Final update before baby!

Last week we had our follow-up Biophysical Profile done when I was 37 weeks, 1 day.  Over all it went well- the baby got all the points it got last time, but once again did not show signs of practice breathing (doctor once again explained that babies don't NEED to show this on an u/s, as long as they get all the other points along with passing the NST, we know that not showing the practice breathing doesn't mean anything).  We were put on the Non-stress test again, which the baby passed no problem.  On this BPP they didn't check growth or kidneys as one week later isn't enough time to re-check these things (they would normally check every 3 weeks, but we will be delivered by then).  So overall, this appointment went well!


Then today, at 37 weeks, 5 days, we had a follow-up appointment with my regular dr.  We got the results of the urine collection and bloodwork done early this morning- looked great again!  My protein level stayed just under 300 (today was 296) and my labs continued to look great.  So no new worries there!  Baby again passed the Non-stress test, though it was definitely not 'non-stress' for us (we were in there for over an hour when a NST is supposed to take 20 minutes... first we think they forgot about us, then I wasn't hooked up correctly and we weren't getting what we needed... Nick thought I was going to go into cardiac arrest as my BP was already a bit high when we got there!  But it turned out just fine- baby passed which is what matters!)!

The verdict?!

We will be getting induced starting this Wednesday, July 4th (I'll be exactly 38 weeks at this point).  When my dr checked my cervix at our appointment, she said I am pretty effaced, but just slightly dilated.  The baby is in position- she said low and in my hips (which I can definitely feel!).   So we'll go in Wednesday night to start Cervadil- this will help prepare/soften my cervix, which will help it to start dilating.  This will be done overnight and then Thursday morning we will start Pitocin to really get things going!  If everything goes well, the dr said the baby should be here Thursday evening!  Of course, there's no way to know how long it will really take- but here's to hoping!


This will be the last update before the baby is here!


Until then- here are a few pictures we took from our last dinner out, just Nick and I, before baby arrives!


Carrie

37 weeks, 3 days

Me and my first baby- she has no idea what is about to be thrown at her!

Quick Update

Just wanted to write a quick update with a bit of better news!

I had a follow-up doctor's appointment with my regular OB yesterday.  The results were in from the urine collection and lab work I did on Sunday/Monday (earlier that day).  Good news: the protein level in my urine went DOWN and my labs still looked good!  My dr said she is not removing the diagnosis of pre-eclampsia, but this means that right now it's not getting worse.  My bp at the appointment was also great, the lowest it had been, which means the meds are continuing to work (it is still inconsisent periodically throughout the day when I check it, which is why bed rest is so important).  The baby looked great on the Non-stress test as well.  We had assumed, along with our doctors, that my protein level and labs would all look worse, necessitating the amnio and/or induction at the end of this week.  Since not only did nothing look worse, but actually better, my dr sees no need to go through the amnio and induction at this point.  She is not worried about the baby's growth dropping in percentile right now as 28th percentile is not considered growth-restricted, and they wouldn't induce for just weight until the baby is considered growth-restricted (under 10th percentile).  We want the baby to get as big as possible before being born as there will be much less tests that have to be performed on the baby and less issues expected overall (of course as long as it's also safe for me to have baby stay in the womb).

The plan right now: repeat the Biophysical Profile on Thursday to ensure the baby is continuing to grow in the womb and repeat the urine collection/lab work on Sunday/Monday.  As long as that all looks okay, we will set the induction for July 5th or 6th at 38 weeks.  At this point we won't have to worry about performing an amnio since I will be 38 weeks.  Of course, if anything looks worse prior to that date we will do the amnio and induction as soon as possible, but we are hopeful that we will make it another week and a half!

Keep praying that all continues to go well this week and next so baby can stay safely in until the end of next week!

Carrie

37 weeks tomorrow!

(We still haven't taken any official belly pictures- which I plan to do this week and next before baby is born... but in the meantime here is another from my cell phone!)

And it continues...

Here's the latest...

Last week, I was doing good with the meds and bed rest, until my bp started spiking in the evening a couple days in a row.  One time ended with us in triage in the ER.  They were able to get my bp down and baby looked okay, so I was sent home.  At this point, my doctor increased my meds to 3 times a day instead of 2.  So far, this has been working and I've not had any more spikes in bp.

