The Long and Winding Road
This blog is as much a place for information for family and friends as it is a reminder to Scott and I of the places we’ve been and the experiences we’ve had. This pregnancy hasn’t been easy. There have been moments that have downright sucked, but after every dark night came a bright morning. My timeline below may be a week or so off, but I want to remember and to always be thankful for all that we have been through to get to where we are now.
The beginning of this pregnancy was a cake walk. My cravings were easy to satisfy and I never got sick. At our first ultrasound we saw our little gummy bear. The heartbeat was perfect and all was well. My Dr. said she didn’t see anything that caused concern, but due to our history if we wanted a follow-up 4D ultrasound with a specialist just to ease our fears, she would make it happen. We jumped at the chance.
While doing the 4D ultrasound there was an obvious black hole appearing in my uterus. The tech brought the specialist in and after silently moving the wand over my stomach; she admitted that she had never seen anything like it before. Her concern was that it was a cyst on the umbilical cord, which is fatal to the fetus. After further review, she determined that it wasn’t on the umbilical cord and that she needed to consult her medical books before giving us any additional information. While she consulted her books, Scott and I prepared ourselves for the worse. We prayed and tried to hold it together. When she returned, relief could physically be seen on her face. It was a secondary yolk sac. There weren’t signs that there was ever a second fetus in my stomach, but for whatever reason a secondary yolk sac was present. She said eventually it would be absorbed by my body and it would not affect our baby. Our first round of worry was over.
The specialist asked us to come back in 4 weeks to make sure the yolk sac was gone and follow-up on everything, so we returned. At that appointment the tech brought the Dr. in and while silently moving the wand over my belly, the Dr. told us the baby had an echogenic bowel. This means the intestines were showing up light colored as if they were bone, which is a soft marker for downs. This news was followed up with an offering of an amino. As Scott and I had previously agreed, we wanted to know as much information as possible about our baby, whether that information was good or bad. We agreed to the amino and within minutes the needle was inserted into my stomach. It didn’t hurt and it didn’t last long. The fear we felt overshadowed all other pain.
After 3 days of waiting, the results of our amino were returned. The baby was fine. We almost couldn’t believe it. We didn’t know if we should allow ourselves to feel relief and comfort or if we should keep our hearts guarded. With our chins held high, we continued on our journey. Our second round of worry was (temporarily) over.
Mother’s Day night the bleeding began. I called the hospital and they told me to come in quickly. It wasn’t just a spot or two of blood, but enough that I thought our baby was gone. The drive to the hospital was the longest drive of our lives. Scott and I held hands but couldn’t discuss what was happening. At the hospital, we had an ultra-sound and there dancing on the screen, healthy as can be, was our little guy. He was fine. After an examination, the blood was not coming from our baby and perhaps my uterus was just irritated. They could not give an exact reason for the bleeding. After 4-5 hours in the hospital I was released. A follow-up appointment was scheduled with the specialist later that week to make sure everything was still ok.
At this appointment the specialist officially diagnosed me with Vasa Previa. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, this diagnoses is fatal to the fetus if it is not caught before the mother goes into labor. In the simplest terms, the baby’s blood supply/lifeline has planted itself right on top of the birthing canal. Should my water bust or the membranes rupture during labor, the baby would bleed out in a matter of minutes. If not treated immediately, the mother would also require a blood transfusion. Clearly not an ideal situation but we were assured that since this was caught, we have a 99% chance of delivering (via C-Section) a perfectly healthy baby.
At this point we knew hospitalization was imminent once we hit week 30. At week 28, we had a follow-up appointment with the specialist. It was at this appointment I was informed that not only was my cervix shortening but I was also having contractions. This led to immediate hospitalization because going into labor was not an option for me or baby. Steroids were immediately administered and then we waited. After 24 hours and orders of bedrest going forward, I was released to return home.
Roughly 6 weeks of bedrest at home followed. It was hard not to be in constant fear of going into labor and losing the baby before we had time to get to the hospital. But, we knew the road before us was already laid out and we just needed to continue walking down it. So we did.
On July 7, it was with relief and peace that we entered the hospital at 30 weeks. Under constant supervision by the Dr., we marked days off the calendar and celebrated each week. Constant monitoring is a blessing and a curse all at the same time. We have watched my blood pressure soar and dip. This led to the 24 urinalysis test for pre-eclampsia. Luckily, pre-e was not in the cards for us. We have also watched the heartbeat of our baby soar and dip. While the Dr. says for the most part it is normal, it is still cold-sweat inducing watching the baby’s heartbeat slow down.
We’ve cried tears of joy and tears of the unknown. At this point, we are in the homestretch. At 34 weeks, we have what the NICU considers an “easy baby.” Our Dr. told us yesterday we have roughly 2 weeks before she takes the baby. Two weeks. After everything that we have endured, taking this baby home and raising it feels like a piece of cake. Without everything we have been through, I’m not sure I would have fully recognized the miracle of creating a life. I didn’t expect pregnancy would be this difficult, but no one ever said it would be easy either. All I know is that every second has been worth it.
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| Image courtesy of Google |
The beginning of this pregnancy was a cake walk. My cravings were easy to satisfy and I never got sick. At our first ultrasound we saw our little gummy bear. The heartbeat was perfect and all was well. My Dr. said she didn’t see anything that caused concern, but due to our history if we wanted a follow-up 4D ultrasound with a specialist just to ease our fears, she would make it happen. We jumped at the chance.
