Pediatric Cardiologist

I wish I had a more clear picture of what is going on with our baby girl, but I still feel like I don't quite understand anything.  Last night I got about three hours of sleep before I woke up to go to the restroom.  I then refused to go back to sleep until I could feel the baby move.   Two hours later and with dawn breaking, I finally felt a couple of kicks in a row and went back to sleep.  Feeling movement has become an obsession now that I know there is something wrong with the baby.  I felt as if I was in a coma getting ready for our cardiology appointment this morning.  I don't even feel like I am alive.  The last week has been a very trying time.

"I need to call my collegue and discuss a few things. I will be right back."  This is the response we received from the pediatric cardiologist after an hour long echocardiogram.  I just sat back on the examine table and cried.  We were told at the beginning of the appointment that most likely the baby had premature atrial contractions (PAC's) which will most likely resolve on its own.  It is easy to detect and the cardiologist would have been able to tell right away.  So, I can't even explain the emotion I felt when she had to leave the room to get a second opinion.  Wasn't this supposed to be a simple diagnosis?

The conclusion...they think the baby MAY have PAC's, but there were other things going on that were characteristic of a secondary heart block.  So what is a heart block?  Well, there can be varying degrees of heart blocks that are usually found in a fetus when a mother suffers from an autoimmune disease such as lupus or Sjorgen's disease.  An individual with a third degree heart block will probably need a pacemaker for life and if found in a fetus, there is a 15% mortality rate.  Third degree heart blocks are quite serious and need immediate attention.  Sometimes second degree heart blocks can turn into a third degree heart block.  Heart blocks are very RARE.  However, since heart blocks in a fetus are usually caused by an issue with the mother, I wonder if it is safer to take the baby earlier so as not to make the condition worse?  Since the cardiologist and my doctor are not 100% sure of the issue, I did not get a real answer on this.  To me it seems ridiculous that I would wait until 40 weeks to deliver.  However, the hospital I am delivering at will only deliver before 39 weeks if the PAC or heart block turns into tachyardia (very fast heart rhythm).  The thought is that if it isn't a heart block, then the heart may still develop better in utero.  The baby will have an EKG right after birth and will be monitored.

So, the plan....NST's tomorrow, Monday, Thursday, and the following Monday again before my scheduled c-section on Wednesday.  Also, labs will be drawn on Monday to test for autoimmune disorders.  I have already been tested for the lupus anticoagulant in my recurrent loss panel and to my surprise I actually tested out of range for one of the components.  I never knew this until today while going through the labwork. Therefore, I will be tested again with a different test.  The modified plan....if my NST sounds terrible on Monday, then they will try to bump my c-section to Thursday, July 5th.  It will be performed by someone else in the practice since my OB is on vacation.  I trust my OB fully, so having someone else do my c-section does scare me.  But if we feel it needs to be done, then we will do it next week.

I don't know what to think about all of this and I apologize for this being so long.  All I can do is hope and pray that this is just PAC's and it will go away shortly after birth.  No big deal.  All the worry was for nothing.  God I pray that this is the case.  Until then, the latest our baby girl will be here is in 12 days.  I just have to trust that everything will be okay until then.

Worry

I have been super paranoid this entire pregnancy.  Obviously, my road to parenthood has not been easy.  I worry constantly because lets face it, we have had a lot of heartache.  Throughout this pregnancy I have had this constant feeling that something will go wrong.  So far all of the issues have been "me" related.  I can handle issues with me such as fibroid degeneration and contractions.  The baby has always been great.  Absolutely perfect...until now.

I am not going to go on and on about what happened because to be quite frank, I am tired.  The short of it is that after having very little fetal movement for 3 days, I whipped out my home doppler Tuesday morning to give myself that extra reassurance until my weekly NST on Wednesday.  Something didn't sound right.  The baby's heart rate kept stopping.  I changed the batteries in the doppler, shook it, checked my own heart rate, and checked the baby's heart rate again.  Thump, thump, thump, thump (silence), thump, thump (silence), thump.....My heart began racing and I decided to just finish getting ready for work.  I drank 2 big glasses of juice in hopes that the baby would wake up before work.  I would feel better if she just would start moving.  In the meantime I called to get in to my doctor ASAP.

The NST on Tuesday did not go well and neither did the one on Wednesday.  After seeking opinions out from THREE different doctors, the doctors agreed that our baby has developed arrhythmia.  The weird thing is that most arrhythmia's are discovered in the second trimester because the heart is still immature and by the third trimester or shortly after birth, the arrhythmia goes away.  In my instance, the arrhythmia did not start until after 37 weeks.  Needless to say this is not normal.  About 1-2% of all pregnancies an arrhythmia is discovered, but the majority of these are arrhythmia's that developed in the second trimester and are gone before delivery.  So I again find myself in that lonely category of not being in the majority.  It is a terrifying place to be.

I have to see a cardiologist at Children's Memorial Hospital on Friday.  I have no idea how I am going to make it until then.  I love this baby more than anything.  I am a complete mess.  I know everything can be perfectly okay.  But I can't help but feel this overwhelming feeling that something really is wrong.  And if the baby's heart structure is okay, then I may have to go through testing for such things as lupus, thyroid disease, and infections.  I am just scared.  Please pray for us that everything is okay....

 

Full Term - 37 Weeks

Well, I actually made it!  I can't believe I am full term.  At my weekly OB appointment on Wednesday I received my hospital check-in card that my office hands out in case I go into labor.  It basically has all of my lab results such as iron count, blood type, strep B results, and any complications such as fibroids.  It made everything so official for me :)


Currently my scheduled c-section is July 11th, but I am on the waiting list for the 9th.  I originally thought I was scheduled for the 9th, but apparently not!  Another surprise...I am still anemic.  I have been taking iron supplements since March.  I now have to take two iron supplements everyday.  My doctor tried scaring me by telling me I am already at a higher chance of bleeding due to the fibroids and that he hopes my iron levels increase to avoid a blood transfusion.  I would like to thank my doctor for scaring the crap out of me!!!


Our baby seems quite cozy in her home and I am not dilated at all. My contractions due to my high maintenance uterus have even died down. Therefore, unless my water breaks it really does not appear that I will start labor before my c-section.  It is quite ironic how things work out.  She wanted out desperately at 22/23 weeks and now she refuses to come out!  She sure is stubborn.  I am quite happy with her staying put until the 11th.


37 Weeks:


Weight Gain: 14 pounds


Symptoms: heartburn, nausea, difficulty in catching my breath.  Otherwise, I feel pretty good!  I might get bitch slapped for saying this... but I even slept through the night the past two nights!  I have no back pain, hardly any contractions anymore, and pretty much don't even feel pregnant.  I have no idea what is going on!  Maybe this is the calm before the storm?


What I miss: a nice big fat deli sandwich from New York Deli.  I have been craving one constantly.


Milestone: reaching full- term


Things to look forward to: having my daughter!  I guess I still look forward to my weekly NST's for the next two weeks.  She is still not much of a mover and gives me a good scare at least 2-3 times a week.


37 Weeks, 1 Day Bump Pic