A Crazy Month

I hate going this long between updates!  It has been a month since I've documented Austin's life here at home and a lot has been going on.  Unfortunately the entire past month hasn't been spent at home.  We were so sad to be back in the hospital but thankfully his stay wasn't too long this time around!

Austin was re-admitted to PCH on Wednesday, July 1st for a variety of reasons.  He had a well check with his pediatrician that afternoon and we all agreed that he looked a bit yellower than he had previously.  Our pediatrician suggested we check his liver function just to be safe and we asked him to check his hematocrit at the same time.  Logan and I took Austin up to PCH to have the labs drawn and our doctor's office said they would call us in the morning with the results.  Shortly after we got home from the hospital, our phone rang and I knew it was going to be bad news regarding his labs.  

Sure enough, our pediatrician told us in a nutshell that his labs were critical so we needed to take him to the hospital to be admitted.  Not only were Logan and I discouraged to be heading back to the hospital, but just that morning at our pediatrician's office, Austin had received orders to d/c his oxygen and monitor so we were going to have a tube/cord free baby for the first time.  That seems so unimportant in the grand scheme of things but it definitely bummed us out at the time.

We got up to the ED around 7:00pm and didn't make it to our room until after 11:30pm.  Talk about an exhausting evening!  One reason it took so long was because they were debating between sending Austin to the PICU or Infant Unit.  We couldn't believe they were considering the PICU when he seemed so healthy despite his color being off.  Apparently on paper Austin's labs were very critical and they weren't sure the floor could handle him.  We assured them they could!

Austin's hematocrit was 16 so the first item of business was a blood transfusion.  We couldn't believe he had gotten so low again!  He wasn't symptomatic for being anemic at all so in a way his jaundice was a huge blessing otherwise we may not have discovered it for quite awhile.  Aside from such a low blood level, his liver enzymes and bilirubin were all quite elevated.  The team started throwing diagnoses like "Biliary Atrasia" around and we were pretty scared for awhile.  After running multiple tests and doing an ultrasound of his liver, it was determined that he probably doesn't have a liver disease because everything came back negative but his liver did look a bit inflamed.

Aside from a liver disease, they also mentioned that Austin might be septic with something like congenital CMV or another infection.  Naturally, cultures were taken and more labs were drawn but everything continued to come back negative.  We were so happy all of his tests looked normal but everyone was stumped as to what might be wrong with his liver.  Logan and I have been blessed with an amazing pediatrician and he actually presented a theory to everyone that now seems to be correct.  He believes that Austin's liver issues are all related to his Rh disease.  He thinks that Austin's bone marrow finally woke up and began spitting out a ton of red blood cells but there was still Anti D left in his body that I transferred to him during pregnancy so the Anti D attacked the new, positive cells and caused everything to hemolyze and sludge up his liver.  The specialists weren't entirely convinced of this theory and wanted to do a liver biopsy to further investigate but Logan and I didn't want to do such an invasive procedure so fast.  They agreed to test Austin's levels one more time on Monday the 6th and if his levels were up, we would do the biopsy but if they were down, we could go home and monitor his labs as an outpatient.

The labs on that Monday showed quite a bit of improvement so we packed up and headed home!  Unfortunately Austin's color is still pretty yellow/tan  and when we checked his labs a few days later there was no more improvement so we expected them to suggest the biopsy again.  Fortunately they didn't go that route and instead said that they do believe our pediatrician's theory is correct and want to give his liver more time before jumping to any conclusions.  Hallelujah!  We asked the liver specialists if Rh disease is typically this difficult to treat because Logan and I were under the impression that it would not be this hard and he said: "No, it's not usually this nasty.  This is definitely the most severe form of Rh disease I have ever seen."  Of course.  Just our luck!

The liver team has now passed Austin off to the hematology folk so we will meet with them next week and should have more info at that time.  There are a couple treatments sometimes used to treat Rh disease that we will hopefully discuss trying if Austin doesn't improve on his own.  In the meantime, we are thrilled to be home!

