Delivery Date Set Take 2

This pregnancy has definitely taught me that things change constantly - the appearance of baby boy #3 is now planned for Friday afternoon so a delay of about 24 hours.  Looking for the silver lining in this - 1) my new high risk OB and my old OB (who delivered Jaeger) will be performing the c section and 2) according to one of the OB residents from this stay, 1 day in the womb usually equals about 3 days off the NICU stay.

Delivery Date Set

Short and simple update: baby boy #3 will be making his grand appearance on Thursday afternoon. I've got 2 more days until then which I'm sure will drag on (I've about hit my limit of TV/movie watching, book reading and internet surfing for the time being).   I'll post an update sometime after then!

1 Week Down

I've been in the hospital now for a week - it went by fast yet slow with time occupied by Netflix, Amazon Prime, books and visitors.  Not much has changed since my last update, my water is still leaking, I'm taking antibiotics and getting general monitoring to ensure baby boy is happily growing inside.  If nothing changes, then the plan looks like he will be arriving next Thursday but we're waiting to confirm until my regular OB returns from overseas next week.

The good news about being in the hospital here in Madison is that I get regular visits from some cute boys and with Jaxon on spring break this week, they have even come a few times a day :)

I also have some awesome friends who do things like send me flowers and treats:

And in case you're wondering about my living arrangements - here they are !  I have a nice view of a courtyard but since it's early April, it's not pretty out there yet.

Change of Plans

Just when you think you have a handle on things, life throws you a curve ball!  Rochelle, you think you're going to make it to May 8 for your just scheduled c-section?  Nope, we got other ideas in store for you, including having an April baby.

Yesterday was a normal day for me, went to work and then came home to the hooligans.  Josh ran to the grocery store to grab a few last minute things for Easter dinner.  While he was gone, I started to bleed bright red blood and the nurse on call suggested a trip in to L&D to get checked out since chances of uterine rupture are higher in my circumstances.  Josh returned and we gathered everyone up and headed down to the hospital.  Spent some time in the triage area but were unable to find the cause of the bleed.  The OB decided to keep me overnight for monitoring even though I wasn't having any contractions just to be on the safe side.  Fast forward through a primarily sleepless night and the bleeding has subsided; however the OB noticed how much fluid I was leaking and tests revealed that my water has indeed broken, just a small leak but that doesn't alter the outcomes.  I'm now on hospital bed rest, getting antibiotics, another round of steroid shots for the baby boy and general monitoring for the next 2 weeks until delivery at 34 weeks.  This of course assumes that nothing comes up forcing an emergency c-section before then.

While I'm disappointed not to make it to full term, I am thankful to have made it as far as we did without complications.  Let's pray for a quiet next 2 weeks since all bets are off after baby boy's arrival!

32, 7, 5

Does the title of this post confuse you?  Let me help you out!  I'm 32 weeks today, 7 weeks post-surgery and 5 weeks away from meeting this new little one!

I had a great appointment today and here are the highlights:

• Estimated weight of 4 lbs 5 oz
• No change in ventricle size
• Amniotic fluid levels remain constant
• Little one let us look at his spinal area and things looked good there (as much as you can tell with just an ultrasound)
• C-section is scheduled for May 8 when I'll be 37 weeks 1 day
• This is the last possible date and assumes no complications arise in the next month
• It also means he could be a full term baby!  

I now start weekly appointments so will post again sometime mid-week.  I'll end this with a few pictures of the big brothers (Jaeger was afraid of the bunny, hence a solo Jaxon)

Waiting Game

I've been back at work for almost 2 weeks now and in some respects, it's nice to get back into the "normal" swing of things but on the other hand, little tasks like grabbing lunch a few buildings over require quite a bit more physical effort.  I've managed to make it through the 3500+ emails waiting in my inbox and now can begin to prepare for the next outage!  Working definitely zaps my energy but generally am still feeling alright, hoping to make it another 3-5 weeks.

One thing that I've noticed is that I'm a lot more aware of similar stories out there or references to Spina Bifida in other areas.  In particular, it seems that there are starting to be quite a few more news articles with a spot light on the in utero surgery option that I underwent ~7 weeks ago.  Here are a couple links that I've read:

* http://www.wisn.com/news/baby-still-in-womb-undergoes-groundbreaking-procedure-at-childrens-hospital/29470172
** This one showcases the first surgery at the hospital where I had mine performed.
* http://kstp.com/article/stories/S3749222.shtml
* http://www.today.com/health/parents-baby-spina-bifida-place-hopes-fetal-surgery-2D80577191?cid=sm_fbn

It also looks like PBS is doing a mini-series titled "Twice Born" featuring the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, one of the pioneers for fetal surgery.  One of the stories being told is about a couple expecting a baby diagnosed with SB.
* http://www.pbs.org/program/twice-born/

My next OB appointment is on Thursday so I'm sure I'll post another update later this week.

