My NST went fantastic. My blood pressure was normal. :) The nurses kept talking about how great he was doing in there. I guess babies that are at this point tend to slow down a little, but he's not showing any signs of being past-due. Since he's doing so well, they really don't want to induce him, they want him to come out on his own.
I had five contractions while I was at the test. I felt exatly: zero. But things are moving along somehow because I'm at 3cm now. He's getting grumpy in there about being squeezed or something, because he's been pushing at me for the last few days! :) I want to tell him it's not me!!
So we'll see if we can string some contractions together over the weekend, and then we'll be back in on Tuesday for my appointment.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Friday, March 30, 2007
Update--where is baby??
Where is baby? Comfortably and happy and still inside mama!
He does have a schedule, however! If he's not going to come on his own, this is the plan so far:
~ NST (non-stress test) on Saturday at 9am to monitor him and my blood pressure
~ Standard appointment on Tuesday 4/3 in the a.m. Another NST, another stripping of my membranes, and if my blood pressure is high: Induction
~ Thursday 4/6... Time's up, buddy! Induction.
Although in speaking with his heart doctors, they would rather have him come at the beginning of the week instead of the end. So we'll aim for that. But, honestly, this stubborn little guy is just going to darn well come when he does!!
He does have a schedule, however! If he's not going to come on his own, this is the plan so far:
~ NST (non-stress test) on Saturday at 9am to monitor him and my blood pressure
~ Standard appointment on Tuesday 4/3 in the a.m. Another NST, another stripping of my membranes, and if my blood pressure is high: Induction
~ Thursday 4/6... Time's up, buddy! Induction.
Although in speaking with his heart doctors, they would rather have him come at the beginning of the week instead of the end. So we'll aim for that. But, honestly, this stubborn little guy is just going to darn well come when he does!!
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Doctors Galore!
We had three doctor's appointments this week. One was the baby's regular ultrasound, one was my regular check-up, and one was the Fetal Echo.
My ultrasound doctor is Dr. Case. He says the baby is growing big and strong--he says that he's about 6lbs, 2oz at this point. Certainly not King Kong, but very respectable as he can be expected to pack on another pound in a month. My friend Michelle just had a baby that was 9lbs, 8oz. Woohoo! The baby was also showing off by working his little diaphram and showing he was ready to come out and breathe.
At my regular check-up, I've found that I'm about 1.5cm dilated, and things are on target for a delivery at the end of the month. The baby is getting ready to make his way into the world! My doctor is Dr. Kathy Partida.
At the Fetal Echo, he once again demonstrated that he could breathe now by moving his diaphram, but decided they didn't need to look all that closely at his heart. He wadded himself up into a little ball and kept moving his arms and legs around so they would be sure to catch the shadows. What they did see is that his heart function is still excellent and that everything still looks like it's the same size. The doctor is Meg MacMillan--she's relatively new at Children's--and she's very excited about his case.
The baby is coming soon! I'm getting excited and a little afraid of delivery, but that's normal. I just don't know what to expect. But once we get thru that and his little operation, we're going to be set!
(We just ate breakfast so he's demonstrating to me that he needs more room! STRETCH! POKE!)
My ultrasound doctor is Dr. Case. He says the baby is growing big and strong--he says that he's about 6lbs, 2oz at this point. Certainly not King Kong, but very respectable as he can be expected to pack on another pound in a month. My friend Michelle just had a baby that was 9lbs, 8oz. Woohoo! The baby was also showing off by working his little diaphram and showing he was ready to come out and breathe.
At my regular check-up, I've found that I'm about 1.5cm dilated, and things are on target for a delivery at the end of the month. The baby is getting ready to make his way into the world! My doctor is Dr. Kathy Partida.
At the Fetal Echo, he once again demonstrated that he could breathe now by moving his diaphram, but decided they didn't need to look all that closely at his heart. He wadded himself up into a little ball and kept moving his arms and legs around so they would be sure to catch the shadows. What they did see is that his heart function is still excellent and that everything still looks like it's the same size. The doctor is Meg MacMillan--she's relatively new at Children's--and she's very excited about his case.
