36 weeks and our adventures in Labor and Delivery

I made it. 36 weeks today! Against the odds that she would be delivered much earlier, I have officially kept this little girl baking for an additional 6 weeks! Most moms who pPROM are delivered via scheduled induction/c-section by this point– but my doctor wants us to keep going for another 3 weeks. We will see how that goes- my Sweet Pea seems to have a mind of her own!

This is me 2 weeks ago, out of bed for a few minutes to hug my sister-in-law and take a few belly shots after her shower (we are due 7 weeks apart!)

Starting on Monday evening and still continuing today I have been having off and on contractions, back pain, nausea, tenderness to my belly, and I’m oh-so tired but can’t sleep. I called the doctor yesterday (by doctor I mean my fill-in one (Dr.B) who works at the same office and agreed to take our case, not my regular OB (Dr.A) who I love and who is off having fun in Europe for 2 weeks– must be nice) but didn’t get a return call like I normally do, so later I called again and got a seriously NOT helpful response from Dr. B’s medical assistant, (via a call center person, as I never actually spoke to the MA)– “If you feel like you need to come in, then she says you should come in.” This did not go over well with me since it was: not an actual voice on the other end of the line, not addressing any of the symptoms that I had called about giving any helpful instructions, and NOT of any help so only making me feel worse! So after I stewed about it (and my husband encouraged me to) I called again. The MA had left for the day but they would put my message through again, stating that I needed instructions/guidance from the physician and they marked it urgent. Not 45 minutes later, I received a call back from my regular OB’s assistant– thank the LORD– because she knows me and my case. She saw my message, and discussed it with Dr. B, and was told I needed to go to L&D so they could check me out.

After rounding up the few last minute things I needed, as we are nearly all packed, and getting Jovie into the car and dropped of with her grandparents– we headed for L&D. I am a familiar person to the L&D wing at the hospital. After being in a car accident at 20 weeks and getting checked out (I was hit by a guy who ran a red light- car was totaled, baby and I were fine), then pPROM at 29.5 weeks and staying 4 days, then another trip to L&D a few weeks ago with similar “not feeling so good” symptoms that ended up being a UTI…  I could almost be called a “frequent flier”. –Can I get an upgrade?

We went through 4 hours of the same-ol’ thing. Pee in a cup, undress and put on a gown, strap you to a monitor, get all your information updated in the computer, wait for results, etc. So after doing all of it, and blood work– nothing is wrong with me. Baby looks great. But I still feel like garbage. So I had the option to stay overnight, or go home and feel like this in my own bed. We went home. A little deflating when you are thinking- maybe this time I’ll actually have a baby, and we will get to meet our precious Sweet Pea.

They did say that this sometimes happens as the body gears up for labor and that it could mean it will happen soon. We will see. So far nothing has gone how we thought it would with this pregnancy after having pPROM happen- just have to try to rest up and know it will happen eventually. It has to!

As always, we are thankful that she is doing great, and while the waiting is killer, at least I can wait from the comfort of my own bed and know that God is bigger than all of this and He has a great plan for me and for her.  Wondering if she will be a June or July baby? 🙂

Smiles,

J

Introductions

A little background…

The name of this blog is Princess and the Sweet Pea. Taken from the fairytale “The Princess and the Pea” about the girl who couldn’t get a good night’s sleep because her mattress was uncomfortable- the test of a true princess. As an almost 35 week pregnant lady on bed rest- I am the Princess, and my Sweet Pea is the amazing baby girl inside me who, yes, does make it harder to sleep sometimes.

Sweet Pea is also our nursery theme

My Story…

I was at home on May 12th, after a day of work, laughing at some of our favorite TV shows with my husband when I got up off the couch to use the bathroom. I wiped and was shocked to find large amounts of bright red blood on the tissue. All my worst fears started in that moment. It was 9:30pm, our almost 2 year old daughter was in bed, asleep. I called out to my husband, “I’m bleeding.” The tears started to well up in my eyes as I realized the severity of what was happening. I told him to call labor and delivery, then stopped. No, we need to call the doctor. We got the on-call exchange and told them I was 29 weeks, 3 days pregnant, and was having bright red bleeding. Once I stood up off the toilet I started to feel a tightening in my belly and something gushing. The doctor called back within a few minutes and she told us to go to Labor & Delivery (L&D), they would monitor me, and run some tests. My husband’s brother and his wife came right over and stayed the night on our couch. We called our family, and asked them to be praying for us and for our baby girl.

We rushed up to the hospital (a 25 min drive, and also where I work as a nurse), and were then checked in at L&D. The doctor came in, discussed things with us and did an exam. The tests confirmed that my amniotic sac had ruptured. I had pPROM’d- which means I had a preterm (less than 37 weeks) premature rupture of membranes. This occurs in 3% of all pregnancies. I was officially admitted to the hospital at this point. They ordered an ultrasound to determine where the bleeding was coming from. It showed that a large blood clot was lying at the bottom of my uterus. They told me that they felt the clot was from a placental abruption, and caused irritability in my uterus which caused my amniotic sac to tear. Placental abruption means the placenta, in a small area, pulled away from the uterine wall and started leaking– this is scary because depending on the amount of separation it can cause very severe and rapid hemorrhaging in a pregnant woman and result in emergency delivery of the baby in order to save the mother’s life. We were also told that they would start an IV, do blood work, place me on IV antibiotics and strict bed rest for the next 48 hours, and give me two rounds of steroid injections. Mother’s who have ruptured membranes typically deliver within 48 hours.

Mother’s day was spent in the hospital, as were then next 3 days (on a very uncomfortable mattress). After hearing that I would: deliver in 48 hours, have a c-section, have a preemie, have a baby  who would have to be in the intensive care nursery (NICU) for several weeks, and all sorts of other scary things… My bleeding slowed significantly, the baby and I were both stable, I had little to no contractions, and then they sent me home. Home with antibiotics to finish over the next 3 days, I would see the doctor in one week, and I had to stay on bed rest. I was 30 weeks exactly.

Flash forward 5 weeks… I am still on bed rest. I was told  at our 34 week visit that because I am doing so well that I will be on bed rest for another 30+ days with a goal of 39 weeks!! A blessing and a sentence at the same time. I am so amazed at how God has blessed us, and that we have been able to keep her strong and growing for an additional 5 weeks, but at the same time bed rest really takes a toll on a person mentally, physically and emotionally. Most mom’s who rupture as I did are delivered at 34-36 weeks due to the risk of infection and the decreased risk to the baby at that point who should have a short or no NICU stay after delivery. Staying in bed puts you at risk for other complications, such as blood clots; and makes you rely on every one around you for child care, meals, etc. It is a very humbling and constraining position to be in, and at times I feel like I am going crazy. I have an awesome husband, family and friends. They truly make a very difficult experience easier. This whole experience of pPROM and bed rest are not anything I would wish on some one- but God is with me, and if this is part of His great plan for me and for her then my prayer is that He would help me to bring glory to Him through this whole experience.

So, here I am to share my story with you. If I can bring a smile to you, or encouragement in any way, then I am doing what I hope to do.

“Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God who does all things.”  Ecclesiastes 11:5, NLT