Balloon is out - 2 days early!!

Well we have had an eventful few days!! I had a routine midwife appointment on Monday to check my blood pressure etc which turned into a trip to the labour ward! As you all know my fluid levels were very high and for the last few days my tummy has been constantly tight. The midwife was not at all happy about this so sent me straight over to Maternity A&E. Having a balloon in means I get VIP treatment so we were sent from there to the labour ward were I was hooked up to a machine to measure for contractions! I knew I was not in labour so was not too worried, I was a bit concerned as to why the midwives and consultants were puzzled over the constant tightness. I was then sent to the fetal clinic for a scan. They were also unhappy and this together with the fact that my cervix had now shortened to 18mm meant I was highly likely to go into early labour so they chose to remove the balloon on Tuesday instead of Thursday.

Balloon Removal

Well I am pleased to report that the procedure itself for the removal of the balloon was not as painful as getting it inserted. The day as a whole was a lot more relaxed as a result of us living nearby. We went to the hospital at 9.30am to give blood, get IV antibiotics and a patch for contractions and we were home again by 10am! I was to go back round at 3pm to get the balloon removed . However, Danielli rang to say they would be ready for me at 1.45pm. This was not the case and we were not taken until 4.30pm! Although it was very uncomfortable waiting around for 3 hours it meant that I was not as nervous by the time we were actually called and I just wanted to get it over with and get home! Things seemed to go our way from this point on. The one thing I was really worried about was having the baby turned as this was extremely painful the last time. However, the baby was lying face up with its lips pouted and the professor was able to get to the trachea. The baby also went to sleep first time which spared me the proking and proding! The professor got the balloon out easily and they then drained 2.5 litres of fluid!! My bump is easily 1/3 of the size it was. I had contractions for a few hours after the procudure which Danielli explained is normal as they have punctured the womb and also drastically reduced it in size by draining the fluid. The contractions have stopped now and apart from being very tender I am feeling much better, it really is a relief to have the fluid drained and I know I will really notice the benefit once the tenderness has passed.

This is the balloon that was in the baby's trachea. I have taken it against a one pence piece to try to show how tiny it is!!

Now all I can do is sit tight and hope that I will last as long as I can. The baby is now weighing 5lb 15oz which is a good thing. I know I am always pushing my luck but I would love to get to Saturday which would make me 35 weeks. Based on what the professionals are saying thought I dont know if this is very likely. The 72 hours after the procedure are critical and the two ladies I know who had the procedure went into labour within a few days. However, we have went against the odds a few times over the last 8 weeks so you never know!

Thank you for all your texts, comments and phone calls, they are very much appreciated and help to break up the monotony of being in the apartment all day. It really is nice to know that people are thinking about us all.

Will keep you updated.........

Kerri and Phillip xoxo

Update from hospital appointment

Back from King's College and I'm pleased to report that it went well. My fluid has remained the same at 33cms and my cervix has not shortened any further. Although my fluid levels are very high this means my body is coping with it very well as the cervix is managing the excess weight. This would imply that I am not going to go into labour within the next few days. Although this is only an indicator Danielli did say she was hopeful I would make it to next Thursday for the removal of the balloon.

They also assessed the lungs again and got a LHR of 2.5! As most of you know it was 0.5 at the beginning and at our appointment 3 weeks ago it was 1.89. I really was not expecting an increase as I know the balloon usually shows most improvement during the first 2 weeks and I was expecting the change between weeks 4 and 7 to be mimimal. They commented that the lung was a good size and that they could see good blood flow through the lung which is excellent.

I am so relieved that we got good news again, it is hard at times to remain grounded though as we still have a long rough road ahead of us.

Will be really glad to get to next Thursday as I am in quite a lot of pain now because of the excess fluid, it is especially bad at night when I am trying to sleep so will be lovely to have it drained. I am really not complaining though as I will be so happy to get to Thursday I can put up with anything!!!!

We have quite a few people coming over to visit over the next few weeks which should put the days in. Phillips mum and dad have been here from Sunday which has been good and passed a few days, Dad and Chris are coming this weekend and Gayle, Philip and Alex are coming next week. We are really looking forward to seeing them all as we are really missing them. I am sure we won't know what has hit us when Mr Alex flies into the room! Can't wait to see him though!

Will post again after balloon removal next Thursday unless we have a new arrival before that!

Kerri xoxo

Update from london

We have been in London a week and I have made it to 33 weeks which we am very happy about!

Arrived in London last Saturday and so far so good. We are really pleased with apartment, it is a 5 min drive to the hospital but is also very handy to Sainsburys and East Dulwich shops and restaurants. There has been a heat wave from we arrived with temperatures in the 30's a few days, seems to be cooling down a bit today though which I am glad about.

We are going to Kings College on Tuesday for another scan and to monitor my fluid levels. I havent been checked from last Thursday so am really keen to hear what they have to say. If my fluid is up they may drain me there and then and if so they may also take the balloon out. Although I would love to be drained as I am in quite a bit of pain now I would rather hold on the 16th as we would be past 34 weeks and I know this is another mile stone with regards to lung development. I guess the decision will be made for me though!

Going a bit stir crazy as I am sore now and cant walk more than a few steps so have been confined to the apartment from Wednesday. Phillip had gone home for a few days for his brothers wedding so I was scared to move incase something happened! Phillips mum and dad are bringing our car over tomorrow which will be really good as we will be able to get out for lunch, go for a drive etc. Mum and Chris have gone into London today to do a bit of shopping, I think this will be good for mum as she has been confined to the house with me!

