An update on Lacee and Papaw Lester

This has been a long, crazy, stressful, happy, and sad week and it is not over yet. I guess the best thing to do is to tell you about the events of the week.  Monday my Papaw Lester fell at home and it was decided that he needed to go to the hospice house.  Tuesday morning he was moved to the hospice house in Winston.  I spent all Tuesday evening there with him and he was still talking and besides the sores from falling he seemed to be about the same as when I saw him Sunday.  Wednesday I had my fetal echo at Brenner's and Daddy went with me.  They scanned me for an hour!  They were very meticulous about seeing all the arteries, valves and areas of the heart.  To do this they had to use a lot of pressure and it was painful!  It was all worth it because there are no major heart deformities!  They said some small deformities they are not able to see until the heart gets much bigger but that everything they saw looked great and they even checked the flow of the blood through them and the flow was very good.  It was such a relief to know that there is not a major heart defect.  I was in quite a bit of pain and I was cramping after this because of all the scanning and how hard they had to scan.  I had to go with Daddy back to Hospice House to where he was at with Papaw before going back to work.  My stomach kept cramping and hurting so I decided to just stay there and rest and spend some time with Papaw.  His condition had really gone down from yesterday but he was still talking when you asked him a direct question and he would recognize you when you were there.   He looked at my Dad that afternoon and said "It won't be long, Denny" and of course I had to go outside so I could cry.  Then I called Chad and had him bring Nisee up there to visit with Papaw that evening.  She came up there and was an angel the whole time.  She's 2 so she doesn't like to listen all that well right now but she did so great!  She gave Papaw hugs and kisses 2 times and he got to see her playing and talking.  He loved to watch her play.  I stayed later than Chad and Nisee but I did go home eventually that night. 

I got up early the next morning to go to my growth scan at Baptist and I knew Daddy had stayed with Papaw all night so I took him some breakfast.  He was going to go with me to the scan but when I got to hospice Papaw had gotten worse so I told him to stay there.  Plus no one was there and I just didn't think he should be alone at all.  So I went to my scan and we got more good news!  Lacee has grown 2 weeks worth in 2 weeks 1 day time.  She is measuring on average 24 weeks and 3 days and I was 27 weeks.  She is still about 2 and a half weeks behind.  She weighs 1 lb 6 ounces.  She gained 6 ounces in the past 2 weeks.  The doctor said that the main thing is that she is continuing to follow her growth chart which is the most important thing. He showed me the growth curve and she is following right along it!  So GO LACEE!  The ultrasound tech was also very impressed with her breathing of the fluid.  She said that this early they normally aren't practicing as much as she was but she was practicing through the entire scan.  Again I say GO LACEE!  Her movement and tone as well as the fluid also looked good.  We had a great visit and I am glad because we needed it.  I also talked to the doctor about delivery just because I have been wondering.  He said I needed to check with the hospital because if she continues to do this well and have growth then he sees no reason why I can't get her to term but that she is going to be really small and some hospitals just do not like to deal with babies under a certain weight even full term and breathing fine.  I have a visit at my OB in Thomasville on Tuesday so when I go I will verify this with them and depending on what they say I might have to transfer to the Baptist OB's.  Personally I am hoping they will say they can handle her no matter size as long as she is full term but I will do what is best for her and safest for her.  I just love Thomasville Hospital and I am not a fan of Forsyth at all. After my visit I went back to see Papaw and to tell Daddy about the visit and show him all the great pictures and tell him the good news.  When I got there I told Papaw I was back and he said acknowledged me.  While there the doctor came by and said that Papaw had developed pneumonia and that it would not be long and Papaw told her that while she was there.  She talked to Nanny a lot and we all cried of course.  I really liked this doctor. This was really her calling because she was really good. 

