God is Great: Hospital round two and 1st Appointment with Specialist

33 weeks and 2 days I woke up this morning in tears and I couldn’t figure out why I was crying- I decided it was because I was bored. I’ve never felt quite like this. I am a complete optimist at heart, .. but I am far from the sitting at home in bed type of person. However, I take my own advice and I know it could be much worse.

I stopped crying, pushed myself out of bed and found my husband in the garage running his scooter because he said it hadn’t ran for a while. He’s at a kickball tournament for the majority of today, which I am super glad he is out there with good friends, being active for us. So, I sit here, and pretend I am still making myself useful from the couch. I am multitasking, writing this blog, watching a red box movie, drinking water, drinking decaf coffee and looking at the sun shine bright through our French door windows.
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 2^nd 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 4^th around noon time.

I had my first visit at the specialist, Dr. Aerichs office on Friday January 6^th 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!

I was admitted to the hospital

I was going to write a “Dear Santa” letter, but didn’t get time.  I was going to write about all the things I wanted.. like, not to have a blue toilet (see funny story below), to finish all my to do list that I prepared for Christmas break with items like finish the babies room (although I’m close), update the registry, mail lagging Christmas packages, etc.  However, at the drop of a dime life brings on situations that become much MORE important. Its funny how one moment you can be singing and playing background dancer while you and your family karoeke together and the next moment you are sitting at the dreary hospital admitting desk getting ready to go in. It teaches you even more to treasure every moment, the good is good, the better is better, but the worst can always be worse, so ALWAYS count your blessings for every moment placed upon you.

Lots happened today at my second sonogram (12/28/11)- 31 weeks and 5 days, 167.5 lbs.

I found out that I have low amniotic sac fluid (known as oligohydramnios), the baby is currently breeched, and the current weight is 4lbs, 2 ounces. They also could not reconfirm the sex of the baby or tell the current length, because he was folded in half?

I have a follow up appointment tomorrow 12-29 at 150pm to see my doctor and get her recommendations on what to do.  I’m worried of course, my fluid is currently measuring 1.5cm and normal but still considered low is 5cm-20cm. Since Christmas Eve I had been feeling a little weak, the mountain cedar kicked in here in town. Prior to my 2:30pm ultrasound, I slept all morning…woke up briefly to eat, but silly me felt so weak, I only ate one piece of cake and drank one mini bottle of water, because I wanted to go back and rest before I needed to be ready for the appointment. This behavior is very unlikely for me, only drinking a small bit of water, not eating, and not being active in the morning? I’m not sure this has much to do with the low fluids, but it could have to do with me becoming dehydrated.

At my appointment, Dr. Gutierrez decided it was best to admit me into the hospital to help rehydrate myself and give some strength to our baby boy. She said most likely the baby will be delivered early as well. And, he may not be able to turn from being breeched if he doesn’t gain enough fluids.

So, to the hospital I went. Went home packed a quick bag, and we were off. It was packing like usual for a one day outing, but sure did not feel like a vacation, I felt dreary and really scared to be going. But, I knew I had to do what was best for our little boy. I've been taught to bring out the positive in every situation; but when it comes to your unborn baby being in distress and me feeling/knowing I am the cause, there is really not much positive to find in the situation. I just want him to have everything, and I obviously am lacking. But I kept my head up and with the support and strength of my family and friends and most of all my loving husband, I managed to make it into the hospital, get dressed in the gown, get my IV plugged in and start the 24 hour wait. Chris had his first day at his new job the day to follow, and that still did not stop him from staying the night and being there for me as long as he could. He also enjoyed the double meat/ double cheese burgers that the cafeteria had to offer. I must of traveled to the bathroom over eight times throughout the course of the night, and even though I think I perfected the art of rolling the IV tree in and out of the bathroom, Chris was right behind me every time. I love him! And, thanks Delia, Jacob and Tina for making it out to the hospital, it was very encouraging to see familiar faces. And, of course my mom and dad, stayed for about three hours on Wednesday and my mom came back to spend a long lunch with me on Thursday. She brought in- my favorite sweet tea from Chick Fil A- gotta love them!

