Admission

I must admit that I've had this blog set up for a long time...but I've never made the effort to actually write anything in it. Seeing as I'm about to have 4 weeks of down time, I thought it would be a great chance to start keeping a record for myself and to keep family and friends informed of what's going on with me, the baby, Jason, and Harper.

For those of you who don't know (and just to clarify), the reason I was admitted to the hospital today is for a condition called vasa previa.  In very simple terms, the blood vessels in the baby's umbilical cord branch off before they insert into the placenta, and one of the arteries is coiled above my cervix.  If I would go into labor or my water would break, that artery would rupture at some point, causing a bleed. Since babies don't have much blood to spare (my doctor explained that a baby has as much blood in her whole body as the amount of liquid in a Coke can), the situation would be life-threatening for the baby and probably be fatal to her if I am not rushed into a c-section immediately.  So as my due date gets closer (I am 32 weeks), the doctors want me in the hospital just in case so that they can get the baby out quickly if necessary.  Hopefully that doesn't happen, and then they will deliver me via a scheduled c-section at 35 or 36 weeks (4 or 5 weeks early).

So we left home around 9am today for my extended stay at Sanford USD Medical Center. I was not too thrilled about posing, but thought it would be good for posterity. Ha.

Jason is calling it my "sabbatical" since I will be free to pursue so many endeavors I normally wouldn't have time for :)  I'm trying to look at the bright side as well and resist the anxiety, but it's easier said than done.  When Jason and Harper leave later today, I'm sure reality will hit.


So far today they did an ultrasound on the baby, who is looking good (and has lots of hair :).  One other concern we have for her is that her kidneys are enlarged, which could be something that goes away with time but also could be something that needs attention after she is born. Her right kidney had grown since the last ultrasound and is now measuring at a point where we will need to follow up after delivery. Just one more thing we didn't really want to worry about, but we pray it will correct itself.  Interestingly, Jason's nephew Lyncoln (Jon & Misty's little boy) had the same thing and is actually having surgery tomorrow to open up the tube between his kidney and bladder. I don't know if it's a hereditary problem or what, but we hope things clear up for the baby and that everything goes well for Lyncoln tomorrow.

They also put an IV in me, which kind of stinks since it makes my hand less usable. They will also have to move it every 4 days or so, which means uncomfortable pokes and prods that I don't always handle so well. I am on monitors right now too that keep track of the baby's heart rate and any contractions I am having...they will do that for an hour at a time 3 times a day.  Other than that, we are hanging out in the room trying to feel normal. In fact, Harper is taking a nice nap on the couch as I type this.  She has gotten comfortable here quickly, already yelling "Come in!" to any one of the doctors or nurses that knock on the door :) 

Jason and I appreciate all of your prayers and support more than we could ever express, and we have already been blessed by gracious offers of food, child care, and company.  I will keep the blog updated with any news (or with my random thoughts for the day), so feel free to stop back and leave a comment to say hello.  We love you!

Abby