Okay, so now that I can breath a little and the craziness of the last 5 days has passed, I want to hopefully break this all down so that everyone understands exactly what's going on. We have had a LOT of information thrown at us, so at times the information going OUT was disjointed. And it changes too.
I'm 27 weeks, 3 days pregnant with Noah and early on in the pregnancy he was diagnosed as Asymmetrical Severe Intrauterine Growth Restricted.
Let me break that down further - IUGR means less than 10th percentile for growth. Severe means less than 5th. Asymmetrical means that his head is measuring larger than his abdomen, which is actually BETTER for his long term survival because it means his brain is getting most of the nutrients. I can come back to this later this week when I research it more.
They don't always know what causes IUGR. Sometimes it's chromosomal abnormalities that cause this. We had blood work that extrapolated my DNA and the baby's DNA, as well as met with geneticists and all of that came back clear. I had tests to rule out viral infections, my blood pressure has been stable and I don't have any other health issues that were red flags. Noah has no markers or indicators that he has Down's Syndrome or any other noticeable birth defects. His lungs, heart, brain and all other organs are functioning and have no discernible abnormalities or cysts.
Sometimes babies are just small. We thought this was the case with us because we had no other indicators that anything was REALLY wrong. Grace was small - born 38 weeks and measured 36. For weeks, he was growing, albeit slowly, and there were no"ah ha" moments. Last week Thursday, I went in for my weekly ultrasound and growth scan and it was determined that the blood flow to my placenta is actually decreasing or absent at times. This was our "ah ha" moment. And total "oh shit" moment at the same time. I had an hour to pack a bag and get to Aurora Sinai in Milwaukee, where I've moved in to a long-term stay bed and will be here for as long as God allows Noah to stay inside and grow.
Daily, I am monitored in a few different ways. The first 48 hours, I was giving steroid injections and Magnesium Sulfate to boost vital organ function and reduce the risk of preterm labor and Cerebral Palsy. I was on IV fluids and had 24/7 belly band testing, as well as oxygen, a blood pressure cuff and pulse ox on my finger. I was locked, loaded and stuck in bed. :)
Today, I am down to the daily ultrasounds, meeting with both my doctors and the maternal fetal medicine team and I have non-stress test (belly bands) every 4-6 hours. Today I got my IV line out and am no longer hooked up to any machines continuously. Great news!
Every day, when they do the ultrasound, Noah is scored on a Biophysical Feedback Scale of 1 to 8. The lowest we have gotten is a 6 and he typically gets 8 out of 8. If he drops below a 6, our risks are elevated. So each day, I look forward to the ultrasound and dread it at the same time. I'm sure it will get more routine and less scary, but that's when the what-ifs start to creep in. He will probably need oxygen and a feeding tube. The odds that he'll be more than 2 or 3 pounds are slight, but I'm doing all I can to bulk him up. He's coming in at 1 pound, 6 ounces right now. I was born at 29 weeks, 2 pounds, 11 ounces. I've already challenged him to beat that and I know he's working on it. :) He is our little fighter, ya know.
Our prognosis is this:
I will not be going home. The situation is serious enough that I must be here 24/7.
If everything stays EXACTLY like it is today, we have a fighting chance to make it to 34 weeks. It's not likely but it can happen!
If he drops to daily scores of 6/8, we will deliver at 31 or 32 weeks. This is realistic.
If something happens, we deliver immediately.
Noah will be a preemie. He will be in the NICU but we will not know the extent or how long until he makes his grand appearance. Our journey truly has just begun.
I have a strong faith that God put many wonderful, amazing blessings in place so that when we reached this fork in our journey, we would have the village and the strength to make it through. When I focus on His love and His plan, I am strong and able. There are times when I am beaten down, but this is a marathon, not a sprint and I know we will make it through, no matter what.
If you have questions, please let me know! All of this is in my head, so I just assume at times you're all inside there too and know what's what.
Again, your support means the world. You are keeping us strong and sane. Love you!
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