Week 2-3 - Hospital/Birth Updates

Appointments at the Hospital
For the past two weeks, we have had about 5-6 appointments at the hospital. We have appointments that check how I am doing, appointments to check how baby Autumn is doing, hospital tours of the delivery room and the NICU, and some studies that we've agreed to support. 


Monday appointments 
Autumn gets weekly checks for her biophysical profile - usually in the form of a Non-Stress Test (NST) and an ultrasound. She has been measuring very small (between 2.3 - 5%) from about 20 weeks. Although this can be a sign of problems with the placenta or nourishment she's receiving, the doctors have seemed to feel comfortable with her growth as she is continuing to grow equally at a steady rate - meaning she's small all over (her head, abdomen, legs, arms) and she's growing every time at the same pace. 

As of now all of her biophysical profiles have looked really good - passing 8 out of 8 of the signs to make sure she's safe and healthy. She sometimes needs a bit of cran-apple juice to make her move during the NST... she may be a bit of a sugar junkie because it only takes about 30 to 60 seconds for juice to wake her up and make her kick and wiggle. Other than her hesitancy to wiggle sometimes, her fluids, heart-beat, practice-breathing, nutrition, and overall development looks really good.

The nurses and technicians have been wonderful across the board... answering all of our questions and narrating the tests so we understand what we are seeing. The whole process here has felt more inclusive and I feel very informed about knowing how she is doing. 

After our last appointment Autumn was approximately 4 lbs and 13 oz. I am hoping that she gains at least a pound or more before she comes. The doctors/neonatalogists/cardiologists seem comfortable with her weight now if she comes early, but everything is a little easier for the cardiologists if she's bigger. I was having pretty consistent 'practice contractions' Braxton Hicks during the NST, but I still feel like she's got at least two more weeks of growing. I keep reminding Autumn that she needs to wait at least 10 more days for Andre to get back to Houston.

The nurse noted that she has pouty lips :)

She likes to lay against the placenta with her hand in front of her face, so it's been difficult to get a picture of her face - this is a pretty good view for what we've seen so far.

Baby feet! She likes to kick so maybe she'll be a soccer fan like her parents.

OB Appointments and Study
We've had pretty standard weekly OB appointments and are coming to really like our doctor. We've been on the same page for many birthing choices. Because I had switched to midwifery care, I've had a lot of tests to complete over the past few weeks - lots of blood draws... but all is looking good. 

We agreed to participate in a study that Baylor Medicine is conducting for children with congenital heart disease. The study is looking for affects on brain development for children with different heart conditions. The study included an ultrasound and my first MRI.

The ultrasound tech was really excited about the pictures they were able to get of the synapses in Autumn's brain... mentioning that they might even use her pictures in the journal when they complete the study. It was nice to get to see her again in the ultrasound... still kicking moving and most importantly GROWING. 

I was able to practice some of my hynobirthing strategies during the MRI. They seemed to work really well for helping me relax during the loud and slight uncomfortable MRI. Mom was able to sit in for the MRI and said I looked like I was sleeping. I will continue to practice in hopes that I can relax and have a gentle calm birth. 

Doula and Natural Health
We had our 3 hour prenatal doula appointment and learned a lot about exercises to practice in anticipation for the birth. We also learned about the process of birth - with detailed descriptions of what my body will be doing at each stage. Our doula is really wonderful and had many suggestions and answered all of our questions about what to expect with this hospital and the typical strategies she uses to help mothers with their birth. Mom and I had to go out and buy a different birthing ball because mine was way too small to practice the exercises. I am now sitting almost exclusively on the birthing ball and following pelvic floor exercises - squatting and stretching to help with birth and recovery. 

My sad birthing ball next to the recommended ball from the doula.

We are continuing to walk everyday - between 4 and 8 miles and trying to swim a few times during the week. Even though the transition was difficult, we have been able to start a lot of routines to help prepare for the big day :)

Coming up in the next week:
We have our first appointment with the cardiologist who will be performing the surgery. We will be able to ask about the projected treatment and his/her thoughts about cord blood/tissue banking - something that may be helpful for Autumn as they are researching the ability to create a value out of the baby's own stem cells.