A big update

Well on May 6th I went into the hospital for an overnight stay to confirm that I did indeed have pre-eclampsia, that stay ended up in my being told that I had severe pre-eclampsia. Before that they did an amniocentisis to determine if Thaddeus' lungs were mature enough to deliver, and if they weren't I was going to be in the hospital on bed rest until they were. Dr. MacVittie found that there was myconium in the fluids and it would mess up the tests. She then looked at the blood pressure readings over the preceding 30 hours and found that I had had 2 blood pressure results that were160 or higher over the 80's. She looked at me and told me that that told her what to do, and that was to deliver Thaddeus.

He was born by C-section at 10:40 pm. He weighed 8lbs 5oz, and was 21 inches long. (Makes me kinda glad he was 3 weeks early)

He had low blood sugar, I was told it was a result of my being on insulin to treat my type 1 diabetes, and it just needed to work out the extra insulin. They fed him a bottle of formula to bring up the blood sugar. He must have been hungary as he drank 30mL, about an ounce. Then we found out that he had Jaundice. So he spent a whole day in the bed for that. The on-call OB that came in to check on me on Sunday, enabled me to be able to also be there by pointing out that I had had some blood sugar spikes, I was thankful to still be a patient for one more day. ( I will have to add the photo of him later where he is under the bilirubin lights as that is on Jeremy's laptop not mine.)We were both discharged on Monday. We are doing well. He is having a hard time latching on for breastfeeding, but part of that is he was tongue tied which made it a very unpleasant experience for both of us. To correct the tongue tied issue we went to an ENT who snipped the frenulum to allow him to be able to stick his tongue out, before he was only able to reach his gums.If you look at his forehead, you will see a bruise on it that was curtesy of Dr. MacVittie. He did not want to come out of me. They had to use the vaccuum suction to help get him out. I had no idea that they had even cut me open to take him out, and when they were trying to pull him out of the womb it felt like someone was sitting and bouncing on my stomach. Well, I will write more later. It is time to try to go and get some sleep.

Thaddeus Update

Why do hospitals advertise the birthing rooms as being extremely comfortable, when the beds are absolutely not comfortable at all? Thursday I went in for my bi-weekly NST. Thaddeus had a significant drop in his heart rate, and then it rose really quickly, and I guess I was having some contractions, so they sent me up to Labor and Delivery to be hooked up to the NST machine there, and decided to keep me overnight to make sure Thaddeus was ok. They aren't to sure what caused the dip and rise in his heart rate, but said I could go home. Dr. Mirabello called and talked with the doctors up in Portland, ME, and I am safe to be home for the weekend. He is concerned about my eyes. The report from 2 weeks ago said that I had proliferative retinopathy and then report from my exam on Thursday said that there was no change and that it was not the proliferative retinopathy. Thank you Jesus!! People have been praying and I believe that God did some work on my eyes. Dr. Mirabello wants to talk to Dr. Goldblatt, and then the doctors up at Maine Medical to see what needs to be done. Frisbee is a small town hospital that is not equiped to handle a very small premie, so if I were to go into labor right now they would have to transport Thaddeus up to Maine Med where they have the NICU. Dr. Mirabello also made a slight reference to me possibly being put into the hospital for the rest of the pregnancy. Dr. MacVittie when I asked her about how early of birth would Frisbee be able to have me deliver there said 37 weeks, normally it would be 36 weeks, but she said that due to my being a diabetic that the lungs on Thaddeus are probably under developed. So please keep praying for Thaddeus to continue to grow and develop as he should be. They are also amazed that I have carried this far along with no complications for Thaddeus and only the couple that I do have, considering my diabetes was not in control when I got pregnant. She said that usually a diabetic where I was out is lucky to carry to 28 weeks, I have made it to 33 weeks so far. Again God is truelly an awesome God.

