The long journey to motherhood

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.

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=== 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.

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=== 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. 

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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)

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== Update as on 7^th 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

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== Update 14^th 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?

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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.

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== 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.

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(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.

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