Tuesday, July 24, 2007

07/24/07

07/24/07

This morning we met with Dr. Hedriana about our plan of action. He basically asked if I wanted to deliver now. While believe me, I do, and was incredibly tempted to vote for that course of action, we decided to wait it out.

He saw the ultra sound results and they show that basically Matthew has no fluid. One of the risks of no fluid is that you are at a greater risk of infection. So, we are going to keep a close eye on things. If at any time I show signs of infection, we will deliver immediately.

If I go into a slow labor, where the contractions just slowly start to increase in frequency or intensity they will visually check my cervix (as opposed to an internal exam to kee out infection) if it begins to open or the baby is at all visible, he will be delivered.

If I go into a fast labor, I will get a shot for the pain and I will be prepped for cesarean and deliver.

Dr. Hedriana thinks it's a matter of days now. So, we will be watching and waiting. Next Monday, we will re-evaluate since we will be at 32 weeks and decide what we want to do. Monday is our next goal :)


07/24/07 PM

So, we are ending another day.

This afternoon we had a consultation with the neonatologist about what we should expect once Matthew is born.

The neonatologist was really proud with how big Matthew was for his gestational age. Once babies hit 30 weeks, they go into two categories, small babies and big babies. To be a big baby, you have to be 1500 grams, Matthew is at 1700+! So that is great news.

We were also told what we could expect when Matthew was born.

Because I ruptured so early, there is a possibility that his lungs didn't have a chance to develop properly. If this is the case, he will be given surfectant to help them develop and be put on a ventilator.

It is more likely that they did develop. Since I have maintained fluid, he has had something to help him develop. In cases where women rupture early and maintain fluid, hormones and Mother Nature step in to speed up the development of the lungs. So, it is entirely possible for Matthew to be born breathing perfectly normal, or just need a nasal cannula for a few days.

When Matthew is born, he will automatically receive IV antibiotics and TPN (IV food). He will do an entire course of antibiotics. He will continue on the TPN until we know his breathing is stabilized. Once it is, we will start on a feeding tube with milk.

When Matthew is 2-3 days old, he will have an ultra sound on his head and on his heart. The ultra sound on his head will check for brain bleeds. The ultra sound on his heart will ensure that the valve that is present before birth has closed off like it should.

There is a strong possibility that Matthew will suffer from apnea of prematurely. It is when he forgets to breath for whatever reason. If that is the case, he will receive caffeine medication to help remind his body to breath.

Matthew will have the standard hearing test as well as an eye test to check for ROP to ensure that his eyes had a chance to develop properly.

If Matthew is born perfectly healthy, breathing, eating, and everything else on his own (which is not likely, so I'm not getting my hopes up) he will still be here for 7 days.

We should expect Matthew to stay in the NICU until he hits 36-37 weeks gestation, which puts us at August 27-September 3.

The neonatologist suggests that we don't go too far from 32 weeks (Monday) unless my fluid picks up. There wouldn't be much benefit and it can result in stiff limbs.

So, that's where we are at the end of today J

No comments: