BIG changes for BOTH mom & baby

We had a very BUSY couple of days this week. On Tuesday Brian and I went up to OHSU for a full day of appointments.

We started the day off Tuesday with my cardiology appointment. They did the exams and then we met with the cardiologist. The good news is that I have been fully cleared for delivery and even for future pregnancies! Up until now we still were not 100% sure if we would be able to have more children in the future so this was very positive news. The not so positive news is that after Davis is born the doctor would like to operate to put a stint in my heart. He said they would like to do this 6 to 9 months after Davis arrives. (This will be to correct a problem that I have always had, this problem is not a result of the pregnancy.)

We left the cardiology department a few hours later and I thought we had received all the big news for the day, little did I know....

Next we went to my fetal monitoring appointment and ultrasound. On the ultrasound Davis was not looking so good. His intestines have become very dilated and possibly twisted. Also his bladder is being pulled towards the defect and not only causing it to not function properly but also the walls of the bladder to thicken. This caused alarm with the doctors so they decided that we will not wait for original November 23rd delivery date and they decided to give him steroids to prep his lungs for his early arrival (sometime in the next 2 weeks).

The good news we got is that he gained almost a whole pound and is now up to 4lbs 2oz!!!

They told me that I needed to stay for a few hours to be monitored to decide the urgency of the situation so they brought me a wheelchair and sent us off to the labor and delivery unit.

Once I arrived there I was hooked up to the fetal monitor. The doctors commented that Davis' heart rate looked good but that I was having frequent contractions. This brought on a whole new wave of issues to deal with! I stayed hooked up to the monitor for almost 5 hours and the contractions not only continued but became more intense (and quite uncomfortable) and very, very close together. The doctors then decided to give me medication to attempt to stop the contractions. I ended up having to take two doses of the medication but finally the contractions eased up. At this point they told me that I would be admitted to the hospital to stay overnight to be monitored.

I also received my first (big) injection of steroids for Davis right in the hip...fun.

Once they got Brian and I to a room it was already 9:30pm. Brian decided that he would drive home to get stuff for the night and next day since we were completely not prepared for the stay! He finally made it back to the hospital at about 2am and we both attempted to get a little sleep.

At 4am my first round of exams began. I had continued to have contractions (more mild than the day before) through the night and into the morning. They had me time and track the contractions for an hour and they were only a few minutes apart. Finally at around 6 or 7am they stopped.

We also met with the anesthesiologist. He explained that while I will most likely have an epidural (becuase of my heart condition) it will probably have to be very mild and most likely not completely manage my pain but just manage my blood pressure. He said that since epidurals normally lower blood pressure quite a bit they can't risk my pressure getting too low because of my heart. He also explained that if I end up having a c-section I will have to be completely put under because a spinal block is not an option with my condition. Then he ending the conversation by telling us about all the scary things that come along with the anesthesia...always comforting things to hear.

I spent the rest of the day being wheeled to and from exams. Plus I was given my second dosage of the steroid injection...now I have matching bruises on each hip, balance is always good :-)

After all of the tests my cervix only showed very minor changes so they gave us the option of going home Wednesday night. I jumped at the chance but I am on bed rest and have been told to be ready to come back.

All in all we had a VERY eventful few days but at least we had a good practice run for the real deal...which is coming sooner rather than later!

Thank you again for all the support and prayers!