Recovery time has come to an end

We are all still here, just been maintaining status quo with books, TV, and kiddo snuggles.  Today I had my regular checkup for an ultrasound and OB visit.  Things are progressing just as we would like so that's great news!  Baby boy is estimated to be up to 3 lbs 5 oz (which surprisingly is only in the 38 percentile and not at all on par with my other chunky boys :)) and appears to have a head full of hair.  Ventricles are up slightly (to 12 mm)  but still within the mild range and not concerning to the doctor.  Amniotic fluid level is around 14 so also remaining constant and the uterus wall hasn't thinned at all.  When trying to check out his spine, this stinker had his hands on his back, obstructing a good view of that area yet again.  That did mean that we got a nice profile shot of him and it is very likely that he will join his brothers in having his daddy's cute nose!  We will begin discussing delivery timelines in 3 weeks when I will be 33 weeks and, based on ultrasounds and non-stress tests to see how baby does at some basics like breathing/moving, it'll be between 35 and 37 weeks.  The other piece of good (although some may not agree with that label) news is that I got cleared to go back to work tomorrow.  This means that I'll hopefully get up to 7 weeks in before this guy joins us!

I'm still here....

I know it's been a little while since an update but there hasn't been much happening except the normal "Mommy, this" and "Mommy, that"!  I've spent the week, trying to take it easy but also soak up some time with the boys.  It won't be too long before we add another one to the mix :)

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday.  Baby's ventricles have decreased some in size (normal is 10 mm or less and we're seeing 10.5 mm) and the OB actually commented that in other situations, they wouldn't even be concerned about them.  Baby's brain has also lost the "banana" shape and is returning to a somewhat normal shape/position.  Amniotic fluid levels remain good which is great and we even saw them go up a little since Milwaukee.  He's gained ~4 ounces since last week and is estimated to be 2 lbs 9 oz now.  This boy has been a stinker since the surgery and has his butt up flush with the uterus wall so we haven't been able to get a good look at his closure (they try using 3D ultrasound) but since we're seeing positive indications, there are no worries.  From my aspect, the c-section incision has healed, no infection and am generally recovered.  If I spend too much time on my feet, I notice some soreness appear but is easily cured by some couch time :) I'll most likely go back to work after my next appt in 2 weeks.  That puts me at ~5 weeks off and hopefully have 6 or 7 weeks of work before this guy arrives.

Home Sweet Home

It's been a long 2 weeks but the time has finally come where I was homeward bound!  I had an OB appointment this morning and based on all the progress (and lack of issues) I got cleared to leave the Milwaukee area and resume care within the Madison area.  Got some good news regarding results of the surgery too!  One of the side effects of the open neural tube defect is what they call hind-brain herniation (essentially the brain gets pulled down towards the brain stem area) and is the cause of  the fluid swelling in the brain and the need for shunts.  During the ultrasound, we were able to see that we're already starting to see the reversal of this and the baby's cerebellum has already come back up close to its normal position.  This is super promising in regards to the need (or lack there of) for the shunt post-birth.  We also got an update on baby's estimated weight - he's now around 2 lbs 5 oz.  That's right, this little porker has gained close to a pound in the last 2 weeks!  They did some 3D shots as well and you can totally see chipmunk cheeks :)

Josh and Jaeger picked me up from the RMH and we were home by noon, almost 2 weeks exactly from when Josh and I left for the pre-op appointments.  I managed to get in a quick nap in before Jaxon got home from school.  Needless to say, all 4 of us are pretty stoked to have Mommy home!  I've got about another 4 weeks of leave before I return to work.  Hopefully this baby will cooperate and make it to 37 weeks.  Here's hoping for an uneventful upcoming 10 weeks.

Progress

Time for a quick update from the land of naps, books and horrible daytime TV.  I had a OB visit yesterday with the primary task to get a ultrasound of how baby boy#3 is doing.  Good news all around: amniotic fluid level has remained constant, baby is active, including his little leggies, solid heartbeat (it was in the low 150s) and general organs look good.  They could also see the uterus incision area (looks a little bit like a baby spine).  I go back for my next check up on Wednesday and provided all continues to look good, I get to go home!!  We are all looking forward to that day!

Tomorrow Josh is bringing the boys to spend the day!  Can't wait to give them hugs and smooches!!

Settled in

Yesterday was a busy day - there was a quick ultrasound to confirm fluid and baby were in a good spot, then we got discharged from the hospital, picked up some prescriptions and moved over to the Ronald McDonald house.  They have things setup here pretty well - our room has a queen bed, a chair that pulls out to a twin, a TV, a mini fridge and our own bathroom.  Very similar to a hotel room in some sorts.  The kitchen is down the hall and has quite a few fridges and pantries - each room gets their own space in each area.

For those of you who know my husband well, you can just picture how stir-crazy he was going and so I sent him home today and had my mom come stay for the afternoon/night.  This way the boys also got to spend some time with daddy which I'm sure they loved!  The next few days will be uneventful - if I were to post an update, it would probably go "I read 1.5 books today and watched 3 movies".  So rather than bore you with that, I expect that my next update will be on Thursday after we have our next ultrasound/check with the OB.  Until then, baby boy#3 and I will just be hanging out!

