HOLDING OUR BREATH

May 7, 2014

Family and friends filled this time of my unwieldy body and unknown baby outcomes with concern and help. I look back on how much support we received from Sue and Peggy my next door and across the street neighbors.  My sisters and brothers, John’s family, food, babysitting, seems like people were also holding their breath with us as we sat with the unknown. 

We did not get anything ready for Andrew. I remember saying to my mother when Marnie was on the way—“I won’t wash any of the new things I received as shower gifts in case anything happens to the baby and I have to return them”. She was upset—do you know something you are not telling us? No, I did not. Maybe I had spent too much time in hospitals absorbing all that could go wrong. Marnie was born fine and I did use all the shower gifts. This time there was no shower—seems everyone was with us in other ways—kind of spiritually holding our hands, holding us together.

Then during the Christmas holidays, I noticed that I was urinating more frequently than normal. My breathing seemed to be getting easier. Something was definitely changing. Was Andrew getting better? I do not remember much else –but the lighter feeling was a relief.

On my next weekly visit to the ObGYN, I had lost almost 15 pounds and my blood glucose was normal.  My weight continued to fall and before I delivered Andrew, I had lost over 20 pounds.

Tests to monitor Andrew’s status, including several amniocenteses, continued on an outpatient basis. At this stage, the focus was on determining the ratio of certain proteins in the amniotic fluid, which indicate lung maturity. The plan was to deliver Andrew as soon as his lungs were mature enough, to minimize risk of respiratory distress. The overall goal was to  remove Andrew from  exposure to potentially fatal antibodies I was producing in response to the assumed maternal fetal incompatibility¸ even though nothing definitive was ever determined that would actually confirm that diagnosis.

The delivery was to take place at HUP, which had, at the time, an underground tunnel connecting it with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). If Andrew were born needing pediatric specialists, he could be taken immediately to CHOP. A large team of pediatric and obstetrical specialists would attend the delivery to be on hand should any intervention be necessary.

More Tomorrow