Will post again after appointment on Tuesday and hopefully not before it!

Kerri x

Moving to London

We have finally sorted our move to London, we are flying over this Saturday 27th June. I am very anxious to get over now that I know we are going as I am petrified of going into labour before we make it over.
Mum has very kindly agreed to come with us and stay with us until I have the baby, I really appreciate her doing this as I don't think I could cope without her. I am sure it will be very hard for her to leave my dad behind and relocate to London. We have been very lucky and have got an apartment within a mile of the hospital. It looks lovely but I guess we will have to wait and see.

I was with my consultant today, it was quite emotional as I know the next time I see her will be for my postnatal check up and it will either be a very happy day as I walk in with my pram or a very sad day. I am really trying not to think about it.

The baby is now weighing 4lb 9oz, it really would be a bruiser if I went full term!! My fluid has increased to 33cm so I really don't see that happening, I am hoping I can hold out for another 2-3 weeks.

We are bringing a laptop so I will be able to keep this blog updated from London.

Moving to London - 21 June 2009

After much deliberating we have finally reached the decision that we would be happier to deliver in Kings College.
Due to my impatient nature I was keen to go over as soon as possible just incase I went into labour. However, I rang Danielle (Catalinas replacement) who assured me that although I was high risk for premature labour my cervial length was good and that she did not think I would go into labour within the next few weeks. This was good to hear and we are looking at heading over on 6th July. The balloon is due to be removed on 16th July (34 weeks and 5 days) but I really do not see me getting that far. For once though I really hope I am wrong!

I have spent the last 2 days looking on the internet for somewhere to rent on a short term basis that is close to the hospital but not in a bad area. I know that may sound easy but it really has not been! Have picked the brains of a few people who know the area and I think we may be getting somewhere but you never know!

I just have to take it really easy and hope and pray that I can last another 2 weeks at least.

Good News from Kings - 18th June 2009

It is so nice to be posting some good news! They calculated the LHR and it has increased to 1.89! We are so delighted, it was so good to be hearing something positive. They are really pleased with the increase and they described this as one of the their better cases. They could also see some lung tissue which is also good news. However, we are aware that all of these measurements are smiply predictors and no-one can tell how the baby will be until birth. Just to know that we are no longer one of the extremely bad cases and that our baby has a decent chance of survival is good enough. We just have to take one day at a time and not worry too much about what is around the corner. For us this is the best possible news we could have received so we will live of it for a few days.

My fluid had increased to 29cm which is high and they are concerned about it. My cervical length was either 26mm or 29mm. This means it is starting to shorten but they said it is not of any concern until it is below 25mm, they decided not to drain. I am even more anxious now about my fluid levels and have to rest. Getting very bored lying on the settee all day every day but know it is for the best.

We also met with the neonatal nurse who was lovely. She talked to us in great detail about how the baby will be managed after birth. What machines they will use and how they determine when to do the operation to put the liver and bowels back into the abdomen. It was so nice to hear someone being positive and discussing our baby as if it will survive. We also toured the NICU, it was quite difficult to see all the babies hooked up to machines. However, Phillip and I have been very aware that our baby will be very sick and we know that if the baby is in NICU and doing ok then that is the best we can hope for.

We rented a car from the airport which was a good idea. As my fluid is increased I find it very difficult to walk any further than a few steps at a time without my stomach contracting. This was really good as Phillip pushed me in a wheelchair right to the car and I was able to be dropped at the hospital door. Much better than trains and tubes! There were a few Little Britian moments with the wheelchair though!

The devastating check up - 11th June 2009

Today the rollercoaster ride that people talk about with CDH babies continued. Up to this point we have been trying our best to stay positive, assuming that the balloon would work and that if I could get to at least 32 but ideally 34 weeks then the baby would have 50% chance of survival, which given our previous stats we would be delighted with.

On a positive note my fluid levels are still between 26cm and 28cm so no drainage needed (although still no cervical length taken).

Phillip started to discuss the option of us relocating to London to have the baby. Our consultant was pretty indifferent, but this appeared to prompt her to calculate the LHR. She was unsure of the formula but once she got it right she did the calculation and got 0.2!!!!!! This meant that it had decreased from 0.6 to 0.2. We were both absolutely devastated. I commented that it meant things had got worse and asked did she see any improvement in the lung? She said she did not.

This figure seemed very low so I called Catalina (our consultant at Kings) who said that she had never seen an LHR decrease and that she must have calculated it wrong. This settled my mind ever so slightly as I was confident she was wrong with the 0.2 but I couldnt help but think that as a qualified obstetrician she should be able to see lung growth on an ultrasound even if she cannot do the calculation. I was convinced that she hadnt wanted to say anthing but when we began talking about relocating she thought it was time to give us the news that the balloon wasnt working.

We are heading over to Kings College on Tuesday for a scan to confirm. If there has been a good improvement we will disucss delivering there. I am so so worried as I never explored the possibility that the balloon would not work, I suppose yet again this is your bodys way of coping. Now I am aware of just how likely it is they are going to tell us that the balloon is not working. I discussed with Phillip and we agreed that if that is the case then we have to accept that we have done everything we can and that all we can do is wait and see how the baby is at birth. However, we know we need a miracle.