Baby Boo: Keeping Us on Our Toes

Have I mentioned here that I have Factor V? Essentially it’s a genetic blood clotting disorder and I discovered I had it after a series of tests after having a DVT when I was 20 years old. Since learning that I have it, I have been able to take a baby aspirin on a daily basis and go about my day.

Being pregnant brings it’s own complications, one of which is a risk for clots. Because of my blood clotting disorder, my care has been overseen by a high risk doctor as well. I started to take daily injections of Lovenox, a blood thinner, in my second trimester. A week ago, I switched to twice daily injections of heparin since it is quicker to be reversed which is especially important during labor. My high risk doctor required I monthly ultrasounds up until week 36. Starting at week 36 I am required to have weekly NSTs, ultrasound and a meeting with one of the doctor’s in my practice.

I hit 36 weeks last week, thus my first NST was on Friday. It was a nice little break to just sit in a room for a half hour with two belts strapped to my belly. I even got to read a magazine! I don’t remember the last time I sat down to read a magazine!

After about 10 minutes, the nurse came back in my room to check up on the strip of paper the machine spits out as it monitors for contractions and the baby’s heartbeat. “Did you know you had some contractions?” “What?” “The last one was a minute ago.” I was given a little buzzer to hit any time I felt the baby move and a minute prior to the nurse coming in the room, I felt movement and hit the buzzard. Turns out it was actually a contraction! I had been having them and not knowing it.

The nurse left the room again and I sat there listening to the baby’s heartbeat and reading an out of date Redbook. A little while later, the nurse came back again and looked at the paper. She asked me which doctor I was seeing later that afternoon and that she would like to just show him the printout. She left the room to consult with him and a few minutes later, both the nurse and the doctor entered my room.

My doctor calmly explained that as they were going to take me off the monitor, I had two contractions – both of which showed the baby’s heartbeat dropped slightly. He wanted me to be monitored some more which meant I had to go to the hospital. Could be a couple of hours or they could keep me overnight. He was so calm and matter a fact about it that I didn’t flip out or start to worry. I loved the way they handled it. My nurse said that if they were really worried, they would have sent me in an ambulance with oxygen.

When I called my husband as I was leaving the office, I started to cry a bit only because I didn’t know what to tell him, other than what the doctor had said. And I didn’t know if I should have my husband leave work and drive over an hour to the hospital because I had no idea how long I’d be there.

I arrived at the hospital and was brought up to the very same room I had on this day. They put me on the same monitor and took my BP. Of course my BP was a little high – I was a bit scared about what was going on! They decided to take my BP throughout my stay and it went down to normal.

I stayed at the hospital about 4 hours and the baby’s heartbeat never dropped or caused concern. I continued to have some contractions but was very comfortable. Also, I was able to see my baby move for a bout a half hour during the ultrasound that they did during my stay. They let me go home and I just have to follow-up at my appointment this week and take it easy.

When I called my mom while I was in the hospital, she remarked how calm I was which is unlike me. I think that is mostly because of how calm the nurse and the doctor were at the office. The next morning, I woke up to pee at 6am like usual and climbed back into bed and it hit me. Tears started flowing down my face. Everything that I had been through the day before just weighed on me. The realization that something worse could have happened. The realization that the baby could come any day now.

We are just very lucky that nothing worse did happen but now I have my priorities straight in my head!

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