Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire

Just when I thought things were looking up -  reaching 34 weeks and starting to breathe easier about Baby - the doctor put my fear level back at its rightful place today, somewhere up near the ceiling.  Upstairs. 

34 weeks and counting

We’ve had a couple of dates we’ve been debating about for the planned C-section: July 26^th and July 30^th.  Since we were seeing someone new today (my regular doctor is on vacation), we decided to ask New Doctor her opinion.  Our intentions were to keep baby in as long as possible.  It seems like the logical thing to do.  Less critical, but also worth considering, is the fact that Chris takes the Bar Exam on July 24^th and 25^th. 

New Doctor got us to think otherwise, with very few words.  She said that as pregnancy continues, the risk for baby goes down and the risk for mama goes up.  She said the longer we wait, the more likely the chance that they would have to “take the uterus.”  Now there’s a phrase that will grab your attention.  In fact, it hasn’t left my attention since we left the clinic. 

According to New Doc, the longer my pregnancy goes, the more likely I’d head into the hospital during another bleeding episode, either from placental detachment, or the onset of labor, or some other reason (the odds are really not in my favor).  And if I go into the hospital again while I’m bleeding, chances are it would be bad, meaning significant blood loss.  If the bleeding doesn’t slow down in a reasonable amount of time, they could take my uterus at the same time they would take my baby. 

I didn’t realize it until this afternoon, but I’m pretty fond of my womb.  I sure would like to keep it.  You might be wondering if we are planning on having more kids.  The honest answer is possibly.  Maybe even probably.  We were going to see how we could handle two before making any final decisions.  I could easily see myself having a third, though.  I absolutely love babies and I love being a mom.  Having the choice taken away would be traumatic, to say the least. 

So now we’re planning on July 26^th for delivery and we’re hoping with all of our might that we make it that far without hemorrhaging.  17  more days. 

Into the Fire

911

So it happened again.  After dinner last Thursday night, I sat down on one of my many trips to the bathroom.  After a minute, I could still hear trickling, but I was pretty sure my bladder muscles were done doing their work.  I stood up to check out what was happening and was immediately terrified.  The entire bowl was full of blood.  And blood was still trickling out of me. 

Instant panic.  I didn’t know what to do.  I couldn’t leave the toilet because I was leaking.  Was it just blood or was there amniotic fluid mixed in?  It reminded me a lot of when my water broke with Daughter:  a constant trickle.  I knew that if I was leaking fluid, I’d be having a baby real soon.  I got Chris’ attention and then proceeded to lose my cool.  I sobbed in the bathroom for a couple minutes, but then caught sight of Daughter still sitting at the kitchen table.  Like a smack in the face, this snapped me out of it.  I grabbed a maxi pad and got myself somewhat dressed.  Again, Chris and I fumbled with “Do we drive to ER or do we call 911?”  I couldn’t make a decision.  Chris made it for me and was on the phone with 911 dispatch by the time I came out of the bathroom.  I laid myself down on the kitchen floor to help combat gravity, not knowing at the time that I would be completely horizontal for the next 16 hours. 

                                                           

In the few minutes before the paramedics arrived, I tried my best to make Daughter comfortable.  That sweet girl brought a pillow from the couch and together, she and I laid on the kitchen floor and cuddled.  It was exactly what I needed.  Probably what we both needed.  I was worried about how she would process what was happening and what was about to happen. Thankfully, she’s a bright, well-adjusted girl.  She handled it well. 

Within minutes, my house was full of half a dozen rescue workers.  I found out later that several of them were firemen, but  I never saw the fire truck.  A couple of them started asking me questions in overly calm voices.  They couldn’t get the regular wheeled stretcher into the house, so they carried me out in an old school stretcher.  They called it the canvas and poles.  Once down both sets of front steps, they set the canvas onto the gurney and wheeled me to the ambulance.  I could see Daughter and my mom watching from the porch as I was taken away.  I desperately wanted to kiss my girl and say goodbye to her, but I couldn’t bring myself to speak.  So I just watched her until she was out of view. 

In the ambulance, Chris sat on the bench next to me.  They started an IV.  Then we were on our way with lights and sirens.  The whole shebang.  I heard the paramedic tell the hospital that I was experiencing a possible miscarriage.   Thankfully, I knew better or I would have believed him. 

The whole way there, I thought about Daughter and my unborn son and hoped they were both okay. 

At the hospital, I got wheeled around quite a bit before we got to the right place.  The whole gurney was brought into a tiny triage room and I was put on the monitors right away.  Like last week, my uterus showed signs of irritability, but no signs of full-blown contractions.  I wasn’t in labor. 

Within 15 minutes, I was admitted and brought to a room.  Within 30 minutes, I had an IV in each arm, an automatic blood pressure cuff on my left bicep, and the perinatal doctor pressing on my belly with an ultrasound wand.  He asked how much blood I lost, which was impossible to answer.  How do you measure how much of the red toilet bowl was blood vs. water?  He seemed mad that I couldn’t give him a straight answer.  It was at this point that my blood pressure tanked.  It dropped to something absurd, like 45 over 30.  I never got the official number because I was in a haze, very, very close to passing out.  I got extremely hot and nauseous.  The doc ordered an oxygen mask on my face.  I turned to my side and stared at Chris while he kept talking to me.  About every ten seconds, he asked if I was okay.  I nodded when I could.  I felt awful. 

Slowly, I pulled out of that slump.  The doc explained to Chris, since I was not terribly alert, that my fluid level looked good, meaning I hadn’t broken my water.  He also explained that it’s pretty near impossible for me to be leaking fluid because of the placenta blocking the way.  Physically, the fluid has nowhere to go.  The doc also showed Chris a blood clot the size of a baseball and said I would be passing that in the next couple days.  He thought this was causing the uterine irritability. 

After the doc left, two nurses got to work on me.  When labs came in to take some vials of blood, the nurses realized I didn’t have an ID band on yet, so they rushed off to get that.  Sometime later, I noticed I was still wearing my civilian shirt and thankfully, it didn’t have any blood on it yet.  The nurse helped me take it off and feed it through the IV lines.  Then, she got me into a hospital gown.  Since they really didn’t want me to get up at all, I was lucky enough to get a catheter.   They also put me on magnesium sulfate via the IV to quiet the uterus and help baby’s nervous system.  Being on that is a lot like being stoned.  That’s how I stayed for the next 14 hours:  on my side, IV in both arms, catheter, blood pressure taken every 15 minutes, still leaking blood.  And the nurses said, “Try to get some rest.”  With all of that, I probably could have if I didn’t have the leaking.  As it was, I didn’t sleep at all. 

A new perinatal doc came to see me at 8:15 on Friday morning.  He told me lots of wonderful news.  The bleeding had stopped.  I could eat breakfast, since they were no longer expecting to deliver me right away.  Until that point, I was not allowed to eat or drink.  He also said I didn’t need my catheter anymore.  I was genuinely excited about that.  (It’s the little things.) He told me to get comfortable because I would be here at the hospital for a week or more.  He explained that they like to see at least 5 days of no bleeding before they will send mamas home.  He also explained that if I had a third episode of bleeding, I would be admitted to the hospital for the duration of my pregnancy.  He said, “Three strikes and you’re in.” 

On Saturday, I got moved down a floor since I was no longer a critical case.  And that’s where I’ve been since.  I haven’t really minded being in the hospital and that’s mostly because of fear of having an early preemie with lots of medical complications.  It’s easier to relax here than I expect it will be at home.  There aren’t things to clean or jobs to do here.  There’s just bed.  My menu and my 3 delivered meals.  TV.  Books.  Company.    I’m not bored yet, if you can believe it. 

On Sunday morning, Chris and I got woken up by lab coming to take more blood.  I asked her what it was for, expecting her to say hemoglobin since it was pretty low when I got admitted, but she explained it was to have a sample of my blood on hand in case I need a transfusion.  They need a fresh sample every 72 hours.  I still don’t understand this.  I’m pretty sure my blood type isn’t going to change at all, let alone every 72 hours.  But they say it’s the antibodies or some other factors in the blood that change. 

The view from my hospital room.  

They monitor baby twice a day and he’s been getting gold stars every time.  He’s very active and his accels are great.  They look for variation in his heartbeat to show he’s getting enough oxygen to move around and karate chop me from the inside.  For those of you who are runners, they like to see baby doing fartleks.  Since the blood loss is coming from the placenta, there is concern that baby is not getting enough oxygen, but thankfully that’s not what’s going on in our case.  The nurse practitioner assured me the blood loss is completely my own.  None of it is coming from baby.  Then she reminded me of how much extra blood volume pregnant women have.  150 – 200%

As of today, I am IV free.  In fact, I have nothing taped to my body right now . . . for the first time since last Thursday.  We had an ultrasound this morning and Baby looks stellar.  He’s really doing well.   There’s still no additional bleeding, but still no talk of being sent home.  That’s okay.  I feel safer here. 

The only hard part of hospital bedrest is missing Daughter and losing my ability to take care of her.  This is excruciating.  She comes to see me every day, but she’s an active little girl and I have to be careful around her.  She keeps asking me if I’m okay.  I tell her I am.  Then she asks why I’m in the hospital if I’m okay.  It’s difficult for her to understand. It’s been over a week since I last read her bedtime stories or tucked her in.  Like I mentioned before, she’s handling it well, but she needs her parents. 

Chris has been with me every night in the hospital.  Sometimes he goes home to take Daughter to the park or tuck her in, but he’s been sleeping here next to me on the pull out chair.  I’m continually struck by how much he cares about me.  He’s a good, good man.  Yesterday I told him, “I’ve never felt as loved by you as when you push me around in the wheelchair.”  And it’s true.  Being completely vulnerable is making me appreciate the people that surround me.  Especially Chris. 

There’s a good chance that I’ll be having another episode like this one again in the near future.  In fact, the doctor told me there’s a 50% chance of it.  For now, things are quiet and that’s good.  Every day that Baby Boy stays in is a celebration.  As of now, I am 31 weeks 2 days.  We’re looking forward to 32 weeks for a little bit of a safety net.  

Gratitude

The last few days, I have been thinking about how grateful I am to know the people that I know.  How different would my experience in maternity ER have been if I didn’t know the doctor on staff that day?  Instead of talking about all things serious, we talked about our neighborhood (she lives close by), we talked about our kids who take the same gym classes, we talked about qualifying for Boston and running in general.  In other words, it was relaxing to chat with her.  At the very least, it was distracting. 

I found big source of relief from texting with another friend while I was waiting in triage – a naturalist friend who happens to be the guy that introduced me to running club.  When the doctors told us we might be transferred to another hospital better equipped to deal with early preemies, I immediately thought of his wife, a pediatric doctor.  I wasn’t sure which hospital she worked at, so I asked him and explained our situation.  He replied with all kinds of helpful and encouraging information and gave me his wife’s contact information.  She was more than willing to answer our medical questions and even offered to watch Daughter that day, since she wasn’t at work.   Their generosity and support was comforting and raised my spirits.

Another nice surprise was a high school friend who works at the hospital.  She came to chat with me during her downtime after noticing I was on the patient list.  I hadn’t seen her since I was in the hospital in labor with Daughter three years ago, but she was easy to talk to.  We talked about our kids a lot and a little about Kenosha.  It was really nice. 

Since my last post, I have been overwhelmed with the kindness of the people in my world.  We have gotten numerous offers to babysit Daughter.  Neighbors reminded us that they are around waiting for us to call on them, willing to do whatever needs doing.  A gal from running club offered to come and clean my house.  Friends offered to bring us meals.  Beyond all the physical help, I have had all kinds of moral support.  Phone calls, emails, text messages, and visits.    The reassurance and companionship has been just what I needed. 

I got a chance to chat with my good friend Laura yesterday.  Laura used to live here in Minnesota, but moved back to upstate New York five years ago.  She’s one of those people I don’t talk to very often, but when we do get back in touch, it’s as if no time has passed.  We were on the phone for about two hours.  By the time we hung up, I felt invigorated.  She has a way of pointing out all the good in my life in a way that I never would have considered.  She’s a treasure. 

