The NICU Never Really Leaves You
This time of year always brings up a lot of emotions for me as we round in closer to Ellie's birthday. Three years ago, on September 22, we found out we had growth restriction again, this time with Ellie. That was also the first time we heard the phrase "elevated dopplers" which would be a refrain until she was born. The 22nd and 23rd of September were also the days I had to go to L&D at the hospital to get steroid injections to stimulate lung development. We then settled into the pattern of weekly monitoring for an ultrasound with BPP and NST with a repeated growth scan every third week. That next growth scan fell on Friday October 13 which surely should have been a sign. That was the first time we heard the phrase "absent end diastolic flow." That appointment is what got me put in the maternal fetal medicine unit for extra monitoring. The 13-15th brought more than 4 hours of watching baby on the NST monitors, a second round of steroid shots, a meeting wit...
