March 18, 2009

28 Weeks! We got here. we weren't to sure we would make it this far so this is a joyous day!





A lot happens today: I am being taken off the magnesium after being on it since the 1st. so they are curious to see what my body does being off of it and whether I will start to have some contractions or not. And we also go for my 28 week ultrasound to see where we stand with the baby and his measurements and weight and also my situation with the Complete Placenta Previa and the Accreta. I am nervous but excited at the same time.





Baby Asher's odds have just gone from lots of possible complications to 92% chance of minor complications..It is such a relief and one less thing to have to worry about at this point in time.

Look at my baby boy! its amazing what they can do with ultrasound pictures now....He has such cute chubby cheeks! his measurements all looked really good. and he is weighing in at 2lbs. 10 oz. I am so relieved!

On the note of me and my crazy attacking Placenta it hasnt got any worse in progression which is a good sign, it hasnt begun to attack other areas of my organs at this time. But it is defiantely all still there. We will continue to monitor it very closely as time goes on, and hope for the best possible outcome that they know exactly what to expect going into the surgery. I believe they said we will do another ultrasound at 30 weeks to determine again where we stand with baby Asher and my Placenta.

Wednesday March 11th, 2009

27 Weeks Today!
Made it another week, havent had a bleed since the 1st of March except for some spotting and mild forms. They are closely monitoring me because I am having some clotting issues with my blood, and are worried about me getting preclampsia. More blood tests.

Friday March 6, 2009

Mark And girls had to leave around 8 am so they could get back to Havasu Mark had to be at work at 1pm. So sad to see them go. The visit went by way too quickly.

I guess its just me and my hospital walls again..

Thursday March 5, 2009

Mark & Girls Visit Me......I dont know what is harder not seeing them at all or watching them leave when it was time to go.......

Wednesday March 4th, 2009

26 Weeks today!

So excited Mark and the girls are coming late tonight after he gets off of work, it is their first chance to visit since I was admitted on the morning of the 26th. I havent got to see them for a week already and it feels like forever. This is just the beginning of along journey ahead of us. It is going to be so hard! I miss them all so much...They will be here in the middle of the night and stay all day Thursday and leave around 8 am friday Morning so Mark can be back to work by 1pm. I am so thankful I get to see them even if it will be a quick trip.

Tuesday March 3rd, 2009

forgot to mention:
25 Weeks 6 days
Administered second shot of first set of steroid shots today. They will take 24 hours before they take effect. Just by him having the steroid shots his odds go up tremendously in his favor.

Monday March 2, 2009 the next day after my big bleed!

25 weeks 5 days
Here we are after a very eventful evening...I didnt get much sleep since they have me on 24 monitoring of the baby making sure he is ok after all the blood loss. And it has been a day of monitoring and testing, and Iv's and new medications, and blood tests. fun stuff.


Administered first set of steroid shots for the baby today, they are done in two shots one today and the other one following 24 hours from now. These will help his lungs mature faster so if something were to happen in an emergency situation he would have a better chance of his lungs rapidly working in his favor.

My Second Bleed! Late Evening Sunday March 1, 2009

I am 25 weeks 4 days today!

At around 10:30 pm I was laying in my hospital bed and felt a huge gush, It was somewhat dark in my room so I went to head towards the bathroom to see what was happening and within seconds, I didnt make it very far and just out came gushes of blood. Sorry for the gruesome ness. I dont believe I have ever seen that much blood at one time let alone my own, it was very scary. I immediately called for my nurse, and in came a rush of staff members from nurses to doctors all well aware of the adversity of my situation, we had to get this bleeding stopped and fast. It is way too soon for me to be having this baby. They packed up my stuff and we were on the move to another area of the labor and delivery so I could be right next to the OR room. At this point I had lost a lot of blood, and they were trying to measure the exact amount in case they needed to do a blood transfusion. I had made it a bit difficult to measure in that I had started to head towards the bathroom and their was blood all over the floor that was unable to measure at this point. My bleeding finally subsided by now, and was just mildly flowing so they were still trying to figure out what to do in my situation, they knew we have to be very careful in the attempt to not harm me but also worry about the baby being so early and any complications it would mean for him. At this point at 25 weeks his odds werent in his favor.
A catch 22 really. They had moved me into another room, room 333 and they immediately started monitoring the baby to make sure he wasnt having any kind of distress from all the bleeding. And also placed me on magnesium which helps stop any contractions from happening. They were wondering if maybe I was having some lower lying contractions that caused the bleeding or if it was just another sign of my Placenta going crazy..In some instances you can have many bleeds brought on from the previa and Accreta and in some cases some woman dont have any bleeding well my odds werent looking to good at this point since this was my second bleed within a week.

