I had my follow up appointment the Tuesday after I was admitted to the hospital (1/3/12). They first monitored the heart rate and it looked great, Linc had the hiccups for the very first time, and he was on speaker for Dad and grandma to hear.
Next was the fluid test, fluids looked really low on the monitor, so Dr. G sent me back to the hospital to have a full sonogram and get a more accurate measurement. She said it would be decided if I needed to stay the night after the sono. So, I was on my way to the hospital admitting desk for the second time in less than a week. Checked in, walked to the room and repeated the routine, changed into gown, put my clothes in the white drawstring bag and went to the bed to wait for the nurse. Nurse came quickly, asked the routine questions and then the heart rate monitors were placed back on my tummy to monitor Linc. Then I was on my wait for the sono tech to come in. She came in did thorough measurements and placed me at a 6.8 for fluids, so better! Then, I was told I had to wait for the specialist to come in to do another measurement.
Meanwhile the time was about 1pm, and I hadn’t eaten since 9am! I continued to ask for a snack to eat, but they wouldn’t feed me! The nurse said, if they were to deliver today I couldn’t have anything in my stomach! She was told to wait to confirm my fluids with the specialist before they made the call for me to eat! I was a little un easy, deliver today I though? Gosh, I really have no idea what the heck to expect! (but as of today 1.8.12, cousin April gave me the low down on a C-section)
About an hour later a Maternal Fetal Specialist, Dr. Aerichs came in and did another sonogram. However, this time only saw a 3 for the fluids. Dr., Aerichs said the fluid varies based on the position of baby and his bowel movements at that current time. The fluids are the babies urine, which he recycles throughout his time in the womb. So the change in number could have been that he swallowed some in that time frame and had not released. The specialist then gave her diagnosis for why the fluids can be low. And, of course had to offer the worst case, which was very hard to hear. I felt like a mom for the first time. My mouth dropped as soon as the words came out of her mouth. I felt helpless, confused, and more worried than I think I ever felt in my life. Dr Aerichs left the room and I my mom wiped away my tears and reassured me all was going to be fine and we would continue to keep everything in the Lords’ hands. I was very sad and very hungry! The nurse came in shortly after with not much of a tray. A sandwich or what they called a sandwich- one thin slice of turkey and one piece of cheese! One bag of baked lays and some tea! That was it! Seriously, I swallowed the food in less than two minutes! My mom was not pleased with the servings so she rushed to the hospital cafeteria to get us some real food! A hamburger, fries and a chocolate pie it was from the cafeteria.. Thank goodness my mom was there or else I would have been in trouble. I am a need to eat lots type of gal! Oh, and Dr. G decided that I needed to stay in the hospital overnight for monitoring.
Dr. G. came in the next morning and gave us her plan. I would continue to be on bed rest, would have two visits w/ the specialist per week and one with her. They would continue to closely monitor and try their best to take me to 37 weeks. She also said she really really thinks the worst case scenario presented by Dr. Aerichs should be the least of my worries. She felt that I have been monitored very closely and it was highly unlikely his fluids were low for a long period of time. Especially since his 2nd sono at 17 weeks showed the fluids were great. I can’t help but think about it though, but I know it is best not to stress because stress is not good for Lincoln. I shall leave it in Gods’ hands and know that all will be taken care of as it should be.
The overnight stay was not as bad this time, I was not attached to an AV, only strapped with heart rate monitors . So, it was not nearly as difficult to get in and out of the bed to the potty overnight. I was released on Wednesday Jan 4th around noon time.I had my first visit at the specialist, Dr. Aerichs office on Friday January 6th at 8am. It was quite the busy office, probably about thirty seats around the perimeter of the office and they were all filled constantly. Lots of women had their parents, friends and spouses with them. Chris and I signed in and we waited. They called me in for my vitals, Blood pressure was great and I weighed 166.4. Lost one pound in the last two weeks but I think it was because that was my first morning appointment EVER! They then took us to a small room with a recliner, laid me down, put the straps over my tummy, and monitored the heart rate for about 10 minutes. His heart rate was great and he started hiccupping towards the end. I think he knows when he’s on the loud speaker so he hiccups to let us know that he’s doing well and wants to see us soon! We went back into the waiting room to be called in for the sono. And, to my surprise, my mom, dad, Aunt Elvira and Uncle Albert showed up in the waiting room. A big grin formed on my face. I was expecting my mom and Aunt, but not the others. My dad is not the type of person who enjoys waiting in doctors offices, especially if the appointments are not his. I was happy they were there, family always makes everything better! Not sure if the others in the room liked that we now took up 6 out of the 30 chairs in the room, but oh well, they should perhaps get a larger office : ) .
We waited and waited and waited and an hour after the scheduled appointment they called us in for the sono. (my poor dad). Sono showed 5 for fluids. This sono machine was by far the best we had seen throughout the pregnancy! I was very happy and grateful. The more I could see of Lincoln, the better. We even were able to get it on DVD! Dr. Aerichs said overall all looked good, and since the average of my fluids has been around a 3 (during the low periods), that her worst case scenario has fallen lower on the scale than it was before. She said that 3 is really what he needs to develop properly and if the average has been three, then she is pretty confident that Little Linc had what he needed to develop properly during the crucial development times. Testing would continue twice a week, and the reasons for an early delivery would be if the fluids drop really low, if my blood pressure drops, if his heart rate is not normal, and if I go into labor on my own. Basically, any distress on me or baby will take us to delivery. So, I pray that we can go to 37 weeks! Oh, and they were able to see boy parts again.. so I think its officially a boy! And he is still breech. I felt a tad relieved, this was the first time I felt completely confident. I know we have many more appointments to go, but I was grateful to be blessed with positive comments from the doctor.
Meanwhile, Lincolns’ house is almost complete. The crib, changing table, play pen, and bassinet are all waiting for him in his room when he arrives. The crib mattress arrived on Friday, and the sheets are in the wash as I write. We are also washing all the clothing items that we will pack for his big debut! I love baby clothes, they are so small and cute! I cannot wait to meet him. Thank you all for your continued thoughts, prayers and support. Being pregnant has taught me to always prepare for the unexpected (more than ever) and things you think could never happen to you, can. You have to roll with the punches and continue to stay positive. (which are two very hard things to do) But, I am strong and we will survive. I love you all!
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