Week 29 Begins!
Hello to you all.
Today was an extended event. We had the OBGYN appointment in the morning and the NST in the afternoon.
Due to poor road conditions and peak traffic time, we arrived thirty minutes late, but still we got in quickly. Rebecca was weighed, her temperature taken, blood oxygen levels measured. Her BP was 104/66. These are normally good numbers, except for this pregnancy. Her BP meds were adjusted again; they were lowered and she is now at 300 mg three times a day.
We spoke with one of the doctors (Dr. Nick, a Fellow) who was among those who worked Rebecca's and Xavier's case while they were in the hospital several weeks ago. He was among those who laid all the disruptive news on Rebecca when she first checked in. The conversation today was much different than weeks ago (I think he is still reeling from Rebecca's snap to the team's news that day :) )
Today's discussion was more positive. We discussed the various scenarios and cleared several things up which both Rebecca and I felt unsure about. Not to be tedious, here is the summary of the important facts.
- Always, the desire it to deliver the baby vaginally. Only if Xavier is in danger will he be taken by C-section. Though this is a possibility, it is something that will be determined on a day by day basis.
- The NICU (newborn ICU) will be more comfortable with Xavier being at least 750 grams (above 700, but 750 is better). Xavier was at 624 grams last week, so we think Xavier will make the 750 weight by next week at his current growth trend. Rebecca and I are challenging him to make 800 grams at least (it's good to have goals that stretch and challenge). Again, 1000 grams is an important milestone and one we have our eyes on constantly. 750 makes the NICU folks more able to care for him, but 1000+ is where they are more comfortable.
- It is expected Xavier will be delivered early simply due to him being growth-restricted. It will be better for Xavier to be outside the womb at some point. He will likely spend some time in the NICU. Our understanding is that as long as Rebecca's BP is controllable by oral meds, Xavier is better served being in the womb. When oral meds are no longer able to control her BP, then Xavier is better served being in the NICU. We still have a lot of play in the oral meds; the upper limit is 800 mg three times a day, or two and half times what Rebecca is taking today.
The NST exam (the afternoon appointment) we were actually an hour early and had a :45 minute wait (we didn't have to deal with unplowed roads with outrageously slow traffic since we were still in the area). The exam lasted nearly an hour instead of the expected :30 minutes. The reason for the longer stay was Xavier was not moving around during the first :25 minutes (he was napping). His heart rate was steady around 145 bpm during this time. To wake him up, we dosed mom with some cranberry juice. A few minutes later he began wiggling and his heart rate ranged between the high 130s and mid 150s. Once Xavier cooperated by bouncing around a little, we were let go (and a good thing too, as Rebecca was growing impatient with laying on the table).
So, good news for day one of week 29! We thank God for His goodness and His power!
Thank you for your prayers. We hope you are seeing Father's hand moving in these updates.