Aside from Austin's liver issues, he is now two months old and thriving!  If his skin wasn't a bit yellow, you would never know anything is wrong.  He eats really well, weighs about 7 pounds, and is smiling more and more!  We took him to get his newborn pictures taken finally and they couldn't have gone better!  We have only seen one but I know the rest will be just as darling!  Here's a sneak peak of our little love bug :)

Home Sweet Home

He's home!  The team had been hinting at a Friday, June 12th discharge for a little while but we didn't dare share the news until it was official.  It was so wonderful hearing during rounds that morning that we were all set to go! In all, Austin spent one week at IMC and four weeks at PCH.  Logan and I both agree that the week at IMC felt 10x longer than the four weeks at PCH and I'm sure that's because Austin wasn't as stable at the beginning and we had fresh postpartum hormones to deal with.  We also feel very comfortable at PCH so we were very happy to be there if he had to be in the NICU somewhere.  Thankfully our NICU experience is behind us and we can now begin our journey here at home!

Austin was originally transferred to PCH because it was discovered that he was born with Neonatal Diabetes.  We learned that he was IUGR and failed to grow in utero because of his diabetes.  His body wasn't able to access the sugar he needed in order to thrive which is why he stopped growing around 30 weeks.  When he moved to PCH, the endocrine team told us that he could either have transient (temporary) or permanent diabetes.  They sent in a genetic panel that is still pending and began treating him with insulin.  We hoped this would prove to be the transient form of diabetes but we also knew that things could be much worse if it indeed turned out to be permanent.  

Austin's sugar levels were all over the place and they were having a hard time finding the right type and dose of insulin to keep things stable.  His glucose level would get really high but after administering insulin it would always bottom out and that cycle would repeat every few hours.  After dinner on Saturday, June 6th, our family began a special fast for Austin and prayed that his pancreas would wake up soon so he wouldn't have to deal with diabetes forever.  Saturday, June 6th at 5:30pm is the last dose of insulin Austin received.

It still leaves me speechless and in awe every time I think about this incredible miracle we have received.  I have no doubt that the prayers of so many others undoubtedly contributed to Austin being healed.  When it had only been a couple of days since he had received insulin, we asked the team if they thought his pancreas might be waking up and they smiled and said it wasn't likely.  A few days later they admitted that our theory seemed to be right.  We continue to check Austin's sugar level here at home and it is staying right where it should.

As I watched this miracle unfold over the past week, I often asked myself why God would allow Austin to go through this only to heal him so swiftly.  I knew there must be a special lesson we needed to learn and one morning it suddenly clicked.  Throughout our experience with Eli, we had to learn to have faith in God's will and learn to accept that His plan may not be what we asked for.  I've never gone through something so difficult in my life yet my testimony of God's divine design of this life was strengthened more than I can put into words.  Fast forward two years later and Austin was now in the hospital and potentially dealing with a lifelong illness.  I believe God allowed Austin (and us) to go through that because He knew we would pray for a miracle and He wanted to show us that He absolutely is capable of blessing us with them if it is His will.  My testimony of miracles and seeing God's hand at work has now grown tremendously and I am forever grateful for it.

One of the most important commandments we receive in this life is to love and serve those around us.  Logan and I are eternally grateful for each and every person that has ever offered a prayer or sent a positive comment our way on behalf of our little family.  We never would have made it through Eli's passing or the struggle of getting Austin home without every single person that has supported us.  We genuinely pray you will feel of our love and gratitude for you!

Since coming home, Austin has done so well!  He is still on a small whiff of oxygen but shouldn't be for too long. Aside from that, he is thriving!  He eats like a champ, sleeps really well, and brings so much happiness and peace into our home.  We have waited for this moment for so long and it feels better than we ever imagined.

 

PCH Transfer

Happy 3 weeks to our sweet boy!  It has been awhile, I know.  Austin is doing great so I've been getting lost in his progress and not thinking about much else.  Since he was born, he has been dealing with hyperglycemia and is being treated with insulin.  The doctors at IMC were in constant contact with the endocrine specialists at Primary Children's and the hope was that as soon as he got up to full feeds, his sugar level would normalize.  Unfortunately that never happened so he was transferred to PCH on Monday, May 18th despite mine and Logan's reservations.  We love this hospital and knew he would receive excellent care here but we were approaching the two year anniversary of Eli's passing and we weren't sure how it would feel to be back when much of what we had experienced here was so difficult.  Despite our worries, we wanted the very best care for Austin so we were supportive of the transfer.  Fortunately the nurses are wonderful (we've picked up a couple primaries that we love) and the rest of the team is taking great care of our boy.

