31 Weeks

This was a roller coaster of a week (mostly in terms of my emotions) so I'm glad it's over!  I felt like I was 30 weeks FOREVER so it feels great to be 31.  I couldn't help but laugh out loud the other day when I read that Michelle Duggar, who has 19 kids(!), has had 25 ultra sounds in her life.  I've probably had 25 ultra sounds during this pregnancy alone.  Don't get me wrong, I am beyond grateful for the technology available to us that helps us keep Austin safe, I just got a little worn out from all of it this week.  And to think I used to feel that it was such a hassle to drive out to Riverton once a month!  Our week looked something like this...  

We went back for another MCA scan and NST on Monday morning and received encouraging news yet again! Little Austin's MCA level was at 54, which is right near the middle of "B".

The fluid around Austin's heart was even less noticeable on Monday and he wasn't showing signs of fluid anywhere else so that was great to hear.  My amniotic fluid level was right where it should be and my cervix is still long and closed so all great news!  They attempted to do a growth scan but she wasn't able to get great angles so the only accurate measurement she was able to get was of his head which was right on track so we feel great about that as well.

Monday's NST was also a success and Austin continued to show us that he is nice and comfortable in there. We will likely have NSTs after each appointment to help give us an even better idea of how he's doing and so far they've shown us great things!  At our appointment on Monday they asked us to come back for the same tests on Thursday and said that we would either a) Plan for a Friday transfusion if his MCA level had gone up or b) Come back again in a few days if his level was still in a safe range.  We were very happy on Monday that at the very least we seemed to have pushed the transfusion back a week!

Tuesday came around and I couldn't seem to get my mind off our appointment from the day before.  Austin's level was fine so I wasn't too stressed about him but the information we were given last Friday was quite different from what they told us on Monday so I was bugged and confused by that.  Logan and I could tell that the doctors from Friday hadn't talked to the doctors we saw on Monday and it was very frustrating.  On Monday one of the nurses also stressed to us the importance of making sure Austin was moving enough by counting his kicks (something I had never done before) so that also added extra worry.  I'm typically a "chill", "go-with-the-flow" type of person but my mind was racing all day Tuesday so I decided to call the hospital and talk to a nurse.  The nurse suggested I come in for an NST to ease my mind and said that I could also talk to an MFM doctor.  I hate making situations more dramatic than they are but I am so glad I followed my gut and had the NST done.  Austin looked great and eased all of my worries and talking to the doctor helped even more.  The details of what I was concerned about are pretty confusing so I won't get into them now but she was able to put everything straight and explain a few things I was confused about.  I can't stand it if I don't understand every little thing going on with me and Austin from a medical stand point so I was very grateful it all made much more sense when I left the hospital on Tuesday.

We didn't have to see any doctors on Wednesday and I was grateful for the break.  My mind was at ease and I felt confident that everything would be fine moving forward.  We were back at IMC yesterday for our next MCA scan and we were pretty sure Austin would be in the "A" range meaning he would need a transfusion today. Sure enough, our little guy proved us (and the doctors) wrong again and actually held his level stable at 53! What a champ!

I'm running out of room so my writing is cramped and hard to read but 53 is just below the middle of "B".  We are so pleased with his progress!  The doctor on service yesterday also told us about a calculator that he plugs the MCA level into and it gives him a different type of number that can be used to measure anemia.  He did that with Austin's level on Thursday and got a "safe" result back from that one as well so that was really great to hear.  

Austin also looked great during the entire NST so that was a success as well!  They will occasionally put a buzzer/noise maker thing on my stomach so they can see how he reacts to it and boy does he hate it!  He'll be nice and comfortable and then they'll buzz him and he moves all around and his heart rate shoots up.  It's kinda sad but we're glad he reacts like he's supposed to!  We left our appointment on Thursday feeling great about Austin's health and so pleased with how well everyone's prayers are working.  We are blessed!