The baby is coming soon! I'm getting excited and a little afraid of delivery, but that's normal. I just don't know what to expect. But once we get thru that and his little operation, we're going to be set!
(We just ate breakfast so he's demonstrating to me that he needs more room! STRETCH! POKE!)
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Getting Ready
So my friends may think that I'm crazy, and they may be right.... I have purchased an iPod for the baby. I figure he's going to be sitting there in the hospital for a long time, and he'll be sedated enough so where he can't accidentally pull out a tube. I want his mind to be occupied while his body cannot be. I have bought the iPod plus several CDs that the baby can listen to during his hospital stay. I figured that I would end up spending just about as much on a portable CD player, and that is now pretty outdated!
I have also bought many books to read him. That way he will hear my voice and know that I'm near, and he might get a little entertainment out of the deal as well. I'm sure that I'll be hard-pressed to run out of things to talk about, but I would like to pass on my love of books to him.
I've also been getting together decorations for his ICU crib (such as photos of us, etc). I've selected clothes to bring for when he's out of the ICU and some toys, too. We don't have to bring a thing to Children's Hospital, as they will take care of everything, but I think that he should start living like he will at home as soon as possible. That, and he has some darn adorable clothes!! :)
I have also bought many books to read him. That way he will hear my voice and know that I'm near, and he might get a little entertainment out of the deal as well. I'm sure that I'll be hard-pressed to run out of things to talk about, but I would like to pass on my love of books to him.
I've also been getting together decorations for his ICU crib (such as photos of us, etc). I've selected clothes to bring for when he's out of the ICU and some toys, too. We don't have to bring a thing to Children's Hospital, as they will take care of everything, but I think that he should start living like he will at home as soon as possible. That, and he has some darn adorable clothes!! :)
Thursday, March 1, 2007
What will be done...
The baby will be born at Evergreen as originally planned. It will be a normal birth--there is nothing wrong with the baby until he comes out of the womb, so I don't have to have a scheduled delivery or anything special for his birth. His heart doctor tells me that this is all about me.
Once the baby is born, we'll have a few minutes to "meet" him before he's taken to the ICU. He will be given a drug to help the O2 in his blood, and he will be put on a machine that will breathe for him. He can breathe on his own, but this machine will make sure he is breathing correctly as they will also sedate him.
The baby will be transferred via ambulance to Children's at this point. After arrival he will undergo a small surgery to create a hole in his heart... yes, we just said it's a good thing that he doesn't have one, but this hole between the upper chambers will help the O2 mix in his system. It will help him be stable and make sure he's getting enough O2 to prevent any brain damage.
Now the scans will begin. They will scan his little heart and make sure the pre-natal scans were correct, and to see the configuration of his arteries and blood vessels. If they are not too complicated and the baby is stable, he will undergo his surgery in 2-7 days after his birth. The doctors switch his arteries so that it will properly pump his blood.
After this scary surgery, his little heart will be fixed. There are a few complications with it, but luckily most of them have been addressed over the years. He will probably not have to have another--but this procedure is so new that it's only been done since the early 80s. There is no one middle-aged alive today that has undergone it. That is how new it is.
His recovery time in the hospital should be approximately 3 weeks after his surgery, depending on how he is doing. They will slowly remove the tubes and wires until he's just a normal little baby with a zipper down the front. The scar should heal quickly and fade over time into something that is nearly invisible.
I'm so happy that we know about this ahead of time. I couldn't imagine facing this as a surprise after his birth.
This is all for now... I have an appointment next week in order to look into his heart some more. The last Fetal Echo before he's born!! Wow... only a month to go!
Once the baby is born, we'll have a few minutes to "meet" him before he's taken to the ICU. He will be given a drug to help the O2 in his blood, and he will be put on a machine that will breathe for him. He can breathe on his own, but this machine will make sure he is breathing correctly as they will also sedate him.
The baby will be transferred via ambulance to Children's at this point. After arrival he will undergo a small surgery to create a hole in his heart... yes, we just said it's a good thing that he doesn't have one, but this hole between the upper chambers will help the O2 mix in his system. It will help him be stable and make sure he's getting enough O2 to prevent any brain damage.
