A Long Way to go and a Short Time to Get There!
Happy 24 weeks to our precious papaya sized Baby P! The weeks are literally flying past our eyes which is a good and bad thing.
The most important update is that our little guy is doing extremely well. As of May 10th, he was 1lb 2oz. He has long fingers and toes and is very active. I told Scott we either have a piano player or a quarterback. Scott wishes for the latter. I’ve learned the little guy’s schedule. He isn’t much of a morning baby other than he must be fed between 6-8am. He prefers chocolate milk with pancakes or a bowl of chocolate Cheerios. After breakfast he is fairly quiet until around noon. I’m convinced that he has karate class at this time because I get served with some serious kicks and punches. After karate is over he quiets down until I get home from work. I’ll lie on the couch as Scott and I catch up on our day and discuss dinner options. I am 100% convinced P loves listening to us talk because he goes crazy. Scott can visibly watch our baby appear to swim from one side of his womb to the other. This will go on about 25 minutes before he gets all worn out and falls back asleep. Then he’s fairly quiet until it’s my bedtime. Night after night Scott can feel little kicks as I sleep with my stomach against Scott’s back. There is no doubt we have a very strong and active baby.
Our timeline of events has drastically changed over the past couple of weeks. At our last appointment the Dr. diagnosed me with Vasa Previa. Basically this means my placenta is directly over the birthing canal and has no intention of moving to a more convenient spot. The umbilical cord is also attached in this same location and not protected from the baby smashing it as he gets heavier and therefore cutting off his own blood/oxygen/lifeline. Due to the large amount of blood that is contained in the membrane covering the birthing canal, if Vasa Previa is not detected prior to the start of labor, it is 100% fatal due to the amount of blood that would be lost at a rapid pace. If caught early, there is a 95%-100% chance that everything will be fine.
For the Fisher family, this means the following; I am being monitored by our perientologist every two weeks. Between 28-30 weeks, I will be admitted into the hospital for monitoring. The only reason they would admit me prior to 28 weeks would be if my body decides to naturally begin the labor process. Fingers crossed, it does not. Once in the hospital, they will begin administering steroids to get our little guys lungs ready for the real world. I will have a planned C-Section between weeks 35-36. The only way my C-Section would be bumped up is if our little guy tries to come early. Hopefully he stays put and we can make it to 36 weeks. At that point, we deliver our little guy.
This was not ideal news for us to learn, however, we are dealing with it. As the Dr. was delivering the news, my only concern was that our baby is thriving, which he is. I think the medical difficulties that Scott and I have faced for the past 9 months have prepared us for this moment. Had our lives been smooth and bump free, I may have a case of the “why-me’s.” Since we have seen dark days, we are in a mental place that as long as the baby is fine, we can keep going forward. That being said, this entire process is mind-numbing and scary. I worry about going into labor prior to being admitted into the hospital. I worry about the time spent in the hospital and my poor husband feeling helpless as I’m “confined” for 5 weeks. I worry about the C-section and if we will be able to make it to week 35. I worry about Baby P coming early and what long-term effects could come as a result. I worry about my husband and all that he has experienced in the past year. Physically, I am feeling fine and getting bigger by the day. Mentally I have my good days and bad days. 9 days out of 10, I can look at this in a positive light and just thank God that this was discovered when it was.
In the meantime, my nesting instincts have hit me full force. When Scott and I learned of my upcoming vacation in the local hospital, we didn’t have anything close to a nursery in our home. Since then, we have ordered and received a crib & mattress. We have completely emptied out our spare bedroom and bought paint and a new ceiling fan. And all the baby clothes that we have received from friends and family have been washed and folded (Thanks Momma!). We have a busy few weeks ahead of us as we paint walls, shampoo carpets, and mentally get ready to have a baby before fall. I say “we” however my activity is limited to as little movement as possible. I told Scott I’m the contractor of this job because I lay on the couch and tell him what to do and how to do it. I’m very good at being a contractor and he is very good at being a laborer.
Due to the short time we have had to prepare for baby and the exact date of our hospital stay being up in the air my sweet friends and sister are planning a post-baby shower in early September. This way out-of-town family/friends have time to make plans to attend as well as ensure that I won’t be cooped up in a hospital bed on the day the shower happens. And hoping all goes well with Baby P and his time in the NICU is limited; he will be able to briefly join us at the shower.
