Fetal Fibronectin

my results were negative!! yay! having a negative fetal fibronectin test result means that i have about a 99% chance of NOT going into labor within the next 2 weeks. that's really great news. now i just have to stay on bed rest and go back to see dr. montgomery on 12/20 so he can check my cervix for changes. i'm feeling much better about everything now. baby is really active and loves getting his feet in my ribs and kickin' away. i love feeling every little movement. as long as he's moving i feel like he's ok so he can kick me all he wants!

Update

today's doctor's visit went as well as possible. my cervix has not changed, which is really good news. dr. montgomery performed the Fetal Fibronectin test (to see if i am at risk of going into labor within the next 2 weeks) and we should have the results no later than tomorrow. he said that he expects it to be negative, especially since there has been no change to my cervix since monday's visit. if it is negative, then he is going to see me in two weeks to check my cervix again for changes. in the meantime, i need to stay on bed rest and take it as easy as possible. however, if the test results come back positive, then he'll bring me back in to be admitted into the hospital. so we should know by tomorrow what the next step will be. i'm feeling much better about everything after today's visit. i'll post again as soon as the test results are back.

Bed Rest

i saw dr. montgomery yesterday so he could check on the baby's development to make sure everything is still going well. the good news is that the baby looks great. all of his organs and parts are in tact and where they should be. the ultrasound looked perfect and he is a beautiful baby, if i do say so myself. i love him so much already.
the bad news... my cervix has shortened to the point where the doctor is concerned i will go into preterm labor soon. my doctor wants me to carry the baby through the next two weeks for sure, and then if possible, make it to the 32 week point. at that point, the baby will be far enough along to have a good chance at survival without having severe lifelong health problems. he put me on bed rest and is bringing me back in for a Fetal Fibronectin (FFN) test on thursday. that test will tell him if i am at risk of going into labor within the next week or two. if i am, he will admit me to the hospital and give me steroids to help the baby's lung development along in case the baby arrives. if the test shows i'm not at risk of going into labor within the next week or two, then he will most likely put me on medications and keep me on bed rest for the duration of the pregnancy.
i'm so scared. i love this baby so much and have wanted him for so long. i pray that he is healthy and that i'm able to carry him to term.

belly pic 24 weeks

wow... my belly is huge... check it out!

Happy Thanksgiving!

john's parents had everyone over for turkey dinner and the food was outstanding! since both of our families live within 3 miles of eachother, we get to spend a lot of holidays as one big family. it's such a blessing that we get to be with everyone so often. here's a picture of us in front of john's dad's orange tree. look at that belly! happy thanksgiving!

22 week doctor's appointment

i'm happy to report that all went well at my doctor's appt yesterday. dr. connelly checked my cervix and it is still 100% closed and she did an ultrasound and it is still the right size. i haven't had any contractions since tuesday night so things are looking pretty good. i'm so relieved. she encouraged me to continue drinking lots of water and to listen to my body when i might start to cramp. she said that if i start feeling like something isn't right, i should go to the labor and delivery ward to have them check on me. but hopefully the cramping is over and it's smooth sailing from now on... i have an appt with the genetic doctor on december 3rd for another detailed ultrasound so we should have more pictures of the baby then. can't wait!

Uterine Irritability

yesterday wasn't a fun day. i started having menstral-like cramps early in the day and they kept occuring every few minutes or so. sometimes it would only be a minute before one stopped and another one started. i researched online to see what it might be and concluded that it was round ligament pain or braxton hicks. i emailed my nurse to see what she thought but didn't hear back from her and toward the end of the day i started to worry. i called the labor & delivery ward and the nurse told me to come in for observation. they hooked me up to a monitor and gave me fluids to keep me hydrated.

it turns out that i have uterine irritability. google defines it as "weak but frequent pre-term labor contractions". my pregnancy book says that it's possible that premature labor could be prevented by full or partial bed rest and/or the use of medication. my doctor checked my cervix and said that it is still closed and the right size but asked me to stay home for the next 1 or 2 days and drink lots of water. TONS of water. she said that i need to monitor the contractions (how frequent, how long, etc.) and lay on my left side. if i notice that they are getting more consistant or getting stronger, or if i start bleeding or leaking fluids, i need to go back to the hospital.

so it's a little scary... but baby's heartbeat sounds good and he's moving around a lot so that gives me a lot of comfort. john has been a Godsend. he takes such good care of me. he's going to be such a good dad. he's such a great husband. we see dr. connelly (my OB) on thursday and she'll check to see if my cervix has changed. hopefully a little rest and lots of fulids will quiet this irritability and get things going smoothly.