We Four Olsons: Minnesota

So the short version is that Asher & I are living in Minnesota. In Karen & Jim's basement. Probably for a good 5-6 months. Without Ben & Harlan. And we have been here since May 15th.

The long version is that the doctors in Albuquerque were trying to kill me and our unborn child...so at the beginning of May, Ben and I made an executive decision that the safest place to finish the pregnancy was in Minnesota.

In April we had been told that I had complete placenta previa, was a life-threatening hemorrhage risk (...no really, I was carrying around 'medical alert' cards in my wallet and taped on my phone that instructed the poor soul who found me unconscious in a puddle of my own blood to call 911 and tell them I was XX weeks pregnant with placenta previa and that my blood type is B+), and likely had (based on 'vascular impressions on ultrasound') something call placenta accreta, which has a 10% maternal mortality rate and requires a cesaerean hysterectomy at the time of delivery. We were told by our OB and perinatalogist in ABQ that I had to be within ambulance distance of a Level III or IV NICU at all times and that the chance of me being hospitalized for weeks (possibly months) following a 'surprise!' hemorrhage was pretty much 100%. Family meetings had included discussions of blood banking to prepare for the possible 5 liters of transfused blood (the average for women with placenta accreta) and activity and travel restrictions were implemented.

Luckily, our families were 100% on board with our feelings about experiencing all of these eventualities in the Land of Enchantment. FMLA paperwork was prepared, tickets were bought, and within a week Asher and I were out of there.

We were also incredibly lucky that our friend Ruthie connected us to her father, a Minneapolis-based perinatalogist, and Dr. Calvin was able to get us in to see Minnesota Perinatal Physicians within days of our arrival home. That visit confirmed that our decision to leave Albuquerque was a good one. First, we learned that the placenta issues diagnosed in ABQ were actually non-issues (there was no complete previa and definitely no accreta). But there were other things that needed follow-up that the doctors back in New Mexico had completely dropped the ball on. Since being in Minnesota I've had an EKG, holter monitoring, and met with a cardiologist. I've seen endocrinology, been referred to rheumatology, and will have weekly biophysical profile and non-stress test/ultrasound appointments of the baby at least weekly from here on out. It would seem the laid back "let's just see what happens" approach of my providers down south was not actually safe or adequate.

The good news is that things are actually going really well health-wise. Our little guy is content and active (and big!) at 31 weeks, and I am feeling really good as well. My 'problem list' is a bit ominous (despite everything being well-controlled at the moment) so I will not be getting transferred to an OB; the perinatalogy team will follow us weekly for the rest of the pregnancy and deliver our little dude at the end of August. We are in good hands and let's face it, it was never in the cards for me to have a natural home birth in the tub (phew right Karen and Jim?! ...I mean, at this point, it would be your tub).

Ben continues to job hunt for opportunities in Minnesota and is traveling up here at least every 2 weeks until the end of August (unfortunately, he is bound to Albuquerque until something comes through job-wise up here...apparently someone in his family needs health insurance?). Harlan was relocated to Mankato and is spending his summer vacation with Layla (thank you Dad and Jo!) so that Ben can hop on a plane at any minute without having to worry about boarding Herb. I am a spoiled, spoiled lady myself. I am so grateful for the relationships I have with Ben's parents, which make this situation a gift (both in that we love our time here AND they are graciously letting us stickify their entire house with gooey toddler fingerprints). We have a comfortable 'basement suite' and we spend our days enjoying the grass and the lakes and our family and friends. Our lives are busy with doctors appointments, working full-time, swim and music lessons for Asher, trips to Mankato, and living on a strict Asher-centric schedule (we are finally back on track with his sleep after a rough transition period). But of course missing Ben and Harlan is always on our minds. On that note, I need to publicly acknowledge how incredible my husband is: that he did not, for a single second, hesitate when it came to making the right decision for my health/the baby's health. Even though it means he has to be away from Asher for a few months, which is incredibly difficult because Asher is awesome, there isn't a single part of Ben that knows how to do it any differently. He is ferociously protective of his family, even when there is a great personal cost. I love you.

We kept our arrival in Minnesota under wraps not knowing what my health status would be (we really didn't get the 'green light' on day-to-day health until last Friday) or how Asher would adjust, but man, we've been here almost 6 weeks now and I suppose it's time to reveal our whereabouts.

This is what we've been up to the last couple of weeks...

Hanging out at the park.