Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Primed For Discharge

We had such a positive day yesterday. When we went to sleep last night we were hopeful that Sara would be discharged today. Around 6AM Sara was woken up by 2 nurses who were concerned about a 'decel', short for deceleration. That's basically when Ruth's heart rate drops to an alarming rate.

We had seen decels a couple times before, but they all went away pretty quick which didn't alarm most of the OB's that we talked to about it. This one wasn't disappearing as quickly. The nurses quickly grabbed an OB and a sonogram machine. By using the sono, getting Sara to reposition, and trying to move her by pressing on Sara's abdomen they eventually got Ruth's heart thumping as it should.

The episode spooked us a bit. The night before the nurses removed both of Sara's IVs since it looked as though they wouldn't be needed any more. After this experience, they decided that it would be best to have at least one IV readily available for access, just in case.

So why did it happen? No one was exactly sure. Someone in the response party suggested that sometimes the baby puts her foot or something on the cord, restricting the flow of oxygen to herself. Throughout the rest of the day we met with multiple OBs. Most weren't really concerned with it. They basically said that what we saw does happen from time to time, and there's not any strong evidence that suggests that there is anything to worry about. There were a handful that felt that it was a bit more concerning.

Since then her heart rate has been beating strong, right where it ought to be.

As I was getting myself some breakfast, Dr. Wu made a visit to Sara's room. He was in the "not a big deal" camp on the decel. Overall, he seemed very pleased with how well Sara and Ruth were progressing. Before letting us go, he wanted to run Ruth through one more sonogram today and a fetal echo tomorrow morning. Assuming everything looks good with both of those and nothing else comes up, he projected our discharge tomorrow.

The sonogram was ordered and then someone showed up with a gurney - a bit of a surprise for us since all sonograms over the weekend were done in Sara's room. Sara climbed on and they wheeled her down to the 3rd floor. The sonographer checked for the usual features: fluid, cervix, membranes, placenta, etc.  Everything looked great! Most notable observations were that all membranes were still in tact, Sara's cervix was most still closed and stable, and the fluid level had increased!

Back at the room, I checked into the office for a short while. It sounded like the exam was keeping my team busy and everything was being handled quite alright without me. Sara & I really appreciate the understanding, flexibility, and support that everyone back at the office has provided thus far.

It is clear to the hospital staff here that we have a LOT of support from our family and friends back home. When you enter Sara's room, the scent of Lily's hit you like a brick wall. We've received a total of 6 generous deliveries so far. They definitely have made this dreary hospital room much warmer. Moving all the flowers plus our personal effects would be a bit difficult in a single cab ride, so I decided to make a run to the family house to relocate 2 of the deliveries.

It was a cold and windy day in San Francisco. You'd think I'd be smart enough not to wear flip-flops in this weather, but I refuse!. The flowers weathered the windy 10 minute hike pretty well.

Not long after I got to the house, Sara called. Apparently as soon as I left, a gauntlet of doctors and familiar faces dropped in. Dr. Farmer, the local MOMS trial 'boss', stopped in to talk for a bit. She said that she had called to check on Sara throughout the weekend and that Dr. Wu was extremely pleased with Sara's recovery. In her eyes, things were looking really good so far. Then Rachel and Tamra dropped in to give Sara her schedule of appointments for the duration of pregnancy. They've also already scheduled her c-section for sometime in August. We're told that most participants don't make it that long. The average right now is about 10 weeks after surgery. We're going to do everything in our power to beat that average and meet Ruth on the day Sara's scheduled.

On my way back to the hospital, I stopped by Jamba Juice to get Sara and I a smoothie - I thought she might need one. When I back to the room, my sister called and asked if we wanted to Skype with the girls. It was really good to see them. They were all pretty excited to see us, too. By the end the call they had lost interest and were bouncing off the walls in some other room - all except our youngest, Princess A. She stuck around until we hung up. Clearly they're having a great time and staying busy where they're at. That's exactly how we prefer them to be so that they don't miss us too much. The call did challenge us to reflect on how long this summer is going to be. I have a feeling that it will just make our family's relationship and love much stronger as it will challenge us all to reflect on the things that we otherwise might've taken for granted. We'll make this work-for Ruth, we have to!

Tonight, Sara ditched the hospital gown for her one-size-fits-all MOMS trial t-shirt and pajama pants. I tried to get a picture for the blog, but she wouldn't let me. Anyhow, we're hoping for an uneventful night and discharge tomorrow! Please keep Sara and Ruth in your prayers!