Unfortunately, as of Sunday, it's officially pre-eclampsia.  My blood work came back good, so at that point, my body and/or organs are not being affected.  But there was enough protein in my urine to officially diagnose pre-eclampsia.  We saw the specialist this week and they did a Biophysical profile on the baby.  This is similar to the APGAR scores they do on the baby after birth, but in the womb.  It helps to determine how the baby is doing in the womb with everything else going on.  First off, baby's right kidney measured much larger this time.  Doctor still isn't overly concerned as she said even with how dialated it is, it can still clear up on it's own after birth.  So really we won't know any more regarding the kidney until an u/s is done on the baby after birth.  Our last u/s with the specialist, three weeks ago, baby was in the 40th percentile for growth/size.  This time, however, baby was estimated to be in the 28th percentile.  Which means, while baby is still growing and putting on weight, growth is starting to be affected.  Movement, blood flow through the umbilical cord, heartbeat, everything looked good but the baby didn't show signs of attempting to 'breathe' during the time allotted for the profile (which is not uncommon for babies not to show this.  Hiccups would have also counted... which baby gets all the time!  But of couse not when we need it to.).  So we were put on the monitor for a Non-Stress test, at which point baby looked great and made up for all the point it missed on the profile.

What now?  Well, I'll be doing another urine collection to check the levels of protein in my urine along with more labs to check my organ functions on Sunday/Monday.  We'll do another Non-Stress test on the baby on Monday.  At that point, we will also schedule an amniocentresis for that Friday or the following Monday to check the maturity of the baby's lungs.  I'll be 37 and 1/2 weeks at that point.  If the results come back that the baby's lungs are matured, they may induce me that day.  If they aren't matured yet, the longest they'll let me go is 38 and 1/2 weeks (which would be around July 9th).  Another biophysical profile will be done on the baby next week as well.  If my protein levels/lab work come back not looking good, or if baby starts to not look good, there is a chance they may decide not to even wait for the amnio and just induce me right away. So while we are getting closer to a 'gameplan,' it's still pretty up in the air- depending on how things progress/maintain.

Bottom line is, we want to make it another week!  Longer baby stays in the womb (as long as its safe for both baby AND me), the better.  But if things aren't looking good, baby is also okay to be delivered now, though a much higher chance of a stay in the NICU, which of course we'd love to avoid.

So that's it for now!  I'll update more as we know more.
Carrie

Roller-Coaster Ride

Well, this is going to be a long, eventful update!  It's been a bit of a roller-coaster around here.

First off, we had our 33 week u/s to check on the baby's kidneys.  The baby was measuring right on track, estimated to weigh approx 4.11 lbs.  Heartbeat was 144 bpm.  Kidneys were proportionally the same- right one continues to be larger but my fluid levels continue to be good!

My blood pressure at this appointment was high again so my dr wanted me to continue to take it daily to monitor it.

Throughout the u/s the baby was hanging out on left side so my belly was extremely  lopsided the entire time!  And once again, baby had a hand up by face/forehead!  Baby's favorite position!  So overall, this u/s checkup was a positive one!

We went home for our baby showers in the beginning of June, when I was about 33 and 1/2 weeks.  Our showers were WONDERFUL!  We were so spoiled by everyone and are so grateful and lucky to have such wonderful families!

Nick drove back to our Springfield home on Monday and I stayed for the week.  Throughout the week I was checking my bp as I was supposed to be doing.  It would go up and down, but never high enough to worry.  It was an extremely busy week and I was on my feet a lot so I assumed the varying bp was attributed to that.  Friday I went with my parents to the lake and spent the day there.  That evening, I checked my bp and it was OVER 140/90, which is what my dr said is too high.  I got myself extremely worked up because I was afraid of something happening without Nick being here.  At that point, my bp sky rocketed and it wasn't coming down.  We decided I need to go to the hospital.  Which as it turned out, was a good decision.

Once I got to the hospital, my bp was extremely high.  They admitted me and began to monitor my bp and the baby.  Baby was looking good, but my bp was not coming down.  We decided to have Nick fly out Saturday morning to be there in case anything happened (i.e. they needed to take the baby).  I had to do a 24 hour urine collection in order to check for pre-eclampsia, which is where there is protein in the urine and the kidneys aren't functioning correctly, along with high bp.  This affects how the placenta is functioning and can be very serious for baby and mom.  My bp continued to raise throughout the day on Saturday, even though I was only laying in bed all day.  At this point they decided to put me on bp medication.  Sunday morning my results came in- and it was NOT pre-eclampsia at this point.  I was diagnosed with gestational hyptertension (pregnancy-induced high blood pressure).  They had my bp under control with the medicine and allowed me to make the drive home to Springfield and continue my care with my regular dr.

