Baby Update 4.28.11

I had my OB appointment today…Another ultrasound…Fluid is still high…Yea!

So, I officially have polyhydramnios (high amniotic fluid).  My fluid level is 28.4 centimeters.  What does that mean?  I am not really sure…But I do know that two and half weeks ago, it was 27, then 26, then 25 just a week ago.  And now, it’s back up and I need to stay on bed rest.  Boo.  :(

Other than that, everything is pretty much the same.  Since it wasn’t the fetal specialist then the appointment was more focused on me.  We return to both the pediatric cardiologist (for the fetal echocardiogram results) and the fetal specialist on Monday.  More to come then…

Baby Update 4.25.11

We went to the pediatric cardiologist today for another fetal echocardiogram. When we arrived, the nurse that performs all the fetal and pediatric echocardiograms told us that there had been a mistake in scheduling because the doctor was on vacation. But she would go ahead and do the echocardiogram (since the doctor is not actually in the room anyway) and would provide the pictures and video to her when she returned. So…We get to go back next Monday for the consult with the doctor. So no real information or results to provide.

But I think its still important to document (for those of you reading this looking for a similar experiences) that doctor appointments are often…you don’t always get a lot of answers out of them…but take them for what they are and don’t get too worried about it.

Hopefully, I will have more to add from the pediatric cardiologist following next Monday’s appointment.

Barrett Andrew Pilston is here!

Our bestest friends, Keith & Rachel, had their precious baby boy on Good Friday! 

Rachel also has a blog that you can read  HERE. 

Their road to Baby Barrett was a little bumpy too, but Rachel has been an inspiration in perseverance and maintaining a positive attitude.  Long before, she knew we were experiencing problems with our future new baby, she was giving us hope just by what she kept on her blog. 

When one door closes, another one opens.

Well, as many of you know, we are in the door business.  Despite this, we have a really crappy front door.  Surprisingly, it really doesn’t bother us too much.  Just like how a painter has a house that needs painting and a plumber has leaky faucets.  It’s like whatever you do for a living you avoid in your personal life.  So we finally have broken down and are having three new doors made.  The first is for the front. 

 

It’s a mahogany door with beveled glass.  We thought it would look nice with our Creole style home.  Plus, it’s proudly made in Mobile, AL!

For Bobby’s room, we wanted to do a French door like we did in Emerson’s room.  It is pretty much like the door above but painted white.  It adds a nice touch and lets you peek in on the baby without having to open the door.  Then we are going to put pretty much the same thing separating the kitchen and the dining room.  We really think its going to open up the kitchen a lot more.  Between that and new flooring, I think the house is really starting to reach its full potential.  We really wanted to get almost everything done with the house…the little projects that just linger on… before Bobby comes.  I hope he and Emerson like the new rooms being created for them.  The new playroom and nursery are going to be great!

Baby Update 4.21.11

I went to my OB for a “check-up” while my fetal specialist is on vacation.  I wasn’t expecting another ultrasound (since we had one Monday too), but alas, another one. 

With Emerson, I loved ultrasounds because they were far and few between.  BUT this time, I am kind of over it.  It’s nice to see that “Bobby” is still breathing, moving, etc. but it’s starting to hurt laying on my back for so long and all the pushing of that ultrasound wand on my belly. 

Since I thought it would be a quickie appointment, Phillip didn’t go with me.  But I didn’t feel like driving, so I asked my mother to go.  This was the first ultrasound appointment that she was able to go to…And I think it was good for her to see the baby in motion and the ultrasound tech was able to show her the VSD (hole in the heart).  It’s a lot easier to see on the ultrasound screen rather than those tiny pictures they give you. 

There really isn’t much to update, but confirming I am the same since Monday…Baby is doing fine, I am still having contractions, and I need to remain on bed rest for now.  Of the few I have told all of this to, the main concern / question is the confusion on the reason for bed rest.  This whole blog is to answer those questions (and to keep up with our life).  As the doctor explained, the contractions aren’t necessarily an omen of labor…as long as they aren’t painful or really intense over a long period of time.  They just mean that my uterus/body is being stretched to the limits at this point.  The positive results from the Fetal Fibronectin Test basically only mean that I could go into labor in the next 2 weeks…Apparently, a negative result provides a doctor with more information than a positive result does (a negative result meaning that the likelihood of you going into labor is almost impossible).  So, the bed rest is only a precaution to keep stress to a minimum and to prevent the weight of my uterus from putting pressure on my cervix (therefore, encouraging labor). 