I only worked about 15 minutes away and I needed to go into work.  So I went to work for the afternoon and I got back to see Papaw at about 6:15 that evening.  He knew me and knew I was there but he didn't talk this time when I came in.  Everyone was there but Drew and Jake.  Drew and Jake arrived shortly after 8 and went in and told Papaw that they loved him.  Then Papaw Lester passed away.  He knew we were all there and that we all had been there.  I knew it would be quick but I didn't think that it would be that quick so it caught us a little by surprise even though we knew it was coming.  Papaw Lester is the only papaw I remember because my mom's dad passed away when I was 4.  The arrangements for Papaw are Saturday night at Eatons Funeral home for the viewing from 7-8:30pm and the funeral will be at Hardison UMC on Sunday at 3pm. 

3D

Smiling

Hand

Hand at Face

July 14th Ultrasound

This morning I had my weekly ultrasound at Baptist and this was my first visit by myself.  Chad and Mama both had to work so it was just me!  Lacee must have known her Mommy needed a good outcome today because she did awesome today!  Her heart rate was 155.  She was breathing the fluid really well and the fluid levels looked great.  When April (yes I am on first name basis with the sonographers!) was trying to listen to the uterine artery blood flow Lacee kept moving the cord away from her with her hand.  She was finally able to get a good listen and it is still really good!  She was moving a lot as usual, LOL!   Also I actually remembered what the name off the fetal well being test is called.  It is actually the Bio physical profile abbreviated BPP.  So if you here me talking about BPP then you know what I am talking about.  I saw Dr. Gaskins today and he wanted me to schedule me for 4 more weekly visits including the one I have next week.  This made me happy because in my mind this means that they wouldn't schedule me if they didn't think Lacee wouldn't be staying in my belly!  Now I know there is still a chance that if a test doesn't go well that could change but I am going to be optimistic!  I have weekly appointments set up through 31 weeks!  I got some more pictures which included a good 3D one! 

Profile Picture

3D Picture ... Shes so precious!

Big Foot! LOL

Routine OB Visit

I had a regular OB visit today at Thomasville.   I still have to go to them for the routine OB stuff every 2 weeks.  My BP was great at 115/70 and there were no proteins in my urine (tmi) and my iron is good.  Dr. Ellis measured my belly and it was measuring at 25 weeks and I am 25 weeks 6 days today so basically 26 weeks so I am measuring 1 week behind as far as my belly size.  Nothing too major though so no worries!  I like these visits because 99% of the time there is no bad news! Tomorrow I got to Baptist for my weekly ultrasound!  Prayers for more good news tomorrow!

Pregnancy Pictures

Here are a few pictures of my pregnancy with Lacee!  

Taken in Ross I think

After Church

More Good News!!!

Today we got some great news about Lacee!  At my last ultrasound on June 22^nd she was measuring 20 weeks and 1 day even though she should have been 22 weeks and 6 days.  It has been exactly 2 weeks since that ultrasound and today she is measuring 22 weeks and 3 days.  That means she has grown 2 weeks and 2 days in the 2 weeks since my last scan.  She has also gained about 4 ounces and weighs 1 pound now.  On June 22^nd she weighed 12 ounces.  She has grown really well over the past 2 weeks and that is a great thing!  We were really happy about this! 

 

She also did really well on her fetal well being assessment.  She was able to demonstrate some breathing and even had the hiccups.  The fluid also looked good.  It is still in the low end of the normal range.  She had great motion and tone.  She was moving a lot during the scan and that actually made it a little hard to see some of the breathing.  My mom and I weren’t sure what tone was and Dr. Decker explained that it was how she was moving and her range of motions.  Motion just measures if she is active where tone looks at how she is bending her knees and arms or is she just limply holding them. Dr. Decker said that motion and tone go hand in hand.   The uterine artery Doppler test showed good blood flow just like last time!   

 

Lacee is still measuring very small even though she did a great job growing these past 2 weeks.  Her gestational age is 24 weeks and 6 days and she is measuring 2 weeks and 3 days behind that.  She is still below 5% meaning that 95% of other babies her age are bigger than her.  They did not give me her exact percentage.  Her Abdomen is measuring at 21 weeks and 4 days. So it is a little behind the rest of her but Dr. Decker said that is not abnormal since it is not a huge difference.  She is still considered symmetrically growth restricted.  As long as Lacee continues to show good results on her fetal well being test, good blood flow on the UA Doppler and continues to show good growth then the plan is that they will get me to the highest gestational age they can.  This means weekly scans for me which will include the fetal well being test and the UA Doppler.  Then bi-weekly I will have a scan that includes both those tests as well as a growth measurement.   My next appointment is July 14th at 9am and then again on July 21^st at 9am.  I also still have the Fetal Echo on July 20^th at 11am.  I have to come prepared to go into the hospital at each appointment just in case a test doesn't turn out well.   

