He's here!!!

Our little man finally arrived and we couldn't be happier. Last Tuesday (November 17), one of the doctors (Dr. Byrne) helping to manage my care, came in and told me that they have decided that the reductions didn't seem to be doing any good. She again went over everything that could be causing the excess fluid, and all the complications the polyhydramnios is causing for me. She emphasized the need for him to gain as much weight as possible in utero in case surgery was required soon after birth. She informed us that the team has decided that in order to compromise my health with Zach's, they would deliver me via c-section on Monday, November 23, putting him at 33 weeks exactly. She felt that he would be a good size, and they gave me another round of steroids to help mature his lungs. The next six days ended up being the longest ever.

Over the next few days and the weekend, I just relaxed and did my best to kill time and stay comfortable. I could feel the fluid building back up, and he decided to wedge his feet under my ribs and not move them for even a second of relief. Monday morning they took me over to labor and delivery and despite the 1 1/2 hour delay due to another c-section, they FINALLY took me back to the OR. The c-section went very good overall and the whole thing I cared about was hearing him scream his lungs out as soon as he was born. That first cry from a premature baby is the sweetest sound I have ever heard. He was born at 1:53 pm. They peeked him over the drape for half a second and then whisked him off to the NICU through the window. Dr. Byrne was back to the window within minutes updating us on his status. The tube passed through his esophagus without trouble, but the kid hadn't stopped peeing since they first got him. This was something I had been concerned about all along, and my instinct told me it was the cause of my polyhydramnios.


They spent a quite a bit of time trying to control my bleeding and getting my uterus to contract back down. Since it was so distended, it became super lazy once they delivered our little man. They gave me a ton of medication to assist and even tried a new tool to try to save my uterus. I did not want to have a hysterectomy at 23 years old after only having one child. Between the medication and balloon and my wonderful OB, they were finally able to get everything under control. They sewed me back up and I'm told the incision looks wonderful and like it won't scar too badly.

Before we left the OR, Dr. Byrne was back again updating us on Zach's status. He was breathing on his own with a little CPAP assistance, but didn't need to be intubated. They were going to start umbilical venous and arterial catheters (UAC and UVC) and a peripheral IV so they could replace all the fluids and electrolytes he was losing from urinating so much.


They took me back to the recovery room in labor and delivery, where I spent the next six hours or so recovering from the surgery. They set me up on a pain pump and let me start with clear liquids. I had a little bit of nausea each time I took a drink, but no vomiting. The pain became very well controlled, with the exception of when they would crede my uterus. The balloon was still in and would remain in until 2 pm the next day. My urine output was pretty low to begin with, so they watched that carefully, but my kidneys picked back up and figured out what to do. They recovered me longer than normal because of my risk for hemorrhage and because my kidneys were having problems again. At 10 that night they transferred me back to the room I'd been staying in. I finally got to see my little man in the NICU and then we went to bed. I hadn't slept that good in many weeks.

So far my recovery is going well. I'm able to walk around fine and the medications are controlling my pain well. The balloon was taken out yesterday and no problem with hemorrhage or uterine atony. I'll have to watch myself carefully over the next week or two, but I'm not worried about any more bleeding issues. I'm excited to be discharged tomorrow (on Thanksgiving) and to remember what the outside world looks like. I haven't been home in 3 weeks, and I don't remember what my house even looks like.

As for Zach, he is still in the NICU but he's breathing entirely on his own. He still has the IV lines in to hydrate and feed him and to monitor his vital signs closely. He is still urinating a lot, but his output is on the high end of normal. It has improved significantly since his birth. They are giving him occasional tube feedings and they are treating him for high bilirubin levels. Within the next couple days, we're hoping his amount of lab draws will taper off and they can take out his UAC and then they will let us hold and cuddle him, and even start trying to breastfeed. He may not be able to do very well at first, and I'm not sure I'm making a lot of colostrum at this point, but the practice is what he needs. They have evaluated him and believe he has barter syndrome (look it up ;) which is something I didn't learn about until I was diagnosed with poly. They'll continue to treat him as premature and replacing his fluids, and watch his urine output before they decide what kind of treatment or prognosis he has with this syndrome. They anticipate he'll be in the hospital for 2-3 weeks, and he will be allowed to go home when he can maintain his temperature, he has no need for oxygen, and when he is receiving all his feeding by mouth. I'm thinking he'll be home by Christmas without a doubt and that's the best gift I could ask for. When he was born he weighed 4 pounds 12 ounces and was 17 1/2 inches long. He's such a scrawny little guy and has long toes and fingers. We'll beef him up real good so I can take a chunky baby home with me. Sorry about the long post, but hopefully you were able to bear with me and you feel updated and informed. I'll continue to post on his status.