Busy Beaver

First and foremost, at the moment, I am home. Have been for a week (didn't want to jinx it). So very much happy to have my "house arrest" commuted back to my own home. When I first got put on this restrictive bed rest, I hated it...with a passion. But, after spending a few weeks in the hospital...a strange bed, with strange noises and strange people coming in and out all the time...I have to admit that being home in my own bed, in my own place, is a pretty sweet deal. There is still minimal bleeding going on, and still getting contractions and cramping a fair amount, but we have 8 days until my baby boy hits 28 weeks, which is when a lot of the complications begin to dissipate and he has a survival rate of over 80%. And yes, this is a great relief.

I have also been very busy, in a knitting and catching up on TV sort of way. I did several preemie hats for the NICU while I was at the hospital, however without access to a camera, failed to capture any photos. :( Pity, but I am sure that I will make a few more, since it is likely that I will need them.

Also have finished the following for my little angel:


Am currently working on a tank top for myself, post-baby belly. Not very far into it, so really not that exciting...but hopefully won't take too long. Still have a bunch of things that I need to finish, but baby stuff, and kiddie stuff, is just too much fun. (Plus, I love sitting outside right now, as we bought my daughter a two-wheeler bike on the weekend, so the hubby takes her out back, where I can watch too!)

Oh, and speaking of baby belly, this is what 9 lbs. looks like:


On TV catch up news, I have found an excessively interesting show (if you like odd shows like confessions of a call girl) on HBO...Cathouse. Killed myself laffing at it the other day. Of course, even stranger that I followed it up with ZOS, which is pretty much kill kill kill, fight fight fight. :S

Have a wonderful weekend planned of breaking out the teaching skills...having another session of let's teach batgirl to cook and knit. (One of my good friends, who I have named batgirl, doesn't know how to cook...or knit. The knitting, understandable...but how the hell do you make it 26 years and not know how to cook? Especially when you have a small child??? So, the last few times that she has come over, I have prepped food (i.e. defrosted and gotten the ingredients and so forth), but made her cook - with supervision. Going to have her make a crock pot stew this time, I am thinking. Easy, we have the ingredients here, and I can supervise with minimal effort from the couch. Plus, it is super easy, and she thinks she was given a crock pot once, so she *might* be able to make it at home if she tries.)

Also get to see my mononica...lurve that girl. She is coming over some time this weekend to keep me company and to put me to work doing the door prize things for my shower. WEEE...I like feeling useful.

ttfn
k

Update on the Saga

So here I am, now located at Women's College Hospital High Risk Unit. Yesterday, we underwent a new ultrasound:

Everything appears to be fine, and it seems that the pieces that were falling out, the bits of placenta, have caused enough damage to render me no longer previa. So natural birth might be an option now. (This is wonderful news since I really didn't want to go through a c-section.)
Sadly, though, despite the bleeding having pretty much stopped now, the one OB specialist here doesn't want to send me home without finding out what is causing the bleeding to continue. And what is causing the cramping. So, until he has the answers to this, or I am beyond 32 weeks, he doesn't want me to leave. Yes, I think I will end up leaving AMA. Not because I am a bitch, but simply because I want to go home. If I am going to sit around doing nothing with nothing happening, I would rather be in my own bed, surrounded by my family.
I just want to go home.

ttfn
k

Where I've Been

So, some of you may have noticed that I have been a little AWOL from, well, everything over the last little while. Sadly, I have been experiencing some problems with this pregnancy.

In the beginning of February, shortly after discovering that we are expecting a little boy, I was informed I had complete placenta previa, which is what was causing minimal bleeds to occur randomly. Was told to take it easy for a few days, but that I was ok to return to work. That lasted about 2 days. On February 13, I suffered a fairly strong bleed, and ended up being admitted for observation at the hospital. I was released the following day, with orders that I was on bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy. I was also informed at that time that my placenta had moved slightly, so the likelihood of my needing to have a c-section was minimal. GREAT! I wasn't particularly looking forward to a c-section.

Everything was fine...for a few weeks. The last week of February, the 26th to be exact, I awoke with another bleed. Stayed calm, got my daughter off to school, and got myself up to the hospital. The OB that was here that day requested another ultrasound, which showed that the assessment of placental movement was incorrect. Still complete previa. And the little guy's movements were causing the bleeding. However, since it seemed that it had slowed, and we had a reason for the bleeding, I was released to home bedrest.

2 days later...

This time, I was kept at the hospital for several days. Due to the bleeding, my iron was very low. They got me stabilized, and on March 4, I was released again, with an appointment to see the high risk specialist the following Monday.

Monday's appointment never came. Not even 24 hours later, and I suffered another bleed. I have been a resident of the hospital since then.

The original plan was to keep me until Sunday, when I could be given celestone (sp?), which is a steroid to mature the baby's lungs. After both doses (it is a 2 dose, 24 hours apart medication), they would contact critical care to have me placed in a level 3 high risk centre until I hit 28-30 weeks, when they would be better able to aide the baby here. My dr. granted me a day pass for the Saturday, so that I could spend time with my family. Unfortunately, I awoke on Saturday around 5 a.m. to massive bleeding. There was great fear that for my own health and safety, they may have had to deliver that day. Thankfully, the bleeding settled. And the other half brought my daughter to spend time with me.

My drs are not expecting the pregnancy to last much further than 30 weeks (which puts it around the same time of our original wedding date). Only about 5 and a half weeks to go. That also puts it approximately 10 weeks early.

The level 3 centres are currently very busy and do not have a bed available. Since we are currently (touch wood) ok, I don't mind staying here...closer to home. At least I can see my friends and family. And most importantly, I can regularly see my daughter. She has been so very wonderful through all of this. Obviously, she doesn't know the ins and outs of what is going on, but understands that Mommy is sick, and Mommy and the baby are staying with drs. to get better.

Each day, the little one is getting stronger. We are currently 24 weeks and 3 days. His current chances of being born with no major problems is 20-40%. These problems include blindness, respiratory problems, digestive problems, etc. When he hits 25 weeks, that percentage rises about double. 28 to 30 weeks is about when the risks for major problems lowers, and the baby's size becomes the more prevalent issue.

Well, that is all. Yes, that is more than enough. But there you have it.

Hope all is well.

ttfn
k.