24 Weeks 3 Days

Well, since it looks like it has begun, I’m going to use this blog to keep you guys updated on everything going on with me and the little guy. Now that I’m on bed rest, I should have plenty of time to post, so check here weekly or every few days for an update. So, here’s the scoop on what’s been going on over the last couple of weeks.

Last week, as many of you know, we had to make the decision to say goodbye to our beloved dog, Astro. He was 15 years old, and had been in Steve’s life since he was a teenager. He was old, sick, and suffering, and we know we made the right decision. But it was very hard on us as a family, and the first time we’ve lost a part of our family together. I had been having mild contractions off and on for several weeks, which was expected with my history, but I wasn’t too concerned yet. After we lost Astro, the stress and emotional toil of it all got to me, and I started having much more frequent and painful contractions. I saw my doctor, she checked my cervix, and all looked good. So she told me to just continue taking it easy and minimize stress as much as possible. I had another rough day last week of frequent contractions, but I managed to get them to stop, and didn’t go in.

This week had been a really good week. Which probably made me feel more comfortable trying to get more things done, and I probably overdid it. Thursday night I had a rough bout of contractions every 3 minutes for a couple of hours, but no pain with them, and I got them to stop. Yesterday morning/afternoon, I had stayed home from work, and was just sitting around doing nothing when they started up again. This time, I thought I better call the doctor to be safe. My doctor was not in, so they sent me over to Christus St. John’s hospital to be evaluated and have my contractions monitored. The on-call doctor from my clinic was also on duty there at the time. I got there, fully thinking it was a complete waste of time because I wasn’t in pain, but contractions never did stop. After being monitored for an hour or so, they decided that contractions were coming to close for comfort, so they started me on IV fluids, which can sometimes help, and a dose of narcotics to help me relax, in hopes that would stop them. When that did nothing, they gave me a dose of terbutaline, the drug I took during my pregnancy with Isaac that helps relax smooth muscles and stop contractions. It has some unpleasant side effects though for me, including racing heart and trembling. My cervix was checked by several people (not a fun experience), and was found to be thinning, and very slightly dilated (less than 1 cm). This suggests that the contractions I am having are doing something, which is concerning. I received a second dose of terb when the first didn’t stop them completely. We got a sneak peak at the little guy when they did an ultrasound to check on how he was doing. He looks absolutely perfect, and is definitely all boy. He’s measuring about a week ahead, and seems perfectly happy in there. Finally, they brought me some food at this point. It had been 7 and half hours since I’d eaten anything but ice chips – there has to be a law about starving a pregnant woman.

After the second dose of terb, contractions had stopped, so they sent me home around 9pm last night with strict orders of bed rest and a prescription of terbutaline pills to take around the clock. If they start back up, it’s back to the hospital. Otherwise, I’ll see my doctor on Monday to check on things once again. I had a tough time sleeping last night, and did have some contractions this morning that were worrisome, but I think the terb has kicked in now.

At 24 weeks, the survival rate is 50%. But that jumps up to 70% next week , and 80% the week after. However, the risk of long term complications this early are high, and remain high for several more weeks, although decreasing with each week he stays in. Every day counts. So, your thoughts and prayers are very important at this time. You can watch our progress on the ticker at the top of this blog page. We are so appreciative to have such an incredible support system. Thank you all for your prayers and support, it means the world to us.

Lastly, we wanted to share the name we have chosen for this little guy with everyone, so you have a name to use in your prayers. His name is Lucas Vincent Bohannon. There’s still some talk as to whether or not we’ll call him Luke or Lucas (my vote is Luke, Steve’s is Lucas), so that’s still up in the air.

Thanks again. And feel free to post comments so I know you're reading!

Julie