I'm really looking forward to this weekend and not having to go to any doctor appointments!  I've been having a hard time sleeping the night before each appointment because I have so many thoughts and "what ifs" racing through my mind.  Hopefully we can start spacing our appointments out a little bit so I can catch up on some sleep.  I have a feeling this next week is going to be a good one!

Weight: 144.6 (This week: +1.6 | Total: + 23.8)

31 weeks down, 6 (hopefully!) to go! **It's hard to believe this baby will be here no more than 6 weeks from now!  Sometimes that feels like forever but I know the time will fly!**

I'm finally ready to post pictures of the nursery!  When I look back at these "progress" pictures it's hard to believe how much we've done.  I'm as in love with it as much as I hoped/thought I would be!

 The panos give a good perspective from start to finish but here are some closer shots:

You may have recognized the rocking chair and night stand from Eli's Festival of Trees display :)

Don't worry, we will write "Welcome Home, Austin" on the pig when he's born :)

I fall more in love with this little room every single day and can't wait to see Austin in here!  90% of this nursery has a sentimental meaning to Eli in some way or another so it is extra special for us to sit in here and remember all of the happy memories.  This room never would have become a reality without the help of both of our families so we are extra grateful to them for all of the love and hard work they put into making this happen.  It won't be too much longer before we're actually using it! :)

30 Weeks

It is such a relief to be in the 30s!  Austin is showing more signs of being affected by the Rh disease so we feel better and better as each week passes and 30 weeks feels great.  It has been a busy week so let's get to it.

On Monday we saw my OB for my regular (3 week) appointment.  This appointment went well and our doctor is very pleased with how things are going.  I had my glucose test last time, which came back totally normal, but naturally everything can't be completely right.  My blood work showed that the shape of my red blood cells is just barely above the "normal" range.  I genuinely laughed out loud when he told me.  Seriously?  I don't think I'll ever have blood work that looks like it should.  They measure the shape of your red blood cells by a number and the high end of normal is 36.0 and mine was 36.1.  My doctor said that it's so close to the normal range that he's not even going to re-draw my blood.  We just laughed at the situation more than anything and I'm not worried at all.  Apparently if the shape of your red blood cells gets too abnormal then they start checking for things like Sickle Cell Anemia.  We're not concerned about that being an issue one bit!  Aside from that "slightly off" blood work, everything else looked great.  Austin's heart rate was strong and I was measuring right where I should.  Only one more 3 week appointment and then we'll switch to every 2 weeks! Little things like that are starting to make this feel real!

Wednesday was MCA scan #6 and we had a goal of his level being somewhere between 40 and 46 because that would mean he's still in "C".  When the nurse said "57" that was definitely not what we expected or wanted to hear.  You can see from the chart below that 57 is right below "A" which means a transfusion is near.

On top of his MCA level rising quite a bit, he is also developing fluid around his heart which is another sign of anemia.  If fluid starts developing around two or more areas (like his heart and stomach) it is called Hydrops Fetalis, which is more dangerous.  Fortunately he currently only has fluid around his heart so it's not as severe.  Because of the combination of his high MCA level and the fluid around his heart, they told us to come back on Friday (today) to be re-scanned but had us prepare as if he would be receiving his first blood transfusion this afternoon.  In the beginning we were hoping we would be able to avoid a transfusion but it seems inevitable at this point.  We are just grateful it's an option!

At our appointment on Wednesday they gave me the first of two Betamethasone (steroid) shots.  They describe IUTs (Intrauterine Transfusions) as not being high-risk but also not being risk-free so they like to give the steroids for his lungs in the event something happens during the procedure and he has to be delivered. The second steroid shot came 24 hours later on Thursday afternoon.  **Side note about the steroids.  The injections themselves didn't bother me too much (probably because I'm so used to those awful IVF shots) but they warned me that many women complain about not being able to sleep after getting them.  Boy were they telling the truth!  I was up ALL night that first night but luckily the second night was better.  It doesn't matter though, I would do it again in a heartbeat for out little guy.**

