Well.....its been an interesting start to Spring Break 2014 :)
Last Sunday (4/6) I was having shortness of breath. I tried for 2 hours to see if it would go away but it didn't. So I called the doctors office. My midwife said to drink 4-5 glasses of water in one hour, lay on my left side and see if it goes away. So I did, feel asleep and felt better.
I woke up Monday morning having shortness of breath again. I decided I would just drink lots of water and go to work to see if it would go away. Well, it didn't. So, I called the doctors office and they wanted me to come in. They hooked me up to a monitor to check on the baby and she was fine. My BP was a little high but not too alarming. After 2 hours of listening the baby, checking my BP, and having some blood work, they told me to go home and rest. They said the shortness of breath could be from allergies or the position of the baby. The doctor did find a small heart murmur in my heart but said that was probably due to pregnancy. I was instructed to drink lots of water with added electrolytes, take Claritin D, rest, and wear diabetic socks to help with blood circulation. Ok....so I did what I was told and pretty much laid in the bed the rest of the day.
On Wednesday the lab called and said my platelet levels were low (They were 151 and the range is 153-350 something) and I would need to come in have blood drawn again. Well I already had a scheduled appointment on Friday as a follow up from Monday so they said I could just wait until then. So.....I worked Friday and went in for my appointment at 2:10. Little did I know....it was going to be no bueno.
As soon as I got there, they took my BP which was really high. If you know my history, I had preclamsia with Gage (very high blood pressure) so they have been very careful to watch my BP. The doctor was concerned with my BP so she wanted to hook me up to a monitor to check the baby. Well.....her heartbeat was EXTREMELY high...230 (normally around 135). It stayed that way for an hour. When her heartbeat would go off the charts, the machine beeps....very scary. I actually went to this appointment by myself, not knowing all of this...so needless to say I was very nervous. My midwife then wanted to check my reflexes which were not responding and she thought they should. She told me she was sending me to the hospital. My first question was, what will they do there? I heard the words...deliver. Deliver?! I'm not ready to deliver, I'm only 34 weeks....I still have stuff to do to the nursery, my bags aren't packed, Erik is working in Greensboro.....I can't deliver! Clearly that all took a back seat to the fact that Lyla and I were not in great condition.
So, I texted my sisters, mom, and Erik and asked someone to come get me to take me to the hospital. Erik left Greensboro immediately but obviously had a 1.5 hr drive. Lindsay said she was on her way. Well this was about 3:00 and I am in Huntersville so we all know what the means....traffic (seriously, when is there NOT traffic in Huntersville?!). After about 15 minutes Lyla's heart rate was still up and so was my BP. Next words...Ambulance. Ugh, ambulance, there goes $1200. Anyways, Lindsay got there about the same time as the ambulance and they said she could ride in the front seat.
We get to the hospital, and the doctor comes in. He starts explaining the process of an emergency c-section. Not what I wanted to hear but anything to help this baby, I would do. I signed the papers to approve the c-section and was preparing myself. Well....you know how fast things can change. They hooked Lyla up to the monitor and she had calmed down. THANK YOU GOD. My BP was still a little high but it had lowered. They said Lyla and I had one hour to stay steady/improve or they would go ahead and deliver her via c-section. Well.....as I am writing this, she is still in my belly :) God is good, ALL the time.
I had to spend the night so they could keep monitoring things. They did take my blood and my platelets had dropped even more, down to 126. Platelets help clot your blood so its concerning (I think more to my sisters than the doctors). I was told below 100, when I do deliver...I can't get an epidural. Ok, WHAT?! No epidural, are you kidding me?! Um...I can tolerate pain but if I can avoid it....I will. So that was not good news. Then they checked my platelet levels again, last reading was 108. Come on. Good thing, there are some things they can do to help increase platelet levels.....steroids. We all know my last run in with steroids, no good. So anyways, please pray my platelets do not continue to drop. Obviously when you have a baby, you bleed a lot. So...I really need my blood to clot so we can have a SAFE delivery.
So Erik and I spent the night at the hospital Friday night. They scheduled an ultrasound at 8am Saturday morning. Again, God is good. Lyla looked great, had to right amount of fluid where it should be, her heart rate was steady around 135, and the doctors were pleased. We even saw hair on the ultrasound (yea, you know what I''m thinking.....that girl better have some hair because I sure don't). She weighs 4.5 lbs. so we would like to her "cook" a little longer, at least 2-3 more weeks. So everything went well overnight and I was told the doctor would come in at 1:30 to discuss what to do further. Well.....at 5:30, yes that would be 4 hours later, the internal fetal medicine doctor came in. She explained a lot of things but felt like we would be ok to go home. She said they wouldn't be too terribly concerned about my platelet levels unless they drop below 70. After a long talk with her, I was told I could put on regular clothes (YES!). So I did. Well.....the nurse came in and said, "the midwife and doctor (from my OB office) want to talk to you before you leave". Uh o, ok? I was convinced I would be putting the hospital gown back on.
My mid wife left her house to come and talk to me so I had a feeling it wasn't good. So anyways, the doctor and midwife came in to explain EVERYTHING. I was so glad they did. They wanted me to be seen at the office weekly (if not more), get a echocaridogram on Lyla on Monday, and recheck my blood work on Tuesday. They said since Lyla's heart rate looked good and my BP looked better overnight, it was ok to go home. Except I get to "catch my urine" for 24 hours....yippeee. I had to do that to make sure there was no protein in my urine. So when we got home at 6:30, everytime I had to pee...I had to do it in a bucket, pour it into a jug, and stick in the refrigerator (sorry, TMI). So I did that and Erik had to take it back to the hospital at 6:30 on Sunday.
So here we are, its Monday. I had a rough day yesterday. I laid in bed all day (my mother-in-law was here all weekend, she was a HUGE help) and had a pretty bad headache almost all day. I took 1 dose of tylenol and it didn't help so I took another dose 4 hours later and felt better. Lauren came and got Gage to spend the night at her house. So I got almost 12 hours of sleep! I woke up today feeling MUCH better.
Now its a waiting game. I am waiting on the doctor to call and fit me in for an echocaridogram on Lyla. This is like an ultrasound but focuses on the heart and bloodflow within the heart (more detailed than a regular ultrasound). I am supposed to have it today but again....doctors are never in a hurry. Tomorrow I go for a check-up. They will take my blood again, check my BP, check Lyla's heart rate, etc. I feel like after these 2 appointments, I will be able to rest and have more answers as in what to do next.
This is all very scary. I have to do a fetal kick test everyday where I sit for one hour (it never takes that long with this crazy baby moving around) and count how many times she moves. It must be at least 10 times for a "good test" and she always does beyond that :) But its scary because things can change so fast. I was supposed to have a c-section and then not long after, everything was great.
If you want to pray specifically...pray that....
Lyla's heart rate stays at a normal, steady rate
My blood pressure stays at a normal rate
My platelets stop dropping (I would love for them to increase)
Lyla comes when she is ready; she doesn't have to be forced out due to complications
The echocardiogram shows no abnormalities and her heart looks perfect
My weekly appointments all go well
Lyla and I stay healthy
The doctors who are giving us answers
Erik, mine, and my families piece of mind that God is in Control and everything will be alright
Thank you all, I know there are so many of your praying and we greatly appreciate it. We know that God has a plan and we are accepting that plan. Although we still remain faithful and accepting of his plans, it doesn't make the road easy :) We can't wait to meet our sweet little girl and just want everything to be ok. This has been a roller coaster ride for sure but the end result will be a little slice of heaven :)
Love you all!
Erik, Abbie, and Gage
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