Trying to Enjoy the Pregnancy

Throughout our journey thus far I have really tried to savor each moment of the pregnancy.  This is not always easy to do because I am scared to become too attached.  I want to be 100% excited but at the same time I don't want to even think of possibly losing our baby after we have made it this far. My sister Deann and our good friend Tori came up on Sunday evening to spend a few days with me at the house.  We didn't have many plans other than decorating the newly finished basement and taking a few pregnancy pictures.  If you know me well, you know that I love pictures.  Andrew jokes that we should just have a permanent account or buy some stock in Shutterfly with as much as we use it.  This pregnancy is no different.  I keep trying to take pictures because in my eyes that is a winning situation that I can control.  If this baby survives we will have pictures to cherish and if this baby doesn't make it then I will still have my pregnancy pictures to treasure and hold on to.  Here are a few of the moments we captured:

22 Weeks Along: Week 6 of Bed Rest

Another week has come and gone and we are now past the 22 week mark.  We had another appointment in Sioux Falls today and we are thankful to have positive information to share with you.  When we go to Sioux Falls we basically have a very long ultrasound - I think today's lasted about 40 minutes.  They try to check every part of anatomy from the heart down to little things like the nose and lip.  Baby continues to grow - it now weighs 1lb 3 oz.  We are thankful that our fluid level is higher yet again.  We now have 3.7 cm of fluid compared to 2.7 measured three weeks ago and zero six weeks ago.  This is a great thing.  Dr. Boyle is very impressed we have that amount and said the more we can get the more chances the baby's lungs have to develop.  Another item of praise is that the kidneys which looked inflamed last appointment haven't changed.  Our ultrasound tech said they are at the high end of the normal range of size now and therefore most likely working properly.  We also can see fluid in the stomach which means the baby is swallowing some fluid at least....we just won't know if it is enough until baby has to take its first breath outside of the womb.

Things for which we ask your prayers....

1.  We couldn't get a clear picture but our baby may have one club foot.  This just means that one of his/her feet are turned inward.  The baby is sitting on one of its legs so it is pushed up against the outside of the womb.  Normally a baby "floats" in the fluid and therefore everything can develop.  Since the baby is pushed up against the membrane, it does not have enough strength to push away in order to grow.  Instead everything just continues to grow where it is - or make adjustments and therefore the club foot.  The doctor said this is fixable.  If this is due to low fluid then it could most likely be fixed in the first few months with just a cast.  If it is something genetic it takes a little more time and usually surgery but still fixable.  Otherwise all of the baby's fingers & toes seem to be developed.

2.  Time - we are praying that we make it to 24 weeks when they say the baby is viable outside the womb.  This would be awesome!  Originally we were going to be admitted at that time to Sanford and I would be on bed rest until delivery.  At this point, if things continue to go well, we are considering staying home until 26 or 27 weeks.  The doctor said it is our call but we must understand we are taking a risk in doing so because we would not be in the hospital for constant monitoring.  We asked what they would do at the hospital that I wouldn't be doing at home.  They would put me on a stress monitor three times a day for an hour each time, take vitals, and just be close in an emergency situation.  Even in that scenario he said we are only watching the baby for 3 hours out of the day so we wouldn't be guaranteed anything either.  If we were home I would go to Orange City two times a week to be placed on the stress monitor and take my own temp as I am doing now.  So as of right now we are thinking that we will benefit more from staying home, being comfortable, and sleeping well for an extra two or three weeks rather than be sitting in the hospital for the same thing.  These are our thoughts now but we ask for prayers as we make this decision and have to be aware of the risks that can occur.

3.  Lastly, we were reminded of reality today.  We have made it six weeks further than any doctor, nurse, or medical person would have thought.  This baby is already a miracle.  When things are going great it is easy to think everything is okay.  When we left the hospital six weeks ago we were given a 5 - 10% chance that this baby would survive.  If we keep the amount of fluid or gain a little more we are back to the 50% chance of survival.  50% is still a hard number to hear.  We always want the truth but at the same time it reminds us we may make it to a viable stage and still lose this baby.  God is good though and we continue to rely on Him for peace and endurance throughout this process.

What next - we continue to wait.  We have another appointment scheduled in Sioux Falls in two weeks.  At that point we could admit ourselves if we choose.  Otherwise we can take it week by week.  Thank you for all of your prayers, cards, and packages.  We truly our blessed with great friends and family.  We hope that you enjoy your weekend since it is actually nice out!  (FYI - this is the first Friday in 6 weeks that it has not been hazy or raining. Every other appointment we have had we drove in rain.)

(To Makinley)  Great work baby girl!  You are hanging in there and we are so proud of you!  Don't be disappointed about your club foot.  We love you however God has made you.  You are still special and we will overcome this as well.  Your mommy & daddy love you lots little one!!!

