So I’ve given it a lot of thought, probably too much … let’s remember I am  a self proclaimed Type A folks !!  Back to my point ,  I was debating on where I should start with my fetal issues .  I tried writing multiple “posts” in past tense as a way of catching people up on where we stand today with baby Andrew , but it was beginning to feel more like a novel and really depressing, not that our situation isn’t anything less than serious, but it didn’t feel like me, and furthermore I was stumped as to how I was going to merge into whats happening currently.

With all of this said, hold on to your hats ladies and gents because were about to fly thru the past 29 weeks of my pregnancy !!!  ( I may break this into 2 parts , in which case we’ll call this part 1 ).

Let me begin by saying that my pregnancy with Emma was completely BORING, and text book. I got pregnant, had a baby and she’s a brilliant, thriving 3 year old today   I’m only 29 not 39, I’ve never smoked, rarely drink, exercise and eat well, minus the fact I have a MAJOR sweet tooth and love chips and pretty much anything fried … all in moderation of course !  So NEVER did it ocurre to me , that I would ever have a high risk pregnancy, let lone a baby with fetal issues.

At 22 weeks when we went for what was suppose to be the very exciting, routine OB apt to find out the sex of the baby , the ultra sound tech. discovered Andrews bladder was enlarged.  My OB wasn’t sure what this meant because it was also noted that my amniotic fluid was normal and the two generally don’t go hand in hand, so she referred me to our local genetic specialist.

5 weeks later ( 27 weeks pregnant ) we met with him.  After a 45 minute in depth ultra sound he very gently told us that our baby definetly had a blockage in his urethra, that his bladder looked “ok”, but that his left kidney was slightly dialated.  My amniotic fluid was still in the normal range , but he explained to us that if at any time it should decrease it would be an emergency and that I’d either have to have a catheter placed in the babies bladder or deliver him early.  I was to see him once a week for the duration of my pregnancy.   HELLO … that’s a lot of information to try and take in and digest.

Our emergency happened on our 3rd visit with him …  we were in his office less than 10 minutes when he said it was “time to act”.   Andrew’s bladder was dilated, as well as BOTH kidneys, and my amniotic fluid had dropped below normal, which meant it was all trapped inside his bladder causing it to be dilated and putting pressure on his kidneys.   He asked me where I had more family, in San Francisco or LA. We opted for LA because my dad lives in Thousand Oaks … and that was it. He told me to go home, take care of my “affairs” and pack a bag because I was either going to have a baby or fetal surgery that week. I was to go home and wait for his office to call and tell me where and what time …

I can’t even begin to tell you the pain I felt in my heart, not to mention my body.    On top of all of this , i was suppose to rush home and plan for what exactly ???   I had NO idea whether I was going to have a baby, or fetal surgery … how long am I going to be gone for ~ what the heck do I do with my 3 year old ?    All of this adds to my anxiety because I live a VERY planned out life.  I’m NOT a spontaneous person, I hate changing my plans, I don’t go to restaurants unless I already know I like the menu , and all I could do was “give it to god” as the saying goes. I’d never felt more scared or helpless in my entire life.