Today I had two different appointments and I am happy to report that both went really well!! First, was my cervical length, which was back up to measuring around 4cm. This is fantastic because that length is what you would see in a normal pregnancy! :-) I will continue to have weekly ultrasounds until around 28 weeks when my doctor will feel more comfortable about spacing them out to every 2 weeks. We know how quickly things can change (I went from everything looking great one week to being 75% effaced the next between weeks 16 and 17, hence the reason for the cerclage surgery), so we are not going to take the risk of not keeping a close eye on everything. I have been granted more privileges with my activity and am looking forward to getting out a little more. I still have to be very careful not to overdo it. The boys have their first t-ball game on Saturday and I get to go! Things like that are okay as long as there is not a lot of walking involved. No going to the grocery by myself and definitely no lugging toddlers around still, lol. ;-) I am anxious to do a little more but thankful that I have the reassurance of these weekly checkups to let me know everything is okay.
My other appointment today was with the pediatric cardiologist to have a fetal echo on the baby. This appointment was also good news because at this point there is no evidence of any heart defect. We won't even need to follow up until after the little guy gets here, when he will have another echo perfomed sometime soon after he is born.
It has been a good day and I am thanking God for it. Thank you, too, for all your thoughts and prayers - they are greatly appreciated! :-)
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
The Party
Here are a few pics from his party on Saturday. Thank you everyone who came and made it a wonderful time! Grant had a blast!
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Happy 3rd Birthday Grant!
Wow! I can't believe you are 3! You are always full of giggles and bring so much laughter into our family. Your antics keep us smiling, as well as shaking our heads. You are so loveable, kind, and generous. You are so much like your Daddy! We love you so much and are blessed to have you in our lives.
Some of your favorite things...
*Your thumb and blanket
*Making people laugh
*Movies/Television
*FOOD!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
April 23rd appointment - 21 Wks
Today I had my weekly ultrasound and appointment and thankfully there has been no change since last week! This is always good news and a sigh of welcomed relief. At least for another week. I have had very little pain over the last few days and that really helps me stay focused on the positive, as well. I have been promoted back to being able to sit up at the table for meals and she said I could also get out and go to church this week! I am looking forward to that! I go back again in a week, as usual. My fetal echocardiogram was supposed to be tomorrow, but for the sake of convenience (and gas prices since we are driving over an hour one-way for these appointments!) we have rescheduled it to be after my ultrasound appointment next week. Thank you so much for your continued support and prayers!
On another note, it is always so hard to leave the kids when I have appointments to go to. I guess since Mommy has left and not come back before, they fear that that might happen again (and unfortunately that is still a possibility since I could be readmitted at any time if things started to look bad). So there is definitely some separation anxiety (for both me and the kids!) when it's time for Mommy to go. Today, Evan could easily sense that I was leaving (before I even got near my shoes) and so he reached for my hand to hold and I gave him my finger. His clasp was firm as if he were trying to say "Wherever you go Mommy, I'm going with you." The emotion I felt from his tiny touch was almost overwhelming and I decided to snap a picture to be able to keep a memory of this moment.
As I gave Grant a kiss and hug goodbye and told him that Mommy had to go to the doctor he said, "Okay. Are you coming back home? When you're done at the doctor?"
Then, as I was walking out the door Clayton yells "Mommy!" (as if saying "Wait!"). So I turned to him, sort of expecting a similar response as his brothers gave me over my leaving, and he says "Do I have school today???" Can you tell he is the most independent of the boys, lol?!
So Evan finally looks at me in defeat and gives me my finger back to allow me to leave. He immediately frowns and starts to well up with tears in a purely brokenhearted fashion and reaches for the babysitter for comfort. So with some tears on both our parts I was able to get out the door and on to take care of the child who needs it most at the moment. That certainly has to be one of the biggest challenges of motherhood!