 

For now we still do not know what is causing the growth restriction. The tests continue to point away from a placenta problem now and more towards either she’s just going to be very small OR another issue we do not yet know of and the only way to determine what that is would be to do an amniocentesis.   We are not going to do that because there is a risk of early labor and we want to keep Lacee in as long as we can.  Right now we are trying not to focus on the unknown but more on what small successes we are having.  These past 2 visits have brought us so much hope.  The doctors were not very hopeful but Lacee is strong and we are determined to do all we can to pull her through this. We are going to take this day by day and week by week because that is the only thing we can do.   We thank God every day for all we have and just continue to pray that he keeps watching over us and giving us strength to get Lacee as far as we can!   We also can’t say enough about how great our family and friends have been during this time.  It is through ours and your prayers that we are making it through this!   

Lacee with her Arm up at her face

Lacee's leg and foot

Lacee's profile

 

Happy 4th of July!

We had a great long weekend!  We spent Saturday at Chad's Mom's and we all enjoyed swimming in the pool!  Nisee really loved it!  Her puddle jumper was exactly what she needed and she was able to swim all over the place on her own!  It was a great day!

Nisee Swimming! 

Then Sunday we went to the New River to hang out with family and friends!  We had a great time and Nisee really loved being in the river! I spent most of my day sitting in a chair by the river just watching everyone and it was awesome!

Nisee in the New River in VA

Today we spent most of the day being LAZY and we loved it!  We went to dinner and to visit my Nanny Peg and Papaw Lester this evening and we got to see my cousin Scott and his wife Tracey that I haven't seen in so long that Chad had never met them.  It was nice to see them and hear about their recent trip to Africa.  We were going to go to fireworks in Mocksville but Nisee started getting fussy and tried and then I started not feeling so hot myself so we came on home.  However we got to see a ton of fireworks all from our back deck.  Our neighbors had to spend thousands of dollars on all these great fireworks!  I know we (me and Chad) sure appreciate it.  Nisee didn't care for the them too much and kept point at the door and saying "Inside...Inside"! 

Over all it was a great weekend!  Chad is still off tomorrow and he is going to enjoy a long day of mowing and house projects!  What a great day off huh?  I go back to work tomorrow and while I always love my time off at least I have a great job with a great company.  I am kind of glad that we have had all this fun this weekend because it has made the time fly by.  It is hard to believe that my next doctors appointment is already just 1 day away.  After the last appointment went so well I am starting to get nervous about this one.  This one is a big one too because this will tell us how much she has grown which is important because if she hasn't grown like they want her to they will put me in the hospital!   It has been nice to just enjoy a weekend with a little good news and almost pretend like this was a normal pregnancy but it's back to reality now.  All we can do is keep praying and keep faith that we will make it through this!  We hope everyone had a great Independence Day!

Finally a little GOOD News!!!

