Off the Ledge
Fancy doc and Rocket Man talked me down and I feel like I am back to my normal? state of being. My cervix looks good on u/s. It’s 3 cm, down from 3.4, which is virtually nothing, taking the margin of error into consideration. The stitch looks fine. The placenta looks great although a problem isn’t necessarily visible; there is nothing whatsoever to suggest a placental problem. Plenty of amniotic fluid. Blood pressure is normal. Urine culture results coming soon. The baby looks great. The 3-D picture are so cute; I need to find a neighbor with a scanner so I can share them.
My cervix feels good to fancy doc. He spent a lot of time with us as he always does even though he’s got 10 patients waiting. He listened to all my questions and concerns and we joked, not condescendingly, about my reading of medical research and abstracts and basically the 10 hours I spent researching fFN. He really has been great with us.
Basically he said he is not super-concerned about the fFN because the protein could be showing up because it hasn’t completely gone away from when it was supposed to be there. In other words, the presence of fFN is normal early in pregnancy and it is supposed to go away by about 22-24 weeks. It could be that it just hasn’t completely gone away yet. It could be there because fFN is leaking from the placenta. In either case, no signs of pre-term labor is a good thing. Apparently my contractions aren’t a sign of PTL nor is the pressure or the discharge. He views PTL as actual labor that occurs pre-term.
We’ll test again on Wednesday, next week, and then it should be gone. Actually he said there is a 66% chance of a negative result after a positive. Yeah right. That should be interesting. Who knows, maybe it will be negative.
Anyway, he said he is concerned enough about the current result to see me every week and check the cervix and re-do the test. He also thinks it’s a good idea to start with modified bed rest, not because he thinks it will prevent pre-term labor but because it will help me feel better. He was all for us getting a second opinion and he gave us a recommendation of his peer at a local university hospital.
I felt much better after talking to him. He assured me that he thinks my cervix is holding up great, the contractions haven’t taken a toll, we’re watching very carefully for changes, I have no history of PTL (pre-term labor), and the stitch is very strong.
We’ll re-do the test in a week, check the cervix again, rest a lot and in the meantime the baby’s chances of survival increases 3% each day after today. If the contractions increase we will consider home monitoring. If I show signs of PTL, we’ll do a steroid injection to help mature the baby’s lungs. If the next fFN is positive, I will be resting more.
So the panic is over. Emotionally I feel much better. I still feel a lot of discomfort and pressure around where I imagine the cervix to be. I get pretty sore after only a little bit of standing. Sitting up at a table is particularly uncomfortable. I’ve gone from sitting in a reclining position on the couch to a more horizontal position because it’s more comfortable. Fancy doc says that the discomfort probably is the stitch and the pressure on it. I am taking it super easy, partly because I am uncomfortable.
I am feeling more connected to the baby. Seeing an actual picture of her face was very cool. She looks so little and sweet. She kicks A LOT; feels like I’ve got a constant companion living in my belly. I’m really rooting for her to grow and develop. My other babies were so little at birth, 6 lbs, 2 ozs and 5 lbs, 14 ozs AT TERM. Doris Foodle needs to grow!!
That’s all I’ve got for now. Yesterday my son said, “Mama you need to rest so the baby doesn’t die.” This needs to happen. There is no alternative.
My cervix feels good to fancy doc. He spent a lot of time with us as he always does even though he’s got 10 patients waiting. He listened to all my questions and concerns and we joked, not condescendingly, about my reading of medical research and abstracts and basically the 10 hours I spent researching fFN. He really has been great with us.
Basically he said he is not super-concerned about the fFN because the protein could be showing up because it hasn’t completely gone away from when it was supposed to be there. In other words, the presence of fFN is normal early in pregnancy and it is supposed to go away by about 22-24 weeks. It could be that it just hasn’t completely gone away yet. It could be there because fFN is leaking from the placenta. In either case, no signs of pre-term labor is a good thing. Apparently my contractions aren’t a sign of PTL nor is the pressure or the discharge. He views PTL as actual labor that occurs pre-term.
