Where we are

Friday afternoon (6/15) - I decided to check my blood pressure because I had a slight headache and realized it had been a few days since I last checked it. It was 160/104, which was higher than it had been running, so I called my perionatalogist. He recommended that I check into OB Triage at the closest hospital (Chandler Regional) to be safe. I called Ray and asked if he could come home 30 minutes early to drive me there. We decided that I should pack an overnight bag and bring my meds and blood pressure monitor so we would be covered. My perinatologist had always told us that my blood pressure may go up as the pregnancy continues due to my pre-existing hypertension, so we were not worked up about it and figured that they would probably need to adjust my medications. At OB triage, we waited for 15-20 minutes for the nurse to see other patients. I felt fine and Ray went to the cafeteria to get us food. Once the nurse saw me, she confirmed that my BP was high (170/112)and said that I would be checked into OB triage for observation. Once there, my BP kept climbing and my perionatalogist was called in. They had trouble finding a good vein for my i.v., so they made three painful attempts before getting the i.v. in. My perionatalogist told us that he wanted to have me transported to another hospital (St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center) that could care for a 25 weeker if it was necessary for  me to deliver. Ray could not drive me to the other hospital; the only transportation that they would allow was helicopter or ambulance. Dollar signs flashed in Ray and my minds when we heard about our only two options. I am sure thinking about it did not help my rising blood pressure. Next thing we knew the flight team was introducing themselves to us and hooking up my IV to their IV pole. The flight nurse kept trying to reassure me by saying it was a wonderful time of day for a flight. All I kept thinking was that things must be critical if a flight team was here to transport ME. I always thought that helicopter flights were only for trauma patients and other life and death situations. They started infusing magnesium sulfate while wheeling me down the hospital halls and towards the helipad. I was hot and flushed from the magnesium and it was HOT out. I couldn't wait until the a/c would be turned on. I had spent my whole life flying in airplanes but didn't know what to think about being in a helicopter. When we took off, I told myself breathe in and breath out and try to stay calm. I can honestly say that, despite the circumstances, that ride was one of the coolest experiences I have ever had. The helicopter flew low so I could follow our route as we traveled over one freeway or another. I was still feeling flushed from the magnesium but the fear I initially had was gone. We landed at the hospital with 15 minutes and I was wheeled into room number 8 in the perinatal high risk unit. They started monitoring me and baby girl and my nurse commented on how active she was (always a good sign). My blood pressure started to look a little better and baby girl's activity looked good, so I was moved to another unit on Sunday (6/17) where less monitoring was necessary. Once in the unit, my blood pressure started going up again. They wheeled me down for an ultrasound of baby girl to see how the blood flow in the umbilical cord and placenta looked. They said that they needed to move me to another room on Monday afternoon where I could be better monitored.

On Monday night (6/18), I was prepped for delivery because my blood pressure was still not under control. The Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine told me that they were going to see if my body responded to more IV meds and if it didn't, it was very likely that I would deliver within the next 24 hours. She told me that they never make a decision like that lightly. It was scary to think that we might meet our daughter at only 25 weeks gestation - a time when the odds of surival are not that high. Ray and I cried and prayed together and then I was moved to another room and paired up with a nurse who would be providing one on one care to me. My nurse was so thoughtful as I waited to see what would happen and tried my best to relax and think about what may be.

On Tuesday morning, my blood pressure was way down and we were told that I would not be delivering after all. Prayers are being answered every day. It looks like I will probably remain on hospital bedrest until delivery and our goal (mine, Ray's, and the doctors) is to delay delivery as long as safely possible.


Baby girl is doing great; she is very active and hard to track on the fetal heart rate monitor due to all her twists, turns, kicks, punches, and flips. They have been doing a biophysical profile (BPP) on her daily, and all the doctors have commented on her active she is. One resident commented that she is the most active 25-weeker she had ever seen. That's our girl!

We decided to start this blog so our family and friends can follow our journey. We may not be able to return phone calls and emails, but hopefully this will provide updates of how things are going.

Your prayers, positive thoughts, and comments are greatly appreciated.

Love,
Meghan, Ray, and Baby M