Doctor Appointment

I had a doctor appointment yesterday morning, and I needed a little time to think about it before I wrote anything, but I have found this blog to be very cathartic, so I am going full-steam ahead with discussing some news that has me freaked out.


So, yesterday's appointment started with my weight, which has not changed in a month!!  WOOT! (no worries, though; "plus-sized" mothers do not usually need to gain as much weight.  The doctors are happy with my weight progression) and a urine sample which was "fantastic" according to my doctor (I like that he likes my urine so much).  My blood pressure was 118/68, even though I was very worked up (since I have still been spotting since my last visit two weeks ago when they ran the EIGHT HUNDRED DOLLAR test to make sure there were no signs of premature labor and my cervix was in good shape).  The baby's heartbeat was great, even though she moved away from the doppler THREE times while the doctor was trying to get her heart rate! :)  I told him she was a mover!


So, everything was fine until he did my fundal measurement (*The height of my uterus.  Picture below if interested) and saw that I was measuring 3 centimeters ahead of 33 weeks, even though I was only at 32-and-a-half weeks, which puts me just over the "not normal zone." My doctor told me there was slight concern because I have been absolutely on with my measurements the entire time, never wavering one bit, and then there was a rather large jump into the abnormal range so suddenly, so he scheduled an ultrasound ... in TWO WEEKS.  I have to wait TWO WHOLE WEEKS to see if something is wrong or everything is fine and she is just in a very strange position, causing the measurements to be skewed.


He tried to calm me down and tell me not to worry (nice try, doc), but explained very rationally that combined with my spotting, the fact that I had not gained any weight but my uterus got so big so fast, AND my sugar was fine (so it is obviously not gestational diabetes making the baby big), it was necessary to take a quick look to check the size of the baby and check to make sure everything is still okay with the placenta, amniotic fluid, and umbilical cord.


So, there are many options here:  

• It could just be a very large, but still very healthy baby -- however, the doctor said big babies tend to grow at a steady rate
• The baby could just be messing with us and be in a strange position (I am crossing my fingers for this one)
• There could be too much amniotic fluid, which could be a symptom of many, many things (Which I will not go into detail here.  I am trying to hope for the best)
• The placenta could have slipped from its posterior position to covering or partially covering the cervix (This would also not be great)
• I could be at risk of the umbilical cord prolapsing (Also not awesome)

Jeremy will probably think that I am sharing too much here, but I really feel better after writing everything down and taking a critical look at it. Plus, there is always the chance that some of you reading might have had a similar experience and could give me some comfort! :)

It was just so disheartening to hear that everything looks amazing ... ooops, except this one thing that could be nothing or could be a huge deal.  And then my doctor tells me not to worry about it while I wait two weeks for the ultrasound.  GUH!!!

I also feel tremendously guilty, because I have been saying I am SO ready for her to be here.  I mean, I am having a tough pregnancy and I am DYING to have a baby instead of a belly, but I obviously never meant I wanted her to be premature and in danger.  I wanted a baby NOW who was healthy, fully grown, and a nice healthy weight.  Maybe I should have specified that.  

However, I had Jeremy give the baby a stern talking-to when he got home from work.  He told her to "grow normally!" and "stay in there until you're cooked!" and told me if I ever needed to, I could just tell her, "wait until your father hears about this!!"  He's a big help! <3

*Fundal measurements, if interested:

Odds and Ends #2

Other than sharing baby news with people I don't speak with every day, the main reason I started this blog was to record all the little things that I knew I was likely to forget.  Here are a few of the latest ...


1.  The baby has a new morning routine in response to my morning routine.  I always wake up to some serious kicking (maybe she will be a morning person, unlike her mother?), she falls asleep in the shower (I figure it must be a calming feeling or sound for her), and then when I brush my teeth after my shower, she wakes right up and kicks like a maniac while I brush my teeth.  The funny thing is, she is usually very quiet for the rest of the time I get ready (and doesn't start kicking again until I get started with whatever I am doing that day) but she is WIDE awake and kicking for teeth brushing time and then goes back to sleep.  I don't know why, but this cracks me up.


