Life Is Good: OB Appointment

Friday, June 4, 2010

OB Appointment

I had an OB appointment today...the first one since I've been home from the hospital. We left around 10 this morning for a 11:15 appointment. Despite our early arrival it was close to noon before we were called out of the waiting room. Ugh! I forgot what it can sometimes be like going to the doctor and waiting...and waiting...and waiting. With a getting-more-tired-by-the-minute 3-year-old.

The appointment was short and sweet...weight check, urine analysis, blood pressure check, belly measurement, fetal heart tones, and any q&a's. Everything checked out just fine. Baby's heart rate in the 140's (Ryan said he sounded like a puppy panting), belly measurement normal, blood pressure 108/62, urine ok, weight...yeah right like I'm going to disclose that. I can say that I've only gained 17 pounds for this pregnancy which is pretty amazing considering I've been bedrest for almost 6 months.

As for Q&A's:

The cerclage removal decision has been left to my wishes. He seems to want to leave it in until I deliver but is willing to remove it at 37 weeks. He indicated that I could make the final call. I'll have to think about it.

I guess that was the big question today because I can't think of anything else we discussed.

It was a bit of an odd appointment in some ways. He asked me if I'd done anything fun yet and if I'd gained any strength back. Both of these would take more activity than strict bedrest would allow, so I got the impression that laying flat on my back for the biggest part of the day wasn't exactly what was expected of me upon hospital discharge. Oh well...it surely didn't hurt anything. However with that in mind I *don't* plan to spend the next week laying flat but I definitely don't plan to do too much. I'll probably spend these last 7 days of bedrest reclined in the recliner or by the little swimming pool enjoying my family. If I'm already up I'll probably fill my own water cup but I'll continue to accept/request for most things to be brought to me so I'm not on my feet too much. I'd feel so guilty if I cheated this last week of bedrest and something happened.

It's so exciting to think of only having 7 days left of bedrest. After these last 7 days...all bets are off...I'm up! Of course in my mind I have fantastic ideas of all the things I want to do, but in reality I'll be limited by lack of energy and strength. Just the short walk from the car to the doctor's office and back followed by the short walk from the parking lot to and from the Target was enough to make my body feel like I'd been beaten up and run over...super sore and super tired. Oh yeah...I asked the doc if he thought it'd be okay to go shopping a little as long as I stayed in a wheelchair and he was strongly supportive of the idea...giving me the okay, so we went to Target and got a few things...baby stuff mostly. :)

So that was our day.

I know I promised some pictures, but I just haven't been taking any lately. That will soon change. I was planning on having Wade take a picture of me for the post because, for the first time in months, I was all dressed up...hair fixed, makeup on and feeling beautiful. Unfortunately that idea was quickly washed away with a little help from the water hose and a very ornery little boy named Ryan who thinks it's hilarious to spray his Momma with the water hose. I got drenched, my nice clothes soaked and my nice straight hair turned into one big ball of frizz. Fun times! Fun times!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Brandy Danielle

Brandy is our firstborn, our precious angel baby girl. Her entry into this world wasn't without excitement. At 26 weeks I started preterm labor with contractions 5 minutes apart. With 10 weeks of strict bedrest, most of which were in the hospital, she made it to 36 weeks.
Brandy was diagnosed with "possible/probable" heart defect around 28-30 weeks gestation. After her birth she was whisked away to the NICU for monitoring and after a few days her defect was formally diagnosed and labeled...atrial septal defect and a cleft mitral valve.
Brandy, upon indications of failure to thrive and pulmonary hypertension, underwent her first of 2 open-heart surgeries at 4 months of age. A week after her surgery on the day of her anticipated discharge home Brandy coded for 13 minutes...a stoke.
From that point on Brandy's life was full of doctor's visits, endless crying, pain and suffering. She underwent another heart surgery, fundoplication and g-tube surgery, treatment for infantile spasms, and a mountain of tests and procedures. Her brain damage was extensive.
Upon counseling of our wonderful, most amazing heart surgeon, Dr. Christopher Knott-Craig, and many hours of prayer, we finally called in hospice and called off all of the extensive medical interventions and surgery needs that would prolong her suffering while possibly prolonging her life. Brandy, our precious baby girl...our angel...passed out of our arms and into the arms of her Saviour, Jesus at the tender age of 17 months.

Ryan Andrew

Ryan, our micro-preemie miracle, is a ball of life. After nearly a year of trying to conceive imagine our delight when we finally knew he was on the way. My pregnancy with Ryan was uneventful at first. It seemed perfect and with all of the precautions for preterm labor being taken and monitored we entered this pregnancy with cautious anticipation covered over by a whole love of naive excitement.
At 20 weeks we discovered our "Baby Peanut" was going to be a little boy. We began to make plans and began dreaming about the day we would meet our son.
Almost 2 weeks later everything changed in our lives. It wa a whirlwind of fear and emtions as I began to bleed, was sent for monitoring in L&D and eventually had an appointment with my OB only to find out that it was serious. I had incompetent cervix with hourglassing membranes. The doctor admitted me to the hospital immediately and an emergency cerclage was placed. The statistics were grim, but the hope was to keep our son inside for at least 10 more weeks. We only made it 10 more days.
Early in the evening of February 11, 2007 our son, Ryan, came into this world in emergency fashion at only 23 weeks 5 days gestation. He weighed 1 pound 8 ounces and was 12 ½ inches long. He was so tiny. All I could think of was “oh my goodness is he really that tiny? And is there any way he could actually make it?” I tried to hold on to hope, but in all honesty I had never met anyone with a baby born that early and that small that ever made it.
Ryan did make it! It was a long, hard road, but in the end he spent 90 days in the NICU. He was on a ventilator for 2 months. Finally on one fine glorious day in May we bundled up our 4 pound 4 ounce baby boy and went home...May 11, 2007.
Ryan is now a spunky, lively, strong-willed little boy. His laughter is contagious and his spirit is compelling. He is our miracle. There are no words strong enough to share our delight and joy that God has blessed us with this little boy.

Evan Alexander