Check Up

On my Tuesday appointment following my Thursday bed rest assignment, the doc found that the Baby's heart rate would be good and then drop for a few minutes and then return to normal. This concerned him even more and they put me back on the doppler and saw that the growth restriction wasn't getting any better and that his heart rate dropping was a big sign of distress. Dr. Masaki starting frantically scurrying around the office and made me really worried. When I asked him what was wrong he said that I would be admitted to the hospital that day and would probobally deliver my baby tomorrow via c-section. Note to self- when the doc starts pacing the floor and acting really strange it is time to WORRY!

My heart just sank as I knew I was only 31 weeks and my boy was only 2 1/2 lbs. What happened to the "perfect planned pregnancy" that had gone remarkably well to this point? What happened to feeling the contractions, calling Dave and have him rush me to the hospital, and the grand entrance of a healthy, chunky baby boy to bring home and snuggle in his crib? Well, that all was just a dream now as Dr. Masaki tells me I must drive myself directly to the hospital and be admitted and he would see me there later this afternoon. I called my mom and the doc explained what was happening and she was on the next flight. My mother in law hopped in her car and was here by early evening. It is so nice to have such a great support system when your world is turned upside down.

That night was one of the scariest nights I had ever experienced. I was hooked to monitors to watch the baby's heart rate and was told to try and rest so I could have energy for the next day. All I could do was watch the monitor to make sure my baby boy was OK. The beep of the monitors scared me to death every time they went off, signaling something was wrong in one of the rooms. The nurse came in about 25 times that night checking his heart rate and scurrying around with a worried look on her face. By 5:00am she said she had informed my doc of the concerning heart rate and by 8:00am there were 3 doctors in my room informing me we would be meeting our little boy by afternoon. The doctors were so concerned which I am so thankful for and grateful they would get him out before anything crazy happened.

The NICU doctors had come in the night before during my monitoring and had explained what to expect with a 31 weeker. How he would look, what problems he would have to overcome and what they expected to happen. Dave went up to the NICU and took a tour and got to see what a baby the size of ours would look like.We thought we were prepared to meet our son, but I would never have been prepared for what lay ahead.