Less than 14 hours

I am less than 14 hours away from meeting my angel baby. I am scared, I am anxious, I am excited. Every emotion you could feel, I think I am feeling. Tomorrow at 4:30 the transport nurse is coming to get me. I wi be discharged from St. Mary’s and transported by ambulance to Cardinal Glennon (my first time in an ambulance). Ryan will meet me at Cardin Glennon. Once at at Glennon, I will go to the Fetal Care Institute to get a second iv, monitored, an ultrasound, and whatever else they have to do. Once I’m taken up to the OR, I will have a procedure done to take the fluid of Lucie’s chest. After that is completed, Ryan will join me and our baby girl will join the world. I keep thinking about what it will be like, but I don’t think anything can prepare me. I keep thinking about how badly I want to hear her first cry and hold her for the first time. I don’t know when I will get to hold her, but I am looking forward to the moment I get to see her. Ryan will be with her tomorrow while I recover at St. Mary’s. it will probably be the hardest thing I ever do is leave my baby after such little time with her. Please pray for her to fight hard, her doctors, and for me to recover quickly. Thank you for all the prayers and kind words. I will update when I can, but I’m not sure how often that will be at first.

5 more days

Not much to report today. I have five more days until my baby girl is here. Dr. Vlastos gave us some good news yesterday that because her lung function is looking pretty good we are able to have a traditional c section. This makes us so happy because I can be awake and Ryan can be in the room with me. God is so good!

35 weeks 4 days

Today I had another ultrasound. My fluid is at 41cm. Lucie’s fluid looks about the same. She’s been very reactive on the monitor, so I have been moved to a different wing to be monitored 3 times a day. It is definitely different now. I am used to having someone come in every hour and now I only have someone come in every 4 hours. It’s nice to have a little more privacy during the day. Thank you for all of your love and support.

35 week 1 day visit

Unfortunately this appointment did not go as well as I would like.  Dr. Vlastos noticed her fluid is increasing and she is swollen.  To  keep her in there and healthy as possible, I am in the hospital (again) until she gets here. We have a planned c-section for July 1.

I won’t have the typical c-sections.  I will have what is called an exit procedure. The exit procedure allows the doctors to see how Lucie will do and what she will do once they cut the umbilical cord.  It really gives her a better opportunity.  

I appreciate all the prayers.  Right now I am continuing to pray for her fluid to decrease, but I am making sure to save some extra prayers for the doctors.  I just pray for them to be fully prepared and to make the best decisions for our angel baby.

 

 

34 weeks 4 days

This momma and baby are tired. Lucie refused to cooperate during our checkup today. The non stress test was pretty much a joke because she would stay on the monitor for maybe two minutes at a time. During the ultrasound she was lying in a position that was difficult to get the measurements they needed. Thankfully they got all their measurements. The big discussion now is when the fluid in Lucie’s chest will be removed. The neonatologist wants to do after she is born and Dr. Vlastos seems to want to do it right before she is born. The decision will be made closer to her coming. There are pros and cons both ways, so whatever is best for Lucie we’ll accept.

I did see my ob today as well. She talked to me about setting up the induction. We are being induced sometime during the second week of July. She was calling to the hospital to set a specific date and she’ll call me with the date. Ohmygoodness this is getting real. 🙂

34 weeks 1 day

Yesterday Ryan and I went to FCI for check up one of two this week. Lucie is looking stable. I have even more fluid. I am now up to 44 cm of fluid (someone who is 34 weeks should roughly have 25 cm). Lucie cooperated while on the monitor for the non stress test. She was spinning during the ultrasound making it a lite harder than it should have been. I’ll take a feisty little girl.

33 week checkup

Back to Fetal Care Institute today. I was put on the monitor for awhile and they listened to little miss active.  After being monitored, I had an ultrasound.  The ultrasound showed that Lucie’s fluid wasn’t that much different than the other day.  My fluid has increased again though.  Dr. Vlastos said that if the fluid makes me so uncomfortable and effects my breathing, I can have an amniocentesis to suck out the fluid and make my life a little more comfortable.  I go back next Monday and Thursday.  I also see my OB on Thursday.  Just keep praying for my baby girl.  We need to keep her cooking until 38 or 39 weeks. 

And we’re home

I am so thankful. Dr. Myles sent me home yesterday. Lucie was very reactive on the monitor all weekend and Dr. Myles didn’t see any reason to keep me in the hospital until she was born. I will have monitoring twice a week at Fetal Care institute with Dr. Vlastos. The fluid is still a concern, but there is no point for me to be miserable in the hospital for weeks when I can take it easy at home. I am so thankful Lucie is an active and healthy little girl in there. Keep those prayers coming for her, she truly is a fighter and really is unique already. Dr Myles said that only 5% of CDH babies have the pleural effusion as well. And she’s even more unique because usually it gets progressively worse. In the middle of the second trimester her fluid was looking a little better. She has fluid on both the left and right, but I remember a week or so when there was very little fluid on the right side. Love this little girl to pieces and anxiously awaiting when she can enter this world safely.

At St. Mary’s for the long haul

We met with several different doctors from Fetal Care Institute yesterday. We met with Dr. Myles and Dr. Martin. Dr. Martin did an ultrasound and said that everything looked about the same as the day before. At this time we are going to continue to monitor her at the hospital. She is doing great on the monitor, so we aren’t in a rush to get her out. It is also best for her to be in the womb as long as possible. For now, Dr. Myles wants me here to be monitored 24 hours. I will be reevaluated on Monday and Dr. Vlastos will be back in town on Monday. I may be able to go home at some point prior to Lucie being born, but I don’t think that will happen. Right before Lucie is born, they will do a needle procedure to extract the fluid. After she’s born we will be looking at the same plan of action as we were prior to the fluid increasing. We are just waiting it out. I am tired of being in bed all the time and today I only get a break from the monitor to take a shower today- so I’m very uncomfortable today.

I’m spending my days reading and watching tv. I am very happy that I have Barnes and Noble gift card so I can order some books to keep busy. I had visitors both Thursday and Friday, but I’m trying to space them out so it’s not so exhausting.

Thank you for the prayers for our Lucie. She is definitely a fighter. The nurses are impressed with how active she is with all the fluid in her belly and chest. Fight baby fight.