Joe and I got to meet Jamie's cardiac surgeon yesterday (10/28/11) over at JDCH. I also got to meet Julissa, who I have been on the phone with quite a few times already (she's the nurse practitioner for Dr. Scholl). It was nice to put a face to a voice. :)
Maryann (my mother-in-law) has been driving me around on Fridays for my various appointments, since she has that day off. We went for my biophysical and non-stress test over at Memorial Hospital, then hit Dr. Siudmak's for my regular appointment, then met Joe for lunch. We came up with some questions for the surgeon, then headed over to the children's hospital for the meeting. Dr. Scholl was a very nice man, and didn't make us feel rushed or bad about asking any of the questions we had. The people in the Pediatric Heart Station were all very nice, very kind.
After we had the meeting, Julissa gave us a tour of the PICU (pediatric intensive care unit). It is split into two areas, one side was all cardiac patients, the other side for other issues. It was really hard to go through there, and see all those kids hooked up to those machines. There were a lot of cribs, with a lot of babies. I was barely able to hold my tears back until we got out of there and on our way back down to the truck. The nurses we met on that floor were also very kind, and it seemed as if the staff and the overall hospital does everything they can to keep the parents together with the kids, and also make it an environment where siblings can come and be comfortable too.
They have a building called the Conine Clubhouse (named for Florida Marlin Jeff Conine) where parents can stay overnight to be close to their kids. It's right next door to the hospital, and it's free of charge. I guess you can arrange to stay for blocks of a week or so, but they do their best to make sure there is always somewhere for parents to be close by.
Joe's new job with Heico (Jet Avion) is about 3-5 minutes from the hospital too, which is great. I have a feeling we are going to be putting some serious time in over there.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Gestational Diabetes and More Appointments
I got a call from my OB's office a few weeks ago saying that my glucose levels were a little high and they wanted me back for the three hour test. Well, being 30 weeks preggo and fasting from the night before were not easy, but it was done. Felt like I was surrounded by vampires, getting my blood drawn every hour! :)
That was done on a Friday, and Monday they called me letting me know that two of my 4 tests came back a little high, and that I was borderline with gestational diabetes. I wasn't really sure how to take this. I mean, I was so late in my pregnancy, did it really matter? They said yes, and that extra sugar could cause the baby to grow too much in the short amount of time we had left. So they set me up with a diabetic consultant. Getting to this morning, I drove ( probably shouldn't have, but we were kinda out of options. Joe's missed work and is reaching the year-end deadlines) all the way out to Coral Springs from Wilton Manors, only to find out I had mixed up the days of the appointments. Not today, but NEXT Thursday. DUH! Call me preggo brain. So I came home and had some lasagna.
Then, a couple hours later, I hear from the nurse practitioner at the cardiac surgeon's office that my appointment is on for tomorrow (thank goodness she called, I might have gone next Friday) and that she couldn't coordinate getting both surgeons and the neonatologist together at the same time. This was disappointing, since I was looking forward to having everyone there that was going to be responsible for the care of our baby. But it was not meant to be, so I will be seeing Dr. Scholl (yeah, that's really his name, and he's definitely not a podiatrist) tomorrow, and the pediatric surgeon Dr. Long sometime next week. Then, we have my bio-physical and NST (non-stress test to you uninformed) tomorrow at 8am, OB Dr. Siudmak at 10:30, lunch with the hubster, and Dr. Scholl at 1:30. Gonna be a long day.
We are also in the process of switching insurance companies next week, since Joe started a new job back at the beginning of September. This has made us both a little nervous, but we can't afford to COBRA our old insurance since I no longer have an income (bed rest can really suck sometimes). It took us weeks to decide on the "right" plan, which one all of my doctors come under, how much coverage will Jamie have for a lifetime, how much out of pocket, etc. So we have chosen, and am now waiting for the new cards to come in the mail. I am wondering if the company my nurse works for will be covered so she can continue to come out and give me my shots once a week.