I want to say thanks to all of you for the love, support, and most of all, friendship.  I’m so very appreciative of circles of friends that I’ve made over the years.  I’m feeling incredibly lucky tonight.   

Too Soon

I’m terribly glad to be well-informed about my complete placenta previa.  Had I not been aware, I would have thought the bleeding I had in the shower yesterday was a miscarriage.  Don’t get me wrong, it was still shocking and scary as hell, but it was also expected. 

It was 7:15 and Daughter needed to be dropped off at school.  Chris and I had a few moments of panic.  Do we take her to school and then go to the hospital?  Do we just take her with us to the hospital?  Does Chris drop me at the hospital and then take her to school?  Should we call 911?  We were confused and unable to think clearly.  All we knew was that we needed to get to the emergency room as quickly as possible.  Eventually, we found our reasonable thinking skills and dropped Daughter at Chris’ sister a few blocks away.  They were able to take her to school, no problem.  Huge Relief! 

Off we went to the ER.  My darling husband may have (safely) ran a few red lights on the way, making sure there was no opposing traffic before scooting across the intersections.  I did a great job of keeping cool on the way to the hospital, even when I could feel the gushes of blood, but when we walked through the hospital doors, I couldn’t keep it together anymore.  I lost my ability to speak and the tears started flowing.  We got into ER and here’s what not to do:  Go into Admitting when you’re pregnant and terrified-looking.  They wondered what the hell we were doing there and immediately sent me up to maternity.  Chris plopped me into a wheelchair and steered me upstairs.  Triage took me in and turned me into a patient within minutes.  The nurse told me to lie down flat.  Gravity was the enemy at that point.  She hooked me up to the standard 2 monitors:  one for baby and one for my uterus.  She also started a rapid fire IV to hydrate me.  Baby was hard to keep track of because he’s only 29 weeks and still has quite a bit of space to move around.  He also doesn’t like to sit still, so the nurse had to keep adjusting the monitor and eventually gave up with the logic that if he’s moving this much, he’s okay. 

 A lot of things happened very quickly.  Turns out if you’re bleeding and have complete placenta previa, you are deemed a priority.  They took 4 or 5 vials of blood to determine if my placenta was still attached to the uterine wall.  I don’t quite understand the science behind this, but I took their word for it.  Because of the previa, I couldn’t be examined normally, so I got examined via a speculum.  Oh.  My.  God!  Was that uncomfortable.  I get queasy just thinking about it.  The cervix was still closed, meaning no dilation, meaning I wasn’t in labor.  That’s the best news we could have gotten. 

They wanted two sets of eyes examining me to be sure I wasn’t in labor.  The first doctor talked to me while we waited for the second.  When the second doctor walked in, she was someone that I knew! Unbelievable!  She is a woman who used to run with my running club and she also has kids that go to the same classes as my daughter.  What a huge relief to actually know the doctor on staff that day.  She’s going to be my doctor from here on out, too, since I can no longer be a midwife patient.  I am absolutely thrilled about that.  An OB doctor that’s a marathon runner who I know is about as good as I could have hoped for.  It’s fantastic!

The two doctors started preparing Chris and I for what may come.  They said that if it looked like I was in labor or if I was losing too much blood they would transfer me to a different hospital for delivery – one that is more specially equipped to deal with 29 week-old babies.  My hospital has the resources to treat babies that are 32 weeks or older.  They would take the baby if I lost too much blood because the blood is coming from the placenta.  Too much blood loss from that organ means Baby is not getting his share of oxygen and essential nutrients.  I couldn’t get my head around delivering a 29 week old baby.  I still can’t.  Regardless, they gave me a series of steroid shots to help develop Baby’s lungs, should he come early. 

Thankfully, everything resolved nicely.  The bleeding stopped and my uterus stopped showing signs of irritability after it was adequately hydrated.  My runner-doctor-friend decided to keep me for 24 hour observation, so I spent the night in the hospital.  