Post Op Day 3

It's Sunday afternoon and things have managed to stay calm this weekend (which is very good!).  I suppose this is the type of post that, while boring for the readers, is exactly what the doctors ordered. The IVs finished running Friday evening, the cath got pulled out Sat morning, I got to start getting out of bed and even got a refreshing shower in today.  My parents brought the boys yesterday for a Valentine's visit: Jaeger was only interested in wandering the halls and riding the elevator with Grandma but my boy Jaxon was down for some snuggles in mom's bed :)  Josh even brought Jax back this afternoon for some more cuddles and movie time.

The baby is looking good, I'm not having any contractions, my wound is healing nicely and I'm feeling generally much better.  It sounds like I'll get discharged tomorrow and then move over to the Ronald McDonald house for a solid week although I've had the nurses hint to the OB that I'll be ready to go home whenever she'll let me!  Here comes the time when I'll be reading loads and watching some (ok, probably lots) TV/movies!

Back to the land of awareness

We're now 1 day post-op and while I won't say that I feel great, I feel somewhat human.  There's a bunch of stuff to update so we'll go back first to Wed.

We had an ultrasound to see baby's growth, his ventricle size in the brain and just general position of him and the uterus for preparation for surgery.  Couple good things we learned:  ventricles haven't grown much since we were here 3 weeks ago (this hopefully means minimal fluid swelling up there); the OB will let me go to 37 weeks which means he could possibly be full term; his feet look normal with no signs of club feet; and lastly, the fiesty little dude is moving his lower extremities and he is up to 1 lb 9oz.

Yesterday started with the first round of folks coming through around 6:30, and getting wheeled down to the OR at 7:30.  Epidural placed, got some pure oxygen, talked about the older kids with the nurses and then drifted off to la la land.  From what I've been told, surgery actually started around 9 and lasted almost 2 hours.  There were 25 to 35 people in the OR at a given time and they even had a bouncer to prevent extra folks from stopping in to see. The neurosurgeon used a new technique to stitch up the baby's spinal closure and it went really well.  I spent a little time in the OR recovering and was back in my room around 12.

One of the main meds I've been on is Magnesium Sulfate which helps keep the uterus calm but also makes me dry-mouthed, rosy cheeks and generally tired.  I haven't been given much liquids since it can often cause nausea/vomiting which obviously wouldn't be too good for me right now.  Otherwise, I compare a lot of the pain/discomfort to my past c-sections.  Sleep last night wasn't great since they do vital checks every 2 hours and it seemed like every machine beeped at least once.

Today has been much better, they've lowered the dose of Magnesium, have started me on some jello/popsicles (any kid's dream lunch, right?)  Hoping to be tube free by night and getting some cute visitors for Valentine's tomorrow.

And we are off!

This post will be short and sweet. Josh and I made it to Milwaukee this afternoon for some prep appointments, a nice dinner out and now are admitted/hanging out in our L&D room that is home for the next few days!  Morning will start around 6:00, with surgery beginning 7:30ish and lasting 3-4 hours.   I've been told that I won't remember much of tomorrow so blog updates should be coming from my mom.

Whirlwind Start

Funny how quickly life can change!  Just 2 1/2 weeks ago (is that all?) during a routine ultrasound, we found out the news that baby boy #3 has a neural tube defect commonly known as spina bifida (SB).  There's no cure but there are some treatment options presented to us, including the option to correct his spine while in utero instead of post-birth.  There are two clear advantages that come from the in utero surgery: 1) less likely to require a shunt in his brain to help with fluid draining and 2) more likely to have better mobility with his lower extremities.  The biggest risk is pre-term labor as most mothers only get up to 10 weeks post-surgery before baby's arrival.  Not many places across the US do this special surgery but fortunately Children's Milwaukee just down the road has started offering this.   After 2 days of consults, tests, multiple discussions and lots of tears, Josh and I made the decision to proceed with it, hoping to mitigate certain effects of SB for our little guy.  Surgery date is scheduled for Feb 12 (that's next week!), then I'll get to spend ~1 week in hospital and ~1 week nearby in the Milwaukee area before heading home for an additional 2 to 4 weeks of recovery.  Many advance thanks to Grandma and Grandpa who are coming to wrangle take care of the 2 older kiddos for that initial timeframe.  It also sounds like they will be scheduling the c-section to occur no later than 35 weeks which is around the week of April 20.  We can expect some NICU time but hopefully less than a week to do some monitoring before we all get to go home.


With all this craziness, we decided to take some time to enjoy our little family of 4 with a night in the Wisconsin Dells.  Jaxon has become such a little fish, just loves the water and was even brave enough for some of the big water slides.  He also was too big for some of the kiddie slides which was unfortunate from his little brother's perspective.  After a timid start, Jaeger warmed up to the water and loved the pool with the basketball hoops.  Night time was not the greatest, as Jaeger was bouncing between beds and generally difficult to settle down.  I also had a big Mom fail = no pictures but to give me some credit, it would have been difficult to take pictures from the pool itself.

I'm not sure how great I'll be at updating this blog but thought it would be most efficient way to keep folks updated with all the happenings coming over the next months.