06/10/07

And we have passed an entire week. We've experianced a week in the hospital and we're still going nice and stable.

I had Dr. Husslein again today. He's still happy with our "breech baby" and how we're progessing. My blood pressure is staying stable, my temperature is staying in the 98.2-98.7 range, my contractions are staying at under 2 per hour, Matthew is still active with a strong heart beat and I do not show any sign of infection.

Matthew is even lower tonight than he was earlier today, so I'm going to ask the doctor tomorrow to make sure that it's ok.

Today was a bit of a boring day. My cell phone battery only lasts 4 hours and all that was on TV was golf :( And Mash :(

Thanks so much to Great Gramdna for visiting, to Grandma and Grandpa and Auntie Christina for visiting (and bringing Sopranos) and to Kaitlyn for visiting. An of course, thanks to daddy for everything!

06/09/07

Another day has passed and we're still pregnant! Yay!

Dr. Haesslein was our doctor today. I really like him. I had one long contraction while he was here today so he monitored it and decided it was perfectly normal. He has decided that as long as I stay stable for the next coupe of weeks I will have a booster shot of steroids. That can greatly help Matthew's breathing when he is born.

Today was an ok day. Kaitlyn was sick this morning so I didn't think I would get to see her, but by about lunch time, she was free of fever and vomit so I got to see her for a couple of hours. Dusty went into work today for a few hours and then rested. He has a touch of the stomach flu too.

Kaitlyn and Grandma brought me yummy Olive Garden for dinner. Kaitlyn was here for a couple of hours tonight and was so excited when Dusty came in with her Max and Ruby. She spoiled him with lots of kisses.

Tomorrow marks our 1 week goal! That gives Matthew plenty of time to feel the effects of the steroids as well as increase our probability of going longer with the pregnancy!!

Thanks so much to Aunt Beth for her phone call and to mommy's friend Julie who called all the way from England! Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for visitng and of course Daddy and Kaitlyn. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa, Kaitlyn, Nana, Papa, Auntie Jamie and Uncle Joel and Auntie Christina for visiting yesterday!

06/07/07

Well, we're half way through another day.

There isn't much new to report. I was weaned off the Magnesium yesterday. I felt a few small contractions last night, so I was monitored through the night to be sure labor hadn't started. I didn't have a single contraction all night or morning so I didn't have to be put on the Magnesium.

My IV site was starting to get red and puffy so it was removed to prevent infection. That was really nice. At least, it's nice until it has to be re-installed.

This morning I met with one of my new doctor's, Dr. Haesslein, who was very nice. He was really pleased with how strong Matthew's heart rate was on the monitor for his gestational age.

I have been scheduled to have a CVC test done on Saturday. This will give us a baseline for my white blood cell count so that it'll be easier to see if and when I develop an infection.

We again went over the plan, which is to stay pregnant until 34 weeks. We are going strong and trying to get past Sunday when the statistics are on my side.

I'm now finished with all but 1 antibiotic. I'll continue with the amoxicillian for a while because statistics have shown that it can help delay the onset of labor after rupture of amniotic fluid.

I'm a bit flemy today. I told the nurse who checked me all out. It's believed to be because of the Magnesium. The Magnesium left in my body is also causing some nose bleeds. Hopefully, it should all pass by tomorrow, if not, then he doctor will probably start more meds :(

I'd like to thank Mike and Mary for the beautiful flowers, Auntie Sammie for taking Kaitlyn to the zoo, Grandma, Grandpa, Nana, Auntie Christina and Auntie Christy for visiting last night. Thank you to Auntie Christy for the yummy candy and all the goodies she brought last night.

Thank you to Auntie Sammie, Papa, Kaitlyn, Aunt Stephanie, Uncle Craig and Hope for visiting today!

06/06/07

Well, we're half way through another day.

Today hasn't been too inventful. This morning, I was weaned off my Magnesium Sulfate. I ended it at 2 PM. That meant I could have th IV lines removed for the time being. If I continue for 6 hours without any contractions, I get to have my IV completely removed. My hand would really appreciate it.

I got to take a shower today. I have a 5 minute time limit and I have to sit on a shower chair, but it was still well worth it.

Dr. Zielinsky has transfered my care to the Perinatologist. They handle all of the high risk pregnancies in the Sacramento area. While, I love Dr. Z and he delivered Kaitlyn, the Perinatologist will be better able to do everything possible to keep me pregnant and they practically live on this floor.

I had a physical therapy consult today. Basically I "learned" the best ways to move without using my abdomen. I also got to practice some range of motion excersises so that I can keep my ankles, shoulders and arms feeling good.

I want to thank Kaitlyn, Grandma, Nana, Auntie Christina, Auntie Samantha and Daddy for being here last night. Thank you also to Great Grandma Mauda for the flowers today and to Mary and Mike for the flowers.

Also, thank you to Auntie Sammie for taking Kaitlyn to the zoo today to see the penguins. I heard she had a great time! I'll update again if anything new happens :)

06/05/07

06/05/07

Not much of an update, we're at 24 weeks based on ultra sound sizing which is great news. We've also had enough time pass so that the steroid shot should have already helped Matthew's lung development.

I'm still leaking fluid and having 1-2 contractions an hour, which isn't too bad since they aren't consistent or painful.

I will start some physical therapy sometime today, which will be a nice change. Tomorrow I should be able to have shower privelages. That'll mean 5 minutes while sitting. Let me tell ya, I can't wait to wash my hair.

