As Thy Days

I never wanted children - or so I thought.  When Sweet Hubby and I were first married, I told him we would start discussing children in 5-7 years.  After our first year of marriage, he asked me when I thought I might want to start trying.  I told him, "Umm, let me pray about it."  A week later, God changed my heart and I was ready.  Good thing, because 2 weeks later, I was pregnant!

The week before we found out we were pregnant, I had 2 SVT spells.  SVT is basically a really fast heartrate.  For me, it was 200-220 bpm.  I didn't think anything about it because it was normal for me to have a spell every few months.  By 7 weeks of pregnancy, I had 5 spells.

I met with a cardiologist who referred me to a wonderful electrophysiologist in Nashville.  I was put on a beta blocker in hopes to control my fast heartrate.  It worked...for 2 weeks.  My dosage was increased and it worked for another 2 weeks.  By 18 weeks of pregnancy, I had been to the ER several times and was given adenosine.  Adenosine stops your heart and then immediately restarts it, hoping that it starts back in normal rythym.  It hurts.  That's all I can say.  It flippin' hurts.  The doctor added another medication.  I had to stay 2 nights in the hospital to monitor Babbling Brook's reaction to the new med.  The meds did not affect her heart rate at all!  Praise God!

At 18 1/2 weeks, we had our routine growth scan.  Everything looked great except for the placement of the umbilical cord in the placenta.  We had to return for another sonogram in 4 weeks. 

The night before the next sonogram, I started experiencing some crampiness and told Sweet Hubby I thought I was having some Braxton-Hicks contractions.  The sonogram looked great.  The tech had one last thing to check before we could go....my cervix.  The room fell silent.  She measured and measured and measured.  I could tell by her silence that something was wrong.  My cervix was short, dilating and I was contracting.  Diagnosis: Preterm labor.  Treatment:  Medicine and IMMEDIATE bed rest.

The night before the next sonogram, Babbling Brook was not moving like she should have been. Come to find out, the medicine I was on (new med) caused my amniotic fluid to decrease to a dangerous level. The good news was my cervix lengthened, however, I had to be taken off the new med and continue bedrest.

We went back the next week and my cervix had shortened, amniotic fluid was back up and they were going to try a different medication and continue bedrest.

Next week, FINALLY - good news. Cervix was great, amniotic fluid great, heart rate great but continue bed rest.

Bed rest lasted 12 weeks. At 35 weeks, I was taken off bedrest and the medication. I still had to continue my heart meds though. At 36 1/2 weeks, Babbling Brook arrived. June 21, 2008 1:06pm 5lbs 7oz. 100% healthy! Praise God.

When I was originally put on bed rest, Sweet Hubby and I prayed for the small milestones: at 23 weeks, we prayed that she just make it to 25 weeks; at 25 weeks we prayed for her to make it to 28 weeks, 28 weeks make it to 32 weeks and finally we prayed that we were ready for her as long as we could bring her home when we were discharged. God listened and God answered.

During all of this, Sweet Hubby and I clung to Deuteronomy 33:25, "As thy days are, so shall thy strength be." Had I known what all we would have had to endure through the pregnancy, I might have said NO WAY, I can't handle that. I am so thankful that I had no clue.

God gives you strength to face today, not tomorrow or yesterday, TODAY.

Our sweet Babbling Brook last Christmas