(Note: The title of the emails changed from here on out due to shifting from weekly to daily notes.)
Summary: Missy admitted last night due to spiking BP. Missy and baby fine.
Good morning,
Yesterday, Missy noticed her blood pressure rising throughout the day. Our normal methods of bringing it down through relaxation and a bath did not help. When it peaked around 180/120 we called the doctor who said, “Come in to the hospital for steroids.” The steroids are given to Missy to help Tommy grow his lungs quicker and it means we’re on the road to having the baby sooner rather than later.
We made it to the hospital at 9:14pm and Missy’s BP at intake was back to normal. This was good news for Missy, but since we were here the monitoring started. They monitor the heart rate of Tommy to determine if he is in stress or not.
By 11pm the blood work and urine tests came back and everything looked fine. Tommy’s heart rate was doing good and the decision was made to administer the steroids. Since this is a 24 hour procedure with 2 shots we knew this meant at least two nights in the hospital. It also meant going to labor and delivery. For two people trying so hard to keep their baby inside the last thing you want is labor and delivery.
We made it up here about midnight and thus began the 3 hour long process of trying to find Tommy’s heartbeat for more than 10 minutes at a time. Between Tommy’s size and Missy’s restless legs the monitor kept losing the heartbeat. God love that woman. At home, she has many things she can do like walk around, talk a bath, use a heating pad or eat to help her legs. At the hospital there was nothing. She finally found some relief at 3:00am and I left to get some sleep at 3:17am.
I woke up and called Missy to find out she hadn’t slept all night. The legs got worse, the BP went up and she just had a miserable night. I knew I shouldn’t have left. When I arrived at the hospital about 10 minutes ago she was sleeping. I spoke to her nurse who said Missy just fell sound asleep. I’m in the waiting room now letting her get some rest.
So, the two questions everyone has:
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Is Missy OK? Yes, her blood pressure has spiked like this in the past, but always comes down. It didn’t come down yesterday, but as almost always happen, by the time we got to the hospital it was down. Poor woman hadn’t eaten since 5pm until 2am when they scrounged up some food. Right now she is sleeping to make up for the restless leg issues last night; she must be exhausted.
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Is Tommy OK? All indications are yes. His heart rate stayed around 130 for the time I saw, but he would continually move and lose tracking. The nurse just told me he’s been tracking well. Last night we had a few scares where his heart rate would dip, but that could be a normal thing. They just need to monitor more. I would suspect we’ll have an ultrasound today and cord blood flow study. There has been no discussion of delivering, though we had to sign all the standard delivery paperwork and he did receive the steroids through two injections Missy received.
Cassie took care of Shannon last night and had some fun. I got a call around 9:45pm … Shannon had locked Cassie and her in the bedroom. I left Missy, ran home and unlocked the door to free them. I tell you, the Grotes always find something humorous during these times. Cassie took Shannon to school today and they got off without any problems.
I didn’t call anyone last night due to the fact we didn’t know what was going on and nothing seemed imminent. I slept from 4am to 7:30am and am back at the hospital.
A few notes:
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We’re at Mercy hospital where we’ve had all our kids and the perinatologist are based.
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They are changing up Missy’s medicine to try to get the BP lower. It went up during the night, but Missy and I think it was due to her legs.
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Sleep is the big thing for Missy right now. The more she can get the better for her and Tommy.
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We are a day short of 27 weeks.
Thank you all for your positive thoughts and prayers. Love you all.
Details and Thoughts
Fetal Bradycardia
The external monitoring of a baby’s heart rate after admission is as much as art as science. The first attempt is made by two elastic bands pulled and wrapped around a woman’s midsection. One of the monitors checks for contractions, while the other measures the baby’s heart rate. Depending on the position of the baby, the size of the woman, the sensitivity of the machine and calibration, it can take a while to find a good, reliable heart rate. Do not panic.
This photo shows a full term baby being monitored; imagine a premature baby being monitored. Tiny baby, small heart makes a tough target to pinpoint.
When a the heart rate is found, do not despair if you notice a short dip. Again, it could be the baby moving. Doctors will rely on measurements of a period of time to determine if dips are indicative of fetal bradycardia. Even then, if your baby exhibits fetal bradycardia, it doesn’t mean delivery is imminent.