It has been determined that Austin has neonatal diabetes but we're waiting for genetic testing results that should hopefully tell us if it's something he will grow out of or if it's permanent.  We won't receive the test results until July so in the mean time we have been focusing on typical preemie milestones like gaining weight and teaching him to eat.  Aside from his wacky sugar levels, Austin is doing really well!  He officially hit 4 pounds a few days ago and is improving his eating skills every day.  Right now he eats roughly 40% of his feeds by mouth and receives the rest through his NG tube.  As soon as he is eating full feeds by mouth and consistently gaining weight then we will have more serious discussions about when he can come home.  We can't wait for that day and hope it happens within the next 2-3 weeks!

Logan and I spend our days at the hospital and thankfully they are pretty boring.  We know what it's like to have "exciting" hospital days and we want nothing to do with them.  We get to hold and cuddle Austin as much as we want (which is basically all day) and we even get to dress him in adorable preemie outfits now that he is sustaining his own body temperature :) For the first couple weeks Austin was really tired, as a preemie should be, so he was super chill but we're finally starting to see his little personality come out now that he's bigger and more mature. He doesn't like getting his diaper changed or temperature checked and he of course hates getting his insulin injections.  We don't like seeing him sad but it sure is nice seeing him act like a feisty baby!

Being back at the hospital has been easier than I expected it to be.  It is great seeing familiar faces and we are meeting many new wonderful people.  May 25th marked two years since we lost our boy so that was a tender day for sure.  Logan and I went to the cemetery in the morning and then went straight to the hospital because there was nowhere we would rather be on that day than with Austin.  I had an emotional moment as we pulled up to the hospital because I really couldn't believe we were doing this hospital thing again but as soon as we saw Austin I felt so much better!  We have felt Eli with us more than ever since Austin was born and we know he takes the night shifts when Logan and I go home to sleep :) The night nurses are great but nobody does the job like an older angel brother!

Enjoy some pictures of our boy from the last few weeks:

Ps...I will try to be better about updating my blog more often but if you'd like more frequent updates you're welcome to follow me on Instagram (@lizrjorgensen) where I post daily about his progress :)

Austin Michael Jorgensen

To those of you that read my blog but don't follow us on social media, our little Austin is here!  He obviously arrived earlier than expected and the past week has been a whirlwind, which is why I haven't gotten an update posted until now.

We went to our scheduled NST on Friday the 8th expecting it to be a regular checkup but when we learned that my AFI (Amniotic Fluid Index) was only 3.5 we knew we wouldn't be going home.  When the Sonographer left the room to get the doctor, Logan and I both agreed that we wanted this baby delivered since it no longer seemed safe to keep him in utero.  The doctor came in and completely agreed that I needed to be induced so we headed straight for Labor and Delivery to get things going!  

I was anxious to be checked so we could see if I had made any progress on my own because I knew we could be in for a long labor if we had to start from ground zero.  They got me hooked up to everything and then checked me and said I was roughly 50% effaced and dilated to a "fingertip".  I wasn't as worried about being dilated as I was about my cervix being thinned.  They started me on a really low dose of Pitocin to see how Austin would handle it and to start thinning my cervix.  They didn't want to use other medications or methods to thin my cervix because they were worried Austin wouldn't be able to handle it because he was so small. They got everything going around 11:00am and by 9:00pm that night I still hadn't made any progress.  I was contracting and dilating but my cervix just wasn't thinning.  They decided to use a foley balloon to thin my cervix and by this time we were anxious to make some sort of progress so we were all for it!  Putting that foley balloon in and inflating it was no fun!  I was a bit bummed when they said it would take 12 hours for the balloon to do its job because I knew we'd be in for a long night.