Delivery date update

Yesterday I went for my weekly ultrasound, and NST. When I saw Dr. MacVittie I was told that due to the issues with my eyes, and I believe some other things, Dr. Pinet up at Maine Medical wants me to have a C-Section at 39 weeks. That is all I know for now, but I will be finding out more at Thursdays appointment. I have to do another round of lab work, including a 24 hour urine test. I believe that Dr. Pinet wants me to have that done every couple of weeks to monitor my kidneys and such. But aside from all that Thaddeus appears to be on target with where he is supposed to be.

A kinda belly picture for those who have been asking :)

Jeremy thought it would be funny to take a picture of me sitting on the couch. That day my back was really hurting so I had the blankets and pillows arranged so I would be comfortable, along with the heating pack. In this picture I am about 30 weeks pregnant.

Surprise

Well on Saturday I thought I was just going to go out to lunch with Jeremy's mom, and Aunt. We did that, then his mom had his Aunt drive around, missing where she would need to turn every time to get me home. Well the reason was she was trying to throw me off, (which she did, and wouldn't have had to do so elaborately) We ended up at Jeremy's best friend's home. Janice, Tom's wife had been planning for awhile a surprise baby shower for me. I had a wonderful time, and got many great gifts, both store bought and home made ( Love the diaper bag that Tom's mom made). The Inside of the diaper bag.

Jeremy's mom made a really cute Clifford quilt.

The funny thing about all this is the fact that the night before I was telling Jeremy if I were to go into labor the next day we were in no way prepared to have a baby. He told me not to worry, he is pretty good at keeping a secret! We are now rudamentally prepared if Thaddeus decided to join the world earlier than he is expected. We have a carseat, stroller, size 1 diapers, wipes, bath stuff, blankets, and clothes! So we can atleast get him home from the hospital when the time comes.

A few updates

Mom
She is in the clear for 6 months on the cancer. Was told that it has a 10% chance to grow back, and for the next 5 years will go in every 6 months for testing.

Thaddeus
I had my first NST for the week and my weekly biophysical exam this past Monday. He is very active, and not one to like having everything on him looked at through ultrasound. He is according to the doctor measuring out perfectly for how far along I am. He weighed giver or take 10 oz 4.6 lbs, and I am 31 weeks. Yeah!!

Diabetes
Being pregnant is definately taking its toll on parts of my body. Dr. MacVittie had blood work done, and my kidneys are doing ok, but the elevated proteins is normal for me so she is not to worried yet. My eyes are taking the worst of the strain on my body. I knew before I got pregnant that I had retinopathy, but had been told that it was mild, and if I got diligent about taking care of my diabetes it should not get worse, well getting pregnant exacerbated it. It is now moderate to severe. In my left eye I have proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR).

( This is taken from the pamphlet that the eye doctor gave to me to understand what is going on in my eyes) PDR is present when abnormal new vessels (neovascularization) begin growing on the surface of the retina or optic nerve. The main cause of PDR is widespread closure of retinal blood vessels, preventing adequate blood flow. The retina responds by growing new blood vessels in an attempt to supply blood to the are where the original vessels closed.

Unfortunately, the new abnormal blood vessels do not resupply the retina with normal blood flow. The new vessels are often accompanied by scar tissue that may cause wrinkling or detachment of the retina.

Dr. Goldblatt explained that right now it is not affecting my vision, my left eye they are able to correct to 20/15. But it can get worse. I see him again on Tuesday, so he can monitor how bad it is getting. The treatment for it is laser surgery, but he wants to do that when it is absolutely necessary as in my left I will loose my night and peripheral vision. The laser surgery will burn all the new blood cells, and leave little burn marks on my retina.

