Nichole Update

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Nichole is being discharged on bedrest.

Since her doctor doesn't believe in bedrest, this screams his concern to me. She'll continue taking the procardia for the contractions every 4 hrs. She'll continue going into hospital to get the other medication for the contractions as well as shots with the antibiotic. Plus she'll be getting Oliver stress tested each time she's there to keep a close watch on him. OB gave her the steroid to mature his lungs. She'll be checking in with hospital twice a week. If she has a couple of hard contractions 4-5 mins apart she's to cone in without stopping to call first.

Having been through this 3 times myself, OB expects Oliver to come early.....the goal now is for him to bake as long as possible before that happens to give him the best chances.

Nichole is still in pain from the infection but it has decreased quite a bit. So hopefully the IV antibiotics are working. Wish that darn stone would pass already. Soon as the dose of procardia begins to wear off as time for the next dose approaches, the hard contracts start again. Not a good thing. That her cervix started to thin........not a good thing. She was right on the line where they couldn't stop labor this time. doctor told her next time they probably won't be able to stop it, which is why he doesn't want her stopping to call him to just get her fanny to labor and delivery.

I'm crocheting preemie outfits as fast as I can. Nichole is sending her husband out to pick up a few preemie sleepers and onesies just in case........She'll leave the tags on and if she doesn't use them she can return them. But it's far better to be prepared for an early birth than to have nothing for him to wear. Smart girl, just like her Mom and sis. lol

So that's the update for now. The power of this board is pretty awesome.

Thanks again everyone for the good thoughts and prayers.

Hugs
 

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
Thank you, Lisa. Wow, what a long haul. Poor thing! Good luck with-crocheting. It will keep your hands busy, at least.
 

1905

Well-Known Member
Lisa, how far along is she? I'm surprised they don't just keep her in the hospital until the stone passes, or until the infection is completely gone. I have my healing crystals out, ((hugs)). Can they tell how much he weighs right now? It's very hard to be on bedrest when she has Aubrey running around, does she have some help?
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Nichole is 31 wks.

And as far as them keeping her in........insurances won't put up with such things these days. A patient needs to meet a certain criteria per admission reason in order to stay. Obviously Nichole has improved to the point where they can't justify keeping her to the insurance co. It's the way it works now days. Her Ob is not above fubbing things for the benefit of his patients but he can only get away with so much.
 

slsh

member since 1999
Keeping her in my thoughts, Lisa. That medication regimen alone should be enough to keep her in the hospital - expecting a pt to get up every 4 hours, round the clock, to take medications.... well, it's a bear.

Any chance she could get a home monitor for the contractions? Especially with an irritable uterus - would be good to keep a very close eye on that crabby organ.

Hopefully those steroids are doing Oliver a world of good and he can hang out for a couple more weeks. Nichole is very much in my thoughts - as well as you and the rest of her family.
 

Marguerite

Active Member
Don't get too enthusiastic about preemie outfits. Wait a bit. On bed rest the baby will grow, faster. Also, if she can hold off labour (and I well remember contractions hotting up as each pill wore off! I was taking one pill every three hours, at night I woke at 2 and a half hours) then she could go almost to full term. I told you I had this problem with all my pregnancies but especially with difficult child 3. Each time the doctor took me off the pills at 37 weeks. Only with difficult child 3, did the bay hang on more than a day after that. But difficult child 3 I went to 39 weeks. Apart from easy child (placental insufficiency - the baby being starved in utero by a dying placenta) ALL my kids were about 7 pounds. difficult child 1 was prem by development; had some breathing issues, a bit pigeon-chested to begin with.

But tell her to really focus on keeping her bladder empty, plus (with her stone) drink lots. I know it means she will be back and forth to the loo, but it IS the best way to handle this. The empty bladder greatly reduces the contractions, but drinking lots should help with the infection.

Marg
 

Jena

New Member
hi

haven't been on and didn't know. So, first i'm sorry and secondly i'm glad to hear she seems like she's on the mend. that has got to be rough for her.

((hugs)))
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Marg

The preemie outfits are ok. Aubrey can either use them for her dolls or I'll donate them to the hospital. Although honestly I'm not making them that small.......just somewhat smaller than newborn. I've since discovered there are 3 sizes for preemies.......but have yet to figure out how to find many patterns that actually tell you the size you're making, so I'm winging it. I do know how approximately big the baby should be as it progresses which helps a little. But it's awful to bring a preemie size baby home and find he swims in all his clothing.

And honestly? Give Nana something constructive to do with my hands so I feel like I'm "helping" when actually I can't physically do anything else to help her right now. I'm tied up with easy child. I feel like I need to split myself in two. ugh

She's discovered the empty bladder trick. Found out when I went to tell her your tip. lol And doctor sent her home with a HUGE marked mug and told her he wants her to down 8 of those per day. There will be LOTS of bathroom trips.

Not so worried now that she's had the steroid shot. Well, except I will feel much better once the kidney deal is resolved.
 
H

HaoZi

Guest
Praying for her and Oliver.
I recall having to take something every three hours to stop contractions when Kiddo tried to get here early. They also gave me corticosteroid shots to strengthen her lungs in case the labor wouldn't stop (kid's got banshee lungs, let me tell you). Did they give Nicole anything like that?
 

Marguerite

Active Member
Yes, HaoZi, HD has already mentioned somewhere that Nichole's had her first steroid shot, should have had the second one by now.

HD, I'm glad Nichole has already worked out the trick of keeping the bladder empty. Having to keep drinking lots is going to be frustrating, but necessary. Cross each uneventful day off the calendar; the baby is one day older, bigger and stronger.

Marg
 
H

HaoZi

Guest
Thanks Marg, I missed that. Those were unpleasant shots. The second one bruised me so badly that you could still see it after Kiddo was born weeks later.
 

Marguerite

Active Member
The bruises I had, were from the inside. The baby using my ribs as a trampoline! I knew exactly what shape foot the kid had, well before birth!

Marg
 
M

ML

Guest
My prayers are with you, N and Oli. I was on bedrest for 2 months with manster with a terbutaline pump and wound up having to be induced when I had other complications. On the plus side it was a 5 hour labor.
 
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