First of all, let me apologize for being woefully absent around here the last week or so. I have actually had a couple of people call and ask if I was still alive, and if all was well, because it has been so long since I updated. My only defense? Apparently there is a certain amount of preparation involved in getting ready for a baby. There are tiny little baby clothes and blankets to be washed, folded, and put away. There are new covers for various items to be made (my Boppy pillow and changing table have a whole new look--thanks Mary!) There are diapers and lotion and pacifiers to buy. In short, I have spent the last week thinking of things to do to get ready for Brooklyn's safe arrival, which is scheduled for the 4th of October.
Yesterday I went in for my regularly scheduled pre-operative/prenatal appointment at 10:10 in the morning. I mentioned to my doctor during that appointment that on Wednesday evening Kadon had jumped on my stomach, and although I hadn't noticed any drainage-meaning my water hadn't broken-nor any bleeding, I had noticed a significant decrease in her movements on Thursday. For a baby that doesn't move a lot to begin with, it was disconcerting to notice a marked decrease. The doctor was concerned, and immediately ordered a non-stress test to be completed in his office. Basically the NST consists of being hooked up to a fetal heart rate monitor for about 20 minutes, with a button that I push every time I feel a movement. After 30 minutes of this machine, the doctor was not pleased with several sharp drops in her heart rate, and informed me that this is a sign that there is a low amount of amniotic fluid surrounding her. A low amount of amniotic fluid could be a sign that being inside my womb is not the best place for her to be, which would necessitate her birth immediately. The best way to measure the amount of amniotic fluid is to perform an ultrasound, which was completed in his office.
After my doctor evaluated the results of the ultrasound, he assured me that while there was technically a good amount of fluid surrounding her, he was still unsettled about the results of my NST, and wanted me to head up to Labor and Delivery for at least 2 more hours of monitoring. I had handled myself pretty well up until this point, but hearing him tell me not to eat or drink anything on my way up to the 7th floor stopped my heart. The only reason for me not to eat anything is because there are plans for surgery a week early. I quickly placed a couple of phone calls to Mary, who was watching Jeremy and Kadon, and Angela, my sister-in-law, informing them of the situation. I had no way to contact Ammon at this point because he started his new job yesterday and was in Cincinnati for training. I also didn't see any reason to disturb him unless the final decision was to deliver our daughter immediately. My hope was that if they did decide to do the c-section right away, they would at least give me enough time to contact my husband and give him the 1 hour to drive to the hospital where I was.
Scared, nervous, and full of apprehension, I made my way upstairs. I was quickly hooked up to a very similar monitor that measured the fetal heart rate, and gave a complete obstetric and medical history to the admitting nurse. About an hour and a half later, to my great surprise, I looked up to see Ammon walking into my hospital room. Later, when I had time to settle down and figure out what had happened, I realized that Ammon must have been leaving Cincinnati at the exact same time I was being admitted to the hospital. I felt incredibly blessed that through a series of completely unrelated events, he was home about 4 hours sooner than we had expected, and was able to be there for me nearly the entire time I was in the hospital. After several hours of monitoring, I was sent down to radiology for yet another ultrasound. I received what is called a biophysical profile, although I'm not really sure what that is. The technician took many more measurements of the heart rate; which had apparently ceased to do the startling drops that it had been doing in my doctors office; more measurements of the fluid levels, and sent me back to labor and delivery. After another hour waiting for the doctor to read the results, we were thankfully discharged. I have to say, I have never been so grateful to leave labor and delivery in my life. I know that technically Brooklyn is full term, but I truly feel in my heart that it is not her time yet. I have felt all through this pregnancy that Brooklyn is going to be small, and I know that she could certainly benefit from remaining inside my womb for 6 more days. Yesterday was a terrifying reminder that babies don't always come when you plan, they don't always wait until everything is set up 'just so'. It also made me grateful for quality medical care and doctors who check all angles instead of just assuming that everything is fine. For now, Brooklyn is safely inside me, where she will remain for another few days.
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