with Vincent, 21 weeks and 3 days was a Friday. I finished the dreaded 24 hour urine and just kind of waited for the next round of doctors. I saw a nephrologist because I had a positive ANA at 1:40 and anti-ro antibodies. This caused questions about whether maybe I had lupus. Kidney doctor said nope (thankfully!). My liver enzymes returned to normal - so the blood draw in the morning was the last blood draw done unless I started to have issues.
Next in came a new round a dr.s. A new MFM and new staff. The MFM told me **IF** I left the hospital pregnant - I ABSOLUTELY could not return to work until the baby was born. There was one more ultrasound I needed to have - the one with dopplers to check on blood flow to the baby.
Then Dr. Smith came back and explained the doppler results to me. Flow through the umbilical artery can either be present, absent or reversed. Present means that blood is pulsing through the artery, as it should, when your heart is pumping and when your heart is resting. Absent flow is when blood does not flow through the artery to the baby when your heart is at rest. Reverse flow is when your heart stops between pumps, the blood flows out of the baby - very very bad.
My first u/s showed absent to reverse diastolic flow. This was not best case scenario - but I was assured we could try to hold out for a few weeks to get baby bigger. We needed to look at the flow again after the weekend. Basically we were in limbo at this time. would the baby survive? Would it not? What the fuck were we going to do? The only decent part of the day was that my hubby brought me up some clothes and I was able to get out of the hospital gown. It stared the next three days of waiting.....
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Today - at 21 +3 weeks with Sprout, I woke up and decided to really listen to the doctors about bed rest. Since I don't have an official order from my MFM , I figured I would go in today - monitor my pressures and take it from there. Over the night though, on my many many bathroom trips. I decided I really can't make it through an 8 hour day. My feet would swell enormously. I would be ready for a nap at 11 am and not get one until I got home. My BP would absolutely go up a bit (I decided this last night when after food shopping - an hour later- my BP was 135/85 and I had some severe pitting in my legs).
I know 135/85 doesn't sound bad - but I like the 120/80 I average moving as little as possible! I decided I need to do what I need to for Sprout. Plus, my hubby really helped my decision by saying he thinks I am unable to grow a healthy baby when I work. He wishes he could support us so I don't worry about work - he wishes pregnancy wasn't so hard for me. But also, he wants me to grow a healthy baby and make that my priority - NOT WORK. So I am home. I am kind of worried I may lose my job later on. But hey, everything will be taken in stride. I am going to work on some crocheting later - just relax :) :) :)
*hugs* focus on you and Sprout and the rest will fall into place. :)
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