After hearing that we should plan on Austin receiving a transfusion today, we spent the last 48 hours preparing ourselves physically, emotionally, mentally, and in every other way possible.  We felt a bit nervous at times but truly confident in the doctors and peaceful that everything would be okay.  We got to our appointment at 8:00am this morning and the tech was quickly able to get a great MCA reading.  "45" she said.  "Um seriously?" We were all perplexed.  Here's the graph updated with today's number:

We were so prepared for his number to rise or at least stay the same so to hear that it dropped that much was a big surprise.  She ran the scan several times and even got a number in the lower 40s once so we knew it wasn't a fluke.  This kid was definitely throwing us a curve ball!  We were thrilled that his numbers were lower but we were so prepared for a transfusion we didn't know what to think.  Two doctors (an attending and a fellow) came in to talk to us about the new findings from today and we naturally had a million questions. What does this all mean?  The unfortunate thing about a situation like ours is it's not always black and white. There is definitely a gray area where you just have to use your best judgement.  The doctors explained that he still only has fluid around his heart (and no other areas) and that it's a very small amount of fluid.  We have no reason to be worried that the fluid will cause damage to his heart and they even said that if they didn't have a reason to look specifically for the fluid, they likely wouldn't have even noticed it on a non-sensitized baby.  This brought us a lot of comfort.

In the end, Logan and I were given three options and they truly did leave it up to us.  

1. Proceed with the transfusion because he will likely need one soon anyway and we were already planning on it. 
2. Get a non-stress test and make sure he's doing well and then come back every two days to be scanned and wait on the transfusion until his numbers show he truly needs it.
3. Do an amnio today because it is much lower risk than a transfusion but it gives a very good picture of whether or not a baby is anemic. 

We were initially intrigued with the idea of an amnio until they discovered that my placenta is blocking the entire front side of my uterus so they would have to stick the needle through the placenta to even do one. We quickly threw that option out.  As for the first two options, we were truly torn and so were the doctors. There are many pros and cons to both choices that I won't get into here but in the end we decided to do the non-stress test and if all was well, wait for a couple days.  Austin passed the non-stress test with flying colors so we decided to call it a day and go back on Monday morning.

It was difficult coming to a decision we felt was best for Austin but as soon as we made the call we knew it was the right one and the doctors said they would have made that decision for themselves as well.  We will now begin a fun trend of going to the doctor every couple of days, doing an MCA scan and non-stress test, and making a decision at that time whether or not to do a transfusion.  We may go in on Monday and need to do the transfusion but we may also be able to push it back a week even.  Only time will tell!

Despite being a bit surprised at the sudden turn of events this week, Logan and I have felt great peace since the moment we learned a transfusion is likely in the near future.  We are so grateful for the comfort of the many prayers that have been said for our little family and we know they are working miracles!

Fingers crossed that next week is a bit quieter!

Weight: 143.0 (This week: Even | Total: +22.2)

30 weeks down, 7 (hopefully!) to go!

29 Weeks

It has been another great week!  Logan and I made it to our appointment on Monday a few minutes early and the weather was super nice that day so we took advantage and walked around the hospital grounds.  Being outside and seeing/feeling Spring all around made me so excited for the fun things we have to look forward to over the next several months!  This picture of one of Logan's very favorite trees perfectly captures how we felt about our little walk--it was beautiful!

MCA scan #5 was definitely the eventful part of our week!  Aside from checking his blood levels, they also checked Austin's growth and my fluid/cervix so that's always comforting.  I was 28 weeks and 3 days at the time of the scan and he was measuring 28 weeks and 2 days and roughly 2lbs 9oz.  He's growing very well!   My fluid level, which they want between 8 and 23, was 13 so that was perfect as well and my cervix is long and closed which is fantastic.  We'll take it!  Now for Austin's blood levels.  The little stinker is no longer in "D" like we were hoping but instead has moved up to the middle part of "C".  Here's the graph for the visual readers:

  

They did the scan several times and each level was all over the place so rather than give us one number, they gave us a range this time and officially put him down at 38-42.  The mark on the graph is right in the middle at 40.  So basically all this means is that Austin is still doing really well and is growing just like he should but rather than go back in 2-3 weeks, we will go back for our next scan 7-10 days from our last appointment which is actually this coming Wednesday.  As much as we'd love him to stay in "D" the whole time, we are very grateful that everything else (his growth, my fluid, etc.) is looking so good.  We're still holding out hope that he'll be able to stay in until I'm at least 37 weeks!

