No. There is too much. Let me sum up.
The last post I wrote we were chatting about the deja-vu experience with baby #3's heart rate and how it had dropped somewhat drastically. Then we took a little trip down memory lane slash the current lane we are on. Ahhhh nostalgia.
Well, that was Monday. Now it is Thursday, and so I'm writing a little update. (I figure this is easier, since I can't keep track of who I've talked to, what I've said and to who (whom?) I've said it to, and, well, my memory these days is not really top notch.)
Sooooo.. here's the update: On Tuesday I went back in for round two of the steroid shot that helps with the baby's lung development and a non-stress test (NST) at the doctor's office. The highlight of that visit was that the steroid shot didn't hurt nearly as bad as the first one!! -- I was practicing my deep breathing techniques :) -- and that the baby's heart was still having a lot of variance. The other big positive was that the baby was moving around a lot. The bad news was that the baseline was still really low -- slightly lower than Monday's. During the 20-minute test, the heart hung out a lot in the 90s/100s, dropped as low as the high 80s, but then accelerated as high as 134.
The doctor was not happy with those numbers, so he then told me to "not pass go" and to head over to the high risk doctor, who will hereafter be called Dr. B -- mostly because her last name I can never remember and it's really long and I don't have any idea how to spell it, and we all know how important spelling and grammar is! (Wow, run-on sentence anyone?) So I went and had an ultrasound and appointment with Dr. B. Just like the ultrasound on Monday, everything looked great with the baby, but the heart rate was still low, and so Dr. B sent me over to labor and delivery to be monitored until Thursday.
So for the last day and a half I've been tied (literally) up to this machine that measures the baby's heart rate and my non-existent contractions. Aaaaaannnnnnnnnnd it has not been as relaxing as one would think! Anyone who knows me knows that I don't do very well just.... sitting... my mind was going crazy, my legs were going crazy, my body was not very happy, and, well, let's just say I was praying this would be a short-term "vacation." Overall, the heart rate stayed pretty well the same, 100ish baseline with decelerations into the 90s and accelerations up to the 140s.
-- I'm going to take a little break from this update for a minute just to say I am truly amazed at modern medicine and the technological advances that we are fortunate enough to have to help us understand the human body. It is a miraculous thing. It's also truly inspiring to be surrounded by such kind people. I had such sweet nurses who went the extra mile just to chat with me and keep me company, and I have such a great support system in the form of family and friends. I really, really appreciated the visits, phone calls, text messages, Facebook messages, etc. everyone has given. So thank you!! (wipes tear.)
I actually slept several hours last night and woke up this morning feeling much less anxiety. Dr. B ordered another ultrasound this morning and then she said she'd come and talk with me after speaking to the pediatric cardiologist in Salt Lake. She came back around 11:00 and laid out my options for me: 1. Inpatient monitoring. (no, thanks, if I can avoid it!) 2. I could go home, be on bedrest, and come in for monitoring/appointments every day. I chose option 2. Surprised? I thought not. So I was sprung from jail and granted my freedom until at least 9:00 a.m. tomorrow morning.
So now..... where do we go from here? The plan right now is I'll just go in for monitoring every day and an ultrasound about every other day. If everything stays the same, I have a decent chance of being able to make it several more weeks and hopefully full-term (fingers crossed!) I'll be 34 weeks tomorrow, so only six weeks to go! If the heart rate drops, she'll send me down to Salt Lake or they may decide it's best to take the baby. Hopefully in the next few days we'll be able to have some test results back to see whether this is a problem with the baby's heart or if it's a problem with my body producing antibodies that are not compatible with the baby.
Either way, I'm still feeling positive about everything, and I feel that we're in good hands. Maybe it's not ideal, but it could be a whole lot worse, and I know that things will work out for the best.
Oh, and if anyone needs a chat or wants to watch a movie or practice coloring skills or learn to crochet or do anything that can be accomplished while on bed rest, I am the lady to come visit!! I am suddenly finding myself with all kinds of time to do activities that don't involve standing, walking around, or driving :)
Thanks for reading.
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