Warning: If you have a queesy tummy, you might not want to read this post.
Dr. L drained one liter of amniotic fluid from my belly this morning. In short, not an especially pleasant experience. But it appears I'll need another one on Monday. My AFI (amniotic fluid index) was 40 before the procedure and 35 after it. The level last Monday when I was admitted to the hospital was 35, so this only took me back one week (refresher: anything above 20-25 is considered "high"). She would have liked to have drained more, but I was contracting quite consistently toward the end which was constricting the flow through the needle (told ya it could get a bit graphic), which was becoming rather painful. The baby handled this like a champ... no fluctuations in his heartbeat or anything like that. Of course, when he was bumping the needle that didn't feel so great.
Anyway... I get to stay on bedrest and the medication. If she had been able to get the AFI lower I might have been able to lower the dosage and possibly increase activity. But we get to try all this again on Monday (yes, she's working on Christmas Eve). Great. Something to look forward to.
The kindness of our friends has been expressed so well to us. We have meals coming every night this week, then Mark is home next week through New Year's and my mom comes back on 12/23 through New Year's. And our fine friends (ATL Kraft's) have given me a NetFlix subscription so I won't get too bored! But I should probably work on Christmas cards... hmm.
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6 comments:
The needle sounded scary! You are so brave. I am sorry you are not able to move around much. What a hard thing to have to deal with around the holiday...I hope your friends and family will be able to come to you on Christmas. Good luck next Monday.
You are in my prayers.
Did they give you a local at the needle insertion location? After my third or fourth reduction, I finally asked for a local to help with the discomfort from the needle insertion and baby bumping into (and in one case grabbing onto) the needle. I found that it helped some.
Keep strong. I am praying for a 2008 baby for you.
You are in our thoughts and prayers. If you need anything, let me know!
Kristin
Hi, I just came across your blog, I read it and let me tell you it brought me to tears. I cannot imagine the fears you must have. My daughter Ella Grace is 15 months old and has Down syndrome. I consider myself lucky to not have known before she was born because I don't think I could have handled it. When she was born I was devistated. For weeks I was a complete mess. I wish more than anything that I could have known then the things that I know now. Ella is wonderful!! I read your post about vanity and it made me laugh. I think that probably every mother of a baby with Ds is the same way. But let me assure you that there will come a point when you don't see it. Ella looks a lot like her brother (who is 2 years 5 months older). I too worried about how my son would respond to his sister and honestly I still do. For now she is just Ella and he loves her with all he has. He is her number 1 fan and gets excited about her every little milestone. I worry about the future for him and possibly having to defend her, but the love is there and that is all that matters. You are incredibly strong, as is your baby. It is amazing that you have the strength to write about it all, blogging has been very theraputic to me and the support you will get from it is priceless! We will definetly keep you all in our prayers!!!
Christine - Thanks for the suggestion. Didn't get a local, but I'll definitely ask for one next time!
I have to say, that needle sounds daunting! I know you are strong and will do what needs to be done for your little 2008 baby!
Good luck on Monday!
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