On another note, it is always so hard to leave the kids when I have appointments to go to. I guess since Mommy has left and not come back before, they fear that that might happen again (and unfortunately that is still a possibility since I could be readmitted at any time if things started to look bad). So there is definitely some separation anxiety (for both me and the kids!) when it's time for Mommy to go. Today, Evan could easily sense that I was leaving (before I even got near my shoes) and so he reached for my hand to hold and I gave him my finger. His clasp was firm as if he were trying to say "Wherever you go Mommy, I'm going with you." The emotion I felt from his tiny touch was almost overwhelming and I decided to snap a picture to be able to keep a memory of this moment.
As I gave Grant a kiss and hug goodbye and told him that Mommy had to go to the doctor he said, "Okay. Are you coming back home? When you're done at the doctor?"
Then, as I was walking out the door Clayton yells "Mommy!" (as if saying "Wait!"). So I turned to him, sort of expecting a similar response as his brothers gave me over my leaving, and he says "Do I have school today???" Can you tell he is the most independent of the boys, lol?!
So Evan finally looks at me in defeat and gives me my finger back to allow me to leave. He immediately frowns and starts to well up with tears in a purely brokenhearted fashion and reaches for the babysitter for comfort. So with some tears on both our parts I was able to get out the door and on to take care of the child who needs it most at the moment. That certainly has to be one of the biggest challenges of motherhood!
Friday, April 18, 2008
It's That Time of Year...
Baseball season!! Tonight was "Opening Ceremonies" where all the teams show up and they throw out a ceremonial first pitch of the season. Afterwards, our team had their team picture made. Daddy managed to get it all accomplished with some assistance from Coach Mommy at home on the sidelines:
(Phone call #1)
Mommy: "Are the boys keeping their clothes clean until picture time?"
Daddy:"Oh yeah! I forgot! They're playing in a rock pile right now."
(Phone call #2)
Daddy:"Honey, what pictures do you want me to order?"
(Phone call #1)
Mommy: "Are the boys keeping their clothes clean until picture time?"
Daddy:"Oh yeah! I forgot! They're playing in a rock pile right now."
(Phone call #2)
Daddy:"Honey, what pictures do you want me to order?"
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
How I loved those locks...
Sad but true: I have an emotional attachment to my youngest son, Evan's, curly locks of hair. They go right along with his irresistible personality. ;-) Here are some pictures:
So yesterday, when I sent him for a haircut, I was quite shocked when he returned home with a cut that looked nothing like I wanted it to. It was not the hairdresser's fault - she just cut it like she was told. Apparently, there was a "miscommunication" about what I wanted between my mother and I. So here is his new 'do.
Like one of my friends said, part of the sadness is not being able to be there for the event in the first place.
So yesterday, when I sent him for a haircut, I was quite shocked when he returned home with a cut that looked nothing like I wanted it to. It was not the hairdresser's fault - she just cut it like she was told. Apparently, there was a "miscommunication" about what I wanted between my mother and I. So here is his new 'do.
Like one of my friends said, part of the sadness is not being able to be there for the event in the first place.
Update
I need to update about my latest appointment/ultrasound, which was yesterday.
Most everything that we looked at cervix-wise was good, but there was a little bit of concern because my cervix was soft. I had been having a little pain over the weekend and although the doctor does not like that, we are doing everything we can possibly do to give us the best outcome. I am to remain on complete bed rest and to stay as flat as possible. Today I am feeling some fear because the pain is mild, but there, and is just a constant reminder that we are nowhere near past the risk of losing this baby. All we can do is take it a week at a time and hope and pray for the best.
We also went over the results of my antibody titer. It has gone up from 4 to 16, which I was really concerned about. The doctor discussed her plan of treatment with me and actually gave me a copy of the page out of the text book of the plan she intends on following. According to it, we will not do an amniocentesis until my titer reaches 32. The amnio will determine what the baby's blood type is and if he is positive or negative for the antigen. If he is negative, then we should have nothing to worry about because my titer will not affect him. If he is positive, then we will continue to monitor him with amniocentesis and/or ultrasound to see if he is becoming anemic. If he eventually gets a certain degree of anemia, then he will need an intrauterine blood transfusion. That is a lot of information to take in, yet it really seems to be on the back burner at this point. Our main concern at this point is that my cervix is able to keep my baby in until he can survive on his own outside the womb.
