The Dr. looked Amber over and confirmed that her body did not appear to be going into preterm labor (praise the Lord!!) and checked on baby and said she had a very strong heartbeat and good movement for only being 24 weeks along. Amber was sent home and advised to stay in the bed the rest of the day to be sure there was no more bleeding and no sign of contractions (and to make sure Baby Z continued to move well). At the end of the day, there were no other issues.
Friday morning, Amber was out and about again running errands, working some, grocery shopping, etc. Everything was fine most of the day but then at 6:15 another gush of blood hit. It wasn't a lot and it quickly stopped again, but it was still scary. After another gush Saturday morning, Amber laid in the bed most of the day Saturday just in case. Most of the day was uneventful and then another gush around 8:30pm. Thankfully Sunday was bleed free, but out of concern, Paul recommended Amber call the Dr. first thing on Monday morning to at least make them aware of the additional bleeding episodes.
Amber called and let them know that there was some more spotting over the weekend, but it seemed to have stopped. However, the Dr. said she would strongly advise Amber go to the hospital to get checked over. Thinking little of it, Amber went straight to the hospital where they checked her out again and said it did not appear that preterm labor was occurring, but that previas can go from nothing to major in the snap of a finger. Since there were multiple bleeds, the hospital decided it was best to admit Amber and keep her on bed rest.
So it's been nearly a week of bed rest at the hospital now. There has been a slew of medical professionals consulting about Baby Z, about the previa, about the splenic cyst, about the parasite, etc. It's been a bit overwhelming, but we've gotten A LOT of good news through the process such as:
Baby Z is very active for her gestation age and heartbeat is very strong -- we have heard that over and over from multiple people. We also got some great looks at her on the ultrasound - her hand completely open "waving" at us (which rules out a lot of genetic disorders since many babies with genetic problems will have their hands clasped constantly). We got a great view of her mouth and got to watch her swallow (and cleft palate was ruled out which also helps rule out some genetic disorders where cleft pallet is a common condition). We counted all of her fingers and toes again. She looks great (but is measuring small for her gestation - something we've been told not to worry about for now -- it could just be genetics playing into that).
Every test we've had done on Amber has shown that her body is not preparing for labor which is the biggest concern with previas. However, since the staff has to plan for an emergency situation, all of them have been making plans for what happens if the splenic cyst were to burst, what happens if Amber were to hemorrhage and they couldn't stop labor, what happens if Baby Z appears in distress, etc. etc. Thankfully, being in the hospital has led to a lot of discussion on how to treat the parasite, cyst, baby and Amber so we feel like we're in great hands. The surgeons have all decided that it would be safest for Amber to try to do the C-section first and once mom and baby are good, they will deal with removing the spleen later. It may be only days later, but it sounds like the C-section/spleen removal combo surgery is now off the table except in an emergency.
In addition, Amber has received two steroid shots already which will help speed up Baby Z's lung development so if she has to come early, she has a much better chance for survival. Amber got three vaccinations so her body can start to build up immunity to certain diseases which are very serious for people who do not have spleens, so Amber will have a better chance of not contracting those diseases when the spleen is taken. Amber also started taking the medication to kill the parasite so hopefully by the time Baby Z gets here and the spleen is removed, the parasite will be gone and it will just be time for recovery and getting back to normal (or the new normal, rather).
For now, the hospital is being overly cautious due to all of the scenarios going on and are keeping Amber hospitalized on bed rest for what sounds like a couple of weeks at least. After another ultrasound in a couple of weeks to check on the previa and to see if Amber has any more bleeding episodes, a decision will be made about whether Amber goes on full bed rest at home, if she stays in the hospital (possibly until delivery), or if the previa has moved, if she can have some of the restrictions lifted.
It's been a whirlwind and bed rest is something we were hoping wouldn't happen, but having someone bring you food all day and let you listen to your baby's heart beat several times a day isn't the worst thing in the world. So we're just going with the flow and making sure Baby Z is as safe as possible. If that means sitting on a bed for another 2-3 months, so be it (but we've still got our fingers crossed that the previa will resolve before then).
So that's the latest update! Amber and Baby Z are doing fine despite the hospital hiccup. Paul is being wonderful coming to visit Amber and make sure the house is taken care of and the nursery getting set up. We are so excited to meet Baby Z -- what a story we have to tell her about getting her here! She's already such a little miracle.
Thanks for praying for us that she is able to stay in the womb for as long as possible and none of the complications will require her to get here too early.
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