Wake up Call

Well, I'm still pregnant. I started contractions yesterday afternoon which continued until about 8:30 last night. Nothing very severe, but contractions all the same. The baby is fine, he took a page out of Rocco's "How to annoy Mommy while she is pregnant" book and kicked at every contraction. I had a very sore tummy. The nurses gave me some ambient to help me sleep through the night. It worked great, I finally woke up around 4:30 this afternoon. Blood work doesn't show any problems with infection. If I still feel under the weather again tomorrow they may check it again.

The doctors here will not stop active labor once it starts. If I don't feel well again tomorrow and my white blood cell count is higher, they will induce me. They will not give me anymore antibiotic while I'm still pregnant. So everyone is hoping that I feel better. They also said I could have false labor contractions (the type I had yesterday) for weeks before I go into active labor. So it is still anyone's guess as to when I have this baby.

Hiccups!

Today Sharron heard hiccups during her morning fetal monitoring session. Some claim this to be an indication of good progress in lung development. Along with the hiccups there was something on the strip-chart that we aren't so thrilled about... Contractions. At the moment they are small and not attributed to active labor. They are doing blood-work now to rule out an infection. If they find one the Doctors will likely induce labor. I'm sitting at home playing with Rachel standing by to run back to Lebanon.

More news as it happens.

The Start of Another Week

This Tuesday I will be 27 weeks. My condition hasn't changed much at all in the last week. I am very stable and (knock on wood) I still haven't had a contraction. The baby is doing just as well. Last week his heart rate changed slightly to show that his brain activity is maturing. Up until then the heart rate was very steady with very little slowing or speed ups. Now the heart rate still has a steady base rate, but you can see dips and bumps that I can almost correlate with his movements and waking up. Today the high risk doctor called his heart rate gorgeous.

The only other exciting news is, he was about 2 lbs and 4 Oz's on Thursday when we had our routine 2 week ultrasound. Most 26 week old are just under 2 lbs. So he is growing very nicely despite having little fluid around him. The fluid levels looked low but that is expected. Everything else on the ultrasound looked good.

I had a wonderful day yesterday with a long visit from Rachel, Ben, and most of the April family. Yesterday was the first visit from Rachel where she really relaxed and was herself here.

2 Weeks and Still Good

Today was my second full week in the hospital. All the doctors are very pleased that I'm still stable and the baby is doing well. Already I've beaten a lot of odds with a ruptured membrane. From here there is no way to guess when or if I'll go into labor. Right now the plan is for me to get as far as I can and if I get to 34 weeks, they will induce me. If I make it to 28 weeks, Dartmouth will talk to Southern NH to decide if I can continue this closer to home. A lot can happen between now and then.
I've also reach 26 weeks which is also a small milestone for the baby. A big development is the baby is now starting to practice breathing. The practicing will help strengthen the lungs which will mature around 28 to 30 weeks. Another development is the ability to open eyes and distinguish light from dark.
I've been incredibly lucky to have visitors almost everyday. And everyone is supplying me with little projects and books to keep my occupied. Thanks Everyone!

Oh what a difference a week makes...

We are now working on the 26th week. Things are looking even better now, but we are by no means free and clear. Again: your mileage may vary, One size fits most, past performance is not an indication of future results.

Based on the following characteristics:

Gestational Age (Completed Weeks):	25 weeks
Birth Weight:	907 grams ~2lbs
Sex:	Male
Singleton Birth:	Yes
Antenatal Corticosteroids:	Yes

Estimated outcomes* for infants in the NRN sample are as follows:

Outcomes	Outcomes for All Infants	Last Week
Survival	90%	77%
Survival Without Profound Neurodevelopmental Impairment	79%	60%
Survival Without Moderate to Severe Neurodevelopmental Impairment	62%	42%
Death	10%	23%
Death or Profound Neurodevelopmental Impairment	21%	40%
Death or Moderate to Severe Neurodevelopmental Impairment	38%	58%

A Couple of Steps Back

Today was a disappointing, yet unexpected day. Friday, the Doctors decided since I haven't had any leaking since Sunday and all our vitals have been beautiful, to start exploring the possibility of my membrane resealing. I was encouraged to take a few short walks around the ward and they did a simple test yesterday. I woke up early this morning to the familiar cramping and soon discovered I had started to leak again. I've most decidedly haven't healed.

There is no way to know if the test, the walking, both combined, or just that I've gained enough fluids again to make the membrane leak. So far this episode has not produce any contractions and I'm not showing any signs of infections. Fishface is still strong and giving the nurses a hard time when we have to monitor him. All of which are great achievements to have each day. Even though Ben and I did not share the Doctor's optimism on me healing, we are both rather disappointed.

There be Dragons...

Well it looks like we've run clean off the edge of the map. According to the doctors and nurses few cases go this long with a confirmed rupture and no labor (This is when you knock on the closest wooden object). They are starting to consider the possibility of a healed membrane. We are still exploring what this will means for the coming weeks/months. Sharron has been cleared for the occasional walk to the patio near her room. This is a step above her 2 hours a day in the wheelchair.