I apologize for not getting updates out sooner, but this time I have a REALLY good excuse. No, we're not busy... I'm on bed rest!! God certainly threw me a curve ball with this little bundle of joy. Up until this point, my pregnancy had been relatively boring - although with the exception of some eye issues and shingles - but little Weston was doing great! Fortunately, he is still doing wonderful, but mama's blood pressure is still high.
My mom went with me to meet with Dr. Harms after my episode in OB Triage. I am so GRATEFUL that my mom has been able to go to these appointments with me to support me and ask questions that I haven't thought about. And while I was expecting him to tell me to take it easy and potentially cut back my hours at work, he pulled me off work completely and on bed rest for the majority of the day. Needless to say, it was quite a shock. Plus, I now have a standing date with him twice a week to monitor little Weston and my blood pressure. Don't get me wrong, I love Dr. Harms, but I really don't want to be seeing him that often.
After being on bed rest for about a week, the shock and the seriousness have settled in. Bed rest sounds glamorous and like an extended vacation... but it's not all it's cracked up to be. I absolutely love my job, my co-workers, and my patients and to be apart from them is very difficult. And it's very discouraging because I've been working on a major project for a good part of the year and was planning on presenting it in front of the entire Mayo Nursing Council at the end of November. My other team members will have to pick up the slack, but I'm disappointed not to see it to the end.
I've also needed to put Dave Ramsey leadership on hold, Choir, church, volunteering in the church office, volunteering at preschool, play dates, meeting with friends, and helping out our dear friend Nancy with transportation to her medical appointments (On a positive note - her tumors are shrinking - PRAISE GOD!) And with the holidays coming up, it's easy to focus on the things I'll be missing... our tradition of going to Festival of Trees, Black Friday shopping, Christmas concerts, decorating our tree, shopping for Christmas presents, playing in the snow, BAKING... oye... Just thinking about the confinement of being in bed can make a person go crazy...
BUT! Dropping everything - saying no - learning to ask for help - this bed rest stuff has ended up being a BLESSING! Perhaps I was too busy... doing too much... relying too much on my own strength... not focusing on the important things... Since being on bed rest, I have been absolutely overwhelmed by the outpouring of love from my family, co-workers, friends, neighbors, and church family. It's hard accepting help... but since I can't do much of anything... that burden falls on Steve. And my dear husband, has been AMAZING and has done everything around here - laundry, cleaning, preparing meals, dishes, grocery shopping, taking Amaya shopping for boots, etc.... And he's done this without a complaint. I know that by accepting a meal or two - it's one less thing off his plate... one less thing for him to worry about... And so, a wonderful neighbor-friend-church member (all rolled into one amazing person!!) has been organizing meals for us until the end of December! What a tremendous blessing! And Amaya is getting the love and attention she needs from lots of family too! But most importantly, I'm getting the rest that Weston and I both need. We have so much to be thankful for and what an appropriate time to experience that thankfulness around Thanksgiving.
What I'm most thankful for is the precious time spent with God. I can read and study my Bible without any interruptions. I can get through a long prayer list without any distractions. (So send me an e-mail if I can be praying for you!) Plus, I get precious time with Weston. With each little kick or flutter, he reminds me that right now - for this short period of time - that HE'S my PRIORITY. And this little boy has absolutely captured my heart. I would sacrifice everything for my family and Weston is no different... I may be missing out on activities, but it's all worth giving up in a heartbeat for this sweet little boy to be healthy.
On to updates! My appointment yesterday included a non stress test to measure Weston's movements and to make sure his heart rate was accelerating with movement and returning to baseline with rest. He performed beautiful for the nurse and after 20 minutes of monitoring - she said, "He's very active!" I already knew that WITHOUT the monitor! :-) During the non stress test, the nurse also monitored my blood pressure... I'm still running in the 150s/90-100 range... very disappointing, but there's not a whole lot more I can do about that. Then we were off for a very quick ultrasound to measure the amount of amniotic fluid - and it was perfect! Yay! And a much added bonus, my mom got to see little Weston's beautiful profile and "Gustafson nose". Like I said before, this little charmer has captured my heart already! I had more urine collected - still negative for protein (if it was positive for protein - it's a sign of preeclampsia). After all my tests, we had a consultation with Dr. Harms. He was very pleased that Weston was HEALTHY (PRAISE GOD!) but disappointed my blood pressure hadn't really budged. The good news is that as long as Weston's health and my health aren't at risk, we can continue with the plan and remain on bedrest with twice weekly non stress tests and ultrasounds until I reach 37 weeks and then it's delivery time! That's right... no January 23rd baby... he's most likely going to be a New Year's baby if we can hold out that long. Since I'm only 30 weeks along... he has a lot more growing and developing to do. Survival rate is good if he had to be delivered now- but a long ICU stay would be unavoidable. So, for now... I praise God for each additional day of bed rest and rejoice with every one of Weston's kicks! Next appointment is on Friday afternoon.
Thank you for the prayers, support, encouragement for our sweet little boy!!!