Logan a I did our best to get some rest throughout the night, which was pretty uneventful.  Austin was handling everything very well so there wasn't any concern about him at this point.  By 9:00 the next morning I couldn't wait to get the balloon out.  Not only was it uncomfortable but I was anxious to see if it had thinned my cervix at all.  When they took it out and checked me I was only a bit more effaced (probably 60%) but I was dilated to a 3 so that was encouraging.  They brought a resident in to break my water hoping that would speed things up but she struggled getting it broken.  After a few minutes of messing around up there she was finally able to break it but said that we didn't see/feel a rush of fluid because mine was so low.  Now that my water was broken they decided to turn up the Pitocin and really try to get things going.  **I totally forgot to mention above that I had gotten my epidural a long time ago, shortly after we were admitted to labor and delivery, so I was quite comfortable.**  The hours slowly creeped by and I was steadily dilating but my cervix just wasn't thinning.  By this time I had also started to bleed so that was worrisome.  Austin was doing really well still but when the nurses said: "We'd rather have you not bleeding but it's not the end of the world." that still freaked me out.  By this time it was probably 1:00pm and nothing was changing so I asked them to call my doctor.  Because my doctor typically works at Riverton only, he told IMC that they could make all the decisions during my labor and that he would come as soon as I was ready to deliver.  Even though I wasn't ready to push, I wanted him here to give his take on everything.  They reluctantly called and he was more than happy to come check out the situation.

The minute he walked in the room we all felt 100x better!  He checked out my bleeding and assured me that everything was okay and then decided to check me himself even though they had just done it before he got there.  As soon as he checked me he had a confused look on his face and said: "Have they not broken your water?"  I couldn't believe it.  We had sat around all these hours and the reason I hadn't been progressing was because the resident never really got my water broken.  My doctor got his little tool and within 5 seconds my water was broken and sure enough there was a giant rush of fluid.  I know med students have to learn and practice somewhere but one thing I love about Riverton hospital is that it's not a teaching hospital so you only have to work with your doctor.  Okay, enough of that.  

As soon as my water broke, things progressed much faster.  Within two hours I was fully dilated and this kid was sliding right down the birth canal.  They quickly got us to the OR (I had to deliver there because they needed to pass him straight through to the NICU) and after 3 or 4 pushes our little Austin was here!  They put him right on my chest and I couldn't believe how TINY he was!  We knew he would be small but my goodness, he was extra small.  He let out a few little kitten cries and after letting me kiss his head they passed him through the window to the NICU.  A couple minutes later one of the nurses poked her head through the window and announced that he was 3lb 8oz and 17in long.  We were in love with our tiny guy!

Everything from here on out was quite a whirlwind.  They got me cleaned up pretty fast, took us back to our room in Labor and Delivery, and told us that we would be able to go see him on our way to my room on the floor.  Unfortunately when we were ready to see him they called to say they were still working on getting his lines in so we needed to wait a bit before going to the NICU.  Not too much later they took us down to see our sweet boy and wow, that was pretty tough.  Logan and I knew Austin would need a bit of help when he was born and when they told us he was on CPAP for his breathing we still weren't too worried but seeing him was another story.  We both had immediate flashbacks of everything Eli went through so seeing Austin was far more difficult than we anticipated. 

Not only did he have a breathing mask on, but he also had bili lights surrounding nearly every inch of his body and multiple lines for IV access so the only part of his body that we could really see were his little feet. Austin is considered IUGR (Intrauterine Growth Restriction) because he's so much smaller than a typical 34 week baby.  The original theory was that my placenta wasn't functioning properly, causing him to be little but my placenta looked normal after my delivery.  Our theory is that Austin's growth basically stopped when he became so anemic in utero.  Up until my 29 week appointment, he was measuring a few days ahead at every growth scan but after that he was always measuring behind and never really measured past 30 weeks.  30 weeks is the first MCA scan that showed he was anemic but remember we put the transfusion off for a few weeks after that.  I'm sure his body was using all of its energy to get blood to his organs when he was so anemic that he didn't have the energy to focus on his growth.  We have no regrets about the decisions we made during my pregnancy and we know there was a reason he was supposed to be born when he was so we're just thrilled he's here and finally thriving!

Austin has been in the NICU for 1 week and has made wonderful progress.  He now only uses a nasal cannula to breathe, has graduated from the bili lights, hasn't needed a blood transfusion, and is quickly regaining his birth weight!  It's hard to put a timeline on when he might come home but our goal/guess from the beginning was one month.  If that's accurate then he should be home in 3ish weeks!

