We are home. Happy to be so, glad that things went really well. The perinatologists/surgeons were amazing, so smart and really nice. They looked at the baby and decided that he needed to have fluid drained off. They had me go down to labor delivery, after discussing everything with us and our parents. It took a long time to get all the paperwork filled out, and than to get everything set up. I felt like I was back having a c-section, since they are all scrubbed down, gowned, etc. for the procedure. And there was a drape to keep it sterile (which I was perfectly fine with. Mike watched the whole thing. They numb me with lidocaine, and than move down to numb the uterus and baby. They gave both me and him a little lidocaine and fetanyl mix, which was nice not to have to feel the pain since the initial numbing hurt so bad (a needle through your uterus with a mix of drugs that burn put me in tears.) But I am glad to not have felt pain and especially our baby. Than they started the procedure. They slit an opening into your belly (mine was right below my belly button) and they carefully maneuver a tube down through my belly, into the uterus, and through the placenta. They hold steady there, while figuring out the perfect spot to enter the baby.
(This is all of the fluid, along with the silver catheter of sorts that they used to place the shunt. Ouch!!!)
They than move into the space between the lungs and chest wall, where they carefully place a shunt, pulling and pushing till it curls on the inside and out. It started draining right away. They were going to place a second on the other side, but decided to drain the fluid instead. They drained 35 ml off the right side (a little over an ounce) and after the sides were very lopsided, actually pushing the heart into the right side of the chest. So they decided to just go ahead and drain the fluid off the left. They drained 80 ml, which is nearly 3 ounces of fluid off the left side. We were just shocked. This is about 3-4 ounces of fluid off his lungs in total. We were so relived that they were able to place the shunt successfully and without complications.
This is me being thrilled to eat some "real" food. I was starving, and my first meal was so yummy (crackers and Sprite, whoo-hoo!) So after monitoring me for about 2-3 hours, I was allowed to go home. I contracted pretty good at first, but they got less and less after time. My incision/stitches below my belly button kill, but I did not realize that till after I was getting dressed and about to go. So I am trying to make do with ice and Tylenol. So now the question is: where do we go from here?
We need to optimally get this baby to about 30+ weeks. The problems we are facing with that is that this little boy is sick. The doctor scanned me before we went home, and there had already been a lot fluid that accumulated into his left side. Hopefully it will work how it should. He is not swallowing fluid like he should, so I will have an excess of fluid until he feels better, since normally everything is working well and he is swallowing the fluid and wasting it off. But there is edema from his lower chest up to his scalp, which makes it hard to do what he is supposed to. And they hope the shunt will work like it is supposed to, but the shunt may not work. His heart has also been squished with fluid, so was a bit small. And is diaphragm is also being constricted. We hope that this is a congenital chylothorax, and since they do heal with maturity, there is hope. This is just about careful monitoring and watching our baby. I go for a fetal echo tomorrow, and than go later this week to check shunt placement and fluid. The tech said he is measuring a little ahead, and that he is probably seriously is one of the most active babies she has ever seen, so both positives. So we continue to wait, worry, and hope. I will be 30 weeks on the 3rd of September, and I just need to make it at least that far along (hopefully further.) Anyways, I think that is about it. I just wanted to thank all of the angels who have watched Collin. It has been priceless knowing he is in such wonderful hands, and it brings us peace just knowing at least one of our babes is safe and being so well cared for, even loved. We also are grateful for such wonderful doctors and medical technology, and hope our little boy will be a little medical miracle and defy the odds. Well I will sign off and update tomorrow. Not sure what we will see at fetal echo, but just hoping for some answers!
