Monday marked my 25th week of pregnancy and the 4th week since my water ruptured. I began to feel hopeful and even a little daring. I may be cheating on my bedrest a little. Promise you won’t tell?
I started having some Braxton-Hicks contractions which is normal for me at this stage. And I’ve begun nesting. Which is interesting when you can’t leave your house to shop. Thank goodness for Craigslist, eBay and Amazon!
I bought a belly wrap to use after the baby comes (I loved these after my last two babies, and since it’s likely I’ll have a C-section this time, I’m sure it will be even more necessary). I bought a Sleepy Wrap and nursing pads and Dr. Sears’ book on caring for premature babies. Hubby picked up some adorable tiny cloth diapers.
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Finally giving myself permission to do some baby shopping. Wee diapers! #nesting #pPROM
I’m not a superstitious person, but I’ve been scared to buy anything for the baby before now.
In the back of my mind, I didn’t want to deal with the possibility of having a lot of unused baby stuff to have to deal with… in case things turned out for the worst. But, I’m feeling quite hopeful now. If baby was born today, he would have a 75% chance of surviving. Next week, his chances jump a little more. And by 27 weeks, it’s up to 90%.
I’m seeing a doctor three times a week at this point, which is reassuring. I wouldn’t mind if they wanted me to come in daily. It’s wonderful to see my little one on the ultrasound screen (so many ultrasounds! And me, the mom who doesn’t DO ultrasound normally…).
The perinatologist does very extensive assessments. They check the blood flow through the cord to make sure it isn’t compressed. They watch for “practice breathing”… and I’m happy to report he did just that yesterday! We could see his little diaphragm moving up and down. And he gets hiccups frequently, which is another good sign.
In other words, he’s doing as well as he can given the circumstances.
My emotions are all over the map, depending on how much baby is moving. Occasionally he has a quiet day where he moves little, and my anxiety levels shoot through the roof. I have insomnia if he has a quiet night. Thankfully most nights he wiggles all night long, which actually makes me sleep better.
Next week I may be writing from a hospital bed. I’m getting nervous about being home at this point. Babies in these circumstances tend to come very quickly, and I’m 30 minutes away from the hospital where I’ll be delivering. My doctors are ok with my staying home at the moment, as I’m not having any bleeding, contractions or signs of infection. I’m a good candidate for home management.
We’ve already made it a month post-pPROM, and that’s remarkable. About 40% of women in my situation will develop an infection, and those come on quick and nasty (as in, 2 hours to go from feeling “off” to “totally out of it with a 105F temperature”). That would trigger labor and it could happen literally any moment. It’s nerve wracking and exciting all at the same time. I’m having a baby! I’m trying to be happy, even though I know it’s going to be a very tough road ahead with a tiny little one in the NICU for likely weeks or months.
So happy to hear the good update!