easjer
06-14-2006, 11:21 AM
A good friend from Pheonix just emailed to say that she was admitted to the hospital last night to stop contractions on her 29 week pregnancy. She's had some spotting/light bleeding, but it stopped, and her doc said all was well. It started again yesterday, stopped and started again, at which time the oncall doc sent her to the ER to be checked out. Turns out she was 50% effaced and dilated 2 centimeters (all new since her appointment last week).
The initial drugs did not work and contractions continued. Apparently, she's been contracting for weeks - the usual signal of the uterus hardening up did not happen in her case, and so she and doc assumed it was normal fetal movement. So now she's on magnesium sulfate to try and stop/delay contractions and steriods to speed up the baby's lung development in case of delivery.
She has an ultrasound scheduled for later, though baby's heartrate and movements seem fine for now, and a visit with the neonatalogist later today as well. She'll be continued on the meds she's on now until Friday, at which point, depending on how well they work, she's going home to bedrest or the antepartum wing until delivery (which will likely be early).
The hospital she's in works with the one of the best NICU's in the country, so she's relieved on that front if something goes wrong. This is their first child, it will be a boy. This child has been wanted and loved for a very long time.
Please send whatever good thoughts, wishes, prayers you can. Technology is very advanced now - a good friend of both of our was in the same situation last year, and her 1 year old daughter is doing well, but the longer baby stays in, the better his chances for survival and good health are - if they can make it hang on to 35 weeks, that's close enough to full term to be ideal. But every day he stays put is better for both of them.
The initial drugs did not work and contractions continued. Apparently, she's been contracting for weeks - the usual signal of the uterus hardening up did not happen in her case, and so she and doc assumed it was normal fetal movement. So now she's on magnesium sulfate to try and stop/delay contractions and steriods to speed up the baby's lung development in case of delivery.
She has an ultrasound scheduled for later, though baby's heartrate and movements seem fine for now, and a visit with the neonatalogist later today as well. She'll be continued on the meds she's on now until Friday, at which point, depending on how well they work, she's going home to bedrest or the antepartum wing until delivery (which will likely be early).
The hospital she's in works with the one of the best NICU's in the country, so she's relieved on that front if something goes wrong. This is their first child, it will be a boy. This child has been wanted and loved for a very long time.
Please send whatever good thoughts, wishes, prayers you can. Technology is very advanced now - a good friend of both of our was in the same situation last year, and her 1 year old daughter is doing well, but the longer baby stays in, the better his chances for survival and good health are - if they can make it hang on to 35 weeks, that's close enough to full term to be ideal. But every day he stays put is better for both of them.