Friday night, I had my typical night monitoring session. They are about an hour long and serve as a non-stress test of the baby and a record of my uterine activity.
The baby's heartrate is monitored and a baseline is noted. Last night, baby was staying between 130-140 bpm. They want it to stay between 120-160 bpm, so it was very much within normal range. They then watch to see how the baby's heartrate responds to his/her movements. Baby Lewis typically has done really well during these monitoring sessions. S/he begins the intrauterine gymnastics routine and his/her heartrate rises and falls and recovers nicely.
But Friday night something happened.
The baby's heartrate was climbing with increased movement...and climbed quite high...into the 170s, 180s...which might have been fine if it recovered near the baseline, but it didn't. Instead it plummetted.
I like to listen to the baby's heartbeat, so they always keep the volume up for me. I heard it racing and then it slowing, to what seemed like a complete halt. I poked and prodded trying to get baby to respond, but nothing. Two nurses came running in, rolled me on my left side and put an oxygen mask over my face. One was tending to me and the other trying to get the baby back on the monitor. I asked how low the heartrate went, but they wouldn't tell me.
Baby did recover and over the next couple hours never had another episode like that, but it sure did make everyone take notice.
That night was a rough night of sleep. All night I tossed and turned. Every time I shifted position, I would push a little on baby's butt/back and wait for a response...just to be sure everything was still ok.
Saturday morning I woke up and Dr. P was definitely concerned about what had happened. His first question was, "Have you eaten or drank anything this morning?"
I hadn't...I had JUST woken up. And he was happy about that, "We might be having a baby today."
My heart dropped.
He did an internal exam, concerned that the baby had maybe dropped or settled lower in the birth canal compressing the cord, maybe the baby's bag was bulging, maybe that I was even dilated. Thankfully, none of these were found to be true. In fact, the baby has shifted position a bit and is no longer resting fully on my cervix.
And that is a GOOD thing.
Saturday morning I was monitored for 5 hours and then taken off. I will be monitored 2 times per 12 hour shift now, for 1-2 hours each time. It was going to be continuous, but during the 5 hours Saturday morning, the baby was perfect...leading my OB to believe it was in fact an isolated, random occurrence rather than something ongoing.
Still, it is very unsettling. I am not so worried about the daytime when I can personally monitor the baby's movements, count kicks, etc. It's night that worries me. But the good thing is I will be monitored twice, from 8-10 and then probably again 2-4. It means little sleep, but that's a small sacrifice for piece of mind.
This whole little event has thrown me for a loop. I've been so concerned about my body giving out before baby was ready, I've never really worried about the health of the baby because s/he has done so amazingly well despite everything. Now it just adds a layer of worry to it all...is the baby in any kind of distress in there?
This week is a big week...
Monday or Tuesday will be another ultrasound of my cervix and hopefully, baby too.
Wednesday is 31 weeks.
Thursday is 31wk1d...2 full weeks from hospitalization and steroids. If my doctors feel it necessary, we will do a course of rescue steroids sometime between 31wk1d and 32 weeks. That should carry us right up to 34 weeks when steroids are typically no longer administered.
Friday is 31wk2d...2 full weeks from the first fFN test which was negative. A repeat test will be done and we will see what it says.
Nothing would be better than to make it to Thursday/Friday when we can repeat the steroids and really provide the most protection possible for this baby.
But even if Baby Lewis comes tomorrow, we rest in knowing that we've already done everything possible to ensure the best outcome for baby and me.
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