Third times a charm

Well, today has been full of ups, downs, blessings and disappointments. The Pitocin does not seem to be agreeing with Becky today. Since the last post, we have met some amazing new people, had our epidural fail, and had more of the Pitocin induced really long contractions followed by more of the smaller contractions. We ended the morning attempt to start by 9:00 am. From there we decided to give Becky's body a break and make another attempt this afternoon. The plan for this attempt was to try the Pitocin until 10:00 tonight and decide if we would bail to a C-section. So, we started around 4:00 this afternoon and well, we had more of the 6 to 8 minute contractions so we called an end to this a few minutes ago. We were not seeing any progress at all so this way Becky will be able to eat something, take a sponge bath, and sleep a little before our 8:30 C-section slot. So, third times a charm...

Tomorrow morning will be busy but I'll see what I can do to get an update up mid-day.

5 P's

It has been a long night and nothing really new to report. Those that know me expect the 5 P's to be "Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance". There is a poster over the bed here that lists the 5 P's as "Partner, Protect, Possessions, Pain, and Potty". Seriously, "Potty"... Isn't this a major medical center? Well, I am going to stick with my version.

Our pre-planning started around 8:00 pm when the anesthesia team put in the epidural. Becky was continuing to have the contractions every minute or so but Andrew showed no change in his heart rate with them. The decision was made to place the epidural early in case the time interval between the contractions was too short for Andrew to recover and we needed to do a C-section. I guess this was a good plan because he is still not showing any distress and Becky has been MUCH more comfortable.

The contractions slowed down some and at midnight they started the Pitocin in an attempt to move things along. They stopped the drug about five minutes later because of another really long contraction followed by more of the smaller contractions. This continued for a few more hours but she went back on the Pitocin at 5:00 am. So far so good, though she is having a very hard time getting comfortable.

Shift change is coming and we will miss our nurse Agnes. She has been amazing tonight.

Fresh out of the gate!

From a long time listener, first time writer: We are checked into the room and things have finally settled down. They put us on the monitor for baseline vitals as soon as we got to the room. After a few minutes it became obvious that the contractions were consistently one minute apart. That does not allow Andrew any time to recover so in comes the masses. One side of Becky is a nurse placing an IV and on the other is a nurse giving a shot of Terbutaline. Terbutaline was given during one particularly long eight minute contraction and within a few seconds things started to calm down. Andrew's heart trace was rock solid through all the excitement. If this happens again, we will probably have to transition to a C-section.

After this round of excitement, a decision was made to try a Foley bulb to expand her cervix. Basically, a Foley catheter is inserted into the uterus and blown up. This was a painful process but she pulled through like a champ. The pain from this was enough to sell her on an epidural as things progress.

Thanks for the prayers and support. We will keep everyone posted. --Gene

Photo test from iPhone

Just testing to see if this works! Here are photos of the finished nursery! I think I've finally figured out how we'll post pics of Andrew directly from the NICU! Rocking Andrew in the glider seems to put him to sleep! Gene and I are doing as well as can be expected- getting a little anxious, but for the most part, spending time enjoying time together and our last few days of pregnancy!

Free Time On My Hands

Free time on my hands could be a dangerous thing, but I'm determined to be really positive and enjoy this last week where I get Andrew all to myself! We've been reading lots of books and listening to relaxing music and for the first time tonight I was able to rock Andrew in our new glider! I absolutely love going in his room- I can definitely envision bringing him home everytime I go in there!

I also thought I would try making a post from my iPhone so that I won't be doing it for the first time from the NICU. I'm realizing that I can't post pics directly from the iPhone which I thought we would be able to do. If anyone knows how to do that, please let me know. I'll have to post the latest pics of the nursery in another post.

Thanks for cheering us on and for all of the encouraging stories!

38 Weeks

We've made it to 38 weeks now which is a huge accomplishment! Things are definitely getting more crowded in there, but he still seems to be just as active. My amniotic fluid levels were 15 which is great and the nurses said he was showing off on the monitor for my NST today! I had almost constant uterine irritability, but no contractions on today's test. The irritability is nothing new, so they aren't too concerned and even if I did start having contractions, there's not a lot of difference in his survival this week verses next week. The part that makes me really nervous is that his stomach which was in the middle of his chest almost the entire pregnancy is now positioned in the right chest, behind his heart. I can't see how much lung can develop on that side if both the heart and the stomach are occupying the right chest. Hoping I am wrong in that respect. If anyone has any encouraging words about that from their own CDH journey, please share.

I've been trying to pass the time by doing a lot of reading and listening to relaxing music- I figure the music would be good for Andrew also! One week from tomorrow is our induction day- I can't believe how fast it is all going by! There are so many mixed emotions I have going into this. I wish I could keep him safe forever and do the breathing for him if need be, but I know this is not practical especially since I've outgrown almost all of my maternity clothes and I can't possibly imagine my belly getting any bigger than it already is. I'm definitely getting quite a few stares when we go anywhere in public now :). Part of me is tired of not knowing, that has been the hardest part of all of this, having your whole life in limbo. Part of me wishes there was more they could do to predict the outcome of these babies, but then I couldn't ever imagine going through this having been predicted the worst possible outcomes. For that, I am grateful to just not know at this point.

I'm looking forward to the fall weather- it's my favorite time of year! There's just something about the crispness in the air, the leaves changing color, the fall decorations and everyone preparing to spend time with family and friends over the holidays. God has truly blessed us with so many things- to live in this great country with excellent medical care, our freedom, a roof over our heads and good food to eat and most importantly so many loving family members and friends to share each day. Thanks for all the support and the many prayers we have received. I know I say this often, but I sincerely mean it and do not take you all for granted for one second.

-Becky

And The Verdict Is......

An attempt at a vaginal delivery with a low threshold for switching to a c-section is the path we will take! I am very excited about this- I know that a vaginal delivery is better for Andrew. I feel better that the doctors all think it is the best thing for both of us to let me try! We are to report to L&D at 2:00pm on Tuesday, September 29th hoping for a vaginal delivery sometime on September 30th.

The crazy thing is that my NST today had the least amount of uterine activity yet and that's off the procardia! Andrew, as usual looked fantastic! Hopefully I have not just jinxed myself and Andrew will be able to stay in there and continue to work on good lung development until the 30th!

Some people have asked me what to pray for specifically. These are the big things on my mind: good lung tissue and lung blood vessel development for Andrew; that he will be able to feed okay when that time comes; that everything with his brain will be okay; peace for Gene and I up until, during and after delivery; strength to keep a positive attitude for Andrew and not break down; that God will heal Andrew and guide all of the many wonderful doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and other professionals who will be helping Andrew along the way.

These are the two bible verses that I have been clinging to and using to keep me focused:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:6-7

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10

Thanks for all the prayers and support! It has made a world of difference to us!

-Becky