It feels so good to be a family of 4!  We feel Eli with us constantly and know he is taking the night shifts at the hospital when Logan and I can't be there.  We are so proud of Austin and all of the progress he is making but we can't wait for him to come home!

  

33 Weeks

As each week passes we feel better and better so 33 feels great!  This week actually went by much quicker than the previous weeks and I think it's because we went to the doctor on Monday and then not again until today.  It was so nice not having to go every other day!  Things were quiet this week and went just as we expected so we're happy about that!

Monday was a busy day!  We had an MCA scan and NST in the morning as well as an appointment out in Riverton with our regular OB in the afternoon.  Now that we're getting closer and closer to delivery these appointments become more important each time filled with a lot of information.  I was really looking forward to our MCA scan this time because it was the first one since the transfusion so I was anxious to see how everything looked.  I was also really looking forward to our appointment out in Riverton because it had been three weeks since we had seen our OB and SO much had happened since then!  The doctors at IMC have kept our OB in the loop but I was excited to talk to him myself and get his take on everything.

The MCA scan and NST couldn't have gone better!  Austin is clearly loving his blood because his MCA level came back at 35 which is all the way down in D.  This made us very happy!

The fluid around Austin's heart also looked much better and he was quite a bit more active than he had been recently so we loved seeing that!  The NST was a slam dunk and at the end the nurse came in and said: "You have a textbook baby!" Hearing that was definitely music to our ears.  They asked us to come back on Friday morning (today) for a repeat MCA and NST and told us that at that time we would prep for a Monday transfusion.  Even though Austin looks great on the scans, they have to plan the subsequent transfusions based on time rather than where he is on the graph because the graph can become unreliable once a baby has received a transfusion so we had been anticipating a transfusion on Monday the 4th all along.

Our appointment on Monday with our OB also went really well.  Lately these appointments have mostly been us updating him on everything that has been going on as well as him asking us how we're doing so they're not too eventful which is just fine with us.  It's nice going to a doctor appointment occasionally that won't bring all sorts of unexpected news.  We'll see him again in a couple weeks and at that time he'll check to see if I'm starting to make any progress on my own since I'll be induced early.  Fingers crossed my body starts itself like it did before my induction with Eli!

Our appointment this morning went really well also so we're feeling good!  Austin's MCA level is still great and came back at 45 today which means he's still in D.

There doesn't seem to be fluid around his heart or anywhere else and his heart rate and movement were really strong during the NST so the doctors are very pleased with how he's doing.  My amniotic fluid was a bit on the low side this morning but they're not too concerned about it so we'll just keep an eye on it and I'll remember to drink a lot of water this weekend.  Even though Austin is doing so well, we're still moving ahead with the Monday transfusion.  They expect that he has lost some of the blood he received a couple weeks ago but they don't anticipate him being as anemic as he was before the last transfusion.  We definitely don't want him to get that low again.  The current plan is to do the transfusion on Monday and if all goes as expected, we'll schedule my induction for roughly three weeks after that, which will put me right around 36 1/2 weeks. That will be the very longest they'll let me go (even if he's doing really well) but they'll also do scans two times a week and if he gives us any reason to think he needs to come before that then they'll just take him rather than do another transfusion.  Fingers crossed Monday goes well and he is able to cook for another three weeks!  As much as we'd love him to stay in even longer, we know that's not safe for him so we're getting pretty excited to meet our little guy!

They're giving me another dose of steroids for his lungs prior to this transfusion so I received the first injection this morning and I'll head back to the hospital tomorrow morning for the second injection and also to have my blood drawn and prepped for the transfusion on Monday.  We would love and appreciate your prayers and positive thoughts as we head into Monday's procedure around noon!

Even though this is our second baby, people have been incredible to us and still wanted to give little Austin a shower.  Our ward wanted to do a shower to help me get to know more ladies in the RS since we've been in the Primary most of the time and Logan's work did a super nice lunch for us.  These showers happened this week and they were both so much fun!  One funny bit of info: I had three showers with Eli but because he unexpectedly came early they were still held even though I couldn't make it to any of them.  The showers this week were my first two showers that I was able to attend!

