NST

So this morning I went in for my 2nd NST (my lst one was last week) and was thinking I would do pretty well. I usually just feel the occasional contraction in the morning and it's not until the afternoon that I really start feeling a bunch of contractions after I've been working. So I was completely taken by surprise when the nurse came in at the end and said do you realize how much uterine activity you're having- WHAAAAAAT?. Not at all what I was expecting! Then she really got more concerned when I told her I only felt the occasional contraction this morning and that it usually is really bad in the afternoons after being on my feet all day. My fetal fibronectin test came back negative from Monday, so that was good news and that's all I knew to tell her. She sent me to ultrasound with a second cup of water to drink and told me I should start taking it a little easier.

After they checked my amniotic fluid levels, Candace (the ultrasound technician) said she was going to show the doctor my pictures and she would be back. This is routine for us after every ultrasound- so again I was thinking not a big deal. My AFI was 21 which has been that way for the last two weeks. When she came back in the room, she said that the doctor wanted to speak with me in a conference room! PANIC!!!!!! Let me also say that Duke has many ultrasound technicians, but this happened to be the same one that did our 17 week ultrasound where we found out Andrew had CDH! And to top it off, I was alone, because I thought these appointments wouldn't be a big deal and told Gene it would be fine if he wanted to go on to work instead! I was frantically text messaging Gene who was trying not to freak out- I told him I would call as soon as I spoke with the doctor. After seeing the look on my face, Candace quickly added that she didn't see any hydrops on the ultrasound. This made me feel a little better, but it seems like there a lot of surprises along this CDH road.

So after all the worry, Dr. Boyd came in and said that I was having a lot of uterine activity and in combination with my increasing blood pressure, it was time to try and reduce my work hours to see if this would help. So big relief in that I was expecting so much worse! Not great that I'm having so much activity, but Andrew seems to be handling it well with his heart rate and movement and if it was really severe, then Dr. Boyd would have put me on bedrest all together. So maybe going to down to 4 hours a day at work won't be so bad. It helps to keep my mind off everything and I really enjoy my job, so I'm hoping the extra time off with not wreak havoc with my mind!

Also, more big news! We have our induction date set! It's still not decided if I will have a c-section or vaginal delivery at this point so they have reserved two different times. September 29th at 2:30pm is when we are to go into the hospital for induction if a vaginal delivery is planned, hoping to deliver on September 30th. If a c-section is planned, then 10:30 am on September 30th! There a lot of different emotions that run through my mind when I think of that day. I'm terrified to let him go, knowing that I will no longer be able to protect him- that is the scariest part for me. At the same time, I am really hoping we can help Andrew kick this thing, and I can't wait to get to meet him and finally start our lives together! Someone at work said something that really helped me- being a parent is a life time of learning to let go. Whether its letting them cross the street by themselves for the first time, their first day of school or taking them to college- a parent's life is filled with moments of letting go and trusting. Obviously this fight for his life is on a whole different scale, but I must learn to let go and trust just the same. For now, living one day at a time and knowing Andrew is safe and happy and kicking like crazy is all I need to know!