As each week passes we get closer and closer to being completely ready to welcome little Austin!  All of the sheets/blankets/clothes/etc. are washed and ready for him to use so that's a great feeling.  I have a few more decor items to purchase and then I'll finally post more pictures of the cute little nursery. I know I'm getting things ready way quicker than most people would but I'm not crazy enough to pack our bags...yet...but I'm sure that will happen sooner rather than later!  I'll feel okay doing that as soon as I hit the 30s ;).

We're looking forward to both of our appointments next week and couldn't ask for more at this point!  We definitely feel blessed!

Weight: 143.0 (This week: +.8 | Total: + 22.2)

29 weeks down, 9 (hopefully!) to go!

28 Weeks

Not a whole lot went on this week and that's just how we like it!  We didn't have any doctor appointments to check on our little love but he continues to show us how well he's doing by staying super active throughout the day and occasionally responding to our voices.  My memory may not be great but I feel like Austin is definitely more active in-utero than Eli was.  I would assume Austin's ability to hear and react to sound has something to do with that.  MCA scan #5 is on Monday so we're excited to see how his blood levels responded after the higher increase last time.  We're feeling good about this appointment!

Some of you may recall that the teacher in me has had a passion for children's books since high school so I've been collecting them for quite some time.  I've never had a proper place to display them so they've often been in storage but we were able to change that now that we have an actual nursery.  Austin's room isn't finished so I'm not going to share the rest of it yet but here's a peak at my favorite area of the room!

Those rain gutter bookshelves were a pain in the butt to hang and took far longer than we anticipated but we love how they turned out so it was definitely worth it!  Hopefully one day we'll have a room large enough to display the other 2/3 of my books and then I'll really be in heaven!  You should have seen me debating which ones to put out first--it was a struggle for sure.  Even though Austin isn't here yet, I love sitting in the rocking chair in his room and reading books to him already.  I sure hope he develops a love of reading and books like I have!  The stuffed animals in the picture have special meaning as well.  The bigger, gray bear was part of Eli's Festival of Trees display, the light blue dog was given to Eli while he was in the hospital and sat in his crib the entire time, and the cute golden bear and elephant were gifts to Eli before he was born.  It will be so sweet watching Austin play with his brother's things as he gets older :).  

I still feel great lately and am loving this time of my pregnancy!  I don't feel sick, I have a decent amount of energy, and I'm not too uncomfortable yet.  I only have to wake up one time each night to use the bathroom and aside from that I'm still sleeping great.  I'll continue to soak up days like these as much as possible!

Weight: 142.2 (This week: +2.2 | Total: +21.4)

28 weeks down, 10 (hopefully!) to go!

Wednesday the 25th marked Eli's second BMT birthday!  It's hard to think that two years ago we were so optimistic and had such high hopes that his transplant truly was the start of his new, long life with us.  We would have had a big celebration on Wednesday had Eli been here and I so wish that could have happened but instead we looked through pictures, read old blog posts, and talked about the day we'll get to see him again. Happy 2nd Bone Marrow Birthday, little love!  Ps...I hope my post on social media yesterday wasn't too confusing.  A few people may have thought it was Eli's actual second birthday but that was in January.  In the bone marrow world the day of transplant is a big day!  Many people celebrate the day of transplant like a second birthday because it's such a huge event.  Sorry for the confusion! :)

This picture was taken right during Eli's transplant so it's definitely special!  The red line leading into his shirt is the actual bone marrow being infused.  This was a special day indeed!

27 Weeks

We had a busy but great week!  On Monday we had MCA scan #4 and little Austin is still doing really well!  You can see from the graph that he made a bigger jump this time but he's still in Zone D.