Our ward shower was on Tuesday evening and little Austin was beyond spoiled!  The food was amazing and there was a great turnout and a ton of support from the ladies in the RS.  I feel so blessed to be in such a wonderful ward that has shown us so much love and concern.  I hope they know how much we appreciate them!

Most of the food hadn't been brought out at this point but aren't those centerpieces adorable??

This may or may not have been the best Cobb salad I've ever had.  It was to die for!

 

Logan's work shower was on Thursday (yesterday) and it was great!  The food was delicious and everyone was so good to us and more than generous to our little Austin.  He is going to have a good start in this world because of them!  Logan has always loved his job and it's easy to see why after spending more time with his co-workers and meeting some of them for the first time.  I completely spaced taking a single picture, which I'm super bummed about, but we definitely had a fantastic time and are so grateful to everyone who contributed to the shower in any way!

Weight: 147.2 (This week: +3 | Total: +26.4) Because Austin will be born a month early, I started getting concerned that he would be super small so I told myself I needed to eat more to fatten him up.  I'm sure that's not how it really works but it made me feel better :) I guess you can say I definitely ate more this week! Haha...Whoops!

33 weeks down, 3.5(ish) to go!

32 Weeks

What a happy week!  Transfusion #1 finally happened and it couldn't have gone better! I want to remember as many details as possible so I apologize in advance for this post being quite wordy.  Hopefully it's not too hard to follow! 

Once again our week began on Monday with an MCA scan and NST.  I felt so much better going into this appointment than I did going into last week's appointments.  Rather than making assumptions about what his level would be on Monday, I just prayed that the Sonographer would be able to get an accurate measurement so we could make the best decision for Austin's health.  I was confident going into our appointment and felt we would know exactly how to proceed depending on what number we saw.

We learned pretty quickly that Austin was in need of a transfusion and there would be no more putting it off. The level came back at 66 which clearly put him in "A".

Logan and I weren't too surprised or worried about where things stood at this point because we just felt blessed to have avoided it this long and we had been prepared for a transfusion for awhile so we were ready to move ahead.  The doctor on service on Monday was great and helped us feel extra confident about the transfusion as well.  When she walked in and said: "Well, I think it's time."  Logan and I both knew she was right and didn't hesitate at all.  She explained that Austin's pericardial effusion (fluid around this heart) was a bit more pronounced so that also confirmed that he needed the blood.  He passed his NST on Monday with flying colors so it was nice knowing he was still doing well from that standpoint.  

We were asked to be at the hospital at 9:00am on Tuesday in order to prepare for a 10:00am transfusion.  We were taken back right away and over the next hour and fifteen minutes we had a lot of nurses and doctors coming in and out prepping for the procedure.  I changed into my lovely hospital garb, had an IV placed, was given an antibiotic (in case of infection from the needle), and then we did our best to patiently wait as they got everything set up.  In the room were three doctors, two nurses, a medical assistant, two lab techs, and Logan.  One doctor was responsible for monitoring Austin's heart rate and guiding the other doctor into the correct place by watching on the u/s machine, the second doctor was responsible for actually infusing the blood and the third doctor had the main job of getting the needle into the artery that connects the placenta to the umbilical cord.  They started by telling me to choose a position for my arms and then to leave them there for the rest of the time.  That was hard for me!  I also wasn't allowed to lift my head off the pillow, take deep breaths, or do anything else really.  I prayed with all my might I wouldn't have to sneeze!  Haha.  Putting the needle in didn't pinch too much because they gave me a local anesthetic but once they got it in my skin, penetrating the uterus was painful!  Rather than a sharp pain it was more of a dull, throbbing ache.  There was quite a bit of resistance getting into the uterus so I could feel the jerking as she pushed it further in and Logan said he could see her getting stopped and then pushing harder.  As soon as she got the needle in I didn't feel much the rest of the time.  Sometimes getting the needle into the artery can be difficult but fortunately she was able to get right in within a couple of minutes.  This is when having my placenta on the front side of my uterus is a HUGE blessing.  Austin's elbow and knee were on either side of the cord so she had to get the needle right between them and she did a great job!  They warned us before that the needle can accidentally poke the baby so if that happened it wouldn't cause any problems but he would feel it and move away.  How sad is that?!  Thankfully Austin wasn't poked.  In order to make sure Austin didn't kick the needle and knock it out they had to give him a paralytic which was my least favorite part.  I know it was necessary but I still don't like the thought of it.  We were assured that it would wear off after a couple hours and he would be just fine.  