So, At 2am, Steven, the not so talkative, tall, thin, gray haired ultrasound tech came it to administer the oh so awaited ultrasound. Did not expect to see him so early, but was glad to get an answer sooner rather than later. So, his questions began, when was your last menstrual period? Me: thinking, really, its 2am! But, they must follow procedure. Then came the cold liquid jelly squirt on the tummy, and the pushing of the wand in different areas of the tummy. Mind you, Steven remind mute throughout the procedure. Until, I finally started to ask, WELL, what does it look like? He then said well its 1.8 and I’m thinking what? Then, he said its 4.3? And, I’m like what? 1.8 or 4.3. He continued, its 4.3. Me, is he breeched, Steven, “yes, very breeched”. Gee thanks what the heck does that mean? Steven exited the room, then the nurse came in to adjust the baby heart rate monitor (which stayed strapped to me about 15 of my 24 hour visit. She then gave me a recap of Steven’s visit. She said, did you understand what he said, me: well partially considering it felt like he only said five words. She continues, the rate is up, however it could be that the fluid was there all along and it wasn’t found in the earlier ultrasound because of the babies position. Interesting, I thought, but the best thing was that at least it did not go down from the 1.5, I’ll take the 4.3! So, I feel back to sleep.

Dr. Gutierrez came in at 9am to give us her diagnosis. She said it was good news that the fluids are up rather than down. She will start to see me twice a week, next appointment on Tuesday. And, I could be released after my second dose of steroids at 6pm that evening (which they are giving me in order to make the baby stronger in case I have to deliver early. She said they want to keep him in as long as they can, but her goal is to get us to 37 weeks, because then it will be a non premature birth, but they are going to continue to monitor and it could be as early as 34-35 weeks. She said at this point, anything can happen. Its’ all up to how much fluid is gained. So, I will continue to follow orders and pray that fluids increase! She also said I need to monitor the baby movements if they become less than usual, I need to call.  However, I did tell her my more recent visits, that he really hadn’t had much movement throughout the pregnancy. I still have not had huge jabs or flips. I feel the little butterfly flutters and mini punches, but nothing too crazy. I’m still bummed that the fluids are so low, but I have to think about the positive. The low fluids were caught before they were non-existent, the amount of fluids is increasing, the heartbeat is strong, I'm in my 32nd week (could have been much earlier), and he weighs 4.2lbs.

I learned a lot through my very first overnight hospital visit. I learned that steriod shots hurt (there not quite the same as the ones you get when your sick), having an IV stuck to me made me feel very sick and immobile though I really was not that bad. They need to invent something for the wheels on the IV trees, I mean I've been to the bathroom easily over 25 times in my stay here. Maybe they should make remote control wheels. Honestly, the TV has a remote the bed has a remote, the nurse has a remote call button, now we just need another gadget to add to the bed, An IV remote. Kind of like a remote control car, but a remote control IV tree! I also enjoyed the flexi straws and yes, I'm taking some home with me. It was very nice to be catered to by the nurses makes me get a feel of what to expect for the actual birth.

I also learned to pack a bag as early as 29 weeks, and apparently sleeping on your side this far in pregnancy is recommended, if I had been reading the weekly updates I would know this.  I also learned that its EXTREMELY important to remain hydrated throughout your entire pregnancy, no matter how much you have to pee or how tired you are to fill up that water bottle! Especially before ultrasounds and OB visits, but always always is key!

On some more positive, funnier notes:
Interesting thing I also discovered, last week (12.23.11) that my pregnancy hormones are causing the toilet seat to turn blue! Yes, blue! My pregnancy hormones are so wacked out, that my skin does not react well to porcelain (like toilet seats!)- my skin plus porcelain = blue. So, coincidentallly our toilet seats are dyed blue.. and I was blaming it on Chris, but it was me! (I know TMI, but it is actually pretty hilarious) So now I'm on restriction and cannot use the guest bathroom because then it will turn blue and look odd!
We had a great Christmas this year, Lincoln received LOTS of presents and he is not even here yet! He now has a Cubs bib from Grandma and Grandpa Herrberg, another pair of knitted shoes and even the matching gloves from Tia Mary Alice, some cool looking plaid shoes and outfit from Erika, Pepper, and Emme, a Rudolph plush doll and two polo outfits from Evette and David, and some cool new books from Grandpa Jesse and Grandma Helen.  He is one happy kid and he’s not even here yet.

And, last but not least this Runcrazedpreggo is retired for now, until next birth will the runcrazedpreggo moments continue.  I am grateful to have lots of run moments to report and to have made it as far as I did with running. But most important always is the health of my boy. Your thoughts, encouragement, and prayers are encouraged and we thank you for all the support.