If you’re reading this blog, I have 2 favors to ask of you;
1. Pray. Pray for Scott and I to keep the strength and positive attitude we need to get through this time. Pray Baby P continues to thrive and stays in his apartment until he hits 35 weeks. Pray the Drs. are able to perform a successful C-section that leads to the healthy (and quick) recovery for me and delivery of Baby P. Pray that after all this is over, Scott and I get to take the most wonderful prize on earth home…a healthy baby boy.
2. Recommend a book, DVD, website, or another way to pass the time while I am in the hospital. I am hoping those 5 weeks go by quickly but I’m also a little worried about developingcabin hospital fever. If you had 5 weeks to do nothing but think (and you weren’t on a beach) how would you pass the time?
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| 23 wks and completely dressed in maternity wear! |
Our timeline of events has drastically changed over the past couple of weeks. At our last appointment the Dr. diagnosed me with Vasa Previa. Basically this means my placenta is directly over the birthing canal and has no intention of moving to a more convenient spot. The umbilical cord is also attached in this same location and not protected from the baby smashing it as he gets heavier and therefore cutting off his own blood/oxygen/lifeline. Due to the large amount of blood that is contained in the membrane covering the birthing canal, if Vasa Previa is not detected prior to the start of labor, it is 100% fatal due to the amount of blood that would be lost at a rapid pace. If caught early, there is a 95%-100% chance that everything will be fine.
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| Looking exhausted at 24 wks |
For the Fisher family, this means the following; I am being monitored by our perientologist every two weeks. Between 28-30 weeks, I will be admitted into the hospital for monitoring. The only reason they would admit me prior to 28 weeks would be if my body decides to naturally begin the labor process. Fingers crossed, it does not. Once in the hospital, they will begin administering steroids to get our little guys lungs ready for the real world. I will have a planned C-Section between weeks 35-36. The only way my C-Section would be bumped up is if our little guy tries to come early. Hopefully he stays put and we can make it to 36 weeks. At that point, we deliver our little guy.
This was not ideal news for us to learn, however, we are dealing with it. As the Dr. was delivering the news, my only concern was that our baby is thriving, which he is. I think the medical difficulties that Scott and I have faced for the past 9 months have prepared us for this moment. Had our lives been smooth and bump free, I may have a case of the “why-me’s.” Since we have seen dark days, we are in a mental place that as long as the baby is fine, we can keep going forward. That being said, this entire process is mind-numbing and scary. I worry about going into labor prior to being admitted into the hospital. I worry about the time spent in the hospital and my poor husband feeling helpless as I’m “confined” for 5 weeks. I worry about the C-section and if we will be able to make it to week 35. I worry about Baby P coming early and what long-term effects could come as a result. I worry about my husband and all that he has experienced in the past year. Physically, I am feeling fine and getting bigger by the day. Mentally I have my good days and bad days. 9 days out of 10, I can look at this in a positive light and just thank God that this was discovered when it was.
In the meantime, my nesting instincts have hit me full force. When Scott and I learned of my upcoming vacation in the local hospital, we didn’t have anything close to a nursery in our home. Since then, we have ordered and received a crib & mattress. We have completely emptied out our spare bedroom and bought paint and a new ceiling fan. And all the baby clothes that we have received from friends and family have been washed and folded (Thanks Momma!). We have a busy few weeks ahead of us as we paint walls, shampoo carpets, and mentally get ready to have a baby before fall. I say “we” however my activity is limited to as little movement as possible. I told Scott I’m the contractor of this job because I lay on the couch and tell him what to do and how to do it. I’m very good at being a contractor and he is very good at being a laborer.
Due to the short time we have had to prepare for baby and the exact date of our hospital stay being up in the air my sweet friends and sister are planning a post-baby shower in early September. This way out-of-town family/friends have time to make plans to attend as well as ensure that I won’t be cooped up in a hospital bed on the day the shower happens. And hoping all goes well with Baby P and his time in the NICU is limited; he will be able to briefly join us at the shower.
If you’re reading this blog, I have 2 favors to ask of you;
1. Pray. Pray for Scott and I to keep the strength and positive attitude we need to get through this time. Pray Baby P continues to thrive and stays in his apartment until he hits 35 weeks. Pray the Drs. are able to perform a successful C-section that leads to the healthy (and quick) recovery for me and delivery of Baby P. Pray that after all this is over, Scott and I get to take the most wonderful prize on earth home…a healthy baby boy.
2. Recommend a book, DVD, website, or another way to pass the time while I am in the hospital. I am hoping those 5 weeks go by quickly but I’m also a little worried about developing
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