They did an u/s of the baby at the hospital to check growth- baby looked great!  It was measuring right on track and fluid looked good.  Baby was moving around and had it's feet right up under my ribs- a favorite position!  Until, baby decided to put a foot right up by it's face... yes, I said face!  It was so cute.  We also got to see that the baby had HAIR!  Doesn't necessarily mean it's a LOT of hair by any means, but there was hair nonetheless!

We were glad to see baby wasn't affected by this whole situation.  It was an extrememly scary and stressful weekend but we made it back safely, thankfully!

Once we got back, we met with our regular dr.  She wants me to continue on my bp medication (which has been working to keep my bp at a normal level).  I will have to do a 24 hour urine collection and have my blood drawn weekly in order to check for pre-eclampisa. As long it doesn't turn into pre-eclampsia and my bp continues to stay under control, I will be induced around 38-39 weeks, most likely around July 4th (if any more complications arise, baby's lung development will be checked to see if I can be induced earlier).  I'm currently on bed rest (not strict, total bed rest- I am able to get up and do things, but majority of the day I have to be sitting with my feet up.  Luckily it's only for a few weeks!).

Needless to say, it's been an eventful couple weeks!  I just have to take it easy so I can keep baby in as long as possible so he or she is as healthy as possible when born!  We haven't been very good at keeping up with the belly photos with everything that's been going on so I don't really have much to update there.

32 weeks (picture taken from my cell phone!)

I will update more as anything new develops- let's hope nothing more quite so eventful!

Carrie

Good News Update!

Well, I've got a quick update with better news!  I had an appointment with my regular doctor yesterday and got some clarification. 

First of all, my BP at my appointment yesterday was just fine.  I told my doctor what my BP had been over the weekend and she saw no reason to be concerned.  She said it hadn't been high enough to worry about and that I don't even need to continue watching it unless I don't feel well.  I haven't heard from the specialist regarding my BP results yet, but I trust my regular doctor!

I clarified with my doctor regarding the baby's kidneys- I had mentioned this to the specialist, but somehow I think there was a miscommunication/misunderstanding when relaying information that unfortunately caused more worry for me and Nick.  Yes, both of the baby's kidneys have gotten larger from the last u/s.  However, the baby is growing- as are the baby's organs!  Which means of course the kidneys have gotten larger because they are growing with the baby!  The right kidney is still larger than the left, but still on the high end of normal.  In other words, proportionally, the kidneys have not changed!!  We were relieved to hear that was the case.  We still have to monitor the kidneys to ensure they are functioning properly and will have to have the u/s after the baby is born, but my doctor said she really thinks the baby will be born and we will all say, "Well, that was a big deal over nothing!"  So we sure hope she is right!

Overall, my doctor said my pregnancy is going great.  I am measuring right on track- not big, not small.  The baby is estimated to be in the 40th percentile for size.  Based on the baby's movements and symptoms I've had, my doctor said there's a good chance I don't have to worry about going OVER my due date, and possibly not quite making it TO my due date.  Which would be nice- but can't get my hopes up!  She also said I'm basically out of the woods for a critical preemie baby if I were go into labor at this point (of course they'd still try to stop labor if that happened, but it wouldn't be as concerning anymore).

So we feel much better and much more relaxed again!  Hopefully this continues with no more sudden upsets.  :)

Here's a picture from our night out to celebrate my birthday and Mother(to-be)'s Day!

Carrie

Follow-up with Specialist

We had our follow-up ultrasound with the specialist at 30 weeks.  Baby is estimated to be weighing just over 3 lbs and measuring right at 30 weeks.  The 'spot' noted on the heart during the original u/s was not even found this time, which was good.  However, the baby's kidneys are now both enlarged.  The doctor was still not overly concerned as my amniotic fluid level was still perfectly fine, which means the baby's kidneys are functioning properly.  The doctor is also still saying it is likely this may just clear up once the baby is born, but we still need to monitor it to be sure the kidneys are continuing to function properly.  So while we were not thrilled to hear the kidneys have gotten larger, at least the doctor sees no reason to be any more concerned.