I should start by saying I am NOT typing this from my hospital room! I am comfy on my couch at home! This was all because today's visit went so much better than we expected. To be honest I don't think Chad and I spoke more than 10 words to each other on the way to the doctor's office. We were both so nervous and we had both resigned that this was going be just more bad news. When they scanned me this time they were not checking growth because they don't check growth but every 2 weeks. They were mostly concerned with the uterine artery Doppler and the results off this. The uterine artery Doppler showed that the blood flow between Lacee and the placenta was good! Also the fluid around the baby looks good! Dr. Decker explained that it was a little low but still in the normal range. Due to this they do not think that there is a problem with the placenta anymore. Her heart rate is good and they said her heart looked good BUT due to family history they are sending me to have a fetal echo so that a cardiologist can review to make sure there isn't anything they are missing. I go for that appointment on July 20th. I am to come back on July 6th for my 2 week scan to check growth. They are also going to do another uterine artery Doppler as well as do a fetal well being assessment which includes a study of how Lacee is breathing in the fluid, her movement and 2 other things that I can't remember right now. The only bad thing out of this visit is now we are back to NOT knowing why she is not growing like she should. There is still a chance that it could be a chromosome issue that we don't know about or something worse but we are trying to not think like that. Dr. Decker said that structurally Lacee looks good and so we have to continue to monitor me and her. I have to come prepared to go into the hospital again next Wednesday at my appointment and this will pretty much be par for the course. We will be going week to week from now on. We consider this a small victory and we are going to take a few days to enjoy a little good news! On a side note Tuesday night Chad was able to feel Lacee kicking 3 times. This is the 1st time hes been able to do that. OH and I also got more clarification around which is most important the size of the baby or the gestational age. Dr. Decker said that while the size of the baby is important that the most important thing is gestational age because the baby will, in her words, "act their age!" So even though Lacee is measuring smaller she is actually doing the things a 24 week old baby is doing which is good to know. They gave us some more pictures today!

Foot 1

Foot 2

Profile 24 weeks

Arm up in front of her face

Lacee's ultrasound pics from June 22, 2011

Profile 1

3D picture

Profile 2

Profile 3

June 22nd Drs visit

I had my follow up ultrasound today and the news was not good. Lacee has only grown to 20 weeks in size (that's her growing 1 week in 2 weeks time) and the fluid is still low. About the most positive thing they could say was that the fluid hadn't gotten any lower. So I will come back on June 30th (8 days from today) and they will do a uterine artery doppler. This will determine the blood flow between Lacee and the placenta. If this is not good then they are going to put me in the hospital that day and they will monitor me daily until it reaches the point where Lacee is better out than in and they will deliver. The doctor told me and my mom directly to come prepared to go into the hospital next Thursday as all the signs point that this test will not have good results. She said how long I am in the hospital before delivery depends on how Lacee does and how she is growing. They will give me steroids when I go in to help Lacee's development. So we have a lot to think about and a lot more to process and plan for. I am not sure how we are going to do it. The only thing I do know that we are blessed to have such great family and friends that are supporting us through this!

Given our family history

Well tomorrow is my next doctors appointment and of course the closer it gets the more nervous I get. I am trying my best not to stress too much but it is very hard. After the way the last visit turned out I am afraid to hold to much hope for this one. I was sure that everything was going to turn out alright at my last scan and I was so wrong. I am trying to not have any expectations at all but that is almost impossible. My Mom is going with me again and she is much more worried in general than I am but she is still supportive.

Most people probably don't know that every woman in my family all the way back to my Great Grandma Hollie (yes my namesake) has lost a baby or child. My Great Grandma miscarried triplets her first pregnancy and her first child died at birth. My Mamaw Evalene's first child, my Aunt, Myra Elizabeth was born with hydrocephalus and in the 1950's there were not any treatments for this and she died shortly before a year old. My sister Denise (where Nisee's name came from) passed away when she was 4 of heart failure. She was born with a syndrome that deformed the left side of her heart. So when I say my mom is more worried it is because of our family history and her own experiences.

Two weeks before my Mamaw Evalene was diagnosed with Cancer the entire family had gone to Oak Island or Long Beach as Mamaw still called it. It was 5 days of everyone getting along and it was so perfect. After her diagnosis my Mamaw later confided in my Mom that she felt that things were just to good that something was going to happen and she was afraid it was going to be something with Nisee given our family history and that she never thought it would be her cancer diagnosis.

Sometimes I feel like the cards are stacked against me and Lacee with all these problems. I know that sounds crazy but sometimes you can't make feelings rational. We have all kind of adopted a saying that my Mamaw used a lot when we were dealing with her cancer "No matter what happens it will all be ok!" I am trying to think that way but the unknown is what is so scary and it keeps creeping up on me.

Thank you for all the prayers for me and Lacee and our family. We are truly blessed to have so many praying for us.