Jack's Journey

Today was a tough day for us. I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes on top of everything else we've been facing. While the diagnosis itself isn't as big of a deal as the other challenges we're facing, it seemed to be the tipping point. I really felt like I just can't catch a break. It's also frustrating because having friends & family bring up food or celebrating our weekly accomplishment with cookies have been some of the things that have helped me stay positive in this journey. One of my biggest mental challenges has been all the typical pregnancy things I feel like I'm missing out on. I wish I could be home, nesting & setting up a nursery. I wish I could have a typical baby shower and wear cute maternity clothes (even though I never found many) and take cute weekly bump photos (that don't include a hospital room background). I know we have so much to be thankful for, but on days like today I just need to feel sorry for myself. But tomorrow...

We went back to the specialist this morning for a scan and an update. We were super excited because my amniotic fluid was up to 11 (record high for my hospital stay). That means the fluid stayed high throughout the week without an IV. Jack looked great in the monitoring and the blood flow in the umbilical cord looked good. The blood vessels that give me the vasa previa diagnosis are still sitting right by my cervix, which is also right by Jack's head. Since my fluid has been more stable this week, I've been more focused on gaining a deeper understanding of this diagnosis and what all it means. I made the mistake of googling (against Justin's guidance...) and have also had more conversations with the doctors & nurses. So here's some info for those who are wondering what exactly has me in the hospital for this extended amount of time. - Vasa previa means I have blood vessels in the wrong spot and they're between Jack & my cervix. - The blood vessels ...

We've made it to 28 weeks and I am officially in the 3rd trimester! This date seemed so far away when we got to the hospital 3 weeks ago and is a big milestone for Jack. We are still hoping to make it to a scheduled c-section 6 weeks from now, but happy to know we have made it to this point. I don't have a lot to update from this week, which is always a good thing. There have been a few times when Jack's been a little stubborn with monitoring, but so far he's done well enough that we haven't had to have any extra scans or specialist visits. We'll go back to the specialist tomorrow morning and see how things are looking.

We had another good scan this morning - my amniotic fluid stayed high throughout the weekend with all my water drinking! Jack was looking great and sucking his thumb for us. While today has been a good day in terms of my pregnancy journey, it's also been a bit of a tough day for me as it's the first day of school. I've enjoyed seeing all the pictures online, but it's also hard knowing I'm not there with my class. I just remind myself that they're in great hands and I'm where I need to be! A lot of people have asked what I'm doing to fill my time, so I thought I'd share since we don't have a lot to update on in terms of me & Jack. Each morning the nurses come in to give me medicine at 8 and check my heart, lungs, reflexes, ask me a million questions, etc. Mondays & Fridays (and some Tuesdays & Wednesdays) we go to the specialist for a scan. After the scan we order breakfast. Once breakfast is over the nurses come back in to monit...

Today's been a great day! We went back to the specialist this morning and my amniotic fluid was up to a 9!! That's huge for me! And it was all done without an IV. Granted I've been chugging water like a crazy person & got up an hour and half early to drink water before the scan - but needless to say we're beyond thrilled! Jack is growing well - he's up to 2 pounds 3 ounces. He was 1 pound 10 ounces two weeks ago when we got to the hospital. He was sleeping during the scan and we got to see him yawn. The blood vessels are still sitting right by my cervix, so no changes on that condition, but we weren't really expecting any. Then we got to move rooms (again), but now we're back in a room that has a couch for Justin to sleep on instead of the pullout chair. It's really the little things these days. While my mom moved rooms, Justin & my dad ventured to Nebraska Furniture Mart to buy nursery furniture for Jack. So by next Thursday the room will ...

Our journey continues! We've made it to the 27 week mark and tomorrow will be 2 weeks in the hospital. We're thankful for every day that we make it because that means more time to develop for Jack. At my last update, my amniotic fluid index had increased to an 8 Monday morning. We went back for a scan Tuesday morning and the fluid was at a 7.8. The specialist wanted to see me again Wednesday morning to see if the fluids could maintain without the IV. (I've been off the IV since Monday morning). This morning we went back to the specialist for a scan and the fluid was at a 6.5. Anything above 5 keeps us out of the "danger zone", but the downward trend is not what we want to see. For now, I'm still off the IV but keeping track of my water intake. We'll also keep monitoring Jack twice a day to make sure he's looking good. We go back to the specialist on Friday morning to check the fluid again. We're hoping that the fluid will increase with just m...

It was a pretty long weekend having to be hooked up to the monitors and IV continuously. Thankfully we had lots of visitors to help pass the time. We just finished meeting with the specialist and the amniotic fluid levels DOUBLED from Friday morning! The goal is to be above a 5 and we went from a 4 to an 8! The specialist said I could go off the monitors (I'll still be monitored twice a day) and off the IV and that we could move back to antepartum (out of labor & delivery). He'll scan me again tomorrow morning to see if the levels can maintain without the IV. We are both feeling so relieved and excited with this news! Jack continues to look great in the scans and I'm ecstatic to be off the monitors for a bit. The next goal is to get the levels to maintain above a 5 without an IV going! Celebrating the good news with kolaches for breakfast

Friday morning we went back to the specialist for a scan and the amniotic fluid was back below the minimum level they want to see. The specialist recommended that I be placed on continuous monitoring through the weekend until our next scan on Monday. Since the antepartum section of the hospital (where I've been) only has 1 nurse and isn't equipped for continuous monitoring, I was moved to labor & delivery. We were a bit shell shocked when they said we needed to move to labor & delivery. Justin had to load all our stuff up on our cart and wheeled me (and our stuff) down to the l&d section of the hospital to our new room. My doctor came by around lunch time and explained that the move was more based on nurse staffing than them thinking I was going to deliver. This made us feel better. She said low amniotic fluid is manageable if they know it, but that it will require continuous monitoring so they can be watching Jack's heart rate for any changes that could sig...