The bed rest has helped lower my stress.  It put work on hold and let me focus on just taking it easy.  I have accomplished a few little projects here and there that I can do sitting or laying.  Daytime TV is beyond mind-numbing.  I am hoping that doing almost nothing for a week or so might help me get off of bed rest…But I won’t know that until I return to the doctor next Thursday. 

On a side note, my sweet Toby (mini schnauzer) has been by my side for the past several days.  During the day, he sleeps at my side and always stays close.  It’s making me nervous…I have always heard that dogs have a sixth sense about things.  I am just hoping he thinks I feel bad and wants to be my little buddy.

Online shopping craziness.

So as you can imagine upon receiving the news that I am having contractions and are at risk for preterm labor, my motivation just skyrocketed.  And yet, I am stuck in bed or on the couch.  Frustrating.  Thankfully, our loyal painter (number available upon request…he is the absolute best!) called after our doctor’s appointment and is available to paint immediately.  So as I lay here in wait, I am busy doing some online shopping.  :)

I found and bought a dresser - Coastal Living by Stanley (this is not the color I chose)…

Curtain panels (white with green chenille dots)…

A set of 3 paintings (the lion is my favorite – so cute!)…

A pom pom pillow (in white)… A Boppy pillow cover (these are the absolute best blankets ever…and now its a Boppy cover too!)…A head support for the car seat (we have a pink one, but I don’t think pink will cut it for baby boy)…

A new diaper bag (it was 50% off retail on zulily today!)…

And even more exciting stuff (*sarcasm*) like curtain rods…

The one thing I am struggling with is that I am starting to think we need a twin bed in the nursery.  We didn’t do that with Emerson.  Instead, we invested (well, more like my mother purchased for us) a super cushy rocker and ottoman.  It worked out great when we ended up sleeping with her by necessity.  But this time around, I am thinking we may end up needing an actual bed.  With the amount of problems and possible “tet spells” that we are expecting, I have a feeling that we will be spending a lot of time in there.  Plus, if we call in reinforcements (aka LaLa – my mother) for night duty, then she has somewhere to stay close to baby.  I am hoping that all of my purchases just come in sooner rather than later so we can determine if we even have enough space for a twin bed. 

On schedule for tomorrow…Downloading all of our pictures from various cameras and storing on our external hard drive (jealous???).  Oh – AND it is Phillip’s 30th birthday!  I plan on taking him to a nice dinner…I still have to eat, right?

Baby Update 4.18.11

We went to our fetal specialist appointment yesterday. We had another ultrasound…They noted the same heart problems AND an enlarged stomach. At UAB, the stomach looked normal (an enlarged stomach and slight fluid on the kidneys were noted on the 6 month ultrasound but not since). The doctor basically said that this could be a sign that there is partial blockage and depending on the stage of digestion at the time of the ultrasound will make the problem noticeable or not. The kidneys and intestines looked normal which would mean more cause for concern if they didn’t. (Thank goodness…finally some “decent” news. I think?) The doctor didn’t seem to worry too much over the news because it could be caused by the SUA (single umbilical artery) or the heart problems and then resolve after birth. (Let’s hope so!)

The ultrasound tech also took amniotic fluid measurements since it was noted at our UAB appointment a week earlier that I was on the high side. Unfortunately, it is still high. The doctor explained that its great for the baby. It means that the baby has extra room to move around and stretch out. BUT it causes me greater discomfort (huhummm, severe heartburn?) and it can lead to preterm labor (as your body just thinks its time because the uterus is so stretched). So in addition to the ultrasound, they decided to strap me to a fetal monitor and just check if I might be experiencing contractions. Lucky me - I am! Since I am having contractions, they did a Fetal Fibronectin Test. I was told that if it was negative that I got to go home and be on modified bed rest. And if it was positive, then I was probably going to be admitted to USA C&W immediately for monitoring. After the test, I was told to go home, rest, and that my regular OB would be calling me for an appointment on Thursday (3 days away) to just check things out. I took that to mean it was negative (silly me…). So this morning, as I was in bed resting…I received a phone call from the fetal specialist letting me know that the test results had come back positive. Again, lucky me! Basically, it means that I am at a higher risk for preterm labor. Ugghhh…Can I get any more bad news?