I am getting more emotional about things, anything, as time goes on. The uncertainty of what will happen to our little girl is a lot, and I cry. I don't do it in front of anyone, especially Joe since he's stressed out enough already. But I read online a lot, and there's lots of hope, but there are also people who have lost their children due to complications. I believe I'm ready for whatever God may send our way, but that's when He likes to mix it up and do something unexpected.
Jamie is pushing against the walls of my uterus, and man can that be uncomfortable. But it reminds me that she's growing, and the bigger she is, the better her chances. We are so blessed to have Christie, and have been given the opportunity to be parents to Jamie. Please God, don't let me screw it up.
That was done on a Friday, and Monday they called me letting me know that two of my 4 tests came back a little high, and that I was borderline with gestational diabetes. I wasn't really sure how to take this. I mean, I was so late in my pregnancy, did it really matter? They said yes, and that extra sugar could cause the baby to grow too much in the short amount of time we had left. So they set me up with a diabetic consultant. Getting to this morning, I drove ( probably shouldn't have, but we were kinda out of options. Joe's missed work and is reaching the year-end deadlines) all the way out to Coral Springs from Wilton Manors, only to find out I had mixed up the days of the appointments. Not today, but NEXT Thursday. DUH! Call me preggo brain. So I came home and had some lasagna.
Then, a couple hours later, I hear from the nurse practitioner at the cardiac surgeon's office that my appointment is on for tomorrow (thank goodness she called, I might have gone next Friday) and that she couldn't coordinate getting both surgeons and the neonatologist together at the same time. This was disappointing, since I was looking forward to having everyone there that was going to be responsible for the care of our baby. But it was not meant to be, so I will be seeing Dr. Scholl (yeah, that's really his name, and he's definitely not a podiatrist) tomorrow, and the pediatric surgeon Dr. Long sometime next week. Then, we have my bio-physical and NST (non-stress test to you uninformed) tomorrow at 8am, OB Dr. Siudmak at 10:30, lunch with the hubster, and Dr. Scholl at 1:30. Gonna be a long day.
We are also in the process of switching insurance companies next week, since Joe started a new job back at the beginning of September. This has made us both a little nervous, but we can't afford to COBRA our old insurance since I no longer have an income (bed rest can really suck sometimes). It took us weeks to decide on the "right" plan, which one all of my doctors come under, how much coverage will Jamie have for a lifetime, how much out of pocket, etc. So we have chosen, and am now waiting for the new cards to come in the mail. I am wondering if the company my nurse works for will be covered so she can continue to come out and give me my shots once a week.
I am getting more emotional about things, anything, as time goes on. The uncertainty of what will happen to our little girl is a lot, and I cry. I don't do it in front of anyone, especially Joe since he's stressed out enough already. But I read online a lot, and there's lots of hope, but there are also people who have lost their children due to complications. I believe I'm ready for whatever God may send our way, but that's when He likes to mix it up and do something unexpected.
Jamie is pushing against the walls of my uterus, and man can that be uncomfortable. But it reminds me that she's growing, and the bigger she is, the better her chances. We are so blessed to have Christie, and have been given the opportunity to be parents to Jamie. Please God, don't let me screw it up.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Baby Jamie
My name is Tara and I am 32 weeks pregnant. I am married to a wonderful man named Joe, and we already have one daughter named Christie. She's four and a half. We definitely wanted to have more kids, and started trying after Christie turned two. Unfortunately, we had two miscarriages last year, one in July of 2010 and the other in December 2010. We were both really heartbroken and wondered if we were just supposed to have Christie. For the most part, I had resigned myself that she would be an only child.
In May of 2011, I helped chaperone a field trip. I work in a school for kids with learning disabilities, and we were taking them on a cruise to Mexico. I kept thinking that I was going to get my period on this cruise, and was all prepped for it. When it didn't show, I thought, "Well, it's been a hectic couple of months, and it's probably just stress keeping it away". After another month of not getting it, I took the preggo tests (6 of them) and all came back positive. I was really surprised, and a little apprehensive. Since losing the previous two, I wasn't getting my hopes up. Joe and I went to see my OB, and he put me on progesterone tabs, normally used for women undergoing IVF. He said that this would help to keep the pregnancy in place. Well, I had to insert them twice a day, and the extra hormone in my body made me pretty emotional. I kept wondering when I would miscarry. Occassionally, I would spot and then I would freak out. There were also a couple of times that I had cramps and would put my feet up, hoping that was enough to stop them, which it was. I even had a minor melt-down at a board meeting because I started cramping right in the middle of one.
