Prematurity Awareness Day 2010

I know you've already heard me talk about how aware I am and how aware my family is. Today I struggle to write this entry because three years ago I was laying in a hospital bed praying my liver numbers were going down, or even stabilized, I could handle stable. I could not handle rising...and rising fast!

I really thought we had made it through the hard part and the rest of our journey was gonna be a cake walk. Then, at 33 weeks 3 days gestation...it got ugly - FAST:

November 7, 2007

Well, so much for good news...

Yesterday's appointment started out fine, Stickers scored great on the biophysical profile ( 8/8 ), Braylie got to see the baby for the first time...all was good.

Then we went to see the Dr...I told him I had started itching the past couple of days and it was getting worse. He says there is a clinical condition...I tell him I don't want another "clinical condition". I tell him I want to tell me it's all in my head and to try a different lotion...SOMETHING.

We have liver function tests done and I have Cholestasis of Pregnancy, a liver disorder. He prescribed benadryl which didn't even come close to help the itching, now he started another drug for the cholestasis and a prescription "itch drug" It has helped a little but am still scratching...and I'm not talking a little itchy, I have scratched parts of my body to the point of bleeding. We go back tomorrow for more lab work and to discuss the strategy from there.

Cholestsasis increases the risk of still birth so we will be delivering even earlier than we thought. We were supposed to deliver at 37 weeks due to an earlier partial placental abruption, but now we are looking at 35 or 36 weeks.

We are going to question him about the benefits and risks of staying pregnant at this point because I am literally going mad with the itch. He said to double my dose of meds and that it should bring some relief within 24 hours...I won't have any skin left in 24 hours!!

I just can't believe this poor kid can't catch a break...from hanging on for dear life to getting the nursery finished in time; then from doing everything in our power to keep this kid inside to hoping we get it out early enough!

It is torture for Jay watching me literally claw myself apart and there's nothing he can do. The drug for the condition is a disgusting powder you mix with water and it makes me nauseous, the "itchy drug" is an antihistamine so it makes me loopy...I'm a damn mess!

Then, trying to be funny Jay says he needs 5 more days, then I can have the baby...it's deer hunting season up here!

So we are back to the waiting game. I'll let you know tomorrow what happens. 

My Liver enzymes were ten to twelve times above a 'high' level. Extremely dangerous for baby and absolutely crazy making for me.

Things only went down hill from there. My liver function would do okay for a day or two and the itching would become unbearable again and the meds would be increased. I ended up on TRIPLE doses of the most disgusting medication in the world four times a day. Even then, it only helped the numbers not go higher, nothing brought them down.

I spent most of the last two weeks either in the hospital or the doctors office and on a lot of drugs. I couldn't eat because the drugs made me sick, I couldn't sleep because I couldn't get comfortable, I only saw my husband and kids twice a week...it was terrible.


Now, YOU are a little more aware...of what it took to get Carson to 35 weeks. After praying and doing everything in our power to get him to viability (24 weeks) we now had to make sure we got him out in time, only we had no idea how much time we had...and we were scared.