's start back about 4 weeks ago when we went in for our routine 20 week ultrasound.  This ultrasound is when they measure the baby and see if baby is on target for growth and also to find out gender, if so inclined.  It was no surprise that baby was difficult to measure, sitting very low and being shy.  We had to go back when I was pregnant with Cole for the very same reason.  And alas, we would need to return to re-measure this one as well.  They also mentioned that baby's tummy wasn't filling with fluid, so they needed to check that again.  And, as a side note from the doctor, they would want to re-measure my cervix as it was measuring about 0.5cm shorter than they typically like to see.  But it probably wasn't a big deal.  We scheduled another ultrasound appointment for 22 weeks to check everything out again.

I spent that next two weeks very worried about the baby - scared that something was wrong with baby's tummy - never once really considering there might be a problem with me.

Fast forward to April 27th, the day I went in for my 2nd ultrasound.  First of all, what a relief to hear the tech say that the baby's tummy was full of fluid, so no worries.  She was also able to get all of the measurements of baby and noted that growth was right on track.  Lastly, she measured my cervix....and didn't say anything.  I asked her and she told me, "The doctor will go over that with you."  Not a good sign.

I was called back to my doc's office and she informed me that my cervix had gotten even shorter, from 2.5cm down to 17mm, and this was of immediate concern.  She wanted to me see a specialist at a local hospital, to discuss the option of having a surgery called a cerclage.  Basically, the surgeon would be putting stitches in my cervix to ensure that the cervix would stay at the length it was and not get any smaller.  So, I picked Ben up from work and we met with the surgeon, ultimately deciding that this was our only option. 

I was admitted for surgery that day, with the surgery happening late evening.  The surgeon was happy with the success of the surgery as he got two stitches in and there was plenty of cervix.  I was to stay overnight to be monitored and released with the orders of taking it easy at home, a modified bed rest of sorts.

I felt pretty good and ended up working from home that next week and a half, mostly working from bed, but able to sit at my desk by the end of the week.  I was no longer able to pick up Cole, so when Ben wasn't around, I had help at night getting Cole ready for bed.  My parents came up that weekend to hang out.  Ben and I had originally planned a weekend get-a-way, but I no longer felt comfortable going on a mini vacation when I should be taking it easy.  We did manage to go out to dinner and a movie before Ben left for New York on Sunday night.

Monday, May 9th (24 weeks) - my mom took Cole to daycare and accompanied me to my follow up appointment to see how the stitches were doing.  The tech doing the ultrasound was having a hard time seeing one of the stitches, so she asked the doctor to come in and take a look as well.  The doctor did an exam (physically) and felt like one of the stitches wasn't holding as it should.  She said the cervix felt closed and it felt like there was plenty of it, but she wanted me to go to the hospital where the surgery was done to see if they needed to re-do the surgery or just leave it as is.  Annoyed, my mom and I stopped at home to pack an overnight bag just in case and made arrangements with a friend to get Cole from daycare.

I arrived at the hospital where another physical exam was done.  The doctor finished and gave me the complete opposite report of what the first doctor initially said.  He said that I was dilated to about 2-3cm and that my cervix was very thin.  He felt as if the stitch had pulled out.  Based on that, there was no way he was going to go in and re-do the surgery as it would do more harm than good.  He was admitting me for pre-term labor.

Six days later and I'm trying to accept the fact that I'm still in the hospital and will be until the baby is born.  The first few days I was on some medications to stop contractions and develop the baby's lungs, but am currently med-free.  I haven't had any contractions (that I know of) since Monday and all seems quiet.  I am monitored 2 times a day for an hour each time - one monitoring the baby's heart and one monitoring me for contractions.  I also take a progesterone dose at night to help strengthen the cervix.  But other than that, it's a game of wait-and-see.  My husband is having to take over everything at home while still working full-time and going to graduate school.  I may be able to work for a few hours each day, but still haven't heard if that will happen.  Until then, I've had a lot of support from friends and family and know that we will continue to receive that support brings a peace to my heart.  Mentally so far I'm doing OK, but expecting to hit a wall at some point.  I haven't been outside since Monday and am realizing all of the things that I will miss doing this summer.  But I need to remember why I'm here - to prolong my baby's time in my womb to ensure that baby is well-developed and healthy at birth.

Our next big milestone that we need to hit is the 28 week mark (June 7th).  The doctors don't think I'll go much past 32 weeks.  So we are preparing ourselves for a baby that will spend the first few weeks/months in NICU....this is a hard reality to swallow.  But miracles do happen and we very well could go full term.  That means a lot of books, crossword puzzles, TV watching and possibly learning to crochet!

Continue to keep us in your prayers and I will try to update daily.  We so appreciate all of your support!

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