May Be Nearer Than We First Expected
Hello to everyone.
Today began with Xavier's NST. It went so well, they only monitored him for thirty minutes instead of the scheduled hour. His Dopplers looked good as well; I don't know if there were any lack of absences today, but definitely no reversals. Thank you, Jesus.
Rebecca's IV was removed this morning because it would no longer back flush. A new one will be put in later in the week, or that was the plan at this time; it changed later on in the day.
Also this morning, the doctors laid out their plan for the moment. If Xavier continues to do well this week (allow me to translate doctorese: if he is not delivered this week), then they will schedule his delivery sometime in his 34th week. That will be the last week of May or the first days of June. Week 34 is a good week for the baby, most of his important development will be complete or nearly so. The driving reason for this date, we are told, is to minimize the risk of a stillbirth. It is likely a C-section will be the means of delivery.
That is the plan as we understand it and as of this morning. However, in thinking over our history, things change, and they change frequently. Also, I have learned that a turnover of doctors may also mean a change in the plan. That, too, has been our history over the past weeks.
Xavier's afternoon's NST did not have the clean results of this morning. It is on-going and will be the rest of the evening and probably into tomorrow. (it's 6:30 as I write this and the NST began about 2:30). He has had many decels during this run. Nothing as troubling as Friday evening, but still several frequent and deep decels, enough to concern the doctors. Currently, he is doing well, but there are still some decels in his recent tracings.
At 3:00 this afternoon, Rebecca called me and asked when I would be coming in. When I said I planned on leaving about 3:30, she mentioned she hoped it would be sooner. Still learning my wife, I asked for clarification "Do I need to be there sooner?" She answered "Yes."
Rebecca has been feeling colicky since yesterday and this afternoon about the time the NST began she broke out in a couple of sweats. This, in combination with the frequency of the decels, had her thinking there is something wrong and Xavier would need to be delivered today.
Shortly after I arrived, a nurse came in to insert an IV catheter. She spent a good :15 minutes examining veins, then chose one on Rebecca's left arm. Sadly, that tap failed, resulting only in staining the bed sheets with some blood.
Later, James, the same anesthesiologist who tapped Rebecca Friday, came in. He uses a local nerve-blocker so the insertion of the catheter isn't painful, Rebecca only feels pressure. It took James four tries to get a good insertion (his first was good for two vials of blood, however). Rebecca is once more on a sterile water drip. Though she has not had any sweats since I arrived, her stomach is still achy.
I had planned to have dinner with my wife, then begin painting the nursery. The nursery may have to wait a day or two.
Always, thank you for your prayers; they are the conduits of miracles. God is with us and He is walking us through.