Well, we managed to pull through. Joe and I were grateful, and we looked forward to our first ultrasound. We brought Christie with us, hoping that she would be able to see her new baby brother or sister.
When we had our first ultrasound at 16 weeks, we found out that our new little girl had omphalocele My OB broke the news to us, and I remember he had to spell the word out so that we could go home to look it up. We were in shock, and not sure how to handle the information. He referred us to a perinatologist, who we went to see about two weeks later. We were checked thoroughly, taking about 2 hours to do another ultrasound. When finished, we had an amniocentesis done and were told to go see a pediatric cardiologist. We also waited pretty anxiously for the results of our FISH test (early results of amnio). About a week after this, we saw our cardiologist. After another intense ultrasound (3 HOURS!) he determined that our little one had Tetralogy of Fallot. We had to ask him to spell this out as well so that we could go home to look it up properly. On the way home from that appointment, I told my husband that we needed a name for this little girl since there was so much going on with her. He came up with Jamie, which I liked and agreed to.
I have had to see one doctor a week since those initial visits. Thank God for my phone calendar, or I'd never keep them straight.
In Septmeber, my sister got married. I was supposed to be her maid of honor, but the day before I was supposed to fly up to see her, my perinatologist told my I was grounded. At 27 weeks, my cervix had shortened and funneled, and she was putting me on progesterone shots once a week. I was pretty devastated that I couldn't get to the wedding. My whole family was coming out and of course I wanted to be there. I was also reduced to working part-time, then bed-rest the other half of the day. I hated that part. Of course, nobody likes bedrest (not that I know of) and this was only partial!
Then, on the Monday morning that I turned 29 weeks, I wasn't feeling right. I told my husband, and he said to skip work and stay home. Good thing I did, cause I called the doctor's office, telling them I though I was having contractions, but wasn't sure. Of course, they said go straight to the emergency room. So I called Joe and he met me at the hospital (his work is about 3 minutes from there, and me being the stubborn German that I am, told him that I was fine to drive). They took me up to L&D triage, gave me liquids and though that would be it. When that didn't do the trick, they gave me procardia, and also a shot to help mature Jamie's lungs in case she came early. After the contractions seemed to stop, I was allowed to go home, with the promise that I come back the next day to get my follow-up shot for Jamie's lungs. I was also told that I was on full bed-rest. Bleh. But if that's what I had to do, then fine. Whatever was needed to keep Shorty in there for a while longer.
The next morning, I was having contractions again, more intense and closer together than the day before. I called my husband, and he had to leave work again, picked me up and took me back to the hospital. This time they ended up admitting me, and putting me on a drip of magnesium sulfate for 24 hours to get the contractions to stop. Unfortunately, I was also given a catheter so that they could monitor my liquid output. That sucked. I stayed in the hospital for two days, then was allowed to go home. I have been on procardia (10 mg) every six hours, as well as resuming my progesterone shots once a week. I have a nurse that comes out to the house for that fun little even. Actually, it's not that bad. More annoying than anything else. I will say that I am a bit of an emotional wreck for a few days after the shots. But since it's just me and the dog and a couple of fish during the day, I do alright. :)
That about brings us up to speed. I will try to do this every couple of days. If anyone has questions, please feel free to let me know. I know I had plenty, and probably still will.
It has been emotional and educational, overall.
