Friday morning I woke up with some light spotting, and the on call doc advised me to go to the hospital just to get checked out, just to be safe. They weren't very worried, nothing had really changed since my doc appt last Tuesday, so they ordered an ultrasound just to be sure everyone was OK and were planning to send me home.
During the ultrasound, Baby C (Michael) had a heart rate drop - to the 40s, VERY low. They rushed me back up to the OB floor and by the time we got back there he was fine again, in the 140s as he should have been. Probably just a fluke, he or I laying the wrong way or somebody laying on his cord or something like that. But, they also found that he had fallen behind in growth since the last ultrasound three weeks ago. That's what made them nervous, because sometimes that can indicate an issue. There is only one high risk OB (perinatologist) in Cape, and he's on vacation until July 13. WHAT NERVE. I've not seem him yet because I've not had issues to date. But, nobody wanted me to wait two weeks to get this checked out, and I have a feeling none of the docs down there wanted to put their own name on the papers saying I was OK, so they advised me to come to STL to get checked out by one of their high risk docs. Still not major super serious, but to my surprise they told me I'd be going in a helicopter.
Silly me thought a helicopter meant they needed to get me there pretty fast, that they would be running me out to an already running helicopter like they do on TV. Not the case. It was a good hour from the time they ordered the copter for it to get there, get me transferred to the literally ironing board sized gurney, strap me down and get me loaded and in the air. And the trip took 55 minutes, only about half the time of the drive. But it was kind of neat, I'm not sure I would say it was fun but not scary as I thought it would be. Just interesting.
Luckily Ethan was able to leave, go home and pack his own bag and was only about half an hour behind me getting to STL. And thankfully with all my family here, mom, dad, crazy great aunt mary and susan were all waiting at the hospital when I got here. They put me in a room and STUPIDLY spent well over an hour trying to get all three babies on the monitor at the same time. Without an ultrasound to guide them and ensure they aren't picking up the same baby twice, and because all the babies are very active and moving, this is IMPOSSIBLE. DUH. They had these stupid straps tied around me so darn tight I thought my belly button might go flying across the room! And they once they got it I could not move at all so as not to disturb the signals. Sure, let the giant lady lay flat on her back without shifting for as long as humanly possible. I was NOT a happy camper. And as a precaution, I had not been allowed to eat or drink all day. So we were into hour 21 of no food and hour 16 of no drinking. And then my TV remote wouldn't work. This was my point of mental breakdown when poor Ethan had to listen to me curse repeatedly and complain about what a "shoddy" hospital Barnes is. I think I was entitled at that point :)
Fortunately a short time later four doctors came to see me, and immediately agreed that the monitors were stupid and cut them off. Hooray #1. They also OK'ed food. Hooray #2. They also did an ultrasound themselves to check out heart rates, fluid levels, my physical condition etc. and concluded about the same as the Cape doctors - 1.5 cm dilated, 1.5 cm in length. Not ideal, but also not changing and very normal and expected with three babies. I got off the IV since I was allowed to eat and drink again, and went down to just one monitor to watch any contractions I might have - totally bearable.
I was checked again this morning and it was more of the same - everybody looks good, C is still small, but there may be a logical explanation. There are two different methods used to rate fetal growth. The more traditional system puts him in the 9th percentile, which is considered small, although 10th percentile is normal so he's not far off. A newer system that has only become popular in recent years puts him in the 43rd percentile, much closer to Delia and Ben. It's not clear what system the Cape hospital tech used, or what system my doctor and her tech used for all my checks before Friday. They still want to check him out, since I'm here, and because if he's just starting to fall behind it could indicate that he's out of room and is gonna continue to fall more behind. Again not an awful condition, just something to be dealt with.
The plan is to have some special guy do a certain kind of checking of the umbilical cord tomorrow, he was off yesterday and today. Then another high risk doctor somebody will do a special kind of ultrasound Tuesday to extensively check placenta and such. Those results will determine the next step, but the regular OBs are thinking I'll probably go back home and begin seeing the high risk guy in Cape to watch it. Nothing unexpected, although the visit to STL was a shock, seeing the perinatologist was on the maybe list from day 1 of the pregnancy, along with bedrest, diabetes, and some of that other fun stuff I've been dabbling in. They also gave me a couple doses of steroids to pump up the babies lungs, just in case they would need to come out sooner rather than later. They'll still be small, in the NICU, need help breathing and eating, etc etc, all things to be expected at this age, but the possible long term problems are primarily vision and learning disabilities like ADD. Survivability is all but certain at this point, and even the permanent problems possible are manageable. We still want to keep them cooking as long as possible but we are pretty much in a safe zone at this point.
I'm feeling very good, same as I have been at home. I got to shower today, HOORAY #3, and have visited with family and some friends that I've been missing since I got "grounded" to Cape in early June. I've moved from the labor and delivery wing to the ante partum wing, where the non imminent delivery, long term bedrest patients are, so it's nice and quiet. I'm even allowed to get up and walk around as I please, the docs here don't seem to think that bedrest is going to provide any benefit or slow things down. I've mostly been in bed but it is nice to be able to sit up straight for a while, especially after I eat so I don't get heartburn very much.
I'll keep everyone updated as we find out more, for right now it is a lot of waiting around but so far so good. Ethan and I are amazingly in high spirits, both pretty calm and rolling with the punches as they come. I'm so lucky that my two families are spread in Cape and STL, so I've got a support system in both places. Ethan is staying with my parents, not stuck on a crappy recliner or anything. Thanks to everyone that is sending us thoughts and prayers, we'll take everything we can get at this point and I know, know, know that God is with all of us right now. I would be going out of my mind if He wasn't.
I am taking visitors any time, give me a call if you are interested and I can tell you my room and stuff. I'd say tomorrow and Monday are both good days, Tuesday is more up in the air as to how long I'll be here and what time stuff will happen.
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