The Davolts

Today I am 33 weeks pregnant and we are so thankful another week has passed and Baby Davolt remains safely inside and very active! After a lazy morning, Jeff and I spent a little time in the sunshine; Jeff took care of some yard work while I read. It certainly warms the body and the spirit to be in the sun! Tomorrow is supposed to be another warm Spring day and I'll be out in it again. I had an appointment with the doctor yesterday, to monitor both baby and my contractions, which we re few. After hearing baby's heartbeat daily in the hospital, I had certainly missed that sound. It was also nice to be able to take my dad along to the appointment, so he could hear it as well. I'll have two appointments each week until Baby's arrival. On Mondays I will spend 20-30 minutes on the monitor only. Then on Thursdays, I will spend time on the monitor as well as meet with the doctor. At about 35 weeks, I will have my next ultrasound to check baby's growth, fluid levels and the...

Today started early, as usual, with 6am vitals. I couldn't fall asleep again, in anticipation of the news I was hoping to hear. I ordered breakfast and shortly thereafter, the nurse came in for my daily fetal monitoring. I spent an hour on the monitor, registering several small contractions and a couple large ones (take-my-breath-away-make-my-heart-race contractions). Before I knew it, Dr. Williams came in and said I could go home today! I have my instructions, which include limiting activity to 15 minutes every two hours, staying hydrated and coming back to the hospital immediately should any bleeding return. I will have appointments twice a week for monitoring and check ins. I will also have ultrasounds every two weeks. She said I should spend my time napping, reading and shopping online (her idea, not mine). Less than an hour later, my friend, Jennifer, arrived to take me home, the nurse excused me and I was walking out of the hospital (the nurse offered a wheelchair, but I want...

Finally, an updated belly shot! One of the nurses cut a baby hat for me to wear over my IV block so the ends will not catch as much. Tanks and sweats have been my daytime look, saving the gown for sleeping in. Below is a shot of my room, which is obviously pretty small. I spent a few minutes this afternoon tidying up, sending Jeff home with school work that has now been graded, books that have been finished, and some movies that he brought for me the first day.

If you read the previous post, "His plans, not ours", I mentioned that Dr. Williams is suspicious that my bleeding was caused by a partial, or marginal placental abruption. While it's not an official diagnosis, she is proceeding as if it is, to be safe. She did explain that the placenta might be tearing from the uterine wall, but I still wanted more information. So, I turned to my trusty copy of "What to Expect When You're Expecting", which claims to be "America's Pregnancy Bible" and looked up this condition (probably better than investigating the wide world of Google). Most of what follows will be directly quoted from this text, with my thoughts and thoughts from the doctor interspersed. What is it? Placental Abruption is the early separation of the placenta (the baby's support system) from the uterine wall during pregnancy, rather than after delivery. If the separation is slight, there is usually little danger to the mother or baby as lo...

First and foremost, this will not be the post I had drafted in my head at the start of the week. But I think everyone can understand why! Beware, this will be long! As most of you know, I was at school yesterday, teaching when I felt a gush of fluid. I had nearly an hour left of class before I could race to the restroom, so I spent that time reviewing in my head what our Childbirth class instructor had told us about water breaking, and using the internet to research pre-term labor, while my students were busy at work. The second class let out, I dashed to the bathroom to discover that it was not my water, but a significant amount of blood. The next ten minutes were a whirlwind: I stopped by a neighbor classroom to ask a teacher on prep to hang out in my room while I dashed to the office to find the administrators. Within minutes, the school nurse was by my side and they were calling for an ambulance. I had forgotten my cell phone at home this morning, so I left a message on Jeff's ...