fly-by update

[llywela]

So my baby sister got engaged last weekend and now I feel really old. She's a baby. They're both babies! Chelsea is 19, Jamie turns 20 next week - and baby Layla is at T-18 days and counting, head engaged, could decide to put in an appearance at any moment.

Later stages of pregnancy proving difficult. The midwife last week was querying gestational diabetes, so Chelsea had tests for that which proved negative, but while she was having those tests she mentioned that she's been extremely itchy and that worried them, so she had more tests which showed that she has obstetric cholestasis, which is not good because it basically means that the liver is beginning to fail and it can cause stillbirth. Chelsea's doctors aren't too concerned just yet, but she has to be monitored closely and be on standby to raise the alarm if the itching gets worse, if she begins to manifest certain other symptoms, or if the baby stops moving. So they're playing a lot of Celine Dion at the moment, because that's what Layla responds to best! Any other kind of music sends her to sleep, but as soon as Celine Dion comes on she starts bopping!

So, that's going on at the moment.

Comments

[femsc.livejournal.com]

Have a flower. Heck, have a whole bunch of 'em!
It's not easy, is it. How's Chelsea coping in general? Does she have any real understanding of what's happening to her?

It must be very worrying for your parents. Hugs all round from me to all of you.

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Oh, Chelsea knows what's going on. She's pretty switched on about the whole thing, has been all the way through - she's grown up enormously this year. I won't say she understands every detail or nuance, but she understands enough - takes everything in and goes away and thinks about it and then asks questions later, many questions until it makes sense. My mum could make her fortune as a counsellor!

It is very worrying - we just hope the baby will be born sooner rather than later at this stage.

[sunray45.livejournal.com]

Oh no! Just when you thought everything was going well too. Is Chelsea being kept in hospital so that she can be monitored properly? I do hope she is taking this all in her stride and leaving the worrying to your Mum and Dad, and you.

*HUGS* to all of you. ♥

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Chelsea is at home - they don't think the condition is severe enough to warrant admitting her at this stage, and the aim is to minimise her eventual hospital stay as much as possible, because of the autism and high anxiety. She is very stressed - she's anxious enough at the best of times - so we're trying to keep things calm. We know the warning signs to watch out for and are just playing it by ear, day to day, at this stage.

[catsdownunder.livejournal.com]

Keep a very close check on her Jo ... my mother had headaches at the end and when I was born my placenta was nota nice colour apparently. Made it, obviously. Any reason for not delivering the baby now?

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

To deliver the baby at this stage would require either inducement or a caesarian, but the aim is for her to have as natural a birth as possible for a variety of other reasons including her autism and high anxiety, and her narrow airway. A caesarian is to be avoided unless absolutely essential as she would be very hard to intubate - the airways specialist is on standby and is the only one at the hospital who could do it because her airway is so small. Her symptoms are mild at this stage, so if the baby comes early naturally there won't be a problem. So for now she is being monitored closely and we know the warning signs to watch out for - it's just a waiting game now.

[catsdownunder.livejournal.com]

Her narrow airways ... forgot about that, sorry.

Now, we wait ... everyone else do the worrying and not show her you are concerned.

::: HUGS :::

[thisbluespirit]

Congrats to them on the engagement!

And I do hope everyone stays okay - it sounds very worrying. ♥

[justwolf.livejournal.com]

Oh gosh, they are both so young. I'm so glad they have so much support from your family, and it sounds like the hospital service has been pretty clued in too. Congrats to them on the engagement, and I hope everything goes well with the birth! I'll be thinking of her.