After getting admitted to the hospital on Wednesday and discharged on Thursday for advanced monitoring of our little guy, I found myself back in the hospital again yesterday after my follow-up appointment.
I went in on Friday morning for another non-stress test {NST} and biophysical profile ultrasound {BPP}. The little guy’s NST went really well – the test measures his heart rate to ensure he’s not stressed and they want to see some accelerations in his heart rate that show he’s moving around and happy/content. While there weren’t many accelerations in that particular test, the baseline was really normal and the nurse seemed happy.
My BPP did not go as well. The ultrasound measures five things – the amniotic fluid levels, cord blood flow, small body movements {like flexion}, large body movements and practice breathing. During the 30 minute period they want to see 3 large movements and we only got 1 and he did not do any practice breathing. Therefore, he failed his BPP {he got a score of 4 out of 8}.
While I knew that they were still picking up the heart rate on the ultrasound it was scary to watch because I was repositioning myself, drinking water and the ultrasound tech was poking the baby and nothing would get him to wiggle around in there. He must have been sound asleep! Shortly after the ultrasound, one of the doctors came in and said she was really concerned and was sending me to the hospital again.
Long story short, the doctor on the floor at the hospital was the one who had discharged me the day before and she had no intention of keeping me overnight. She was really happy with the NST results and would do several hours of continuous monitoring of the baby’s heart rate, followed by another BPP last night. We were so optimistic that we would get out of there and be home shortly.
After several hours of really solid monitoring, the babe’s heart rate plummeted and it took him longer to recover than it had ever taken while he was on the monitor. Because of that, the new doc on the floor said she’s not playing around and taking any chances, so here we are, still in the hospital.
Yesterday was a pretty tough day emotionally with the two big scares and the doctors bringing up the true possibility of an immediate delivery {which would make him 9 weeks premature}, which would have likely been via an emergency c-section. Alex is such a trooper and amazing support and is really rooting for me and our little guy and is helping me stay strong. Things are looking up today, though.
I spent all night hooked up to the monitors and the heart rate was strong and steady throughout the night, so things are looking up today. The doctor allowed me to come off the continuous monitor and I’ll be monitored in shorter intervals today to make sure things look good, and if everything continues, I could head home tomorrow.
At this point it’s impossible to know what to think and what to expect for either the short or long-term. If the baby’s heart rate continues to take dips during monitoring they’ll either keep me here for more monitoring or they’ll decide that the time has come to deliver the baby.
It’s a really tough situation to be in and it seems to have the doctors scratching their heads a bit, trying to figure out if he’s just rolling over on his umbilical cord, which could be a cause of the heart rate drops, or if there is something more going on and there is not enough reserve in the placenta for him to bounce back. There’s a life at stake and they aren’t willing to take many risks. We’re obviously hoping he’s got several more weeks inside to continue to grow and develop and that this is just a blip on the radar.
We really, really appreciate the support from you all – thank you! It means a lot to know there are so many people cheering for this little guy who the world hasn’t gotten to meet yet. We’ve already determined that he loves being in the spotlight!