30 Weeks!

I'm so glad Oliver is still kicking (and hiccuping) within me. The eight weeks of bed rest haven't been easy (particularly the 32 days I've spent in the hospital thus far), but if I hadn't been on bed rest, I doubt I'd still be pregnant. I'm past the half-way mark with the bed rest since I have at most 6 weeks to go. I'm not at the half-way point as far as days in the hospital, but I'll hit that mark on Monday. I really, really can't wait until we are home. I couldn't believe it when someone today referred to my stay as a "vacation." I didn't say a word. I've never been in jail, but it feels far more like solitary confinement than a vacation. At home I get to spend LOTS of time with Ian and Nadia every day, hang out with Paul for a couple of hours each evening, sleep in my own bed, eat what I want to eat when I want to eat it, drive a car, go to church, go shopping, go to whatever website I want, etc. I won't miss telling nurses my birthdate several times every day, having my vitals taken a few times a day, taking pills several times a day, wearing an ID bracelet that gets scanned multiple times a day, etc. I also can't wait to regain a sense of privacy! Jo, you asked why they won't let me go past 36 weeks. The reason is that if I went into labor, I would start hemmorhaging because of the complete placenta previa; they would like to deliver him before I go into labor. At 36 weeks they consider the risk of prematurity to be less than the risk of me bleeding to death (and actually a severe hemmorhaging episode can also lead to "fetal demise"). In light of the fetal anemia, I probably won't make it to 36 weeks anyhow because they don't do fetal transfusions past 32 weeks.

I emailed someone in this MFM clinic this morning with three insurance/billing questions. One was to ask for their help with appealing some bloodwork that the insurance initially refused to pay for. The insurance told me they might pay these if a doctor can convince them the tests were medically necessary. The charges for the bloodwork that they declined thus far total $3,799.98. I'm really hoping the insurance ends up paying for most (or all) of these tests. Thankfully we don't have to worry about any bills after July 1. I keep checking the insurance website to see if they're paying the bills from May and June. At least they've paid the really big bills thus far (those greater than $6K).

Dr. Martinez told me yesterday my next ultrasound would be on Thursday, but then at 12:30 today an aide came to my room with a wheelchair to take me for an ultrasound. Typically there is a small range in the MCA numbers, but today there was a HUGE range. The highest number was 67 (and the previous transfusions were done when the number was around 55), and the lowest number was in the high 30's. She ended up recording one of the middle numbers (42). The only times his number has dropped from the 50's back down to the 30's or low 40's was after a transfusion. All of the numbers were between 50-56 last Friday and again this Monday. The doctor said that the numbers were probably all over the map today because baby was probably moving while they were being measured. He thinks that Oliver is okay. Personally I think today's ultrasound was totally uninformative. The next ultrasound has been scheduled for Friday. Hopefully we'll get a more consistent result that time. It looks like we'll be able to wait for Dr. Tressler's return to do the next transfusion. Whew!

Nadia went with my sister's family to Six Flags (in MD) today. I'm sure she had a blast! They were going to enjoy the water slides and such. Part of the amusement park has dry rides (roller coasters and such), and part of it is like a water park. My sister's family bought a season pass for their family this summer, and they get a free passes every Wednesday to share with others. I wish I was there with Nadia today, but I'm glad she could have a really special day with her cousins, aunt, and uncle. Joel (who turned 1 in May) and Ian stayed home with my mom. Today I've been reading, watching tv, playing Words with Friends, and grading. The online class I've been teaching will end on August 9. I have a feeling I'll be watching the Summer Olympics a lot more than I ever have before.

Ian has now learned how to feed himself a piece of toast or a sandwich, blow out birthday candles, and eat a banana without using any silverware. Way to go, Ian!!!