So what does this all mean??? Well, I have a new found motivation to get things done. I can’t sit here and “rest” when I am staring at in-progress projects (or not even started yet…) that I need to be doing! It is beyond frustrating. Luckily, our handy painter showed up today to paint the new playroom and the nursery. As I write this…the playroom is painted! And tomorrow, the nursery! Omg. That is a huge relief! Now, only to enlist a few friends and family to do my bidding. ;)

Nursery Progress…

We “officially” have 8 weeks until I will be moving to Birmingham…to wait.  I think this is the point where most preggo women pray for it to happen quicker yet all the while also hoping their husband starts marking off the honey-do list.  I guess I should be praying that we have that 8 weeks.  We have done almost nothing to prepare for “Bobby”.  I have purchased the bedding (Serena & Lily’s Blake collection)…

and a few clothes, but beyond that, nothing. 

The future nursery itself is still a playroom. 

And the future playroom (an absolute necessity in this house) is still a guest room. 

So as you can see, the to-do list is basically a bunch of organizing, cleaning, and rearranging.  And I have neither the energy or motivation to do any of it.  Emerson’s room was well on its way to completion at this same time 2 years ago. 

Please send happy thoughts this way….We need them!

Our Big Baby News!

As I said in my last post, I would need to put all of my thoughts into words. Please don’t be upset if you are reading it here first. We decided to tell very few people because it is extremely hard to talk about and a lot to take in (for all of us). Plus, we didn’t want everyone to be worrying as much as much as we have. Please remember that the baby isn’t even here yet so nothing is set in stone. Well, here it goes from the beginning...

At our 5 month ultrasound, we not only found out that we were having a boy, but also informed that I most likely had a Single Umbilical Artery (SUA). This happens in approximately 1 in 100 live births. It is not necessarily associated with anything wrong or any disorder, but it can mean that there are other problems with the baby (which broadly varies so don’t google it). We also did the genetic testing (blood test only) at this time which was found to be negative for the chromosomal disorders. The SUA was confirmed during an ultrasound at 6 months. This confirmation mostly meant that the baby would be monitored for growth especially during the last weeks before full-term status.

We were sent to a high risk fetal specialist at USA Women’s and Children’s Hospital due to the SUA and other concerns noticed on the ultrasound at 6 months. The fetal specialist confirmed a hole in the heart and that determined that the potential heart problems were enough to also send us to a pediatric cardiologist.

The pediatric cardiologist performed a fetal echocardiogram and confirmed the Tetralogy of Fallot [pronounced fah-LO] (TOF) diagnosis. This happens in approximately 1 in 10,000 live births. Basically, this means that the baby has a hole between the left and right ventricles of the heart (VSD - Ventricular Septal Defect), an overriding aorta (misplaced location), and pulmonary stenosis (valve is partially blocked).

Surgery needs to be performed within the first year. The pediatric cardiologist decided that we needed to visit UAB for further consultation as Mobile does not have a pediatric cardiovascular surgeon, therefore, all surgeries (whether immediate or in the future) would be performed in Birmingham.

On April 11^th, we travelled to UAB for an appointment with the fetal specialist and pediatric cardiovascular surgeon. A detailed ultrasound, a fetal echocardiogram, and a team of specialists later, we had a conference where lots of things were discussed. Most importantly, the baby needs to be delivered at UAB. And if you didn’t know…Birmingham is approximately 260 miles away and 4+ hours of straight driving.