In May of 2011, I helped chaperone a field trip. I work in a school for kids with learning disabilities, and we were taking them on a cruise to Mexico. I kept thinking that I was going to get my period on this cruise, and was all prepped for it. When it didn't show, I thought, "Well, it's been a hectic couple of months, and it's probably just stress keeping it away". After another month of not getting it, I took the preggo tests (6 of them) and all came back positive. I was really surprised, and a little apprehensive. Since losing the previous two, I wasn't getting my hopes up. Joe and I went to see my OB, and he put me on progesterone tabs, normally used for women undergoing IVF. He said that this would help to keep the pregnancy in place. Well, I had to insert them twice a day, and the extra hormone in my body made me pretty emotional. I kept wondering when I would miscarry. Occassionally, I would spot and then I would freak out. There were also a couple of times that I had cramps and would put my feet up, hoping that was enough to stop them, which it was. I even had a minor melt-down at a board meeting because I started cramping right in the middle of one.
Well, we managed to pull through. Joe and I were grateful, and we looked forward to our first ultrasound. We brought Christie with us, hoping that she would be able to see her new baby brother or sister.
When we had our first ultrasound at 16 weeks, we found out that our new little girl had omphalocele My OB broke the news to us, and I remember he had to spell the word out so that we could go home to look it up. We were in shock, and not sure how to handle the information. He referred us to a perinatologist, who we went to see about two weeks later. We were checked thoroughly, taking about 2 hours to do another ultrasound. When finished, we had an amniocentesis done and were told to go see a pediatric cardiologist. We also waited pretty anxiously for the results of our FISH test (early results of amnio). About a week after this, we saw our cardiologist. After another intense ultrasound (3 HOURS!) he determined that our little one had Tetralogy of Fallot. We had to ask him to spell this out as well so that we could go home to look it up properly. On the way home from that appointment, I told my husband that we needed a name for this little girl since there was so much going on with her. He came up with Jamie, which I liked and agreed to.
I have had to see one doctor a week since those initial visits. Thank God for my phone calendar, or I'd never keep them straight.
In Septmeber, my sister got married. I was supposed to be her maid of honor, but the day before I was supposed to fly up to see her, my perinatologist told my I was grounded. At 27 weeks, my cervix had shortened and funneled, and she was putting me on progesterone shots once a week. I was pretty devastated that I couldn't get to the wedding. My whole family was coming out and of course I wanted to be there. I was also reduced to working part-time, then bed-rest the other half of the day. I hated that part. Of course, nobody likes bedrest (not that I know of) and this was only partial!
Then, on the Monday morning that I turned 29 weeks, I wasn't feeling right. I told my husband, and he said to skip work and stay home. Good thing I did, cause I called the doctor's office, telling them I though I was having contractions, but wasn't sure. Of course, they said go straight to the emergency room. So I called Joe and he met me at the hospital (his work is about 3 minutes from there, and me being the stubborn German that I am, told him that I was fine to drive). They took me up to L&D triage, gave me liquids and though that would be it. When that didn't do the trick, they gave me procardia, and also a shot to help mature Jamie's lungs in case she came early. After the contractions seemed to stop, I was allowed to go home, with the promise that I come back the next day to get my follow-up shot for Jamie's lungs. I was also told that I was on full bed-rest. Bleh. But if that's what I had to do, then fine. Whatever was needed to keep Shorty in there for a while longer.
The next morning, I was having contractions again, more intense and closer together than the day before. I called my husband, and he had to leave work again, picked me up and took me back to the hospital. This time they ended up admitting me, and putting me on a drip of magnesium sulfate for 24 hours to get the contractions to stop. Unfortunately, I was also given a catheter so that they could monitor my liquid output. That sucked. I stayed in the hospital for two days, then was allowed to go home. I have been on procardia (10 mg) every six hours, as well as resuming my progesterone shots once a week. I have a nurse that comes out to the house for that fun little even. Actually, it's not that bad. More annoying than anything else. I will say that I am a bit of an emotional wreck for a few days after the shots. But since it's just me and the dog and a couple of fish during the day, I do alright. :)
That about brings us up to speed. I will try to do this every couple of days. If anyone has questions, please feel free to let me know. I know I had plenty, and probably still will.
It has been emotional and educational, overall.
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