Two more weeks...

Thank you all so much for the sweet birthday wishes and prayers for us today. My babies and my momma made my birthday special. The kids made me a banner, complete with balloons and Kaytie baked me my favorite kind of cake.

Unfortunately, we got worse news than we were expecting today. First we went to the high risk doctor for an ultrasound. After finishing up the ultrasound, the tech went to get the doctor. He came back in and looked a bit more himself. He was very kind, but didn't sugar coat anything.

It appears that the placenta has grown into the uterus, through it and is at least on the bladder, possibly attached to the bladder. He said that the last lady he saw that looked like this spent "quite awhile" in the ICU. I told him that the doctor had ordered 6 units of blood and he actually laughed. He said that it would be really good to only use 6 units, but that I had 5 liters in my body, so we should be prepared for it to be more.

I think Ward and I are on information overload. I'll try to explain the basic plan. Korbin's fluid levels were on the low side, so I'll be monitored frequently at the high risk office until I deliver. They'll do non stress tests and ultrasounds to check fluid levels at each appointment. I go back Friday for my first one of those.

I'm on "modified" bedrest for the next two weeks. I can still do basic things, but no extensive walking and I'm supposed to spend most of my time sitting on my rear and living "an extremely sedentary lifestyle." We'll know tomorrow exactly what time the c-section will take place but it will most likely be August 17th at 36 weeks. The high risk doctor said there was no need to do an amniocentesis to check to see if he was mature because it just didn't matter. He said "if we make it to 36 weeks, there's no point in trying to be valiant, we just need to get him out of there."

Tomorrow morning the OB and the high risk doctor will go over the MRI results. They'll consult with the GYN oncologist who will be assisting them with the delivery because- in the words of the doctor "they handle the surgeries no one else wants to do." They will also likely be assisted by a urologist who will reconstruct my bladder if need be. So they will decide tomorrow when they can all be there for the surgery and we'll know for sure what time to plan for.

I will be delivering at St. John's...which is disappointing, but the high risk doctor said this is as high risk as it gets- "this is life or death" and that we really needed to be somewhere where they could easily handle large transfusions and get specialists in as needed. I'll be delivered in the main surgery OR, instead of the OB OR, under general anestesia. The special care nurses and neonatologists will be there and will care for the baby when he's delivered. Then they'll come get Ward and let him stay with the baby.

It's almost 100% certain that they'll do a cesarean hysterectomy at that point. If the blood loss is not terribly extensive, they'll let me recover similarly to a regular cesarean, except that I won't be able to nurse for 24 hours until the anethesia is out of my system.

Obviously, this is not the news that we had hoped for. But we are thankful that we live in a day and age when we know this before I went into labor, in which case there's no chance me or Korbin would have survived. I'm thankful that I've been able to spend my pregnancy at home with my babies, which is nothing short of miraculous in and of itself. I'm thankful that we have access to such amazing medical professionals. I'm thankful that we've made it so far with the baby and that, although he will technically be premature, he'll hopefully be more than 5 lbs. when he's born and will be healthy. (He's 4 lbs. 13 oz. right now)

Two weeks from now my sweet little baby will be on the outside, safe and sound...and I could not be more thankful.