So what does this all mean? Well, at this point (as all things are subject to change), we expect to deliver at UAB at 39 weeks (to avoid underdeveloped lungs on top of a heart condition). The doctors want us to be close to the hospital at least 1 week beforehand just in case. I will be closely monitored in Mobile and may need to travel to Birmingham sooner if needed. After birth, they expect “Bobby” will need surgery within 1-2 weeks (they would like him to be eating, pooping, and sleeping like a normal newborn to ensure that it isn’t a problem beforehand). And then he will continue to stay in the hospital for approximately 2 weeks after surgery (for healing purposes, but to also ensure that he is back to eating, pooping, and sleeping regularly). At that time, we hope to go home…As we don’t know what to expect, travelling that distance in a car with essentially a newborn that just had heart surgery might be a little nerve-racking. Of course, he will be closely monitored locally by his pediatrician and pediatric cardiologist.

At 6 to 9 months old, “Bobby” will need to have open heart surgery. This surgery will actually attempt to repair the defects in his heart. As this is months to a year away from now, plus he hasn’t even been born, we don’t know much about what will actually occur and when.

I hope this blog provides my family and friends with the information that they want to know. We have decided not to tell many people about the medical issues we are currently dealing with because its just draining to think about much less tell the story from the beginning over and over. I will keep you updated through this blog so please keep checking back.

As you can imagine, I have been searching for others with similar circumstances. Beyond a few online boards and a few abandoned blogs, I just haven’t found much yet. So if you are looking for someone like us, please email me!

History 101

So why the new blog you ask?  Well, my life has been one long rollercoaster ride for the past 10 weeks.  We have been experiencing quite a bit of emotional ups and downs…most recently downs.  I am hoping that this blog does 2 things: 1) a way for us to update anyone who wants to follow our journey and 2) cheap therapy. 

I thought a good early post would be a little history lesson for those of you that don’t know me or our family…

I grew up in Mobile and was fortunate to spend almost my entire childhood in 1 house (that my parents are forbidden to ever sell…So don’t even think about it, Mom).

[pic coming soon]

Phillip is originally from Birmingham.  (He has played the guitar since the age of 3!  So cute!)

[pic coming soon]

Phillip and I met while in college at the University of Alabama (Roll Tide!).  I graduated with a degree in Accounting and Phillip in Economics. 

[pic coming soon]

We were married in June 2004.  Awwww…So sweet!

We lived in Atlanta for several years and then decided to move to Mobile where we bought our little yellow house.

[pic coming soon]  

Please meet Emerson Grace…She was born on June 8th, 2009.  She was born absolutely perfect and completely healthy at 8 lbs. 6 oz. and 22.5 inches long.  *sigh*

And then here comes ‘Bobby’ (name story to follow) – due to arrive on June 27th.  It was a bit of a surprise baby…But exciting nonetheless. 

Before we publicly announced our future new baby, we began practicing the words “baby brother” with Emerson.  We are in the midst of mass learning of new words so you would think we could accomplish this.  What a way to announce it to our family, right?  ‘Baby’ came rather easily, but ‘brother’…???  Well, it made baby turn into “bobby”.  So as ‘peanut’ and ‘boo boo’ (Emerson’s nickname in utero and now) were already taken, “Bobby” easily became the new favorite. 

Our little “Bobby” has some problems.  I can’t decide if we are fortunate to already know these things and plan accordingly OR if ignorance would be bliss (at least for now anyways). 

My next post will go into this and our journey to here.  It’s going to take some time to put it all into written words so please be patient and check back soon. 

Welcome to my house, I mean, blog.

This isn’t my first blog. And maybe not my last. But in the meantime, it’s going to be my primary blog. (If you would like to visit my other blog, please click HERE.)

Do you ever drive past a house at night to see that the curtains are open and the lights are on…And you can see everything from who’s inside to how the rooms are decorated? [completely creepy sounding I know…] Well, I love those types of rides. I just think its fascinating to see how other people are living their lives at that one single moment in time (i.e. eating dinner, having a party, kids doing homework, etc.). Well, I guess that is what a blog is in some ways. Just a peek into a life or an interest at one random point in time. I have always thought my life was a bit on the boring side and often think why would anyone want to actually read about it. But recently, I have been busy googling key words to find someone…anyone…out there sharing similar stories or experiences.

I realize our current ongoings of life may not matter to most, but if you are taking the time to read this now, then it just might. So welcome to my new blog…And happy reading!

Comments are always welcome! Please let me know you are out there!