Kanaan Week 35 and 36 Update and Induction Date Is Set!

Week 35 Updates:

On 8/19/13 Kanaan got a 10/10 on the BPP/NST. The fluid level was 7cm and he was still head down.

On 8/22/13 Kanaan got a 10/10 on the BPP/NST. The fluid level was 9.2cm and he was still head down.

Week 36 Updates:

On 8/26/13 Kanaan got a 10/10 on the BPP/NST. The fluid level was at 12cm and he was still head down. This was my last visit with the regular OB.

On 8/29/13 I had my appointment with Dr. A the specialist. Kanaan's fluid was at 15.6cm! Dr. A said "You have a miracle baby!". They measured Kanaan and he weighs approximately 6lbs 13oz. He checked to see if I was starting to dilate at all, he said I was less than 1cm dilated but more than a 0. Since I wasn't really dilated much, we will go in to the hospital on Tuesday 9/3/13 in the afternoon. They will start the cervadil, a medicine to help the cervix soften and dilate that night and then the next morning they will start the pitocin to get contractions and labor going. He said Kanaan should be here by Wednesday night!  About 10% of women will go into labor with just the cervadil and not need the pitocin, I hope that happens with me. I'd really like everything to go as naturally as possible. He said that as long as Kanaan is crying and breathing and looks good I will be able to hold him right away and nurse him as soon as possible. The NICU doctors will be in the room when he's born as well so that if he does need any help they are right there.

Even though the fluid has gone up and he's done fantastically, he was still without fluid during the crucial time when his lungs were developing. This means we won't know if he will have enough lung tissue to support him once he's born. If this is the case there is nothing they can do to help him breath and he won't make it.  Please pray that Kanaan is able to pass over this last hurdle and amaze the doctors once again with how well he's doing. I believe God is using Kanaan's story as a testimony to what He can do!!

Kanaan 34ish Week Update

On 8/12/13 Kanaan got a 10/10 on his BPP/NST. The fluid was at 6.5cm. That doesn't mean that the fluid has  necessarily gone down, it could have been the way he was laying. Otherwise he was doing fine. The infected milk duct has come back and my OB Dr. K referred me to a general surgeon to have it looked at.

On 8/13/13 I met with the general surgeon Dr. P. He tried to remove the infection with a syringe, but that wasn't working, so he ended up having to cut it out. I was glad Andy was off work so he could take me and stay with. It was pretty painful, but is on the mend now. I go back next Tuesday for a follow up. Hopefully it's healing as it should and will not be an ongoing problem.

0n 8/15/13 Kanaan once again got a 10/10 on his BPP/NST. The fluid was at 10.3! If it's lower next Monday I won't be surprised, because he was curled up in a tight little ball so he wasn't really covering any of the pockets up.

Kanaan 33 Week Updates

On Monday 8/5/13 at our BPP/NST Kanaan earned 10/10. His fluid was at 9.4 and he was still head down. My infected milk duct, was a lot better, still there but not red and much less painful. The ultrasound tech said she had never seen the fluid go up like this before, I mentioned that to Dr K and she said she's never seen anything like that either.

On Thursday 8/8/13 I met with Dr. A the MFM/specialist again. Kanaan's fluid was at 8.5, the doctor was not concerned about that as it could just be how he was lying. As long as his fluid is above 5 they aren't too concerned. Kanaan weighed 5lbs! I was born at 35 weeks and weighed 4lbs 10oz, he's already bigger than I was at 2 weeks later in the pregnancy. Dr A said "I'm really impressed with this kid". I will see Dr A on 8/29/13 for another growth check and he will check me at that time to see if I'm starting to dilate at all and schedule the induction for 37 weeks. He said if I'm my cervix is not favorable then I will go in 9/2/13 in the evening to get that ready before the induction on 9/3/13. If it is favorable then I won't have to be at the hospital until 9/3/13. He said he'd rather do a slow induction over a few days than try to rush it and need a c section. That makes me feel a lot better, I'd prefer to avoid a c section as much as possible. The induction dates are tentative at this point we will know an exact plan after the 29th.