While doing the 4D ultrasound there was an obvious black hole appearing in my uterus. The tech brought the specialist in and after silently moving the wand over my stomach; she admitted that she had never seen anything like it before. Her concern was that it was a cyst on the umbilical cord, which is fatal to the fetus. After further review, she determined that it wasn’t on the umbilical cord and that she needed to consult her medical books before giving us any additional information. While she consulted her books, Scott and I prepared ourselves for the worse. We prayed and tried to hold it together. When she returned, relief could physically be seen on her face. It was a secondary yolk sac. There weren’t signs that there was ever a second fetus in my stomach, but for whatever reason a secondary yolk sac was present. She said eventually it would be absorbed by my body and it would not affect our baby. Our first round of worry was over.
The specialist asked us to come back in 4 weeks to make sure the yolk sac was gone and follow-up on everything, so we returned. At that appointment the tech brought the Dr. in and while silently moving the wand over my belly, the Dr. told us the baby had an echogenic bowel. This means the intestines were showing up light colored as if they were bone, which is a soft marker for downs. This news was followed up with an offering of an amino. As Scott and I had previously agreed, we wanted to know as much information as possible about our baby, whether that information was good or bad. We agreed to the amino and within minutes the needle was inserted into my stomach. It didn’t hurt and it didn’t last long. The fear we felt overshadowed all other pain.
After 3 days of waiting, the results of our amino were returned. The baby was fine. We almost couldn’t believe it. We didn’t know if we should allow ourselves to feel relief and comfort or if we should keep our hearts guarded. With our chins held high, we continued on our journey. Our second round of worry was (temporarily) over.
Mother’s Day night the bleeding began. I called the hospital and they told me to come in quickly. It wasn’t just a spot or two of blood, but enough that I thought our baby was gone. The drive to the hospital was the longest drive of our lives. Scott and I held hands but couldn’t discuss what was happening. At the hospital, we had an ultra-sound and there dancing on the screen, healthy as can be, was our little guy. He was fine. After an examination, the blood was not coming from our baby and perhaps my uterus was just irritated. They could not give an exact reason for the bleeding. After 4-5 hours in the hospital I was released. A follow-up appointment was scheduled with the specialist later that week to make sure everything was still ok.
At this appointment the specialist officially diagnosed me with Vasa Previa. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, this diagnoses is fatal to the fetus if it is not caught before the mother goes into labor. In the simplest terms, the baby’s blood supply/lifeline has planted itself right on top of the birthing canal. Should my water bust or the membranes rupture during labor, the baby would bleed out in a matter of minutes. If not treated immediately, the mother would also require a blood transfusion. Clearly not an ideal situation but we were assured that since this was caught, we have a 99% chance of delivering (via C-Section) a perfectly healthy baby.
At this point we knew hospitalization was imminent once we hit week 30. At week 28, we had a follow-up appointment with the specialist. It was at this appointment I was informed that not only was my cervix shortening but I was also having contractions. This led to immediate hospitalization because going into labor was not an option for me or baby. Steroids were immediately administered and then we waited. After 24 hours and orders of bedrest going forward, I was released to return home.
Roughly 6 weeks of bedrest at home followed. It was hard not to be in constant fear of going into labor and losing the baby before we had time to get to the hospital. But, we knew the road before us was already laid out and we just needed to continue walking down it. So we did.
On July 7, it was with relief and peace that we entered the hospital at 30 weeks. Under constant supervision by the Dr., we marked days off the calendar and celebrated each week. Constant monitoring is a blessing and a curse all at the same time. We have watched my blood pressure soar and dip. This led to the 24 urinalysis test for pre-eclampsia. Luckily, pre-e was not in the cards for us. We have also watched the heartbeat of our baby soar and dip. While the Dr. says for the most part it is normal, it is still cold-sweat inducing watching the baby’s heartbeat slow down.
We’ve cried tears of joy and tears of the unknown. At this point, we are in the homestretch. At 34 weeks, we have what the NICU considers an “easy baby.” Our Dr. told us yesterday we have roughly 2 weeks before she takes the baby. Two weeks. After everything that we have endured, taking this baby home and raising it feels like a piece of cake. Without everything we have been through, I’m not sure I would have fully recognized the miracle of creating a life. I didn’t expect pregnancy would be this difficult, but no one ever said it would be easy either. All I know is that every second has been worth it.
Like this blog? Leave a comment! Feedback makes me happy! :)
Thanks for sharing your story Kara. I know this pregnancy has been tough for you and Scott, but you will soon be rewarded with your healthy baby fish! It's hard to imagine how much love a heart can hold - but a baby makes everything grow (not just the tummy). You and Scott will be such great parents! Wishing you a safe delivery!
ReplyDeleteOh Kara this was beautiful! Thank you so much for shareing. I feel almost like family after your mother and I working together so long, all we mostly talked about was our girls, I have 2 also. I don't know if your mother told you or not but my youngest daughter lost twins several months ago, was so hard on us. You have been through so much but oh just wait until you are holding that little miracle guy in your arms no feeling like it! I wish you well, can't wait to see picture's and I know grandma is sooooo excited! Prayers are with you! Love Barbra Helms
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