The latest develpment to keep us on our toes is the fact that I now may have high blood pressure.  Since I've never had high bp a day in my life, we were shocked to find this out!  I had to get a bp cuff to bring home as the doctor wants me to check my bp 2-3 times per day through the weekend and give her my numbers on Monday.  This way she can determine if my bp is truly high or if it was just that day.  She also explained that during pregnancy, bp is lower than normal.  So while I have been checking my bp since the appointment and it's been at a fairly 'normal' level, it may still be high for being pregnant.  But we'll see next week what they have to say.  If my bp continues to be high or get higher, I will be checked for pre-eclampsia.  Whether I have that or not, with high bp I will need to be checked twice weekly, and the baby given stress tests and an u/s weekly.  I could also be put on bp medication if needed.

Let us tell you, it's always 'exciting' around here.  Never just a normal appointment!  The only positive to all this is that we keep getting to see the baby on the u/s!

Here is another profile view of Baby T at 30 weeks:

Baby really doesn't like having the u/s done and likes to kick at and move away from the technician!  So this time was hard to get a good picture.  What was super adorable, though, was that when the technician very first started the u/s, the baby had it's hands right up around it's face and resting on the face JUST like our last u/s picture!  I'll be curious to see if this is a habit that continues after birth.  :)

And here are a few more growing belly pictures- and growing I am!  While everybody else continues to tell me how small I am... Nick and I sure feel like I'm getting huge!

27 weeks

27 weeks from the front

29 weeks

Hopefully the next update isn't quite so eventful!
Carrie

Update- 24 and 26 week Ultrasounds

Quite a bit to update since the previous post!  I'll start from where we left off...

I started being able to see the baby move from outside right before 24 weeks- but unfortunately Nick wasn't able to see it until much later.  At 24 weeks, I felt the baby hiccuping!  It was such a cool feeling- it felt like a slow, rhythmic pulse in my stomach.


We had our follow-up ultrasound at 24w, 5d.  The baby was moving like crazy!  We saw the hands and feet (along with everything else), and the heartbeat was good (145-ish, jumped around a bit depending on how much baby was moving).  The fluid measured great and overall the baby was measuring right on track.  The kidneys still had slightly more fluid than they should; however, the doctor was not concerned about it due to the fact that bladder and kidneys are functioning fine as there is plenty of amniotic fluid around baby.  She still saw a slight shadow around heart indicating possible fluid, but no worse than last time, which is good.  This time the doctor mentioned that the issue with the heart increased our chances for the baby having down syndrome- which of course was not expected and not easy to hear.  She suggested an ultrasound with a high-risk specialist to take a closer look to be sure there is nothing else going on (especially with the heart) that she wasn't able to see.

At 26w, 1d, we went to see the specialist for the more in-depth ultrasound.  They did a much longer ultrasound and took multiple pictures of each and every part of the baby!  The baby did NOT like being poked at and continuously kicked at the u/s wand (the technician said she was being "battered" by the baby)!  We were able to watch my stomach jump around and twitch like crazy from the outside!  The u/s tech was having a hard time getting a picture of the hands because the baby kept grabbing it's foot in his/her hand.  :)   Baby is measuring right on track as far as growth and heartbeat was 156.  As soon as we met with the doctor, her first words were, "Good news!"  She said the heart looks great- the shadow our primary doctor saw was nothing but the space between the heart and the wall- completely normal.  There was also a spot within the heart that our doctor saw, which turns out is not "white" enough to be anything to be concerned about.  If it was brighter or whiter (like the way a bone shows up on an u/s), there would be reason for concern.  However, it wasn't as white as the bone which means it was just muscle or a part of the heart- no concerns, heart looks great!  The left kidney measured great, the right kidney is still measuring on the larger side of normal.  Doctor said this is VERY common and usually resolves itself after birth.  We know one kidney is working perfectly because the amniotic fluid around baby is perfect- and one kidney is all we REALLY need.  So again, doctor is not very concerned.  Although we will be going back for another follow-up in four weeks as standard procedure and to keep an eye on the kidney.  The baby will also have to go for an u/s at the first checkup after birth.  So while we will need to monitor the kidney, overall there are no major concerns and doctor said baby looks great and very healthy!  Needless to say we were relieved to hear all of this.

(Profile view- baby has arm up with hand resting on forehead!)

While we were very worried for a while, we are so glad to be able to relax and continuing enjoying the pregnancy!  

Also- people are really starting to comment on/notice my growing belly!  I've just recently been having strangers ask when I'm due, etc.  Here are some updated belly pics:

23 weeks

25 weeks

Until next time!

Carrie