His peak velocity at scan #1 was 19, scan #2 it went up to 22, scan #3 it went up to 25 and scan #4 it went up to 33.  Obviously he strayed away from his average jump of 3 and went up by 8 but we did go a little bit longer between scans this time and he's still in that D area so we definitely can't complain.  Our biggest goal is to still be in D at the 35 week scan because that's how they determine when they'll induce me.  I really don't want to have to deliver before 37 weeks so our fingers and toes are crossed!  During this scan they checked my fluid level which was right where it should be and they also confirmed that my cervix is still closed.  All good news!

Austin is typically really active during the scans so it usually takes them awhile to get a proper reading but this time he was super chill and didn't move around too much so at one point the u/s tech said: "He is being really cooperative today and is in a great position so I'm going to turn on the 3-D imaging!" I'm going to be honest, Logan and I usually think those 3-D pictures are kinda creepy and we've never wanted to pay for one but I wasn't going to turn it down for free!  I know I'm biased but here's one of the super cute shots she was able to get.  Check out that adorable nose and mouth!  And from this picture it looks like he's going to have his brother's chin :) We definitely consider this appointment a success!

Two days after our MCA scan we had our regular appointment with our OB.  I always love seeing him!  I had the lovely opportunity of doing the glucose test this time so that was lots of fun.  They said no news regarding those results is good news so fingers crossed I don't hear from them.  The rest of the appointment was straight forward and went really well!  Austin's heart rate was strong, I was measuring 27cm, and I've officially moved on to three week appointments.  

I've heard all sorts of different things about when each trimester begins so I confirmed with my doctor that I officially began the third trimester at 26 weeks and 4 days!  What a great feeling!  The nursery needs a couple more decor items and then it will be all ready to go so I'll post pictures soon!  We are loving it and get so excited each time we walk in and imagine Austin in there!

Logan and I both noticed this week how much stronger Austin seems suddenly!  He must have hit a growth spurt and put on a pack of ounces because his movements are much more pronounced now.  We went to a Jazz game this week and he was kicking a ton when it got really loud and he also seems to be responding to our voices a lot more.

Today is the first day of Spring which means we're officially in the season that we get to meet this little boy! The coming months are going to to be filled with great memories and I can't wait to experience them!  As anxious as we are to meet little Austin, we continue to pray that he'll stay in for another 2 1/2 months or so!

Weight: 140.0 (This week: +.6 | Total: +19.2)

27 weeks down, 11 (hopefully!) to go!

26 Weeks

Another week down means we're that much closer to meeting our little love!  The beginning of this week was rough because I got knocked down pretty hard by a nasty viral infection but it ran its course quite fast and I felt myself again after a few days.  To me, there aren't many things much worse than congested sinuses and a bunch of crap stuck in your chest/lungs.  Thankfully I'm past it and my fingers are crossed that it doesn't rear its ugly head again anytime soon!  Aside from being under the weather, I continued to feel great this week. My second trimester has treated me quite well so I'm going to enjoy the last few days of it as much as I can!

Sleep has continued to be quite easy to come by lately and I'm loving it!  Aside from waking up once each night to use the bathroom, I tend to sleep through the night without too much difficulty.  I know this won't last forever so I'll enjoy it while I can.  I'm noticing more and more lately that I have to constantly change sitting positions when I'm at work or just sitting at home watching TV because my stomach starts to make me uncomfortable.  I can't believe I'm going to get so much bigger than I already am!  **I randomly threw up yesterday for the first time in weeks.  It hit me out of nowhere as I was getting ready for work and it was painful!  I haven't thrown up with my stomach this big and it was not a pleasant feeling at all.  The good news is I felt way better afterwards than I do most mornings so that was a nice surprise.**

I currently have 12 weeks left in this pregnancy and in the next 2-3 weeks we will be completely ready for little Austin's arrival and I am thrilled about it.  Every time I walk into his nursery and see just about everything in its place I feel such peace knowing we won't be scrambling at the end trying to get everything organized and looking exactly how we want it.  I dealt with some postpartum blues after Eli was born and I'm convinced it's because he came when we were least expecting it and I didn't have everything done.  It drove me mad!  We are going to have everything set up, decorated, washed, and ready to go with a quite a few weeks to spare and I am so happy about it.  Call me crazy for getting it all done so early but it helps me feel sane!