Since nothing was really happening, Chris left to pick Daughter up from school.  They came to visit for a while.  She was scared of me when she first walked in with her dad, clinging closely to him and hiding her eyes from me.  She came around pretty quickly, though.  I offered her ice cream and that was the magic formula.  We sat together on my hospital bed and ate ice cream and watched Bolt.  I think it was a good first experience for her to see me laid up like that, since she’s destined to see it again in the near future.  She also thought my “dress” was beautiful.  It warmed my heart that she found good in the situation. 

Me & Daughter in the hospital last night, eating ice cream and watching cartoons

They released me at noon today.  I am now on modified bedrest and I’m still trying to figure out what that means.  I’m reluctant to do much of anything besides sitting or laying down.  There’s a pile of dishes that I’m staring at in the sink, but I’m not ready to cave.  I’m too scared of having another episode.  I’m only allowed to do desk work at work, which as a naturalist, is a very small percentage of my day.  That will take some getting used to.  No more hiking.  No more hauling.  No more raptor care.  I’ll have to be creative in finding ways to be useful to my work team.  I’ll miss my walks around Lake Harriet and Lake of the Isles, but I can still go and sit by the bandshell and soak in the summer.  I might even be able to talk Chris into pushing me around the lake in a wheelchair. 

We called our moms to come for back up and they will make their way north tomorrow.  I'm concerned about Chris getting enough time to study for the Bar Exam and I hope that he actually gets to take it.  I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to care for Daughter with my restrictions.  I can’t pick her up until after Baby comes.  That's why having grandmas around will be extremely helpful.  

I have an inkling that I’ll be back in the hospital sooner rather than later.  I’m no longer annoyed with the prospect of bedrest because I’m much more fearful of delivering a baby 11 weeks premature.  He’d miss out on a quarter of his development in my womb.  I’m trying to prepare myself for that and in the meantime, I’m willing him to grow fast and stay put.  Right now, if things remain stable, we’re looking at C section delivery at 36-37 weeks, somewhere between July 26-31.  I will be immensely grateful for every week that goes by with him still on the inside. 

I got another strong dose of fear as I was being discharged.  The nurse told me to call 911 immediately if I have any more significant bleeding.  Because of that, I don’t want to leave the couch.  Here’s hoping the next several weeks are uneventful and extremely boring.  

Groundhog Day

     Today felt like Groundhog Day to me.  Earlier this afternoon, I had my ultrasound and there were contingencies attached to the results.  If the placenta migrated away from my cervix, I could carry on with a normal pregnancy as if nothing was ever wrong.  I’d be able to deliver my baby naturally at full-term, or whenever Baby decided he was ready.  If the placenta started to move, but hadn’t quite cleared the cervix yet, I’d have another scan in a few weeks to check the progress.  If the placenta didn’t move at all, a C-section would be imminent, most likely at 37 weeks if the condition would allow the pregnancy to go on that long. 

     I expected the second option, where I would have to wait and see.  Wait and see has been the medical theme of my pregnancy so far.  Surprisingly, though, the real scenario was option 3.  Rose, the radiologist, pointed out the placenta up in black and white on the screen.  She then interpreted how my cervix was completely blocked.  The placenta couldn’t possibly be any more in the way.  It hadn’t moved at all since my original ultrasound nine weeks ago.  

     So what does this mean?  Well, I’m still waiting for a call from the clinic for the official medical prognosis.  But what I already know is the following:

• The previa will not resolve. Baby will have no way out other than through my abdomen.   
•  I will no longer be seeing the midwives.  Since I am now high-risk, I will be seeing the Big-Guns, aka the OB/GYN surgeons, exclusively.
• We will be scheduling the birth-surgery, most likely in early August if Baby stays put that long.  This leaves 8 more weeks of pregnancy for me.
• Previa can get ugly in the third trimester.    
•  Baby Boy will probably be premature.  

