Update - Baby #4 at 29 weeks

Sometimes things feel (and are) so completely outside of our control.  My body started doing things earlier this week that I didn't want it to, and we had a scare that Baby White #4 was coming very early - at 29 weeks instead of full-term (she's due August 8).  We are in the clear for now, thank God, and I am trusting that He is holding all things together.  No matter what happens, even if the baby does end up coming early, or when I don't understand what's happening or things feel like they are falling apart - He is still holding everything together.  Everything - including this tiny baby inside of me and my fragile emotional state when things go differently than I'd hoped.  Here's what happened this week.


A Brief History
I have a history of pre-term births (birth before 37 weeks).  Micah was a late-term preemie born at 36-and-a-half weeks, and Asher was born right at 34 weeks.  Both boys spent over a week in the NICU, and both have grown into healthy and energetic little guys.  Josie has been my only full-term baby so far, born at just over 38 weeks.

Monday
The contractions started a few days before Monday, and when they showed up in conjunction with some other things- abdominal soreness, for example - I began wondering if they were something more than the harmless Braxton Hicks contractions I had assumed they were.  I spoke with my doctor's office who helped me differentiate between Braxton Hicks contractions and the real thing, and they also gave me instructions to get checked out if I had more than 4 contractions in an hour.  I took things super easy on Monday and followed the directions exactly.  And everything was fine until just after 10:00 that night when I had 8 contractions in an hour.  That's when we headed to the ER.

Tuesday
We arrived at the ER just before midnight Tuesday morning and were immediately taken to Labor and Delivery where they monitored the baby's heart rate and my contractions.  They also checked dilation and performed several tests.  At one point, my contractions were 3 minutes apart and I had begun to dilate.  I also received the first of two steroid shots to help the baby's lung development.  We got the news that one of the tests they performed, the fetal fibronectin (spelling?) test, had come back negative.  This was good, because it indicated that the baby would not be born within the next week or two.  Contractions and dilation continued, however, and the decision was made by the medical team to admit me.

They took me to a delivery room and administered 12 hours of magnesium sulfate through an IV for two reasons: to slow down contractions and benefit the baby neurologically in case she did decide to come early.  They warned us that this medicine was NOT FUN, but at this point I didn't care what they did, as long as it kept the baby in longer!  Well, they were right - it was not fun.  The first 20 minutes were the worst - they gave me 3 hours' worth of medicine in 20 minutes to quickly get my levels up.  One of the side effects is feeling really hot, which doesn't sound that bad, but it was pretty awful.  I received this medication for 12 hours - no getting out of bed, no eating, no drinking other than some ice chips and a little bit of Coke...for 12 hours.  In addition to the IV in my arm, I had compression things massaging my legs to keep blood clots at bay, a catheter, 2 monitors across my belly, and a blood pressure cuff on the opposite arm.  I also received penicillin as an antibiotic to help the baby.

A NICU doctor came and spoke with us about what we could expect if the baby was born that day, right at 29 weeks.  The survival rate was awesome - just under 97%!  According to the doctor, 15% of 29-week babies have neurological complications (like cerebral palsy, for example), and about 1/3 have some type of learning disability.  All things we could deal with with God's help!

The 12 hours wore on and on, and towards the end we received the good news that the contractions had slowed down to 1-3 per hour.  The medicine had worked!  The nurses also observed the baby's heart rate patterns, and she looked great.  Her heart rate was exactly where it should have been for a baby under 32 weeks, and it also performed as a baby older than 32 weeks should.  Also, dilation had not progressed since early that morning.  I was able to get the second steroid shot for the baby's lung development, and we were eventually discharged that evening.

A New Normal
We're trying to figure out a new normal for keeping this baby in as long as possible.  The contractions haven't stopped completely, so I'm still monitoring those.  We didn't get a whole lot of concrete information on what to do to keep the baby in longer, so we're trying to figure that out and have chosen to be overly cautious for now.  I have an appointment with my doctor on Tuesday morning and should get more direction then.  For now, I am drinking LOTS of water to stay hydrated, avoiding heavy lifting, and resting as much as I can.  Jeremy has taken over (pretty much completely) with the kids, especially Josie.  She's not quite 2 years old, and she's the definition of a toddler - running all over the place, needing to be picked up a lot, demanding...and me lifting her up and down probably isn't the best idea.  So we're trying to figure that out as well.

Please pray that the baby stays put until at least 37 weeks (July 18) when she'll be full-term, and also for wisdom for Jeremy and me as we manage our family and household with our new normal.  And for my big kids, too.  We want to be wise in what we share with them and also with any extra responsibilities we ask them to take care of.  Thank you so much!