Now the scans will begin. They will scan his little heart and make sure the pre-natal scans were correct, and to see the configuration of his arteries and blood vessels. If they are not too complicated and the baby is stable, he will undergo his surgery in 2-7 days after his birth. The doctors switch his arteries so that it will properly pump his blood.
After this scary surgery, his little heart will be fixed. There are a few complications with it, but luckily most of them have been addressed over the years. He will probably not have to have another--but this procedure is so new that it's only been done since the early 80s. There is no one middle-aged alive today that has undergone it. That is how new it is.
His recovery time in the hospital should be approximately 3 weeks after his surgery, depending on how he is doing. They will slowly remove the tubes and wires until he's just a normal little baby with a zipper down the front. The scar should heal quickly and fade over time into something that is nearly invisible.
I'm so happy that we know about this ahead of time. I couldn't imagine facing this as a surprise after his birth.
This is all for now... I have an appointment next week in order to look into his heart some more. The last Fetal Echo before he's born!! Wow... only a month to go!
A Blog's Start!
Hello!
I would like to say that this is an original idea, but I actually got it from one of the ladies in my heart support group. I decided to keep up a blog in order to keep everyone up to date on the baby. First things first... let's give a little history here!!
July 2006 -
I get pregnant! Well, this was a surprise, but we're happy about it.
September 2006 -
Our first ultrasound... he looks so cute already. Well, I had been calling him a boy, and our ultrasound doctor, Dr. Case, says that his "gender guess" at this point is male. Can't really tell at 12 weeks.
November 2006 -
Another ultrasound. It was during a big wind/rain storm. I remember the storm well as it took us over an hour to drive the nine miles home. While we were in the ultrasound room we found out that we are indeed having a boy. We also found out our son has something called TGA - Transposition of the Great Arteries. I have no idea what that meant at that point... I am scheduled to have more tests.
November 2006, con't -
We have a Fetal Echocardiogram. This is a test like an ultrasound, but designed to look right into the baby's heart. The diagnosis is confirmed. It is TGA. The baby's Pulminary and Coronary arteries are connected into his heart on the wrong side. When he is born and his little body takes over on his own without mine to support him, he will continually circulate blood that never gets any O2 from the heart. If nothing is done... well, we won't go there.
What is the option? Surgery.
When? Right after he's born--within days.
Oh boy.
Back to the present....
My pregnancy has been going along normally other than the heart issue. The baby is strong, his heart is strong, he is healthy and growing like he should be. There seem to be no associated defects (like a hole in the heart or misshapen chambers) with the TGA. We learn more and more with every appointment we go to.
I would like to say that this is an original idea, but I actually got it from one of the ladies in my heart support group. I decided to keep up a blog in order to keep everyone up to date on the baby. First things first... let's give a little history here!!
July 2006 -
I get pregnant! Well, this was a surprise, but we're happy about it.
September 2006 -
Our first ultrasound... he looks so cute already. Well, I had been calling him a boy, and our ultrasound doctor, Dr. Case, says that his "gender guess" at this point is male. Can't really tell at 12 weeks.
November 2006 -
Another ultrasound. It was during a big wind/rain storm. I remember the storm well as it took us over an hour to drive the nine miles home. While we were in the ultrasound room we found out that we are indeed having a boy. We also found out our son has something called TGA - Transposition of the Great Arteries. I have no idea what that meant at that point... I am scheduled to have more tests.
November 2006, con't -
We have a Fetal Echocardiogram. This is a test like an ultrasound, but designed to look right into the baby's heart. The diagnosis is confirmed. It is TGA. The baby's Pulminary and Coronary arteries are connected into his heart on the wrong side. When he is born and his little body takes over on his own without mine to support him, he will continually circulate blood that never gets any O2 from the heart. If nothing is done... well, we won't go there.
What is the option? Surgery.
When? Right after he's born--within days.
Oh boy.
Back to the present....
My pregnancy has been going along normally other than the heart issue. The baby is strong, his heart is strong, he is healthy and growing like he should be. There seem to be no associated defects (like a hole in the heart or misshapen chambers) with the TGA. We learn more and more with every appointment we go to.
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