Daughter & me earlier today leaving our last day of ECFE Terrific Twos

    

     I’m still taking it all in.  I expect the next few days and weeks will be filled with equal parts of joy, excitement, and concern.  Baby looked great on the screen today.  He’s really cute.  Rose gave me a beautiful picture of him.  He’s become a lot more human-looking in the last nine weeks, with chubby cheeks even!  I think he’s going to pull through this just fine.  As I type, I’m feeling more concern for Daughter.  How will she react to Mom being laid up in the hospital?  I’m trying to decide how to prepare her for what’s going to happen without freaking her out too much.  How do I explain it to her without her then placing blame on her brother?  This will be the first of the delicate negotiations that come with having multiple offspring.  

The Waiting Place

I’ve decided to give up waiting.  Waiting doesn’t do me any good.  I’ve been waiting for Baby to be born.  Waiting for ultrasounds.  Waiting to run again.  Waiting for Chris’ law school to be over.  Waiting to find a real job.  Waiting to get back into shape.  I don’t want to wait anymore and this conviction has been solidified by reading and re-reading Oh the Places You Will Go to Daughter at bedtime. 

                The waiting place . . .

                . . . for people just waiting

                Waiting for a train to go

                Or a bus to come or a plane to go

                Or the mail to come or the rain to go

                Or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow

                Or waiting around for a Yes or No

                Or waiting for their hair to grow

                Everyone is just waiting

                Waiting for the fish to bite

                Or waiting for the wind to fly a kite

                Or waiting around for Friday night

                Or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake

                Or a pot to boil, or a Better Break

                Or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants

                Or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.

                Everyone is just waiting.   

On Monday, I had another appointment with the midwives.  This was the third midwife I have seen in the last 2 months.  Like the most recent midwife I had seen, this one encouraged me to remain optimistic that my previa would resolve.  Baby’s heart rate was in the 150s and the Doppler picked up all of his movements.  Hearing him move at the same time I could feel him move was a surprise and gave me the giggles.  Chris just thought I was nuts.  I guess that’s one of the perks about being the mom:  Doppler giggles.  The best news I got was that if my previa clears up, all of my physical restrictions will be removed.  I can go running the same day as my ultrasound if things are looking favorable.   It would probably be an awkward run since I will be 10 weeks more pregnant than the last time I ran, and about 15 pounds heavier.  But I would be able to get my heart rate up again and I could really use that.

I also had my gestational diabetes test on Monday.   The easy version of the test consists of drinking a bottle of sugar water, waiting an hour, and having blood drawn to determine what my blood sugar level is.  The number I wanted to beat was 139.  I came in at 142.  Not quite good enough.   This earned me a trip back to the lab this morning to take the more extensive version of the test, involving 4 blood draws over the course of 3 hours.  Turns out I didn’t pass this test either, but just barely.  It was only my fasting blood sugar level that was too high.  96 instead of 95.  This was before I drank the sugar water.  The rest of my numbers, post sugar-drink, were well below the critical range.  So instead of diagnosing me with gestational diabetes, they want me to retake the longer test in a couple weeks.  I pushed back a bit while I was chatting with the nurse on the phone today.  If it’s borderline, can’t I just make changes to my diet and call it good?  Do I have to give up another 3 hours?  She said she chatted with the midwives about my case and they want to keep close tabs on me.  Then she listed all the reasons why:  my previous C section, the low amniotic fluid level I had in the last pregnancy, the infection I got during labor, and the previa I’m currently dealing with.  She said that all of those combined factors put me at higher risk.  In other words, she convinced me that taking the test again in a couple weeks is a good idea. 

In the meantime, I’m not going to wait for 2 weeks before I start making changes to my diet.  I’m going to be more mindful of my food choices.  Less pasta, bread, and ice cream.  More meat, dairy, and oatmeal.  I’ll admit, I’ve been letting myself go since running was removed from my regimen.  Finding the time to walk has been challenging.  But this diabetes scare is just what I need to get myself moving in the right direction again.  I had an epiphany.   I don’t have to wait to get myself in shape for running.  There are things I can do today, at 27 weeks, to help me reach my running goals.  Whether it’s more exercise (which is only walking in my world right now) or less junk food.   Somewhere along this pregnancy, I’ve given up my good choices and my priorities without giving it a second thought.  That’s a place I don’t want to be.  That’s the waiting place.  

