Family Updates

Hello all,

We thought we might dust off this blog space to accommodate a place to provide updates about my hospital bedrest and baby #2.

After a relatively uneventful second trimester, I woke up very early one morning last week to my waters breaking.  I quickly woke Adam up and we called the on-call midwife at the hospital to find out what to do.  We were advised to quickly get to Providence St. Vincent medical center which houses the largest high-level NICU in the state and specializes in high-risk pregnancy conditions.  Adam roused our very sweet neighbor Marta who had agreed to be on-call to care for James if something happened in the middle of the night and we didn't have time to get family to the house.  Actually, we didn't really have a solid plan yet for James because of course we thought we still had months to go and assumed I would be at the house for a least a few hours before heading the hospital when the time came.  We are so lucky to have had friends who live close and Marta who had offered to step in.  Marta came right over and gave me a hug, and was very reassuring.  I was crying and trying to figure out what to bring besides my clothes, and quickly gave her a tour of the kitchen.  She is one of the warmest, most welcoming people I've ever met and gave me a huge hug and told me how her son Daniel (who I've also met, and is a very healthy adult guy) was born premature and turned out great.  James has spent lots of time with her and her grandsons and we knew he would be in good hands.  I called my Dad who was already planning to come out from Redmond to have James for the day and let him know we were headed to the hospital and asked that he come as soon as possible.  After trying his number four or five times, he finally answered and got right in his car to make the two and a half hour trip over.

Adam had kept calm while talking to the midwife on-call and she let us know that other NICUs close to our house were full, and strongly recommended that we go to Providence St. Vincent's medical center, which has the largest high-level NICU in the state and the kind of specialists we would need.  By the due date the clinic had given me, I was supposed to have been 24 weeks along and was devastated when I realized there was a good chance I would need to deliver the baby.  I've had some experience covering for a NICU social worker at an old job and remembered that 24 weeks was sort of the "magical" number for viability.  All the way to the hospital I was crying thinking of the worst case scenarios.  It was about 5:30am, and there was hardly any traffic so we made it pretty quickly despite the fact that this particular hospital is pretty far from our house.

We arrived and a team of nurses and doctors were around us.  We confirmed that yes, my waters had broken - they have to test it to make sure its amniotic fluid but honestly, there was no question about what had happened.  The first nurse who took care of me was very warm and helped calm me down; I was shaking and crying and very fearful.  She shared that they had 24, 25 week babies in the NICU that very day and that many did well despite the odds.  After a long morning of consults with high-risk specialists and speaking with neonatologist I was admitted to antepartum room with a plan to be on hospital bedrest.  I was immediately started on two different IV antibiotics and later in the day received a steroid shot that would help prepare the baby's lungs for an early delivery if it needed to happen.  The neonatologist shared statistics and we had a long conversation with him about how aggressively we'd want the baby's care should the baby arrive.  The perinatologist looked through my records and after having a detailed ultrasound, decided that my due date was inaccurate (as I've strongly suspected all along) and instead said I was about 26 weeks along.  This was great news for us since at this stage every week and every day really improves outcomes for babies born early.  The ultrasound also showed other good news - the baby looks like it's doing well, is head down, and still has some pockets of fluid.  Babies can survive without fluid but it helps their lungs and brain develop properly, so this was great to hear.

For the next two days I was pretty much continuously monitored and had IV meds and completed the course of steroids.  We let our families and loved ones know what was happening and tried to come up with a plan for help with James so that Adam could spend some time with me at the hospital.  We were pretty much reeling but grateful for every bit of hopeful information we'd received.

Today is officially day 6 of bedrest in the hospital.  I still have an IV line in case of emergency but am now taking oral medications and only need to have the baby monitored a few times a day for an hour or so.  I've "earned" the privilege of getting one 30-minute wheelchair ride per day.  I am allowed to walk from my bed to the bathroom and take a shower, which makes me feel so much better after having to sit in bed all day.  I've had two visits with James; both times were the highlight of my day but bittersweet when we had to say goodbye.  I'm not sure how to explain or help him understand that I'm not coming home but we are telling him things on his level and trying to stay really positive and upbeat.  My dad went home today and my mom and grandma also stopped by for a quick visit this evening.  I also had some girlfriends visit last night and it is really nice to have people to talk to, especially to visit about non-hospital related things.  I am adjusting to the reality that I won't be home again until after I have the baby and am here for an undetermined amount of time.  The goal is for me to first make it another two weeks - 28 weeks is a big milestone for premature babies - and then hopefully to 30 and beyond.  I have hardly wrapped my mind around the fact that I could be sitting in this bed for weeks but am just going to take things one day at a time.

Thank you so, so much to everyone who has reached out to say hi and provide a supportive ear.  It means a lot.  I don't always have the emotional energy to talk every day but will plan to keep this space updated and stay in touch.  Lots of love from us.