I have an air mattress now which is much more comfortable. I'll get massaging boots for my legs sometime tomorrow as well.

If I continue as I am now, I'll get to have all the IVs out tomorrow night, which would make me so happy abd much more comfortable.

Our most immediate goal is to stay pregnant until Sunday. If we can get through those first 7 days, our chances go way up of continuing. Right now, we have a 50% chance of doing that.

Dr. Z said that we will have a long term goal of 32 weeks and I will deliver no later than 34 weeks. So, Matthew will be here by August 14, 2007. If we get to that day, there is a really strong possibility that we can avoid a NICU stay.

06/04/07

I'm going to try and do a daily update with what's going on.

Right now, there aren't a lot of updates. I got my last steroid shot at 4 this morning. At the same time my IV blew and I had to get a new one. Ouch.

This morning, we met with the perinatologist. She asked what we would like done *if* I deliver this week. A problem we have is Matthew is breech. He is butt down. A cesarean section at this point has a higher risk of complications. Typically, the uterus is big enough to have a vertical cut, Matthew's is not. So, at this point we would have to have a horizontal cut. The risks of a horizontal cut would be the higher risk of maternal hemorging and the very high risk with future pregnancies experiancing uterine abruption, which could cause death.

Matthew is small now so a vaginal delivery would not be a problem and would not cause any damage to him, so we've decided that we would try to deliver him breech if I deliver very soon. As time progresses, we will obviously change to cesarean as soon as it's safe.

I have had my fluids limited. Since I'm on so many fluids and the magnesium slows my heart and my kidneys we have to try and prevent me from backwashing fluids into my lungs and causing future problems. That sucks. My mouth is always dry with the magnesium, so I can sip or chew on ice.

I am no longer on constant monitoring. My uterus is stable enough where I only have to be monitored for 1 hour every 8 hours. So, it's much easier to get comfortable.

I really want to thank everyone for everything. Thank you so much Nana and Papa and Grandma and Grandpa for taking over most of Kaitlyn's care for Dusty and I. I know from experiance that a 2 1/2 year old is not the easiest thing in the world and even daily visits of a couple of hours is a huge difference from total care. Thank you also to Aunt Christy and Uncle Dennis and Camaryn for being so supportive with Kaitlyn and bringing her to visit. I can't wait to see Camaryn again.

Thank you to Auntie Christina, Uncle Brian, Aunt Beth, Felecia, and everyone else for visiting. The time is going to slow. Thank you Melanie for the great time passing things that I am so sure are going to seriously come in handy over the next day or two.

Thank you Aunt Linda, Aunt Barbara, Aunt Inez and Penny for your phone calls. I sincerely and honestly appreciate all the kind words, positive thoughts and prayers, and I know that Dusty does too.

My Water Broke

Hey guys.

Well, I'm at the hospital.

Last night, I went to bed around 10, Kaitlyn wanted to sleep with us and I had no problem at all with snuggling with her.

At around 12:30, I had a dream that I was wet and it woke me up. I jumped out of bed and noticed that my sweatpants, and the bed were both soaked.

I thought to myself, maybe I drank too much water and just had an accident in bed. I went to the bathroom and emptied my full bladder. When I stood up, liquid kept gushing out. I got Dusty and called the doctor who suggested I go in just to be sure it was urine. I kept thinking that I needed to do more kegal exercises.

We dropped a sad Kaitlyn and a happy Archie off at Nana and Papa's house. Then, we headed to the hospital.

We arrived at the hospital at about 1 Am and they started testing to see what was leaking. The first test was inconclusive. At 3 AM, we got the news I was dreading, my water had indeed broke. During the same time I was on the fetal contraction monitor. Although I wasn't feeling them, I was having steady contractions every 4 minutes. At not quite 24 weeks, that is not good.

I was immediately started on Magenisum Sulfate, Antiobiotics and fluids to try and replenish my bag waters. I was also given a steroid shot to try and help mature Matthew's lungs, just in case.

We have talked to the perinatal specialist as well as the head doctor of the NICU. We are incredibly fortunate that we are at this hospital. They have a level 4 NICU and one of the best in the Nation.

We also had an ultra sound this morning. I am constantly leaking fluids but Matthew still has a good amount around him. Him and I are both responding well to the Magnesium, considering. His heart beat is staying good and steady and his kidneys are working really good by flushing it out.

My contractions are under control. Maybe 1 an hour. I will stay on the Magnesium and strict hospital bed rest until I deliver. The ultra sound showed Matthew's gestational age as 23w5d. We are taking one day and one goal at a time. Right now, our goal is to get to 24 weeks. That is when we have the best chance for survival, although the risk of problems are incredibly high. If we can get to 28 weeks, I will be so grateful and the NICU said they would be thrilled.

So, right now, I am prepared for delivery. We've had to decide what we want to do for Matthew if he is born too soon. We were given the options of either allowing him to fight on his own and pass or to put forth all heroic measures. If he is delivered in the next couple of days, it is unlikely that he will survive and if he does, there will be severe delays and more than likely brain damage. We have decided that we want all measures taken to get him stable and then decide our next step at that point.

I have had my rhogam shot (ow) and am anticipating the next steroid shot. As long as I can keep free of infection, I can keep from delivering and they will keep preventing labor. I miss Kaitlyn terribly. She will be staying with Nana and Papa and Grandma and Grandpa. Daddy has been great and so has everyone else. I appreciate all everyone has done for us.

I will have fast internet connection tomorrow and will keep updates going as we have them.