As soon as the needle was in the artery, a blood sample was drawn and taken to the lab right away so they would know exactly what his blood count was so they could give him the correct amount of blood.  As they waited for the lab to call with the results, they began the infusion at a slow rate and were constantly checking Austin's heart rate to make sure he was handling it okay.  They said it's a good thing I was 31 weeks at the time because smaller babies (around 25 weeks) can't handle very much blood at once.  The lab called within a few minutes with the results.  **Quick background info: Babies are typically given a blood transfusion for anything below a hemoglobin of 8, which is roughly a hematocrit of 24.  The doctors expected his hemoglobin to be right around that or slightly higher.** When they hung up the phone and said he had a hematocrit of 15.4 (hemoglobin of 4.9) I couldn't contain myself and loudly said: "15.4?!" One of the doctors was like: "Yeah, we heard." I don't think he liked that I was so alarmed but I couldn't help myself.  Our poor baby needed blood in a bad way!  A different doctor even confirmed with me afterwards that they were very surprised he was so anemic.  There's no worry about his low blood levels causing damage or anything but we're all just very glad we did the transfusion when we did.  Because of how low Austin's hemoglobin was, he needed 90 CCs of blood so they would infuse 10 or 15 CCs and then check his heart rate before continuing. Fortunately they were able to get all 90 in and he handled it beautifully.  As soon as they finished the infusion, they took another small sample in order to get his hemoglobin once the blood was in and it came back MUCH better at 14.8 (hematocrit of 44).  At this point they pulled the needles out and we were finished! The doctors told us multiple times that everything went extremely well and we could tell they were pleased with the results. 

 

After the transfusion we were taken down to Labor and Delivery where they monitored Austin for the next few hours.  His paralytic started wearing off pretty quick and it was such a relief to feel him kick again!  His heart rate was strong the entire time so after a few hours we were free to go home!

They wanted me to go back on Thursday (yesterday) for another NST to make sure he was still doing well but we didn't have to do an MCA.  Austin's heart rate typically hangs out around 130 during most of the NSTs so in order to "pass", he has to raise his heart rate up into the 150s at least two times for ten seconds each time during a 30 minute period.  If he seems to be sleeping and his heart rate never raises, they'll put a little buzzer/noise maker thing on my stomach in order to get his heart rate to go up.  So much for non-stress test, right?  Haha.  During yesterday's NST he was nice and comfy and his heart rate wasn't going up like they wanted so they buzzed him and he was NOT happy.  For about 10 minutes he hung out in the mid 160s and was moving a bunch, clearly trying to get comfortable again.  Once he settled back down to his baseline of 130 they gave him a "pass" and all was well!

We've been told to anticipate the next transfusion happening on or around Monday, May 4th.  We feel incredibly blessed that the transfusion went so well and it brings us such peace knowing Austin now has the blood he needs.  Isn't it amazing what they are able to do these days?  We always talk about what a miracle it is that this is even possible!  Austin hadn't stopped moving the last couple weeks but I'm amazed at how much stronger his movements have been the last few days since his transfusion! I'm sure he feels SO much better and has tons more energy now.  I vividly remember how tired Eli looked when his blood level got too low and Austin's was way lower than Eli's ever was.  We have felt such relief the last few days knowing he probably feels so much better!

The majority of my posts lately have been about Austin, as they should be, but I don't want to forget how I'm feeling through all of this.  Physically I have no complaints at all.  I'm able to eat anything I want, I have a decent amount of energy, I'm not too uncomfortable, and aside from using the bathroom one time each night, I sleep great!  Emotionally I'm doing pretty well but I do worry about Austin so that can stress me out a bit.  Knowing we've made it this far brings me a lot of comfort because I know he would be okay if he was born today but I still hope we can make it another month or so!  The next transfusion, which will happen around 33.5 weeks, will be our last one and then we'll start discussing an induction date for a few weeks after that.  I can't believe it's getting so close!

  

Weight: 144.2 (This week: -.4 | Total: +23.4)

32 weeks down, 5 (hopefully!) to go!

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! :)