This will be my last update before Lily gets here!! I had one of my appointments today and was at the office for almost 3 hours. They didn't like how Lily was responding this morning (her heartrate would drop everytime she moved instead of increase) so they sent me for a BPP (biophysical profile) which basically means an ultrasound where they take a bunch of measurements to see everything is ok. Lily passed that, so that is good. They checked me to see if I am progressing and basically (I am starting to dilate and am about 70% effaced and Lily has dropped down into my pelvis). After my midwife had compiled all this information she consulted with the on-call doctor and they really want to wait until I am 37 weeks to induce. I will be 37 weeks on Saturday. They don't do inductions over the weekend and they don't do inductions on holidays.....so the next possible date is September 4th (Tuesday of next week). So, that's the official word. I will be induced on Tuesday morning unless things progress on their own before then.
This week has been a very hard week on me emotionally and physically. The itching is progressively getting worse which doesn't seem possible. So I get little or no sleep at night and it is too hot during the day to get a nap in. Exhaustion seems to be setting in so I am praying for one at least one good night of sleep between now and Tuesday as I know that will be a long day. There is still a risk that Lily might not be quite ready to be out of my nice incubator but they don't want to take any chances with my current condition either. My midwife was encouraged though that I have been consistently measuring ahead for over a month now. I measured 39 weeks today so she said that is a good sign.
Anyway, I just wanted everyone to know what is going on. Please keep our family in your prayers. We are very excited but anxious as well. At least I get to plan things a little better instead of just playing the waiting game. Josh will let you know the news as soon as he can get to a computer!! Thank you for all your support and encouragement and I hope everyone has a wonderful Labor Day weekend.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Current Status
I have had a lot of e-mails and phone calls wanting an update about how things were going. So, I will do the best I can to explain what has been going on.
I went in last week to have some bloodwork done because I have been having severe itching problems. Sounds funny I know, but honestly I would rather be in 100 degree heat than itching like I do. Instead I get the pleasure of both.
The bloodwork was supposed to come in on Monday. Unfortunately, the nurse did not order the correct test so they had to get another blood sample today to send out. In the meantime I have been upgraded to "high risk" and am now starting biweekly visits to the doctors. During these visits I am attached to a monitor to measure my contractions as well as Lily's heartrate and health. This is called a Nonstress test (NST). I will get an NST done on MOnday and Thursday weekly now until the bloodwork comes in.
The condition that they are testing me for is called Cholestasis (obstetric cholestasis, intrahepatic cholestasis or cholestasis of pregnancy are other names of the condition). This is a condition of the liver where basically I have an extra high level of bile acid salts. These salts are what is causing the itching itself and it is in the bloodstream not in the skin which means that nothing topical will help and nor will any kind of antihistamine.
After next week my midwife will consult with the doctor to find out when to induce. With cholestasis they like to have the baby out by 37 weeks because there is a higher incidence of stillbirth the higher the bile acids become. So, there is no set time for induction at this point but they are keeping a very close eye on me and Lily.
Today's appointment itself went well, Lily looked great and I am still measuring 2 weeks ahead which is good. I am still having quite a few contractions that are consistant but at this point they are not going to stop them. The contractions were about 5 minutes apart while I was being monitored.
Emotionally I am doing ok. I just wish I weren't itching because it makes sleeping virtually impossible. I am not too keen on being induced but I will do whatever the doctors think is best. I also am not sure I am quite ready to be in labor. Maybe if it weren't 100 degrees I wouldn't feel quite as apprehensive. I don't cope well in the heat I have found. So, there you go. Thank you so much for all your encouragement and support. It means a lot to Josh and myself and I can't believe Lily will be here soon!! (I am currently about 36 weeks pregnant)
Keep in touch, and I will continue to update how I am doing as long as I am not in the hospital in labor, then it will be Josh's job.
I went in last week to have some bloodwork done because I have been having severe itching problems. Sounds funny I know, but honestly I would rather be in 100 degree heat than itching like I do. Instead I get the pleasure of both.
The bloodwork was supposed to come in on Monday. Unfortunately, the nurse did not order the correct test so they had to get another blood sample today to send out. In the meantime I have been upgraded to "high risk" and am now starting biweekly visits to the doctors. During these visits I am attached to a monitor to measure my contractions as well as Lily's heartrate and health. This is called a Nonstress test (NST). I will get an NST done on MOnday and Thursday weekly now until the bloodwork comes in.
