I had a C-section at 35 weeks

It seems funny to me now that I am following up my post about almost giving birth at 35 weeks when I did had my son at that time. A few hours after posting my last article, I was startled when the resident doctor, along with a number of nurses, came rushing inside my room to tell me that my baby's heartbeat was dropping again!

She said the tightening in my stomach are contractions. I was speechless. I was numb. Should I be panicking? Am I supposed to cry now? Is my baby gonna be okay? The doctor proceeded trying to trigger my baby's heartbeat and for a few intense moments, with my eyes glued to the heart monitor, I felt my heart practically explode with intense fear. I said a small prayer to God, Mama Mary, St. Clare and St. Gerard Majella and lo and behold, Archie's heartbeat rose up and stabilized.

I was rushed to the Operating Room and was immediately prepped for a c-section. I was such in a daze that all I could think about was having Henry with me so, I asked one of the nurses if I could use her phone to call my husband. Please be here soon, I told Henry.

I remember the bright lights inside the facility, the cold brass bed, the unusually cold temperature and the hustle of all the nurses. I remember the anesthesiologist explaining things to me and suddenly I was held in fetal position so she could inject the epidural at the right point in my spine. Suddenly, I was numbed from the waist down.

Maybe it was the medicines, but suddenly, I felt calm. I was ready to meet my son.

Half an hour after the fiasco started, Dra. Valerie Guinto walked in the OR all prepped and ready to go. Seeing her gave me such a sense of relief because I know that she will take care of me and my baby. She then calmly told me that we need to get Archie out now to ensure his safety. Ten minutes later, Henry arrived as well.

I never knew that a major operation like C-section can be so calm - I can hear Dra. Guinto making light kwentos with the other doctors, my anes by my side calmly telling me that I might feel some discomfort at specific points during the procedure and that all of it was normal.

A few minutes later, they hauled Archie out of me and I heard him cry his small cry once. My heart almost gave out. He was a healthy 35 weeker and did not need to be incubated. He was immediately roomed in with me. I can still remember how I was awaken when I heard him cry beside me inside the recovery room; how strong my yearning was to hold him and look at him and love him with all my life.

Our first family picture

I Almost Had An Emergency C-Section at 35 Weeks!

I went in for a follow-up check yesterday because contractions were seen last Thursday on my Non-Stress Test. I was actually supposed to come in and have my follow-up check up today however, my doctor cancelled her Saturday clinic schedule. The hospital visit was unexpected on our end and our driver was already out on an errand yesterday hence, we opted to take an Uber to go to St. Lukes Global. I feel like I need to mention this because with our personal driver, I am very adamant that he be careful with bumps on the road as I feel it aggravates the aches and pains I feel during this pregnancy. 

Alas, the uber/cab driver was far from being careful. I felt every bump, every sudden break and what's more, he changed route halfway through the ride because he mistakenly entered a U-turn slot that took us back to Manila. 

After almost two hours on the road, we arrived at the hospital with me feeling very tired. I felt my tummy tightened but was quite relieved to know that I was already next in line for my doctor's appointment. A few minutes after arriving at the clinic, my name was called and I went inside the doctor's room where she asked me to lay down so she can perform an ultrasound.

When my doctor was scanning me, I immediately noticed a concerned looked twitched across her face. She said the fetal heartbeat was only at 99 beats per minute (regular range is between 110-160bpm). She sent me straight to the operating room for an emergency c-section!!!

I was crying all the way because I only hit 35 weeks today and our target was 37 weeks (not full 40 weeks because I have APAS and it is considered risky for APAS patients to go beyond this point). Right before they started the operation, my OB ordered the nurse to hook me up on a fetal hearbeat monitor and THANK GOD, his heartbeat registered at 140s.

 

They transferred me back to the high risk pregnancy unit where I am now being kept for possibly a few days. I've had one shot of steroids to support my baby's lung development if in case he comes early; I've also has one shot of medicine that's supposed to stop the preterm contractions.

I really wanna go home because I am on a private hospital and I can practically hear the bills raking up with every passing hour.

By the way, the cab story is only meant to relay the fact that I feel the bumpy ride kind of contributed to the drop in heartbeat, as my doctor said I possibly had a long contraction that's why the sudden decline. 

I do hope our situation stabilizes and the contractions stop. I need the baby to continue baking for at least one more week or optimistically, two more weeks. As my doctor said, every 24 hours inside my womb is crucial to my baby's development. 

One Day At A Time

I am 16 weeks and 5 days today and so far, I've had two IVIG sessions, three Intralipids infusions, around 90+ Innohep jabs and hundreds of oral medications to help sustain my pregnancy. Due to the fact that I've suffered through a number of miscarriages, every minute of THIS pregnancy is making me nervous hence, I pushed my boss to allow me to work from home three times a week and I make sure I don't put any strain on myself by walking for more than 15 minutes at a time or lift heavy things, etc.

The expenses can pile up but I have to say that I don't even think about how much we've been spending because the thought that my baby is happily growing inside my tummy gives me so much happiness.

Short Cervical Length

On our routine check-up on a Tuesday before New Year's, my OB-Perinat noticed that my cervical length is quite short. I learned that the normal measurement is from 2.5cm and although mine falls within that range at 2.9cm, it was still considered quite short for how far along I was (around 14W+). I was told that if it gets any shorter, I would need to get a cervical cerclage, which is a fancy term for stitching your cervix close to hold the baby's weight better.

I was super stressed out and even went for a second opinion a few days after - the second doctor said my measurement was normal and that I shouldn't worry about it too much. She also advised me to increase my progesterone suppositories to twice a day and put my feet up as much as possible.

So, for the next few days, I refrained from walking and doing anything at all - which sucked because of all the festivities that were going on around me.

However, I believe the most important thing I did during those days was to do a nine-day novena using a prayer from Tessera Legion ni Maria. I solemnly prayed to the Holy Virgin Mary to help me and protect my baby, to blessed us with a healthy pregnancy and to lengthen my cervical length. Lo and behold, on my next appointment, my cervical length did increased to 3.1cm!!! I was so ecstatic, I just know that Mama Mary heard my prayers.

At the core of all this, I know the most important thing I can do it cling to my faith, lift everything up to God and hope that everything goes well.

Pregnant Again After Fourth Pregnancy Loss

I recently found out that  I am pregnant and unlike most women, the first emotion I felt was dread - a sweeping wave of dread.

Don't get wrong, but my initial reaction was mainly due to the fact that I've had four previous miscarriages and the memory of my most recent loss is still painfully fresh that it overshadowed the excitement that I should've felt when I the word "Pregnant" flashed on the Clearblue digital pregnancy test I used that fateful day.

Soon after I got over that stupid feeling, my maternal instinct kicked in and I realized that I do want this, I need this. I messaged my immunologist, who is managing my APS condition and sought her advice on what our next step is to boost my chances of keeping this pregnancy. So, a day after getting the BFP, I went to Asian Hospital to have an eight-hour session of Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), which is made of purified plasma from hundreds of healthy donors. It is said to manage recurrent pregnancy losses of patients with autoimmune diseases.

I admit, the cost was very pricey but my husband and I have agreed (after our last miscarriage) that we will proceed with this treatment the next time I got knocked up.

The good news is two weeks after my infusion, I went in for an ultrasound and saw our little beanie's heartbeat! In five pregnancies (including this one), this was only the second time we've seen a heartbeat so, this was such a huge milestone for us!

However, we are still not in the clear. As my OB said, we need to get past 12 weeks before we can somehow relax. Hence, on top of the IVIG infusion, I also take anticoagulants like baby aspirin and Innohep jabs.