Pregnancy update

Today I am 33 weeks and 2 days pregnant! We are so thankful for so many things...

I have not had to go back to the hospital (even to Outpatient L&D for monitoring) since I was discharged three weeks ago after the overnight stay. My mom came up from Florida for a week to help us out, and Joshua's mom ended up staying after Michelle had her baby so that she could be here to help us, too. Being able to really stay off of my feet while the grandmas run around after Aidan has been keeping my blood pressure stable. My first high BP reading at a doctor's appointment was today, and it was only 130/90. As long as it stays under 160/110 and I have no other symptoms, I get to stay at home and let baby bake a little longer. 

We are so close to the point in the pregnancy where a pre-term delivery won't necessarily mean a NICU stay! The doctor told me today that a baby born at 35-36 weeks won't automatically have to spend time in the NICU. 

At the last growth ultrasound we had, Maddy weighed approximately 4.5 lbs, which for some reason made me feel so hopeful about a pre-term delivery. Aidan was just shy of 6 lbs (and just shy of 37 weeks) when he was born (also induced because of preeclampsia) and other than battling a little jaundice, he was as healthy as can be. Never learned to breastfeed, though, which was a bummer. The suck/swallow/breathe reflex is one of the last things to develop in utero and he didn't have it down yet when he was born. I hear that girls develop faster than boys, even in the womb, so please pray that even if Miss Maddy comes early she will be able to breastfeed properly! It will make life so much easier. :) 

I have still been having the weird visual disturbances, but after a visit to an ophthalmologist to make sure my retina wasn't detaching (sigh), I was diagnosed with ocular migraines. This is basically when you get the visual aura associated with migraines but no other migraine symptoms. Since my BP has remained stable, the doctors have not been concerned. [Sidebar: After the MRI at the hospital and a follow-up appointment with an ophthalmologist-- both of which I felt were unnecessary based on a complete lack of other symptoms and the fact that it wasn't getting any worse-- I have started reading a book called When Doctors Don't Listen: How to Avoid Misdiagnoses and Unnecessary Tests. I have been so happy with my care since I was transferred to the OBGYN specialist group; this was the one thing that both Joshua and I felt was out of balance. Since we are the ones paying the medical bills, I'm hoping this book will give some insight on how to communicate with my doctors to avoid similar situations from happening again when I think we're going overboard. I know that the motivation of the physician is to make sure that they don't miss something significant (especially in this case since I am in a somewhat precarious position with a high-risk pregnancy)... I feel like more than anything I failed to be a strong enough advocate for myself as part of the patient-physician partnership. I think the book is going to be helpful... especially with our primary care physician as we make decisions for our regular healthcare and that of our children.]

Last week I had a little bit of a worrisome prenatal visit when my labs came back showing a decrease in my platelet count. I get bloodwork drawn every week to keep an eye on my platelet and AST enzyme counts to make sure I'm not developing HELLP syndrome. Today the doctor said my labs from this week showed my platelets at a healthy 220. Whoo hoo!

One of my MFM doctors told me at a recent visit that I am not following the "typical pattern" of a patient with early-onset preeclampsia. The "typical pattern" would be what the doctor that discharged me from the hospital three weeks ago (I've taken to calling him Dr. Doom in my head, which is a little mean) warned me about (see last blog entry). It is unusual that my condition hasn't rapidly accelerated yet. Thank you for all of your prayers. I know that God is writing his own "pattern" for this pregnancy, and I appreciate you asking Him to keep Maddy inside the womb until she's good and ready! 

Please continue to pray... of course for my health and Maddy's... but also for my family. Obviously this is a stressful situation and Joshua is trying to get the rest of the semester's work done in the next 2 weeks so that he can have it done by the time baby gets here. He has a lot of papers to write, including a big one that's worth 25% of his grade for the semester. Please pray that God will help him manage his available time well (he's also trying to wrap up clinicals for the semester) and get his work done quickly when he sits down to do it. The hardest thing for me recently has been my relationship with Aidan... he was very upset after the hospitalization and our mommy/son bond hasn't quite recovered. It's not helping that I can't be the normal mom that he is used to. It's breaking my heart... I know he will be okay... but it is still really hard for me. Please pray for both of us. Thank you again for your prayers and support... we definitely need and appreciate it! 

Also, can I just say... I can't wait for Journey Around the Sun, Part II... I recently looked at all of Aidan's pictures and it was such a great project! So glad I did it and recorded a year of his growth and a year of our lives. I'm excited to start again. :)