On a bit of a side note, I also got my fetal echocardiogram scheduled for Thursday of next week. For those who don't know, my youngest, Evan, was born with a heart defect called a VSD (ventral septal defect). He ended up narrowly avoiding surgery and after getting past some medication issues in the beginning, all has been looking great since! Today, you would never even know he ever had/has a heart problem! We see his heart doctor once a year for a checkup and that is it - he's not on medication or anything. So because we now have a child who was born with a congenital heart defect, we want to take a closer look at this baby in utero and check out his heart. With Evan, his heart defect was not discovered until he was 6 days old. So as a precaution we are taking a closer look than the regular 20 wk ultraound would provide. We expect everything to be fine, but it will be nice to have that reassurance.
Most everything that we looked at cervix-wise was good, but there was a little bit of concern because my cervix was soft. I had been having a little pain over the weekend and although the doctor does not like that, we are doing everything we can possibly do to give us the best outcome. I am to remain on complete bed rest and to stay as flat as possible. Today I am feeling some fear because the pain is mild, but there, and is just a constant reminder that we are nowhere near past the risk of losing this baby. All we can do is take it a week at a time and hope and pray for the best.
We also went over the results of my antibody titer. It has gone up from 4 to 16, which I was really concerned about. The doctor discussed her plan of treatment with me and actually gave me a copy of the page out of the text book of the plan she intends on following. According to it, we will not do an amniocentesis until my titer reaches 32. The amnio will determine what the baby's blood type is and if he is positive or negative for the antigen. If he is negative, then we should have nothing to worry about because my titer will not affect him. If he is positive, then we will continue to monitor him with amniocentesis and/or ultrasound to see if he is becoming anemic. If he eventually gets a certain degree of anemia, then he will need an intrauterine blood transfusion. That is a lot of information to take in, yet it really seems to be on the back burner at this point. Our main concern at this point is that my cervix is able to keep my baby in until he can survive on his own outside the womb.
On a bit of a side note, I also got my fetal echocardiogram scheduled for Thursday of next week. For those who don't know, my youngest, Evan, was born with a heart defect called a VSD (ventral septal defect). He ended up narrowly avoiding surgery and after getting past some medication issues in the beginning, all has been looking great since! Today, you would never even know he ever had/has a heart problem! We see his heart doctor once a year for a checkup and that is it - he's not on medication or anything. So because we now have a child who was born with a congenital heart defect, we want to take a closer look at this baby in utero and check out his heart. With Evan, his heart defect was not discovered until he was 6 days old. So as a precaution we are taking a closer look than the regular 20 wk ultraound would provide. We expect everything to be fine, but it will be nice to have that reassurance.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
A Little Background
The 2 obstacles that we are facing this pregnancy are 1) An antibody and 2) Cervcial Incompetence. I have posted some links on the side about each of these but wanted to give you a good summary here.
At the beginning of my pregnancy, I tested positive for an antibody called anti-Duffy. I developed this defense in my blood after being exposed to the blood of the baby that I miscarried in November of 2007, hence it has not been an issue in previous pregnancies. Due to this "alloimmunization" I now have, this baby could potentially become life-threateningly anemic. To monitor this, my blood is drawn once every month and based on the result (called a "titer") it is decided whether or not it is necessary to do a procedure called an amniocentesis, where a needle is inserted into the uterus through mom's tummy and a sample of amniotic fluid is obtained to determine how the baby's blood is looking. For those of you who are familiar with Rhesis Disease (or Rh factor issues), my condition is similar with the exception that the alloimmunization I have is much much more rare, and therefore there hasn't been a shot developed to give during pregnancy that protects the fetus.
