20 Weeks and My Trip to the ER (3/19/09)

A few days shy of my 20 week mark I had my 20 week ultrasound. All ultrasounds are exciting, but this one was extra special because Charlie's mother, Tami, was in town and would be coming with us. Things have really changed since she was pregnant and she was so excited to get a sneak peek at her Grandson.

The ultrasound went great. Leo is developing perfectly. The tech struggled to get some of his measurements because he just wouldn't stop moving! It was so great to see our little guy and to know that he is healthy. It was also nice to have the sex confirmed again! (And he is definitely a boy!)

After the appointment, we did a little shopping, went to lunch and looked at nursery furniture. We took it easy for the rest of the day, and as usual I went to bed early.

Around 11:00 pm, I woke up with an awful pain in my lower abdomen and back, all isolated on my right side. After an hour of trying to go back to sleep and doing anything I could think of to stop the pain, I called the OBGYN's office to speak to the on call doctor. By this time I did have a very low grade fever and the pain wasn't getting any better. After telling her that I had a kidney stone about 8 years ago, she agreed that I should visit the ER to rule out another stone or a kidney infection. THANK GOD we had just seen Leo that morning. I think I would have been freaking out so much more if I had not just seen him moving around so happily that morning.

Of course, I was still freaking out, and I was in a ton of pain. Charlie was great, he really kept me calm. When we arrived at the ER they got us in immediately. A urine analysis showed blood in my urine and with my history, they concluded that I was indeed trying to pass another stone. We had another ultrasound that showed an enlarged right kidney, and of course, they looked at Leo again, who was doing fine. (YEA!) I figured he would have calmed down for this ultrasound since I had already had 2 doses of morphine, but he was still a little wiggle worm. :)

The ER doctor tried to send me home, but I refused to leave without seeing someone from my OBGYN practice (the on call doctor said I needed to see someone from there before I left). They admitted me to the women's floor where I passed the stone and started feeling much better! After visiting with the Urologist and OBGYN I was released and allowed to go home.

There is a chance of course that I could have another one, and since I can't have any X-rays done right now, I don't know if there are any other stones in my kidney. Since I passed the stone at the hospital I was able to have it analyzed and it looks like extra Vitamin C will help dissolve the type of stone I passed. Chances are good that I should be able to avoid another one during the pregnancy.

So Mommy and Leo are healthy and fine. It took me about a week to catch up from the sleep I lost that night, but otherwise I was back to normal by Saturday. The ultrasound at the hospital did report a low placenta (completely normal at 20 weeks) so I will get to have another ultrasound at 28 weeks.

Here are some pictures that Tami took of me while she was in town. I was about 2 days shy of 20 weeks in these.

From Belly Shots

From Belly Shots

From Belly Shots