In my right eye I have the NPDR. (again taken from the pamphlet) NPDR, commonly known as background retinopathy, is an early stage of diabetic retinopathy. In this stage, tiny blood vessels within the retina leak blood or fluid. The leaking fluid causes the retina to swell or to form deposits called exudates. Many people with diabetes have mild NPDR, which usually does not affect their vision. When vision is affected it is the result of macular edema and/or macular ischemia.
(I have the macular edema) Macular edema is swelling or thickening of the macula, a small area in the center of the retina that allows us to see fine details clearly. The swelling is caused by fluid leaking from retinal blood vessels. It is the most common cause of visual loss in diabetes. Vision loss may be mild to severe, but even in the worst cases, peripheral vision continues to function.

Dr. Goldblatt, said the way to correct this will also be with laser at a lower setting than what would be used to correct the left eye. He knows of no side effects from it, but my eye sight in the right eye will not improve. They were only able to correct it to 20/30 in the right eye and that was still quite blurry.

So if you would please pray that my eyes will not get any worse, and that God would even heal the damage done to them already, and to continue to pray for my mom, and for the health of Thaddeus, that he will be born healthy and with no complications.

Michelle

PDR may cause more severe vision loss than NPDR (nonproliferative diabetid retinopathy) because it can affect both central and peripheral vision.

The 23rd Psalm...The Sailor's Version

I just found the program from my Grandpa Bob's Memorial Service, and this was in it.

The Lord is my Pilot - I shall not drift.
He leadeth me across dark waters.
He steereth me in the deep channels.
He keepeth my log; He guideth me by the star of His Holiness for His name's sake.
Yea, though I sail amid the thunders
and tempests of life, I shall fear no danger, for Thou art near me.
Thy love and Thy care, they shelter me.
Though prepareth a harbor before me in the the land of eternity.
Thou anointed the waves with oil.
My ship rideth calmly.
Surely sunlight and starlight shall favor me in the voyage I take.
Then I shall rest in the port of my God forever.

I just thought that I would share as I know many sailors, not just my Grandpa who retired from the Navy.

Pray for my mom please

I found out tonight after talking to my mom that the mass that they removed along with a portion of her kidney on Monday was definately cancerous. She is home from the hospital, and they have to do tests and such to make sure that it has not spread anywhere else. If that is the case then she for the next 5 years has to have chest x-rays, MRIs and CAT scans, and blood work to make sure that it has not surfaced anywhere else.

So please pray that it has not spread anywhere else, and that they caught it early enough that it won't be an issue.

29 week ultrasound

Well today I had my weekly ultrasound. I have determined that I have a very stubborn son. Thaddeus would move when the Ultrasound Tech needed him to be still, like when she was trying to get a recording of the heartbeat in the umbilical chord. Then when she needed him to move around he would not. She tapped on my belly with the wand and he still would not move, she finally had me move over onto my left side and that got him moving again.

Then it was off to the OB office. I was told for being 29.5 weeks, the echo stress test on the baby was great, my lab work I had done on Friday was at least normal. My proteins on the 24 hour urine where a little above normal. Normal being 300 or lower, mine was 318. Which is ok, considering I do have the beginnings of Kidney disease. The doctor just wanted to get where I am at now so they know when to freak out later on.

I will post the ultrasound pictures and maybe a belly picture a little later, but right now Jeremy and I are off to have dinner at Applebee's!!

safe again

Well yesterday I got a letter in the mail from work, I missed being layed off, due to the fact that I am on short term disability due to my pregnancy. Praise God, because I wouldn't be able to go out and get a job now, and I still need those paychecks. But on my expected date of return I should expect to get layed off, due to an extremely slow time at work. With the hopes of being recalled in September when things are supposed to get busy again. This is the second layoff at work that I have missed. Was told that if I had been working and not out on short term disability I would have been layed off this last Thursday. This is just another way for God to confirm that He definately takes care of us. When I should expect to get layed off is ok, because Jeremy and I have been seriously talking about me not going back to work, so I can go out to Washington while he is away at boot camp and AIT, which is 7 months long total. So am definately thankful for all of this.

Just thought I would share how things are going. Oh and we were able to get the downstairs rented out quickly and to a very sweet young married couple, who are quiet!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hope you all have a great day.