Baby Update

Hi Guys! We just wanted to update everyone on what has been happening on our side of the United States!

I started having contractions on Tuesday afternoon...I didn't think too much about since I have had some through out this pregnancy and it hasn't been an issue yet. But when they started to get really painfull and consistant I called the doc and went into the office. They did a quick check and sure enough I was contracting and had dialated to 1.5 cm, cervix had 30% effaced and things were moving. Not good so they sent me to the hospital.

Once I got to the hospital they immediatly put me on a medication called Nefedipine which I took when I was prego with Gracen. It is supposed to relax the uterus and calm contractions. They also gave me the first of 2 rounds of steriods in case we did deliver to help the babys lungs mature. My OB and Perinatologist ordered a test called a Fetal Fibronectin Test(FFN). It is an amazing test that is just a swab of fluid from the cervical area. It tests for a protein and other "stuff" that a womans body releases when she goes into premature labor. My Perinatologist actually was the partner of the man who developed the test and a negative result on the test has 98% accuracy for 2 weeks. Meaning if it came back negative there is a 98% chance that I would NOT go into labor for at least 2 more weeks. They also ordered an ultrasound to make sure baby was ok. It came back wonderful and he is growing super!! They estimated his weight at 5lbs 2 oz and he is practicing breathing which is wonderful. He also had the hiccups while they were scanning him and they explained that hiccups in the womb were actually a great sign of development.

The Nefedipine finally kicked in and the contractions calmed. That was late tuesday night and we were able to relax a little. On wednesday morning we got the results of the FFN...it was NEGATIVE!!! WooHoo!! We then met with the Perinatologist again and had another round of ultrasounds with their 3/4D machine to verify the results the ultrasound tech had gotten the night before. They were able to look closer at the kidneys which have been an issue for a while. They are measuring NORMAL!! They are no longer enlarged!! They also did another round of measurements which they came up with an estimated weight of 5lbs 3 oz. Baby boy is growing so strong and well! They switched the machine over to 4D live so we could watch him move and practice breathing. It was amazing!! They could not find anything wrong with him, the placenta or the cord that might be causing contractions or preterm labor!! We were so happy!

The doctors decided that they felt safe letting me come home after a second round of steroids wednesday evening. I am still on the Nefedipine and will be for another 10 days at which point I will be 35 weeks and they feel that is safe for me to deliver. I would personally like to hold off another 2 weeks and I think I can do it! But as long as we have a healthy baby boy I could care less!!

Thank you family and friends for all of your support. We are so blessed to have such loving family and friends. It is hard to be so far during this time, but we feel the love that you guys are sending our way.

The docs got a good pic of baby boys face during the 3D scan. His hand is up by his face but all our boys slept like that in and out of the womb!! But you can see his closed eyes, nose and mouth.

Love,

Crystal