Packed....just in case

Now that I'm hanging out with Dr. Caldwell every week now.....

Here she is .......

I got some clarification today. The high risk specialist who gives the recommendations to the OBs is "The Top Guy" in practically all of Oregon in reading these things. Dr. Caldwell explained it's very unusual to have the ultrasound techs see something differently than the specialist but that's the case here. They see the placenta ending right before the cervix then an unusual hemorrhage left where it's moved up. He says the whole thing is still the placenta covering even though the imagery isn't crystal clear. His guidance wins to be on the safe side. However, Dr. Caldwell does not want us to just go ahead and schedule a surgery at 36 weeks like he suggested. He admitted to her that he just always likes to go on the early side.

One thing that has been unclear in this scenario for me has been, if my symptoms stay steady and don't worsen, why do we still need to deliver sooooo early. Basically, if left to nature, at some point the placenta will start bleeding profusely due to a contraction, a thinning cervix+pressure, or some other trigger. We really want to get baby out out before that scenario could happen because that means we are losing her blood too and that's where the risk is.

She is willing to look with one more ultrasound at 35 weeks (done by the specialist) and just see that there is or isn't some miracle and the original technicians may or may not have been right. Until that time, this is what we we've been directed to do:

I have to call my Dr. then check into Labor and Delivery for any bleeding which is every 10-14 days since December. Will this weekend be our first trip?? They will determine our fate...if it's no worse than they've been, I'll be cleared and discharged after a couple of hours. If it's unclear or worse, I'll stay indefinitely. She says what will most likely play out is that several weeks closer to the due date I'll have my first bleed that seems a little more intense and they may keep me at the hospital and monitored trying to get a few extra days for baby in utero but also scheduling the c-section  anywhere from the following day to the next week.

We are in good standing with a few things. Baby is at the 59th percentile for size, so not super tiny though calculated at 3 lbs 12 oz last week, so we'll keep her in the oven a bit longer! Girls do better as preemies, Dr. Caldwell says. Also, I never had any early or false labor with Rowan. I feel if nature had it's way he would have been overdue. Hopefully she is the same. I'm also relieved after a phone call with my cousin who went into labor at 34 weeks and 6 days and had a little girl with no problems and no NICU time. 

Hanging out while Daddy's away

Playing with his V-day balloon from Grandma Detrick

Rediscovering the cattle truck this week.

He spent so much time on his side playing with his toys, he got rug burn on his cheek today.

Experimental activity was a hit!

30 Week Ultrasound

Rowan's latest FPS calendar shoot.

Well, we had a strange roller coaster yesterday. Two ultrasound techs and my Dr. looked at the pics and said it seemed like the previa moved out of the way leaving the possibility for a full term natural birth. I still have a bit of bleeding about every 10 days, the last 2 were in the middle of the night after baby was being especially active. What they saw they described as a hematoma near the cervix which might explain the bleeding. It was all butterflies and unicorns at 10:00am contingent on the high risk specialist's opinion.

I went home and my OB called me to say the high risk guy wanted to do an ultrasound himself after looking over the pics. He saw it differently and wanted to see it in real time, pushing around the tissue and see the differentiation in the scale of gray...we barely saw the baby, just a nebulous of nothing that they are interpreting. Back to the hospital for the 3rd appointment of the day! So by 1:00 he gave me the complete opposite diagnosis. He says it's still a complete previa, probably won't move at all from this point, a definite early c-section, weekly monitoring starting now and I am to head to the hospital with any bleed what so ever! However, he didn't see an accreta and no MRI was scheduled. Though he made it sound like they would still be prepared to deliver as though it was a possibility. That means in the regular OR not the maternity OR and a party of 10-15 surgical staff ready to go...just in case. I asked if an accreta could still form and he says that it forms from the beginning and one wouldn't start at this point. 

So, we are a bit confused. My regular OB called again around 3:00 to say she met with the specialist to go over what he saw, so she's now on board with his assessment and is having me come in next week to go over it all  and begin the weekly monitoring. So here we are. The hospital has drop in day care, so I went ahead and preregistered us in case I get to go in with a surprise bleed while Doug's away.

We've been trying to decide what to do about this VBAC birth class we are enrolled in. They have been really great with our roller coaster situation, offering to break away with us and focus partially on having a c-section birth, or offering a refund if we drop. They need to know ASAP by Fri. because of the other family enrolled. After the hopeful morning we decided to just do it regardless, considering 5 medically trained people saw 2 different things...though I am fully expecting to have to do a c-section.

Happy Valentine's Day

Dug out the pacifier from somewhere and put on his hat, his ultimate self-soothing combo. Must have been a rough day.

Stickers!! Way better than coloring, his new fun activity...more expensive than coloring too.

Flash cards through the legs game started right after Christmas and going strong.

Now we take handfuls and dump them on his chest.

Rainy week inside

A little under the weather this week with sneezes and coughs.

"Got my socks off again.."

Knitting therapy

Rowan discovers button sorting.

He got to play with them until he tried to put one in the fireplace.