We’ll test again on Wednesday, next week, and then it should be gone. Actually he said there is a 66% chance of a negative result after a positive. Yeah right. That should be interesting. Who knows, maybe it will be negative.
Anyway, he said he is concerned enough about the current result to see me every week and check the cervix and re-do the test. He also thinks it’s a good idea to start with modified bed rest, not because he thinks it will prevent pre-term labor but because it will help me feel better. He was all for us getting a second opinion and he gave us a recommendation of his peer at a local university hospital.
I felt much better after talking to him. He assured me that he thinks my cervix is holding up great, the contractions haven’t taken a toll, we’re watching very carefully for changes, I have no history of PTL (pre-term labor), and the stitch is very strong.
We’ll re-do the test in a week, check the cervix again, rest a lot and in the meantime the baby’s chances of survival increases 3% each day after today. If the contractions increase we will consider home monitoring. If I show signs of PTL, we’ll do a steroid injection to help mature the baby’s lungs. If the next fFN is positive, I will be resting more.
So the panic is over. Emotionally I feel much better. I still feel a lot of discomfort and pressure around where I imagine the cervix to be. I get pretty sore after only a little bit of standing. Sitting up at a table is particularly uncomfortable. I’ve gone from sitting in a reclining position on the couch to a more horizontal position because it’s more comfortable. Fancy doc says that the discomfort probably is the stitch and the pressure on it. I am taking it super easy, partly because I am uncomfortable.
I am feeling more connected to the baby. Seeing an actual picture of her face was very cool. She looks so little and sweet. She kicks A LOT; feels like I’ve got a constant companion living in my belly. I’m really rooting for her to grow and develop. My other babies were so little at birth, 6 lbs, 2 ozs and 5 lbs, 14 ozs AT TERM. Doris Foodle needs to grow!!
That’s all I’ve got for now. Yesterday my son said, “Mama you need to rest so the baby doesn’t die.” This needs to happen. There is no alternative.
posted by whatthef*ck at 11:15 AM
11 Comments:
I am sooooooo glad you feel better and that fancy doc explained a lot of things to you that were unanswered. It sounds like you really made your concerns known- good for you! It's nice to feel like you're working in partnership with your doctor. That's how it should be, you know? Also, 3 is a good cervical length considering. I'm just so glad to hear that you are feeling better and things are looking up. Now rest rest rest! And thanks for the update!
GOOD! I am glad fancy doc was helpful and he and RM have been able to reassure you. I'm sure you will have this panic feeling again in this pg but you have reached the cusp of viability. Congratulations for that. By the way I answered your kick-count question on my blog
I am so happy for you that everything is looking much better and brighter with your pregnancy. Dr Fancy sounds like he's stepping up which was much needed. and I am so glad to hear you enjoyed the 3d U/S and feeling yourself tryelly bonding with Doris. It is just so good to know you feel more relaxed (well as much as you can considering). Take care & rest up.
sending love and huggles for Doris Foodle and lots of growing-energy for her! and lots of peaceful-rest-of-this-pregnancy vibes for you!
will keep you all in my prayers, especially lil big brother!
hugs and love,
kip
Awesome! So glad it went well.
Good. Very good. I like weekly checks and ther official prescription of modified bed rest. I like that there are things being done to make you feel better. Good.
Oh that all sounds good! I'm so glad. I have been so worried. Hug that little boy for me, will ya?
Glad to see you're feeling better and that you are satisfied with your doc visit.
That is great news! I'm glad things went well and most importantly, that you are feeling so much better. Being scared sucks.
Your babies weren't ridiculously little. I was 4lbs7oz (!!!) (born at 38 weeks) and have had no lasting ill effects. Still, I can understand why you'd want her to put on a little weight. That's so nice that she kicks so much.
Amber
So glad for the reassuring consultation, and for less panicky feelings.
I know this might be pretty silly, given that I'm reading your archives and these posts are from months ago but I can't believe your doctor is constantly examining you physically. Here you have a huge worry, with reason, about infection and he's constantly putting his hands in you. Hello! Keep out of the area!
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