update from being admitted

I was admitted to the Wilford Hall Hospital to be monitored throughout most of Saturday. The Non Stress monitor stayed strapped on and showed the baby with a baseline of 130 bpm with variations and by the evening, they took me off and said they would be back at 10 pm for vitals. 10 pm arrived and the nurse added that she just wanted to listen to the baby. I gladly lifted shirt for the monitor to hear the fastest heart beat. I said, “that isn’t normal, that sounds wrong.” After a few more minutes of listening, Matthew’s heart was showing signs of fetal tachycardia ( elevated heart beat) It was 210 and stayed there for two hours. During this time, an ultrasound machine and two doctors came in confirmed the heart beat and told me what to expect…. For a few minutes I thought tonight was the night. I called John who was staying at the Fisher house to let him know it could be at a moments noticed. They asked me my last wishes, to do an emergency c-section, if this went on too long or the baby’s heart dropped into the 80’s and hope to save the baby or let it go and deliver naturally. They then added, if he was delivered soon, he had a 10 % chance of survival. Of course, I told them I was still hopeful, but I would want them to try anything they could to save him. They left my hospital room saying they would call my MFM Doctor to let her know and I started praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet and the Rosary. Halfway through my prayers, the two Doctors retuned and said that My MFM Doctor said that Matthew’s elevated heart would be okay throughout the night and in the morning she would do an U/S and talk to me about possible heart medication if the heart stayed elevated for too many days. I kept my prayers going into the night and at the end of my Rosary, I looked at the monitor and Matthew’s heart was back to a steady 130 bpm. I was so grateful. I began to dose off ( about 1:30 am) to be awakened at 3am and told I had had two hours of steady contractions 4 minutes apart. I was wheeled off to triage to be checked for preterm labor. Contractions continued, but I was not in preterm labor. The contractions are as the doctor’s expected, due to the increased Amniotic fluid. I am definitely much more distended since they saw me on Monday. The fluid has gone up to 32cm. On Friday it was 25 cm..I was discharged from the hospital, but given orders to stay in San Antonio until I deliver. Matthew ‘s only chance of survival if his heart doesn’t fail, is to make it to 34 weeks to have a chance on the ECMO machine. I have to go three weeks without my water breaking or going into preterm labor if we are going to make it to 34 weeks. Matthew is showing signs of Hydrops, but not to a point of concern yet. The Ascities looks a little better today and the MFM Doctor thinks it may be due to getting the steroid shots. Now we just have to sit back and hope for the best. Matthew is an adorable little guy who is obviously enjoying his swimming pool. with each U/S he is either head down or head up… quite cute because I don’t feel a thing. Now my course of action is to go to the hospital each day and get monitored for an hour or two and then an U/S daily until I deliver. Thank you all for your continued prayers. I’ll update as I can.