The condition that they are testing me for is called Cholestasis (obstetric cholestasis, intrahepatic cholestasis or cholestasis of pregnancy are other names of the condition). This is a condition of the liver where basically I have an extra high level of bile acid salts. These salts are what is causing the itching itself and it is in the bloodstream not in the skin which means that nothing topical will help and nor will any kind of antihistamine.
After next week my midwife will consult with the doctor to find out when to induce. With cholestasis they like to have the baby out by 37 weeks because there is a higher incidence of stillbirth the higher the bile acids become. So, there is no set time for induction at this point but they are keeping a very close eye on me and Lily.
Today's appointment itself went well, Lily looked great and I am still measuring 2 weeks ahead which is good. I am still having quite a few contractions that are consistant but at this point they are not going to stop them. The contractions were about 5 minutes apart while I was being monitored.
Emotionally I am doing ok. I just wish I weren't itching because it makes sleeping virtually impossible. I am not too keen on being induced but I will do whatever the doctors think is best. I also am not sure I am quite ready to be in labor. Maybe if it weren't 100 degrees I wouldn't feel quite as apprehensive. I don't cope well in the heat I have found. So, there you go. Thank you so much for all your encouragement and support. It means a lot to Josh and myself and I can't believe Lily will be here soon!! (I am currently about 36 weeks pregnant)
Keep in touch, and I will continue to update how I am doing as long as I am not in the hospital in labor, then it will be Josh's job.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
NURSERY.....Finally!!!!!
I am sorry it took so long to post these pictures. Honestly, we just finished the nursery today. The progress took the entire 3 months that we have been living here at our new house. So, without further delay... (notice the "daddy-to-be" in the second picture, he's already practicing for late night rocking sessions).
I hope everyone likes the nursery. Josh and I worked very hard on it and it turned out exactly like we wanted. I hope when we have a second baby that we get motivated to do it again because right now I don't want to do any more nursery projects!
I hope everyone likes the nursery. Josh and I worked very hard on it and it turned out exactly like we wanted. I hope when we have a second baby that we get motivated to do it again because right now I don't want to do any more nursery projects!
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Update and Prayer Request...
As you all know, I am pregnant and due in about 6 weeks or so. This pregnancy has gone pretty well with no real problems. However, on Tuesday night Josh and I had just finished a class at the hospital and were on our way home. I noticed that I had been having an awful lot of contractions. I had not been timing them so I wasn't sure how many and how frequent they were. At about 9:30 I started keeping track. What started out as contractions every 5-8 minutes progressed quickly to every 2-3 minutes. I recorded these contractions for about 1 hour. I had 16 in one hour and they were lasting about 30 seconds each time. Anyway, we called the midwife and she asked me to come in the Labor and Delivery to make sure that I was not dilating.
After they checked and found out I was thankfully not dilating they gave me two shots of terbutaline (a medicine that stops contractions). Since, I am just at 34 weeks pregnant they did not want to let me progress too far because Lily is not ready to be out of the "oven" yet.
Since then I have been resting a lot and trying to make sure the contractions do not come back. If this had happened a few more weeks from now, I think that they would have let my body lead itself into labor, but just not yet. So, please pray that Lily will hang tight for a few more weeks at least. Josh and I are really excited for her to be here, but we definitely want her to wait so she will not have to stay in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Thank you for all your support and encouragement during this time. After that visit to the hospital I can guarantee you that I am not quite ready to be going through labor!!
After they checked and found out I was thankfully not dilating they gave me two shots of terbutaline (a medicine that stops contractions). Since, I am just at 34 weeks pregnant they did not want to let me progress too far because Lily is not ready to be out of the "oven" yet.
Since then I have been resting a lot and trying to make sure the contractions do not come back. If this had happened a few more weeks from now, I think that they would have let my body lead itself into labor, but just not yet. So, please pray that Lily will hang tight for a few more weeks at least. Josh and I are really excited for her to be here, but we definitely want her to wait so she will not have to stay in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Thank you for all your support and encouragement during this time. After that visit to the hospital I can guarantee you that I am not quite ready to be going through labor!!
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