I had a sonogram and doctors appointment about a week and a half ago that did not turn out as planned. I am still processing everything they told me and seem to be worried about, so I hope this makes sense. I am going to use bullet points because that seems to help me keep the info straight in my head. (Oh, and if you don't want to read words like uterus, cervix, and placenta, now is the time to stop reading).
To keep things short and sweet, this pregnancy has been a bit rougher than I had with Grace, but nothing too out of the ordinary. Cramping, spotting, and low fluid levels have been an issue as of late but we have been chalking it up to stress, being on my feet more than I should be, and dehydration (although less than 100 ounces of water a day is a bad day for me. This baby just needs A LOT of fluid!)
I had a great sonogram on the 21st. She is growing beautifully, already estimated at 3.7 pounds, heart, brain, everything looks great. The only issue has been this "cluster" of blood vessels around my uterus (such an awkward word) that they have been checking every sonogram. Luckily Dan mentioned at the end of the sonogram that they needed to check the "cluster" and when they did it appears to have grown. A lot. And not just grown but moved to a place near the lining of my uterus, which is also getting a bit too thin for the Dr.'s comfort. So here is a quick breakdown of what ensued over the next hour:
* Dr. Atkinson let Dr. Owen (my OB) know about the blood situation and told me best case scenario that I would need extra blood during my scheduled c-section. He left out worst case scenario.
* He seemed more concerned about the cramping and spotting than Dr. Owen has been. He did a swab test and an internal sonogram to rule out pre-term labor symptoms and make sure it's not a bacterial infection causing the cramping and spotting. All test have come back negative.
* I walked into Dr. Owen's office right after the sonogram and she was clearly flustered and upset about the blood situation. She then proceeded to tell me that they are concerned about placenta accreta, which is when the placenta grows up into the uterus and attaches itself. The only way to get rid of the placenta is to cut it away from the uterus, leaving the uterus wall too weak to carry another baby, so they will more than likely perform a hysterectomy. Deep breaths.
* She then told me that she wanted to do non-stress tests every week and that she was giving me a steroid shot at week 32. And that I wasn't on bed rest yet, but I better take it extremely easy and stay off my feet as much as possible or it was a certainty (she knows I am deathly afraid of bed rest so I know if she puts me on it, it's serious). Oh, and I also got put on pelvic rest (sorry, I'm not going to explain it on the blog). Fun times.
* She also told me that she was nearly certain I was not going to make it until May 24th, the scheduled c-section date, and that her dad was most definitely going to assist in case there are any problems (he's an OBGYN in case you were wondering if she was just very family oriented). More fun times.
* The non-stress test looked fine on Monday. Baby girl was kicking like you would not believe and the nurse explained some things to me that helped a lot. I asked her why the non-stress test if I was clearly not having any contractions and my cervix is "a great length," according to the Dr. It seemed a bit dramatic to me. She explained that they have to make sure I don't have any kind of contractions or labor because of my thin uterine wall. That made sense to me.
So here we are today. I feel okay, just more like I'm 38 weeks pregnant instead of 31. I'm not terribly stressed or worried (worst case scenarios are just that, and until Dr. Owen tells me that I for sure have an accreta I am not going to get worked up about it). I have another appointment on Tuesday with Dr. Owen and another non-stress test, so hopefully we will have more answers and can get some kind of a plan going. I am trying very hard to stay off my feet and keep the stress level down so I don't have to go on bed rest.
And on to a lighter note, I have a precious pumpkin that keeps me laughing every day. This week she is very into wearing her tutu. Here she is watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in her favorite chair and "skirt." Her allergies have been terrible so her poor eyes were barely open.