Growth and Change

Two days have managed to drift by since our last appointment for the baby and everything is changing.  Let me fill you in …

Last week? Or maybe it was the week before now, (my weeks are running together) I went to the hospital one more time for bleeding.  I don’t like to consider myself alarmist and I feel I’ve been doing a pretty good job of being calm and collected about everything that’s taking place within. But, after Grant looked at me and said, “Are you ok, you look pretty rough …” and I did some more napping, we decided to go get checked out again.  Monitors, blood draws and baby kicks and I was out of the hospital once again and sent home to bleed some more.

I’ve been told this is alarming and I’m actually losing “too much” – enough to come to the hospital quite frequently if I want.  But, every time I go in, I check out fine, all my blood counts look great and they send me home.  I think MY GOD IS AMAZING!

So, this has continued to be thematic and since it’s not combined with other symptoms we’ve been taking things as they come, moving forward, trusting God to guide us in what is best.

SO… two days ago I’m lying on my back, once again, seeing what I can see in the haze that is my ultra sound.  From my perspective my placenta looks more normal than ever, the baby is growing, spine, legs, arms, and … an eye!  Wow!

Updates from the doctors:  Your baby is 556 grams, you have 3 cm of fluid, “not much has changed,” the placenta may look more normal because it is thinning out.  BAM!

“WHAT?”  Sometimes, I just wish they could rejoice with me over something.  For me this whole day was huge.  We’ve been waiting for this baby to grow to 500 grams.  556 grams was actually exceeding everyone’s expectations.  Most of the doctors didn’t even think he would make that.

That brings us to today.  For those of you who don’t want to look it up 556 grams is just a little over 1 pound.  Still pretty small and not ideal, but what doctors consider viable for life outside the womb.  Due to where we are in the pregnancy as well as our history of bleeds doctors recommend hospital bed rest from here on out.  We’re now in a new season of decisions and pressures that are newly challenging for us and we’d appreciate your prayer as we navigate these and communicate with our medical team.  All our love!