Kinda got some so-so news this visit. But, I don't handle unexpected news with ease or a lot of grace, as my immediate response is usually laced with pessimism. So this certainly makes most things mountains when they may just be little ant piles. While little ant piles are still not pleasant to have in one's life, they are very rarely life altering much less life ending. ...unless you're Kristen. :) Hey, I'm a work in progress.
Anyway, here are the highlights from the visit:
* My cervix measured 2.74cm, about a quarter of a cm longer than normal, which was probably due to having a full bladder. I had just gone pee, it fills up so quickly these days! But either way, this still means things in this department are stable. What a true miracle and blessing! Wow! God is amazing.
* The baby passed his/her Biophysical Profile "test" again
*The baby is still in the same exact spot in my uterus as its been for over 8 weeks. The baby is in the ROA, or the right occiput anterior position. Meaning the baby is head down and is laying on its right side with its back up against my right side and its legs stretched out under my belly button across to the other side of my uterus. The baby must looove this position. I often wonder if he/she is stuck in this position. Doc says this is always a possibility, but you can't really do too much to get the baby to move.
*The baby is measuring 34weeks and 1 day, so pretty right on. No longer behind after my no eating stint. Great news.
*The baby is in the 56 percentile, which is also up from the 30-something percentile after I went through my no eating stint. The baby is back on track it looks like. I think maybe one too many Sour Patch Kids plumped him or her up!
*The baby weighs just a smidge under 5 pounds according to their growth measurements--4 pounds and 15 ounces. Awesome.
*One of the baby's feet measured 2.8" in length. Loong! No wonder that thing doesn't feel good when it's literally sticking out the side of abdomen!
*The baby's HR was 130
* I weighed in at 127#. This is up another 3 pounds in a week! I think I can and need to stop eating like a pig to make up for what I lost.
*My amniotic fluid level measured 24 cm. This is too high. Apparently, my AFI has been too high for a while.. ..The normal range is 8-18cm, with an average of about 14cm at our gestational age. The baby is responsible for regulating the level of amniotic fluid. They practice their breathing by swallowing amniotic fluid, then peeing it out ( yes, most of the amniotic fluid is the baby's urine). So when the fluid is either too low or too high docs start to look at various congenital abnormalities that could be affecting the baby---what is keeping the baby from swallowing and processing enough amniotic fluid. Babies conceived via IVF are at double the risk of developing congenital abnormalities, however still only about 4-5%. But this is immediately where my mind went. We elected not to test for any chromosomal abnormalities in the beginning of the pregnancy, but so far the baby has no physical markers for any defects. This doesn't mean there still can't be any, but it's certainly a reassuring finding. And we have had a zillion sonograms, so the baby has been looked at many, many times and no one has ever noted any abnormalities. The baby has also been seen recently on sonogram breathing in and out fluid through the mouth, which is a good sign, and practicing their breathing by using their diaphragm--these are both reassuring signs. This is how the doc put it to me: There are four categories that you can fall into when it comes to high fluid as far as causes:
1. No known cause
2. It's a normal finding for this baby
3. Gestational Diabetes
4. A congenital abnormality--ranging from life threatening to fixable
My fluid was noted as high by the perinatologist ( the fetal medicine specialist doc) in the hospital about 5 weeks ago as well. His recommendation was to retest for gestational diabetes at 34 weeks, which I'll be doing next week, even though I easily passed the last test for gestational diabetes with a BG of 72, and to keep following the fluid levels.
My doc didn't seem too worried about my fluid levels but wants to follow it with continued weekly sonograms so we can perform biophysical profiles on the baby to makes sure he/she is tolerating everything well and still doing all the right things. However, I do not have to have my cervix measured anymore! Yea!! I've spent two years being violated by that dang wand...so happy to finally be done with it! My doc says whatever happens with my cervix from here on out, happens. They won't stop anything if it gives out...... Okay, back to the high fluid issue. High fluid is often associated with babies who have heart defects, esophageal obstructions, kidney issues, stomach issues, and issues with the brain. But most commonly it is something related to their esophagus or stomach not developing correctly leaving them with an inadequate ability to swallow and process things through their mouth. This is corrected with surgery and a diagnosis can be made after birth with an xray.
But obviously we want the cause to be the " it's just normal for this baby" category. One thing to consider, which I forgot to ask the doc about, is...they tell women with low fluid levels to rest and drink lots of water to help with their low amniotic fluid level. Well, this is all I do---drink water and rest. I wonder if this could be why I have higher than normal fluid levels.
I am going to see the perinatologist just as a precautionary measure next Monday. I like the idea of having someone who's sole profession is to recognize fetal abnormalities on sonogram take a good long look at all parts of the baby. They are the gold standard when it comes to any type of fetal issue, so I think this will give me great peace of mind if they don't see any issues with the baby. With that same spirit, if he does find something out of the ordinary, this would also give Kevin and I a little time to process the info and prepare properly for what we may be expecting after the baby's birth.
So the newest prayer request: Pray for me to pass my Glucose Challenge Test..again. ( I've already started limiting carbs and not going overboard as this is said to help high with fluid levels) and for the perinatologist to find that the baby looks fabulous and to give us a completely positive report.
Oh, the doc also gave us the green light to proceed with sex as we wish since things have been good, she said my leg swelling is totally normal since my BP is still about 110/60, and she also went over how she would handle any scar tissue that I may have on my cervix from my previous cervical surgery during labor. If I do have scar tissue on my cervix, which can hinder proper dilation and labor progression, in an effort to encourage a vaginal delivery she will massage and try to break up any scar tissue that may present as an issue during my labor. But this is something we won't know until then.
I think this is the sum of our appointment yesterday. We are sooooo happy we have reached the 34 week mark. Only two more goals to go: 36 and 38 weeks. I feel like this has been a long awaited goal, and given that my doc feels so comfortable with delivering at any point from here on out ( obviously the later the better), it makes me feel like I'm term amost. Like I'll meet our sweet Bean super soon, which is incredibly exciting. Baby shower in two weeks! Our maternity pictures were scheduled for this Saturday, but given that it's supposed to rain, we are having to reschedule. Bummer. I was really excited about doing those this weekend.
Oh, we also tried to get more 3D pics of the baby yesterday, but, again, with how the baby is positioned she couldn't really get the baby's entire face. But we did still get some, just partial views of that sweet face that I love so much. This baby DEFINITELY has Kevin's lips! Lovin' our Bean.
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