Road Trip to Omaha

Andrew and I decided to go on a mini road trip today.  I have been doing a lot of research on baby furniture while on bed rest but pictures just don't do me justice.  My husband knows me well enough to know I like to see things in person and then make my decision.  I have to rule out every option in order to love what we end up with.  Luckily, I had it narrowed down to two options; one from Target and one from Baby's R Us.  Since things were going fairly smooth with the pregnancy we decided to head to the nearest Baby's R Us store to pick out furniture together.  Once again - Andrew knew this would also make me feel less gypped of the whole pregnancy and first child experience. 

It was also neat to see how flooded everything was near the Missouri River.  It is amazing how many fields are under water and how much damage has occurred.  Here are a few pictures I snapped while we were driving....




This is a ditch that runs right along side the interstate. 
Some lanes were actually closed because water was starting to cover them partially.





This was taken in Sioux City.  You can see how far the water comes up just by looking at the stoplights.

 

20 Weeks Along: Week 4 of Bed Rest

Wow - we have made it a month since we were at the Sanford Hospital ER. We are now officially 5 months along and our baby is definitely still growing!  We had another appointment in Orange City today and to be honest I don't have a lot to tell you.  We did not do an ultrasound as we had expected since they got so many good pictures of anatomy last week in Sioux Falls.  My blood count does continue to creep up.  We were at 12.1 today and if we get to 14/15 points that is when the doctors get concerned.  So in the last month I went up .8 points.  If we can keep that pace we will at least make it to a point in the pregnancy where the baby is viable.  Additional good news is that we are not going to do an appointment next week Friday.  As long as things remain the same we are planning to go to our Sanford appointment in two weeks.

Once again - thanks for your continued prayers, support, phone calls, meals, visits, etc.  Every aspect is greatly appreciated.  We have a long road ahead but in an ideal situation we are 1/4 of the way done in our waiting period.  We are 4 weeks away from the crucial stage of 24 weeks which at this point is our first goal.  Our doctor in Orange City did make the comment today that if things keep progressing like this he would maybe even suggest staying at home longer instead of being admitted to Sanford at 24 weeks like they are suggesting at this time.  We will just continue to take things one day at a time, thankful that each day we are one day closer, and make those decisions as the time comes.



20 weeks pregnant



19 Weeks Along: Week 3 of Bed Rest

Another week has passed and once again we give praise for the positive report we received today at Sanford in Sioux Falls.  We were able to ask many questions  that have been on our minds as well as see a lot of anatomy that is not possible on Orange City's ultrasound machines.  We spoke with Dr. Boyle who
was one of the OB specialists we saw when we were at Sanford three weeks ago.  I think he is just as shocked as we are that we are still here today - with the baby that God has blessed us with.  We reminded him that we are only in this position because God has chose for this to occur - nothing else can explain why things look so positive.  Once again the baby's brain, spine, and heart look fine.  We were able to get a good look at the kidneys for the first time and they are slightly inflamed but nothing to be alarmed about.  Dr. Boyle said many pregnancies have that and sometimes it is just the stage of development where the baby is trying to use them more (18-21 weeks) and therefore they become slightly larger.  We will keep an eye on them but for now do nothing.  We asked what the baby's lungs looked like and he said that there is no way to judge a baby's lungs before they are born.  They are "deflated" until birth because baby gets 100% of oxygen from mom.  So we will never know if the lungs are developed until that point. 

Best news of the day - we have a tiny amount of fluid all of the way around the baby!  Normal would be 9 to 22 centimeters surrounding and we have 2.7 cm. Studies have shown that even mom's who have 1-2 cm have babies with a higher chance of survival than mom's with no fluid.  So we hope we can at least
maintain that amount or increase it slightly.  Three weeks ago I had zero so the doctor was very impressed with this amount as well as how much the baby was moving.

So for now we will continue to have appointments every Friday.  If in five weeks we are still in this position they strongly advise that I be admitted to the Sanford hospital since at that point the baby has a chance of survival.  If things are going good we may try to hold off a little longer just for the comfort of being at
home, more relaxed, and eating your own food.  But, obviously at this point we don't have to think that far ahead - we are just happy to be three weeks further which puts us at 19 weeks along.  The baby is still measuring ahead but our doctor said that could be because Andrew and I are above average in height too.  He was not alarmed and would not change my date to the 20 weeks which baby is measuring.

Once again - thank you for your continued prayers.  Our prayers right now consist of more fluid, patience, and contentment.  I am willing to do whatever I can to give this baby a fighting chance - but that doesn't mean every day is easy.  I would love to be more active and working so pray that I can stay content with being at home and being healthy.  We also ask you send up prayers of thanks - thanks to God for answering our prayers thus far and for keeping me/the baby safe.




19 weeks pregnant - I look forward to Friday's because we get to see the baby
on ultrasound and I get to enjoy being outside of our house for a few short hours.