A Step Back

                Today marks my 25^th week of pregnancy.  This is the week that expectant moms are told is a critical week.  If a baby is delivered at 25 weeks, he or she has a chance at surviving.  Granted, it’s not a very good chance, and the future would be filled with many, many days in the hospital.  But it is possible for a 25 week old fetus to survive.  Thankfully, my little sprout has given me no indication that he wants to come out.  Instead, he’s content doing his acrobatics in my womb.  In fact, Chris is a bit worried about how active Baby is.  He’s concerned that Baby is going to be hyperactive.  I tell him that‘s how boys are. 

25 weeks

                We went in for our first post-ultrasound consult a couple weeks ago.  Looking back, I should have been in there much sooner to find out the details of my condition, but the midwife clinic seemed to think a phone conversation was adequate at the time.   If you recall, my previous midwife, who has since left the practice in pursuit of a new opportunity, told me running was still fine.  We found out quite a bit of new and conflicting information at the in-person consult.  The new midwife told me that I could not perform any exercises more strenuous than walking.  No elliptical, no weightlifting, and certainly no running. 

                She told us that if things (aka, my placenta) stay as is, my C-section will be scheduled for 37 weeks.  That’s the critical time when baby is hopefully developed enough to not have complications and before natural labor would start.  Supposedly, it’s really, really bad to go into labor when the placenta is blocking the exit.  The midwife said words like “excessive” and “hemorrhaging.”  The medical experts will do everything they can to prevent labor in my current state.  She also mentioned that an amniocentesis would be performed at 36-37 weeks to determine if Baby’s lungs are developed enough for life outside the womb.  For those who don’t know, amniocentesis is a procedure where they take a very long needle and stick into a pregnant woman’s belly to extract amniotic fluid.  This fluid can tell oodles of information, like if Baby will be able to breathe.   It doesn’t sound like a fun procedure.  37 weeks would give me an amended due date of July 30^th.  Did I mention that Chris is taking the bar exam on July 24^th & 25^th?  That’s just how we roll.

      However . . .

                While the previous midwife seemed very doom and gloom that the placenta was not going to move, the new midwife encouraged us to remain optimistic that things would resolve.  My next scan will be at 29 weeks, or June 4^th.  At that point, we’ll see if there is any forward progress.  If not, they’ll probably schedule another scan for a few weeks after.  One of the frustrations I’ve found with my medical care is that I always go into my appointments excited and optimistic and leave feeling unsettled.  My questions get answered, but most of them are a “Wait & See” response.  It’s maddening. 

                One thing I realized is that if my placenta does clear completely out of the way of my cervix, I would be able to run again.  Granted, I probably wouldn’t be doing 5 mile hill workouts like I was doing at 20 weeks, but to be able to run a single mile at 30 weeks would be exhilarating.  It would probably also be painful.   We’ll worry about that if and when I get there. 

     Yesterday, I took Daughter with me to cheer at a half marathon I was registered for.  Obviously, I couldn’t run, but a lot of my friends were running the race and I still wanted to be a part of it.  It was an enlightening experience and one that I’m pretty sure will benefit me as a runner. 

Me and my girl

There were pacers who held signs as they ran to help runners reach their goal times.  The first sign read 1:30 and each subsequent sign increased by 5 minutes.  With these signs, I could see exactly where I would fit in, pre-pregnancy, based on my fall marathon time.  I’d be a 1:41. Incidentally, this was exactly the time that Victor ended up with. 

Watching the 1:41ers run past me was profound.  I couldn’t imagine myself moving that fast.  Those runners were really flying!  Yet I know what my abilities were.  I have the data on my Garmin to prove it.  For one of the first times, I really impressed myself as a runner . . . and I was only watching.  It was like seeing how good I was, and how good I will be again, from outside of myself.  It was a wonderful experience.

This may sound strange, but I already feel faster than my best marathon PR.  I’m better than a 3:35.  It will just take me a little bit of time to get to my potential.   I know it’s there already.    I just needed to take a step back to really see how good I am.  A 3:20 lives inside of me.