We made it another week but it wasn't without a little drama. I had my usual non-stress test (NST) on Monday and it was just okay. My doctor wasn't super alarmed by it but she decided that since I was having an ultrasound the next day for my fluid levels she would add on a biophysical just to make sure. During the ultrasound we watched as the tech measured the fluid. She's not allowed to discuss results with us but we've seen enough ultrasounds that we know what to watch for when looking at the fluid numbers (amniotic fluid index or AFI). We noticed that she was getting a number closer to 5 which is at the very low end of the range (I've been mostly between 7 and 9 over the last 8 weeks). This lower fluid level lent to a 6/8 on the biophysical exam.
Knowing this we were expecting a call from my doctor at some point in the day. It was a long wait but I finally heard from my doctor in the afternoon. (It did motivate us to order a few things from Amazon for the baby that we'd been procrastinating buying) She had spoken with the specialist in Saginaw and they decided that I needed to go into Labor and Delivery for a prolonged NST. She told me to pack an overnight bag and that they would likely do another AFI reading in the morning. This was terrifying because we were thinking...we could be having this baby this week.
Anyway, off to the hospital where I got all hooked up to the monitors and had to answer a million and one questions. Kevin immediately started playing with things in the room. Luckily the NST was going pretty well and we just had to wait for my doctor to come by to take a closer look. She got there around 7pm and was very pleased with how the baby was doing saying it was the best one she'd seen from me the entire time...I believe she used the word 'stellar' and gave me the okay to go home which I was very grateful for. Hospital beds are not comfortable as many of you already know.
Wednesday brought with it another ultrasound for the AFI check. The numbers were a little better than the day before and the tech reported a 6.6cm to the doctor. (Keep in mind this is a very dynamic number and changes all the time depending on how the baby is positioned, moving, peeing, etc). Thursday I went in for my regularly scheduled NST at the doctor's office and it looked good as well. They are going to have me go into the hospital for another AFI check and NST on Saturday to get me through the weekend. I don't have an appointment with the specialist until Tuesday and they didn't want me to go from Thursday to Tuesday without having the fluid looked at.
The good news is that I'm still pregnant! Wednesday marked 36 weeks and I'm really really hoping that we can at least make it to next Wednesday. It's been a stressful week but this is the reason why we've been doing all this monitoring in the first place. It just kind of caught us off guard because things have been fairly stable for the last 8 weeks. We are literally getting through one day at a time right now and we are thankful for each one that we get.
Besides another appointment on Saturday morning I'm hoping that we can get some of our Christmas decorations up this weekend. I usually wait until after Thanksgiving but considering this whole unpredictable baby thing we have going on we feel okay with getting a little bit of a head start. Our nursery is for the most part set up to where it is functional. There is still some organization and wall decor type things I would like to do but I'm thinking we're just going to wait. Baby K won't know if her name is above her crib or if her closet is cluttered or not!
I'm hopeful that there will be a 37 week update but we will see!
Knowing this we were expecting a call from my doctor at some point in the day. It was a long wait but I finally heard from my doctor in the afternoon. (It did motivate us to order a few things from Amazon for the baby that we'd been procrastinating buying) She had spoken with the specialist in Saginaw and they decided that I needed to go into Labor and Delivery for a prolonged NST. She told me to pack an overnight bag and that they would likely do another AFI reading in the morning. This was terrifying because we were thinking...we could be having this baby this week.
Anyway, off to the hospital where I got all hooked up to the monitors and had to answer a million and one questions. Kevin immediately started playing with things in the room. Luckily the NST was going pretty well and we just had to wait for my doctor to come by to take a closer look. She got there around 7pm and was very pleased with how the baby was doing saying it was the best one she'd seen from me the entire time...I believe she used the word 'stellar' and gave me the okay to go home which I was very grateful for. Hospital beds are not comfortable as many of you already know.
Wednesday brought with it another ultrasound for the AFI check. The numbers were a little better than the day before and the tech reported a 6.6cm to the doctor. (Keep in mind this is a very dynamic number and changes all the time depending on how the baby is positioned, moving, peeing, etc). Thursday I went in for my regularly scheduled NST at the doctor's office and it looked good as well. They are going to have me go into the hospital for another AFI check and NST on Saturday to get me through the weekend. I don't have an appointment with the specialist until Tuesday and they didn't want me to go from Thursday to Tuesday without having the fluid looked at.
The good news is that I'm still pregnant! Wednesday marked 36 weeks and I'm really really hoping that we can at least make it to next Wednesday. It's been a stressful week but this is the reason why we've been doing all this monitoring in the first place. It just kind of caught us off guard because things have been fairly stable for the last 8 weeks. We are literally getting through one day at a time right now and we are thankful for each one that we get.
Besides another appointment on Saturday morning I'm hoping that we can get some of our Christmas decorations up this weekend. I usually wait until after Thanksgiving but considering this whole unpredictable baby thing we have going on we feel okay with getting a little bit of a head start. Our nursery is for the most part set up to where it is functional. There is still some organization and wall decor type things I would like to do but I'm thinking we're just going to wait. Baby K won't know if her name is above her crib or if her closet is cluttered or not!
I'm hopeful that there will be a 37 week update but we will see!
3 comments:
You look beautiful Cara! Please know all three of you continue to be in our thoughts and prayers. Give Kevin a hug for me!
Sorry this has been such a difficult time for you. We are praying and will continue to pray, every day! Love you all and can't wait till this is all over for you and baby K is safe in your arms! Love Aunt Kim
This week did have "drama." The three of you seem to be doing well through the waiting and tests. Your little girl will be here soon. Uncle Dale and I will continue to pray for your family.
Post a Comment