Friday, April 17, 2009

Good Morning. Just a quick post for now. Everything is still going well here. Last night's monitoring went great...good heartbeat, no contractions. I still am not showing any signs of infection...Praise the Lord. I was just thinking this morning about how blessed we are and how each of the 30 days we've been here have been a blessing.

My nurse last night was my nurse from my first night here. We actually have her every night that she is working. Anyway, she told me last night that other than the contractions that showed up Wednesday night, my contraction line had always been flat...except for my first night here. She said that I wasn't feeling them on that first night but that they were definitely there. She told me that was normal because when your water breaks, your body starts producing oxytocin which causes contractions. It would have been so easy for me to have gone into full labor that night but I believe that because of all the prayers that started going up that night, they stopped. I'll never know for sure and that could just be a normal thing but that's the way I'm going to look at it.

I had a couple of questions in the comments from the last post that I'm going to try and answer. I think several people probably wonder about this. Remember...I'm not a doctor so bear with me. Someone asked how Gaines can keep developing with no water around him. The lack of water doesn't keep him from developing. The amniotic fluid (water) has 3 main functions. I'm sure there are more but these are the three I know about. First, it is to give the baby something to move around in. You want him to keep moving so that he doesn't develop problems with moving his limbs. So far, this baby has no problems moving around. Second, the fluid is there for the baby to "breathe". It gives his lungs practice breathing. I'm not exactly sure on this one but I believe that since I still have some fluid he's still able to get some practice in. The thing about the fluid is that the baby is constantly making more. Basically, he gets nutrients from the placenta and uses the bathroom (just like we do) and the urine is the amniotic fluid. So, he's constantly making more...but I'm still losing it. While it is possible to re-seal, that hasn't been the case for me and is apparently pretty rare. Third, the fluid is there to float the umbilical cord. This keeps the baby from "stepping on his cord". Whenever he does, it causes his heart rate to decrease until he figures out what he's done and gets off of it. As long as he keeps getting off the cord, things are okay.

The last question was, if I'm able to make it past 34 weeks, why won't they let me? At that point, the risk of letting me go longer outweighs the risk of having a 6 week premature baby. Because an infection can be so bad for the baby, it just makes more sense for him to be here at that point.

Okay...I think that about covers it for this morning. I'm going to quit calling these things quick...they never are. I hope you all have a great day. Please keep us in your prayers.

Brittany

4 comments:

Williams' Family said...

Is it not anything short of amazing how wonderful and perfect God has made us!!! I have been "stalking" your blog since a few days after all this started. I continue to pray for you and your sweet little baby!

Nicki
in Wisconsin

Heather Bryan said...

Hey Brittany - it's Heather Bryan. Dawn just told me about what was going on with your family and sent me a link to your blog. I've spent the last hour reading some of your blogs and have been so touched with not just your situation but your unending faith in God and His plan for you and Gaines in all of this. Honestly I didn't even know you were pregnant again so first I offer you my congrats! Reed is a beautiful boy and Beau's blog during his first visit made me cry! I could NOT imagine being separated from either one of my daughters like that! Children are truly amazing and teach us knew things everyday!
I am thrilled you have made it this far and I will add my prayers to all the others that you continue to have more boring days stuck in an old gray room! God works miracles everyday and you are an example of one! May He continue to guide the hands and minds of the doctors who are caring for you, and may He continue to watch over you and your family and provide you with the strength and courage to persevere!
If it will help, here is a link to Matti's website I set up for family members who live out of town. It might give you something new to look at for a few moments at least! (www.totsites.com/tot/mattisonanne ... The password is matti.) She’s almost 10 months old and has been walking for about a month now! So may God bless me with more energy to keep up with her!!

Tiffany Dawn said...

I also struggle with keeping things brief!! I laughed when I read "quick" in your last 2 posts bc I start off so many well-intentioned "short" emails that way! :)

So glad you're still there and your faith is strong. Thanks for keeping us updated! I love that you are sharing your story and being a testimony to God's goodness and His perfect plan for all of us- even though so often its NOTHING like our own!

Stay strong!!! Goal #2!!!!

Kate said...

I've posted a couple of comments but I'm mostly a lurker...jut wanted to say I am still praying for you and baby Gaines. I've been in your shoes--I made it to 34 weeks and I'm praying for the same for you!