I thought of creating this blog for one and the only one reason. i.e. to
share my long and painful journey ( still continuing ) towards motherhood. We
were a busy couple, DINK type (Double Income No Kids). We were married for 3 years,
when we thought of raising a baby.
Our Initial assumption was that it will take 1 year to achieve
pregnancy. But as it turned out, we kept trying for around 1 year, and could
not be successful in becoming pregnant. This marked the beginning of a long
ordeal of visiting hospitals and tests.
Test 1: Wife is PCOD, treatment starts, still trying, no result
Test 2: Husband to check sperm count , came low, another
treatment, improves.
Test 3: Wife still not becoming pregnant, GO FOR HSG to check fallopian tube. So
scared & thinking of HSG alternatives.
Test 4: HSG is Painful procedure but went OK, yet no
positive results.
Test 5: Fixes appointment for IUI in Manipal hospital, Bangalore (India)
Surprise 1: Pregnancy test is positive . Hurray. Is that
all?? No it’s just the beginning.
Surprise 2: Low baby heart rate. Suspecting a miscarriage.
Surprise 3: Red colour bleeding. Again suspecting a miscarriage.
Surprise 4: Pregnancy survives (May be it’s a progesterone effect)
SHOCK 1: Cervix Opens too much. Will I miscarry?
SHOCK 2: Membranes come out. Imminent danger until it goes back in. BED
REST NOW until delivery.
SHOCK 3: Still the same condition. Doctor to risk pushing it back and do Cerclage ( cervix stitching )
SHOCK 4: As soon as I moved to 3rd trimester, the sugar levels peaked to
230. It should ideally be 120. So took 2 types of Insulin, NOVA-MIX and NOVA-RAPID.
Visits to Diabetologist/Endocrinologist start. We started consulting Dr. Arpan Bhattacharya.
I WENT ON BED REST & Insulin just hoping for the best results. Luck,
luck, luck please.
=== Update as on 13th Nov 2011 (Hoping to cross AT
LEAST 34 weeks) ===
I have crossed 32 weeks today.
Thx all for your wishes and encouraging comments. It’s been rock &
roll since 20 weeks.
=================================================
=== Update as on 19th Nov 2011 (THE DELIVERY DAY - UNEXPECTED
DATE)
Gave birth to a beautiful baby girl @ 33 weeks.
No more insulin, progesterone or bed rest 4 me.
She is in NICU. Read My NICU Experience.
Thx u all. I love u.
================================================
=== Update as on 10th Dec 2011 (NICU and JAUNDICE STORY)
My baby girl is doing fine. She is around 20 days and weighs just 1.7
kgs. She was discharged from Manipal NICU after 5 days and had to spend another
5 days in the ward due to jaundice. Dr Arvind Shenoy and Dr Karthik Nagesh both
attended to her and I was satisfied with their approach and
consultations.
================================================
Things that highly bothered us were:
--> When you are admitted for delivery, you will expect the best
of the doctors and especially your gynaecologist to be present, especially
when it's going to be little off-course, as the baby is going to be premature
and myself having stitches. My consultant doctor or for that matter,
no gynaecologist was present in the labour room. It was just the duty
doctors (students who have to compulsorily give the duty) and the nursing
staff.
--> The NICU team was waiting like hungry wolves, for their billing
meters to start. Believe me, we were briefed by NICU team about the charges for
ventilator and other devices, when I was not even sure ,
whether delivery will take place in next 24 hrs. or not.
But it doesn't matter, our delivery was fastened and the
baby delivery happened in just no time, without any gynaec being
present. So this was bad Experience, more on this and the charges in coming
weekend.
--> One last thing, I looked at the list of patients’ details and
their consultants, pasted outside the ward.
The highest Dr Shobha Venkat (there were 6 admissions, including me)
Dr Praveena Shenoi (there were 3, and I got very positive feedback about
her from fellow patients. I have seen here twice attending to mid night delivery.
) She is my next doc 4 sure. See her in cloud 9 as she has shifted there.
Dr Manjula Shivshankar and Dr Shaila Bhattacharya (2 each)
================================================
== Update as on 7th April 2012 (PREMATURE BABY SLOW GROWTH)
Current weight: Just above 4 kgs
Age: 4 months
Delayed milestone 1: - Eye contact, first at 4 months
Delayed milestone 2: - Weight gain, just above 4 kgs
at 4 months
================================================
== Update 14th April 2013
Current weight: 9.3 kg
Age: 1 year 4 months
Milestones: All MET as per
normal baby standards (Having met the weight goal and above average height). Who
says premature babies can’t beat the goals?
================================================
My baby is now 4 months of age weighing little over 4 kg. We know she is
slow in gaining weight as compared to other kids of her age, but we hope she
will match in a year or so.
We are amused by so much of vaccination dosage for the small one. We never
thought that so many dosages and some of them costing upwards of 2000 INR
upwards. Do I have an option?
The cost of the same vaccination varies drastically from 100 INR to 2000
INR depending on the hospital and the pharmaceutical company. Some vaccines are
considered mandatory by 1 set of doctors , while another says opposite.
Another delayed milestone was the eye contact. We never realized that Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), which
we missed was such an important test. We missed it, as we were extremely busy
in the related baby stuff. But yeah it is important.
(DIABETES
MIGHT BE BACK)
WIFE: HAD GESTATIONAL DIABETES, and now 4 months after delivery,
sugar levels still peaking at around 230. So we were very worried now. GTT (Glucose
Tolerance Test) is another stuff that was supposed to be done at 6 weeks
post delivery, but impossible to have got it done, with such a small baby.
We did a HBA1C and levels were 7.9
Repeated this and with medication went down to 6.6 (still high enough)
== Update 13-7-2012
Repeated HBA1C test
Gestational Diabetes has been confirmed to have turned into Type 2
diabetes.
We were referred Metformin and Trajenta (Linagliptin) by Dr. Mohan of Endocrinologist
department Manipal.
================================================
== Update 14-04-2013
Continued Medication and after 4 months repeated HBA1C. The report showed
5.6 and this was an achievement, since the levels sustained even after stopping
the medication two months back. So we were told to stop the medication and be
on good diet and maintain exercise regime.
================================================
(THE
FORMALITIES)
Got her birth certificate from our local municipal office BBMP, but
realized later that signatures are missing. Oops have to run again.
Went again for signatures on birth certificate, but BBMP said signatures
are not required as, the birth certificate is digitally signed.
========================================================