What an exhausting night!

February 26, 2009 Admitted Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center Phoenix Az

Admission Day:

Arrived a little before 9 am like promised. They were expecting me.

25 weeks 1 day: started out in Room 320

Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center, a nonprofit hospital, has provided medical care since 1911. They are committed to excellence in all areas of health care including high risk obstetrics.

located at: 1111 E. McDowell RoadPhoenix, AZ 85006

25 Weeks Ultrasound Picture

Phoenix Perinatal Association Specialist Appointment:

Ultrasound picture Asher Michael

February 25, 2009

Specialist Appointment In Phoenix Wednesday February 25, 2009

So we had to be in Phoenix by 8:15 am for my initial paperwork, and then my ultrasounds at 8:45 and my consultation at 10:30 am. The drive is about 3.5 hours so needless to say we were up at the crack of dawn headed to Phoenix. Me, Mark and Burgandy and Eme. Kayla had school so she wasnt able to go with us. What a day... A day filled with doctors and tired, anstsy kids wanting to just get out of there. A very time consuming process, of waiting and more waiting.........And at the end of the day we learned some news that would change our lives forever......

I am 25 weeks today! They did ultrasounds to determine how bad my condition of Complete Placenta Previa was and to see how the baby was doing and measurements and just an overall thourough check to see where my body was standing at this point in my pregnancy...They learned that along with my condition of Complete Placenta Previa from this I have acquired what they call Placenta Accreta it is a side effect that can occur with the previa. More bad news.......it just seems to keep coming. At this point I was very unfamiliar with the Accreta so I am attaching some info about this as well......

Placenta accreta is a severe obstetric complication involving an abnormal superficial attachment of the placenta to the myometrium (the middle layer of the uterine wall). There are three forms of placenta accreta, distinguishable by the depth of penetration.
The placenta usually detaches from the uterine wall relatively easily, but women who encounter placenta accreta during childbirth are at great risk of haemorrhage during its removal. This commonly requires surgery to stem the bleeding and fully remove the placenta, and in severe forms can often lead to a hysterectomy or be fatal.
Placenta accreta affects approximately 1 in 2,500 pregnancies.

I am now a statistic!

The most common form of placenta accreta is an invasion of the myometrium which does not penetrate the entire thickness of the muscle. This form of the condition accounts for around 75-78% of all cases, and has no name other than placenta accreta.
There are two further variants of the condition that are known by specific names and are defined by the depth of their attachment to uterine wall. Placenta increta occurs when the placenta further extends into the myometrium and happens in around 17% of all cases. Placenta percreta, the worst form of the condition and occurring in 5-7% of cases, is when the placenta penetrates the entire myometrium to the uterine serosa (invades through entire uterine wall). This variant can lead to the placenta attaching to other organs such as the rectum or bladder[1].

Again I have to have the worst possible case of the Placenta Accreta, the percreta that only occurs in 5-7% of cases.

What a day! during my consultation they informed us that she wanted to admit me to the hospital immediately for the remainder of my pregnancy. I am only 25 weeks that is forever....But she wasnt giving us an option at this point for my health and the health of the baby it is what had to be done. So she at least let us go home which was against her wishes as long as we promised to be back immediately the next morning to be admitted at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center here in Phoenix.. So much to do and think about....And such a long drive home.. so quiet, confused, and unsure of how we were going to pull this one off, with me being placed in the hospital for the remainder of my time..So little time to prepare things and get some stuff in order and together to be right back in Phoenix by 9 am.

Dr's Appointment February 23rd, 2009

So here it is Monday morning @ 10:45 am after my bleed, meeting with my doctor in Havasu to determine where we go from here. She had scheduled an appointment for me to meet with a specialist in Phoenix this Wednesday the 25th nothing like a little time in advance..I guess its for the best the sooner we meet with them the better. She explained more in detail my situation with the complete previa and the fact I have already had a bleed that it didnt look like it would end up fixing itself with the placenta. And with me having two previous c-sections it increase my odds higher. Now they tell me.

