 Prenatal Journal as recounted by Jessica
 JULY
2, 1998 - We got the good news. I was
pregnant with our first child and we couldn't be happier. This happened quite
easily so it was also a little shocking to learn how quickly I became pregnant. The
next day I called my doctor to start prenatal vitamins and also learned that they do not
see newly pregnant women until the 8th week. This seemed like a very long time
considering the number of questions that arise in an inexperienced mom-to-be.
Everything seemed to be going perfectly (no morning sickness, etc.). It wasn't until
we went for our first ultrasound that some questions began to arise.
OCTOBER 21 - We were so excited to finally get a
first look at our little baby. After a quick scan, the technician said she was going
to send me to the prenatal diagnostic center, for a level 2 ultrasound, because they had
more hi-tech ultrasound equipment. She said that the baby's intestines were showing
up darker (which means fluid on ultrasounds) than she normally sees.
OCTOBER 26 - We had our level 2 ultrasound
done. Unlike the first, this was a very lengthy scan, about an hour. The
technician was silent during the entire scan. Any questions we asked were met with
an abrupt, "the doctor will discuss everything with you." We waited in
this dark room for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, the door opened and in
walked the technician, doctor and another women. As they got closer, I read her tag
which said genetic counselor.
The doctor asked us the reason we were sent here. After
telling her why, she said lets start with the intestines. She said they seemed to
have too much fluid in them, why they were not certain. She said next, the right
kidney is enlarged (hydronephrosis) also with too much fluid. Next, the baby's head
was a little flat in the front, the chin was recessed and the measurement of the nucal
fold (the skin at the back of the neck) was a little thicker than normal. Her words
bottom line were "this baby has serious problems".
We were in shock. They ushered us into the genetic
counselor's office and we were given the run down again. She said that with the
number of anomalies they were seeing, that the odds that the baby had a syndrome were very
high. She said that the intestines and the measurement of the skin on the neck were
both typical of a Down's Syndrome baby. An amniocentesis was recommended and we
agreed.
OCTOBER 28 - We went for the amnio. It was
such a surreal experience, not knowing what this test would say, especially after the
devastating news of the other day. It wasn't until November 6th that we got a call
from the center with the results. They had tested for Down's Syndrome, as well as
other chromosomal abnormalities, and had found nothing. All of the baby's
chromosomes were normal! This was such a relief after waiting over a week.
NOVEMBER 13 - We were back for another ultrasound,
back on the roller coaster of emotions. Maybe we were naive, but finding out the
baby had normal chromosomes seemed to mean everything would be ok. After another
lengthy scan, a different doctor than from the first scan came to talk with us. She
said that the baby measured in the 10th percentile, which was just unheard of at this
gestational age of 23 weeks. Along with that, the kidney had enlarged further as had
the fluid in the intestines. At this point she said we should weigh all of the
problems because we were running out of time for an abortion. We said that time
didn't matter because we would not be having an abortion. She thought that maybe I
had been exposed to a virus early on in pregnancy and ordered what is called a TORCH
titer. This stood for toxoplasmosis, rubella, cytomegalavirus and herpes.
NOVEMBER 24 - We were told that the TORCH titer came
back negative. Once again, we were very relieved.
DECEMBER 4 - The same issues were still present at
this scan. I was tested for the glucose level in my blood (normal test for all
pregnant women) which turned out fine. The next issue we were presented with was
that they said the fluid in the intestine was sometimes common in babies with cystic
fibrosis. My husband and I both had blood taken to see if we were carriers of the
gene for cystic fibrosis.
DECEMBER 11- We found out that we both tested
negative for the gene. Now, their only explanation for the fluid was impacted
meconium (babies first poop). This wouldn't be a big deal because after the baby was
born, it could be easily taken care of. We continued with ultrasounds about every
two weeks. Let me mention that during all of this I was having a problem free
pregnancy. I felt great besides all of the emotional issues.
JANUARY 22,1999 - We met with Dr. Caldamone, a
pediatric urologist. He said that in some cases babies who have hydronephrosis of
the kidney, actually have a kink in the ureter which runs to the bladder. He said
that when they grow this kink actually straightens out and the problem is rectified
without surgery. It was thought that this may be the case, but we would have to wait
and see.
JANUARY 29 - I started to have some brownish
spotting. This was a little scary to see so I called my doctor. He said that
it was nothing to worry about, that my cervix was just starting to thin out, I shouldn't
be worried unless the blood was bright red.
FEBRUARY 1 - I went for a regular check-up and was
still having the spotting. He examined me and said I was not dilated, but that the
baby was pretty low and I should take a week out of work. I wanted to mention too
that the baby's heart rate was always very strong at every doctor's visit.
FEBRUARY 3 - In the afternoon I started to have
severe pain in my side. It was very intense, and did not seem to subside, unlike a
contraction. I called my doctor and he said it was probably just the ligaments
stretching, and to put a heating pad on it. I woke up at night and went to the
bathroom and had brighter spotting. My doctor said to go to the emergency room,
which we did at 10:00pm. Upon arriving, I was hooked up to a monitor which confirmed
I was having contractions. They monitored them for awhile and then decided to give
me something to try to stop the contractions and sent me home at 2:00am.
FEBRUARY 4 - On the ride home I had such
severe pain that we should have turned around, but didn't. I tried to go to sleep,
had just dosed off and woke up laying in wetness. I made my way to the bathroom with
blood gushing everywhere. It was about 4:00am when we returned to the hospital.
After quickly examining me, we were told my water had broken, and
they were admitting me. They started antibiotics immediately to ward off infection
after the water had broken. I continued bleeding immensely with excruciating contractions,
but the baby was doing fine. They tested me for anemia due to all of the blood I was
losing. I had only dilated 2cm so they started pitocin to speed up the contractions.
This worked, causing intense contractions, but I dilated no further. In the middle of all
of this,we talked with Dr. Coyle, a neonatologist, about the unique issues we would be
faced with having a 35 week baby. Josh's original due date was March 11. One
of the things we would need to be prepared for were underdeveloped lungs. She said
that a neonatologist would be present for the birth due to the unique circumstances to
make sure the baby was ok.
At about 8:00pm I got my epidural. While the
anesthesiologist was giving me the epidural, the baby's heart rate dropped. The
doctor was called, and from there on it was a blur of medical personnel getting ready for
an emergency c-section. They wheeled me into the operating room and had the baby out
within about 5 minutes. Joshua Ryan was born at 9:38pm. He weighed 5lbs. 1oz.
My husband almost fainted upon site of our poor little baby. He was covered in blood
and lifeless. He later told me that he thought Josh was dead. They immediately
started to bag him and had to suction out all kinds of blood that he had swallowed.
They rushed him to the neonatal intensive care unit where he could be closely monitored.
We later learned that due to the intense contractions, my placenta had abrupted, which was
a threat to the baby.
Go the week one journal
next for more on Joshua's story.
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