Kanaan 32ish Week Updates and Prayer Requests.

We're still plugging away at home on modified bed rest. On 7/29/13 Kanaan was still in the vertex position and the fluid was at 8.8cm. The doctor lumps the BPP(Biophysical Profile) ultrasound scores and the NST scores together to make a scale of 10. Remember Kanaan gets 2 points for each of the following, muscle tone, heart rate, movement, practice breathing, and 2 normal heart accelerations on the NST. He scored 10/10!! At my doctor appointment after the BPP my doctor said it was "the little kidney that could" lol. She asked what position he was in and I said he was still head down, she said "how in the world did he change positions every week with no fluid and now that it is in the normal range he is staying put?" I have no idea, but I'm happy he's staying head down. I ended up with a clogged milk duct, that was very painful, swollen and red, Dr K gave me 2 antibiotic shots and an oral antibiotic to take. If that doesn't clear it up I will need to have a surgeon cut it out. OUCH!!. It is still there and tender, but smaller, no longer red and the pain is much better. She also said my blood pressure was starting to creep up so if it is high again next week I will have to do a 24 hour urine collection. ICK. I really don't think it is high at all, it was fine at the hospital right before we got to the appointment and hasn't been remotely high during my hospital stay or any of the NSTs. I think it was just up a bit from rushing to the appointment.

On 7/30/13 I had to take off my wedding ring. They were getting too tight. I did get a vaccination shot in my left arm at my appointment on Monday so it may be swelling from that. My arm was extremely sore and I could hardly move it for several days. It is still a tad sore, but basically back to normal now. 

On 8/1/13 Kanaan was still vertex and fluid was at 9.1cm. He got 10/10 on BPP/NST.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Continue to pray that the fluid increases. We are in the normal range, but the low end of normal. We are about to the stage where fluid levels typically peak and then start to drop for normal pregnancies. Pray that it continues to increase and does not drop at all. 
• Continue to pray that his lungs will be developed in order for him to survive after birth. Even though he does do practice breathing, that has no impact on whether his lung function will be able to support life after he is born. Nobody is really sure how/when the fluid-lung connection works, his increasing fluid now may be good for his lungs, but it may be too late and missed the time to build his lungs. We won't have any idea if his lungs will be developed at all until he is born. His lungs may be fine, he may need respiratory help, or they may be so underdeveloped there is nothing to be done and he won't make it longer than a few minutes. Even though the increased fluid reduces the chance of still birth, he is still at a great danger of not having the lung function to survive. We aren't out of the woods yet. 
• Pray that the clogged milk duct clears up and I will not have to have surgery to remove it. 
• Pray that my blood pressure is fine at my next appointment and continues to be so for the remainder of the pregnancy. 
• Pray Kanaan continues to remain head down, so that I can have a chance at a natural delivery. I really do not want a c-section. 

Kanaan 31ish week updates

Now that we are home I go to the local hospital on Monday and Thursday for ultrasounds (biophysical profiles) and NSTs and see my doctor after that on Mondays. I've decided to call these weekish posts because I turn weeks on Tuesday, but it's easier to keep track of updates in the same calendar week. So technically I was 30w6d on Monday not 31weeks, hense the ish.  During the biophysical profile Kanaan is scored on a point system. He gets 2 points for each area they are looking for to reach a total of 8. They are looking for: Movement- he has to make a series of movements to pass. Tone- they are looking at his muscle tone when he moves. Fluid- they are measuring his fluid. Breathing- he has to do a series of practice breathing.

Monday 7/22/13 Kanaan was head down and his fluid was still at 5. He scored a 6/8 on his BPP because he did not practice breathe. Practice breathing does not mean his lungs will be able to support him, it's a reflex type thing babies do. This does not mean anything about if he will be able to survive birth. His NST looked great as normal.

Thursday 7/25/13 Kanaan is still head down!!!! That's the way we want him to stay. He got an 8/8 because he met all the requirements and his fluid is at 6.91. That is considered normal fluid level! It barely meets normal range but we'll take what we can get. NST was perfect as usual.