22 Weeks, 3 Days (11 Days Until Hospital Admission)

Yesterday's appointments didn't give us any new information, but they did add some color to previous information. There was a small amount of fluid, though not enough to be considered significant. I found out that while being admitted at 24 weeks is my choice, it's really the only way. Once I go in, the doctors are then in a position to do everything in their power to save him, should he deliver (resuscitation, intubation, medicine, etc). At home, they can't monitor either of us to know what's coming and adequately prepare to help us. There, they are constantly checking his vitals, my temp, ensuring I'm not infected, etc. It makes more sense for me to be there. I can't go until 24, however, because there is nothing they can do until then. Sometimes, they can help babies born at 23 weeks, but it's more like a medical experiment than anything else. This is why 24 weeks is considered legal viability.

Talking to the neonatal doctor was the most encouraging. He is the one who takes care of the babies in the NICU. He has seen enough success stories, that he is enthusiastic about the chances. Though I struggle to share statistics, because a. God can do anything and b. there are so many factors that make statistics a tricky thing to rely on, I will share some general ones. All things considered and not accounting for fluid, no fluid, time of rupture, etc.....babies born at 24 weeks have about a 50/50 chance of survival. By 28 weeks, the chances are up in the low 90s. He says he will be encouraged to see me make it to 28 weeks. He doubts I'll make it much further, just based on his experience of how long women last once they rupture. He also said there's no way to predict outcome based on situation. He said he's seen a woman ruptuer at 18 weeks, with no fluid birth a baby with minor issues and he's seen a woman rupture at 22 weeks with fluid and it's the sickest baby he's seen. There's no pattern to this. He said that some of the sickest babies he's ever cared for are healthy and thriving now. He also says there's absolutely no way to predict how the baby's lungs are developing, short of taking a biopsy of the tissue. Even once the baby is born, it's their best guess about how much of the challenges are related to lack of lung development and how much are related to the fact that he was born premature. As you can imagine, being born that early presents it's own set of challenges. He did say that survival is our biggest concern. Life long issues related to breathing aren't typical, as the body's development catches up quickly in early years. Might Landon have trouble running marathons? Yes. Should he be able to play football and basketball with the best of them? Yes.  We got to tour the NICU and see where they incubate the premature babies and how they care for them. That's a tough road. Landon would probably be in the NICU until my due date, so if he comes at 28 weeks, he'll be there for 12. Poor pumpkin. But we'll take it!