The nursery isn't the only thing we're already working on putting together!  As I've mentioned before, I will no longer be working full time because I get to stay at home but I do have the great opportunity to do some work remotely.  I wish it was as easy as leaving the office one day and picking up right where I left off but unfortunately it will take quite a bit more planning than that.  I'm currently coordinating with our IT guys on getting every program I use here at work set up on my home computer so I don't have any technical issues when I eventually make the switch.  I've also made a list of everything I will be able to do at home so they can find other employees to take over certain tasks that need to be done at the office.  I'm still planning on working as long as I possibly can so hopefully that will allow for a smooth transition home when that time comes.  I am so grateful Logan supports me in being a stay-at-home mom but I also feel so blessed that I have the opportunity to make a little extra money at the same time.

We have MCA scan #4 next week as well as our regular OB appointment so it should be busy but hopefully filled with good news!

Weight: 139.4 (This week: +1.4 | Total: +18.6)

26 weeks down, 12 (hopefully!) to go!

I've decided that I'm going to include other little updates in these weekly posts since I'm not taking the time to document them separately.  I'll be better about blogging about other aspects of our lives as soon as I'm not writing weekly pregnancy posts.  

Yesterday I had the opportunity to go to lunch with 5 ladies that are very dear to me.  We are some of the Utah SCID moms and we all have such a special bond even though we only get together once or twice a year. Although some things about our experiences are similar, our stories are very different from one another and it's so good to see them and get caught up on how their families are doing.  I'm so sad we didn't take a picture but you can take a look at THIS post to see some of these cute moms.  Thank you, Deni, for getting us together!  It was so good to see all of you!

25 Weeks

Making it to 25 weeks feels like a big milestone for some reason!  Because I will be delivering early, we are officially 3 months away from when we get to meet this little bean!  That doesn't seem too far off at all :) This week was great because it was the first of two weeks in a row that we don't have a single doctor appointment.  Thank goodness!  I don't mind going to the doctor and it's always comforting to make sure things are going well but it's also a nice break since we have had and will continue to have many appointments until he's born.  Next week will be our last appointment-free week before we likely have them weekly until I deliver.  We'll enjoy the break while we can!

My wedding ring is getting pretty snug on my finger and leaves a nice indent when I take it off but I sure hope I can keep it on for awhile!  My feet and ankles don't seem to be swollen yet so that's happy.  I can tell my tummy is getting bigger because my lower back is starting to ache more, especially if I'm on my feet for awhile.  Austin now seems to be getting big enough too where he can get in certain positions that are quite uncomfortable for me!  As long as he's happy in there then I'll deal with it :)

The highlight of the week was definitely getting all things baby out of storage and beginning the nursery setup!  The big furniture is put together and in its place and I've gone through every little outfit and put them in drawers.  Sorting through the clothes was my favorite thing in the world!  I'm typically in bed by 10:00 each night and realized it was after 1:00 when I finally finished.  Whoops!  I'll have to pull the clothes out again soon so I can get them all washed but it sure is fun seeing all of the adorable outfits Eli wore that we now get to put Austin in, not to mention a bunch of new things we've added but really didn't need :) I'm going to love all of the decorating and organizing that will take place over the next few weeks!  I'll definitely share some pictures when it's finally all put together.

I wish I had more to share so this wasn't such a short post but that just about covers it for this week!  I definitely can't complain about a low-key, non-dramatic week.  I'm loving how great I feel and hope it lasts for awhile before I get too uncomfortable!

Weight: 138.0 (This week: +1.4 | Total: +17.2)

25 weeks down, 13 (hopefully!) to go! **I will deliver no later than 38 weeks**