My First Bleed! February 21st, 2009

So Mark and I were headed to Laughlin for the weekend since he had to work on Valentine's Day, so we were able to sneak away the following weekend just the two of us. We were so looking forward to it. When we were in Bullhead City Az doing some shopping which is right across the river from Laughlin because we werent able to check in to our hotel quite yet, we had a bit of a detour. I had to use the restroom while doing some shopping and while using the restroom I had some major bleeding occur, so I immediately rushed to find mark out in the store and he rushed me to the hospital there in Bullhead City the Western Arizona Regional Medical Center. I thnk we were both just shocked and freaking out at this point wondering why I was bleeding and what was going to happen. I am only 24 weeks three days at this point. It seemed like we were there forever, they just kept monitoring my bleeding and the baby and needed me to get ahold of my doctor in Havasu to find out what she wanted me to do. At this point she had decided to send me to see a specialist in Phoenix and I had to meet with her first thing Monday morning, and we would go from there. My bleeding subsided after what seemed like an eternity in that hospital and then we still were able to make it to our hotel for the evening, but all plans went out the window and it was just a nice relaxing night in the room on bedrest at this point.

Dr's Appointment February 2 ,2009

Well today is the day we find out whether it is a boy or girl! I am two days shy of being 22 weeks. We will have an ultrasound @ 3:30 and hopefully the baby will cooperate so we can determine what the sex is......We have been thinking for awhile now that it is a boy..And my girls are not even giving the option that it could be another girl...They think boy all the way, and of course my husband wants a boy! We will soon find out..................


IT"S A BOY! We are so very Excited!

Not only did we find out some of the most exciting news today we also got a bit of not so exciting news that I have a condition called Placenta Previa. As my husband puts it; it was like he was givin great news and in a moments notice it was all taken away with some news we werent expecting...My doctor explained to us that we will come back in a couple weeks and do another ultrasound to see if maybe the Placenta Previa will fix itself. She put me on strict pelvic rest, and moderate bed rest at this point...wondering what this thing called Placenta Previa was really all about....

Here is a little insight into the definition of Placenta Previa:
Placenta previa (placenta previa AE) is an obstetric complication in which the placenta is attached to the uterine wall close to or covering the cervix [1]. It can some times occur in the latter part of the first trimester, but usually during the second or third. It is a leading cause of antepartum haemorrhage (vaginal bleeding). It affects approximately 0.5% of all labours.
No specific cause of placenta previa has yet been found but it is hypothesized to be related to abnormal vascularisation of the endometrium caused by scarring or atrophy from previous trauma, surgery, or infection.

Placenta previa is classified according to the placement of the placenta:
Type I or low lying: The placenta encroaches the lower segment of the uterus but does not infringe on the cervical os.
Type II or marginal: The placenta touches, but does not cover, the top of the cervix.
Type III or partial: The placenta partially covers the top of the cervix.
Type IV or complete: The placenta completely covers the top of the cervix.

I have been diagnosed with a complete Previa which is where the placenta completely covers the top of the cervix.

Asher-Name Meaning

Asher

Meaning:
Fortunate; blessed; happy


Pronunciation:
(ASH er)


Additional info:
In the Old Testament, Asher was the 8th son of Jacob and the second son of Zilpa, the maid of Jacob’s wife Leah. He was also the founder of the Tribe of Asher.

This is our family minus one Asher Michael who will be joining us very soon!

Kayla, Mark, Me

Emerald & Burgandy

Welcome to our story!

Where do I begin? Well I guess it all started when we found out in September 2008 that we were having another baby .. Baby number three for this marriage. I have an older daughter as well from a previous relationship. So in total this will be baby number four for me. I guess you can say this was sort of a planned pregnancy sort of not, we all know how that goes...life is full of surprises...We have all girls so of course we were hoping that this pregnancy would bless us with our boy finally. We had decided at this point that no matter what the outcome whether boy or girl we would be happy as long as the baby was healthy. But we knew this was the last chance for us, I went in to it planning on having my tubes tied.