After my miscarriage in the fall, I decided I wanted to switch doctors. At my first prenatal visit in January of this year my new obstetrician informed me after looking over my records that I might need to be considered high-risk (and this was before we even knew about the antibody). The reason being because I had suffered a significant cervical laceration (or tear) during the delivery of my last baby. I knew I had the laceration and that it was repaired, but I had no idea that it because of it, my cervix was now damaged and could potentially become weak during a subsequent pregnancy. Apparently, having a laceration like that is pretty rare, but given the circumstances, it does happen sometimes (who knew a 9lb 13 oz baby might do such damage??). So with seeing one similar case like this during her training as a resident, my OB decided it was best that I get the extra attention that might be necessary from a specialist and referred me to a doctor who specializes in Maternal Fetal Medicine (aka: an MFM). With that began multiple ultrasounds (one every week starting at 14 wks) to check on the integrity of my cervix. 3 wks into this routine, at 17 wks, it was discovered that my cervix was indeed starting to weaken and efface (thin out). The doctor (whom I was meeting that day for the first time due to the MFM I had been seeing being on vacation) decided that I should be admitted to the hospital immediately and have surgery to place a stitch called a cerclage either that night or the next morning. The surgery was done the next morning and was successful in that we avoided any of the complications that come with doing surgery at that point in pregnancy. The successfulness of the cerclage being a solution to the problem as a whole is yet to be seen. I remained in the hospital for several more days and was sent home on strict bedrest, meaning my activity privileges consist of getting up to use the bathroom and taking a shower.
So far, so good. As of late, my cervical length measurements (used to determine how my cervix is holding up and still occurring weekly) are BETTER than expected! I recently got to add sitting up at the table during meals to my short list of activities. My antibody titer is still being monitored and so far has not resulted in needing to have an amniocentesis performed. We are currently awaiting this month's blood work results...
At the beginning of my pregnancy, I tested positive for an antibody called anti-Duffy. I developed this defense in my blood after being exposed to the blood of the baby that I miscarried in November of 2007, hence it has not been an issue in previous pregnancies. Due to this "alloimmunization" I now have, this baby could potentially become life-threateningly anemic. To monitor this, my blood is drawn once every month and based on the result (called a "titer") it is decided whether or not it is necessary to do a procedure called an amniocentesis, where a needle is inserted into the uterus through mom's tummy and a sample of amniotic fluid is obtained to determine how the baby's blood is looking. For those of you who are familiar with Rhesis Disease (or Rh factor issues), my condition is similar with the exception that the alloimmunization I have is much much more rare, and therefore there hasn't been a shot developed to give during pregnancy that protects the fetus.
After my miscarriage in the fall, I decided I wanted to switch doctors. At my first prenatal visit in January of this year my new obstetrician informed me after looking over my records that I might need to be considered high-risk (and this was before we even knew about the antibody). The reason being because I had suffered a significant cervical laceration (or tear) during the delivery of my last baby. I knew I had the laceration and that it was repaired, but I had no idea that it because of it, my cervix was now damaged and could potentially become weak during a subsequent pregnancy. Apparently, having a laceration like that is pretty rare, but given the circumstances, it does happen sometimes (who knew a 9lb 13 oz baby might do such damage??). So with seeing one similar case like this during her training as a resident, my OB decided it was best that I get the extra attention that might be necessary from a specialist and referred me to a doctor who specializes in Maternal Fetal Medicine (aka: an MFM). With that began multiple ultrasounds (one every week starting at 14 wks) to check on the integrity of my cervix. 3 wks into this routine, at 17 wks, it was discovered that my cervix was indeed starting to weaken and efface (thin out). The doctor (whom I was meeting that day for the first time due to the MFM I had been seeing being on vacation) decided that I should be admitted to the hospital immediately and have surgery to place a stitch called a cerclage either that night or the next morning. The surgery was done the next morning and was successful in that we avoided any of the complications that come with doing surgery at that point in pregnancy. The successfulness of the cerclage being a solution to the problem as a whole is yet to be seen. I remained in the hospital for several more days and was sent home on strict bedrest, meaning my activity privileges consist of getting up to use the bathroom and taking a shower.
So far, so good. As of late, my cervical length measurements (used to determine how my cervix is holding up and still occurring weekly) are BETTER than expected! I recently got to add sitting up at the table during meals to my short list of activities. My antibody titer is still being monitored and so far has not resulted in needing to have an amniocentesis performed. We are currently awaiting this month's blood work results...
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