Whirlwind

The placenta is an organ that grows inside the uterus during pregnancy that, through the umbilical cord, links the baby to the mother’s bloodstream in order to supply nutrients and oxygen to the growing fetus. Unlike any other organ in the human body, placentas have a temporary lifespan and exist only for the purpose of growing a baby. Dr's fear that women who carry past their due date have an "old" placenta which could mean it stops efficiently supplying the baby with the proper amount of nutrients and oxygen.

So yesterday, at 40 weeks and 6 days, we had an appointment for an NST (Non Stress Test) and Ultrasound. At this appointment they checked the babies heart rate and my fluid levels for any signs of an "old" placenta. 

Well, the appointment ended up being quite the whirlwind.

Our appointment was at 3:15pm.  I was hooked up to the monitoring system for 45 minutes.  During this time, I was pumping out contractions every 6-10 minutes. Baby's heart rate was just perfect until the VERY end of the testing.  One dip in his heart rate immediately after a contraction left the Dr.'s concerned so we were sent to Labor and Delivery (L&D) right away.

We had both cars with us, no car seat (the base's are installed in both cars but we don't keep the car seat actually in the car), no hospital bag, dinner prepped at home, and in no way mentally or emotionally ready to be emitted into the hospital.

Once we were checked into L&D, they hooked me up to the monitor for more testing.  This testing lasted almost 2 hours. My contractions continued and baby's heart rate was ideal throughout the entire session.

Our midwife was not on shift but another midwife (who we actually really liked) came in to discuss the results and options with us.

Results:

-The ultrasound showed that my fluid levels are ideal (low fluid levels would indicate an old placenta).

-Monitoring in the clinic showed one small dip in baby's heart rate which is something to be concerned about but the additional testing done at L&D showed no signs of distress or concerns.

Options:

-Go home and take the very small chance of the baby being at risk.

-Stay to be induced.

Her Professional Recommendation:

She said she has to recommend that I stay to be induced more so because of being at 41 weeks and less because of the testing results.  She said if there were several dips in his heart rate, she would be concerned but because it was only one small dip in the over 2.5 hours of testing, it wasn't really enough to be a major concern. She also said that of course nobody can predict what will happen to the baby once I leave their care, so she had to review all the risks we would be taking by going home that night.

 Our Decision:

She left the room so we could make our decision together.  The decision didn't come without tears on my part but ultimately we decided that we would go home.  Hanley's health is our #1 priority but at this point we don't feel that there are enough signs for concern. So, we made it home by 8:45pm last night.

We have an appointment today at noon with our midwife so we will make a plan of action from there. Until then, I am trying to stay calm and relaxed because I know that's what Hanley needs me to do.