Today's lesson was all about what it means to take things one day at a time. Last night during my twice daily monitoring (looking at Jack's heart & for contractions), my nurse was concerned that, while nothing looked bad, it didn't look as good as it had. She called my doctor who had me start procardia (medicine to prevent contractions) and kept me on the monitor for an additional hour until the nurses felt that things were looking better. This morning during monitoring, the nurse was still unhappy with what she was seeing and my doctor came up to do an ultrasound. The ultrasound showed that Jack was fine, but the amniotic fluid was low. She had me start on an IV, keep the monitoring on all day and she would be back in the evening for a 2nd ultrasound. While she never specifically said, we had the feeling that if the fluid was still low it may be delivery time. Needless to say it was a long day of waiting. It was also not the most comfortable day. Between the moni...

This morning we saw the 2nd specialist to get his opinion and recommendations. He confirmed the diagnosis of vasa previa. The blood vessels in question are sitting about 8 mm away from the cervix. Jack was still looking good in the scans and the umbilical cord still has a healthy flow. He also gave the recommendation of a scheduled c-section at 34 weeks. He feels that any risk of a preemie at that point is less than the risk of my cervix dilating and hitting the blood vessel. We visited with my OB after the specialist and she said she would be going with his recommendation of 34 weeks. This also confirms some of what I had been seeing in my own research online. She also reminded us that is the goal and it doesn't mean Jack won't come before then. They're going to start me on medication proactively to prevent contractions, but any sign of labor or bleeding will most likely result in an emergency c-section. My doctor told us if we could make it to the 28 week mark (2 we...

Finding out that I was going to be spending the (potential) next 12 weeks in the hospital was not easy news to take. Monday was a pretty difficult day trying to grapple with that information. Aside from the fear of something going wrong with Jack, there were a few things I was really struggling with. One, we still have so much to do to prepare for Jack. We have no nursery furniture, just an empty room. We don't have our car seat or bassinet for when he comes home. We were going to spend Thursday looking at daycares and finding a pediatrician. All of that I thought I still had 14 weeks to do. While I know my amazing husband and family will make sure everything is ready, it's hard to know I won't be the one setting up the nursery and putting away all of the cute baby things as we get them. Two, this is supposed to be my 10th year of teaching. Knowing that I won't be there to start the year with my new class is really hard. Especially because I'm not sure yet when ...

The weekend was spent with friends and family visiting at the hospital. We were all in pretty good spirits and still pretty hopeful that I might be home by the end of the week. The bleeding had stopped Thursday, I hadn't experienced any contractions and Jack was looking great every time they monitored him. Monday morning we were taken down to meet with the specialist again who did another ultrasound to see how things looked. This is when our diagnosis officially became vasa previa, meaning that some of the blood vessels have moved out of the placenta and are dangerously close to my cervix. We were also informed that I would be spending the remainder of my pregnancy in the hospital. We met with my doctor that evening who confirmed what the specialist said. We learned that vasa previa is very rare and can be very fatal if it's not diagnosed prenatally. Essentially, we're extremely lucky that I had a bleeding episode. We also learned that I will definitely be having a c-se...

Thursday night was pretty sleepless for me as I was pretty anxious about meeting with the specialist. I was woken up at 6 for a second steroid shot. (The steroids were to help boost Jack's lung development, in the event he was making an early appearance). Shortly after the steroid shot we visited with our doctor again and then I was wheeled off to see the specialist. The specialist gave us our first diagnosis of marginal placenta previa. However, we were also told that he wanted his partner to have a second look. At this point we were being told that I would definitely be on bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy, but we were still holding onto a chance that I would be able to spend that bed rest at home. The specialist wanted to get another look Monday morning and then we would meet with his partner Wednesday.

My pregnancy was an ideal pregnancy right up to the 25 week mark. I didn't have trouble conceiving. I didn't get morning sickness. I was still exercising. Honestly, aside from gaining weight, some pregnancy brain, and fatigue I felt pretty normal. I even felt guilty about how easy things were going. All of that changed when I woke up at 4 in the morning on the 3rd. My initial thought was that my water had broken. This was obviously an alarming thought at 25 weeks. Once I made it to the restroom I realized that what I was feeling was actually blood. And quite a bit of it. My alarm turned to sheer panic. I woke Justin up and we rushed to the hospital. Once at the hospital, we were taken to triage in labor & delivery. One of the first things they did was hook me up to the monitors and we could hear Jack's heartbeat. Talk about an amazing feeling of relief. The next bit is all a blur as the nurse got an IV going, ran through a million questions and we waited for our d...