2.  Ever since I was first able to feel her hiccup, she has had the hiccups almost every single day, and sometimes more than once a day.  The other night she had hiccups three times between 9 PM and 1 AM, and yesterday when I was teaching (the first day of the Summer quarter ... bets on whether or not I will make it to the last day of class on August 26th??) she had the hiccups three times during my four-hour class.


3.  One of my students in the class I am teaching on Tuesday nights was also one my students last year.  He came up to my desk to hand something in last night and said, "I predict you will go two weeks past your due date."  Luckily he is someone I know very well and have a good rapport with, because I decided to go with my first instinct, and said, "You can shut your mouth right now, mister.  If you ever say that again, I might punch you.  In the face."  He died laughing.  I, however, got a little hot just thinking about it.


4.  I posted a few days ago that I had been having some spotting and the doctors examined me and also ran some tests (which all came back saying I had no signs of premature labor!  Yay!) and the spotting went away after a few days.  Well, the spotting came back this afternoon, and it was a little closer to the color that they told me to watch out for.  Naturally, I freaked out, but I decided to assess the situation before calling anyone.  I felt no pain or cramping, but I also wasn't feeling the baby move, so I went and laid down on my left side in bed and put my hand on my belly.  Immediately, she started kicking harder and faster than she ever has before, and she then proceeded to move all around my belly and kick every single inch, as if she were saying, "Hey!  I'm alive and fine!!  Feel how strong and energetic I am!  No worries, mom!"


I can't remember if I already posted this or not, but she seems to do this a lot.  Because she is so active, whenever I notice with a shock that she isn't moving and hasn't been for at least a half an hour, all I have to do is think When did I last feel the baby move?!?!? and she will kick on cue.  I know it sounds ridiculous, but it is very reassuring, like she can feel when I am worried and just need to check in on her, and she obliges.  Such a sweet girl! :)


P.S.  Wanna vote for when you think the baby will be born?  Please do so!  I have a new poll at the top right of the page!!

Doctor Appointment

Sorry I couldn't come up with a more interesting and original title, but ... just another of the bazillion doctor's visits in my near future.  I am getting close to once-a-week visits.  Yikes!


Everything was fine today.  Her heartbeat was great, I was measuring exactly on, and, if you can believe it -- I didn't gain a SINGLE pound in the last two weeks!  Amazing!  Especially since I may or may not have eaten six pieces of of this amazing baby shower cake in the past week:

(Yes, I know I haven't blogged about the shower yet, but it seems like a big overwhelming thing.  But I promise I will!!)


My blood pressure was 112/78, which is still great, but I got a little nervous because for almost my entire pregnancy I have been very low, like 100/60.  So, of course I asked my doctor if I should be worried that it is rising, and he said no, that my blood pressure is amazing.  However, I think that means I should probably worry.  


I also told the doctor that I had a tiny (TINY) bit of spotting two days in this past week that were not associated with heavy lifting or strenuous activity.  So, the doctor said, "Let's take a good look!"  Great.  I kind of like to be mentally prepared for that, but she's the doctor.  


She was not kidding about getting a good look -- when she came back she had a nurse and two other doctors with her.  I figured this is a good preview of the circus attraction I will be when I give birth, so I went with it.  At one point, she actually said, "What is that?  Is that a cyst or a pollup?"  and I wanted to shriek "WHAT THE EFF????" but the nurse grabbed my hand and said it was no big deal, they just wanted to see if anything was irritating me to cause the bleeding.  So, both of the other doctors leaned in for a good look (and it was not a pollup, which I gathered would have been bad).  Three heads, VERY close to my lady parts.  Frankly, I didn't care for it.  


So, one of the other doctors (actually, my favorite) took a closer look.  In the end, they all concluded that things looked good and my cervix was closed and I should keep an eye on things but not get worried.  Yeah, right.  If I am worried about my blood pressure being below normal, I am going to worry about this little adventure.


I had also mentioned to the doctor earlier that she seemed MUCH lower in the past two weeks and was kicking SUPER low and I had an irrational fear that she was preparing for delivery or trying to kick her way out.  After the exam she also assured me that the baby was not, in fact, trying to kick her way out.  So that was comforting. :) 


They sent me off saying everything was great and I was doing a great job, but this appointment was certainly a mixed bag.  I'll take the bad with the good, though.  It's all worth it!