This weeks appointment's updates - Page 2

[nancy11]

Peanut is still head down, but wig-wags between my hips.
Still posterior and now l suddenly have some stretch marks around my belly button.
Tap dancing is its new hobby.
Heartbeat was in the 120s and "fabulous."
And I'm "filling out nicely"... I really felt full a long time ago!!
Weight gain very close to 50 pounds. Insanity.
I'm tired a lot and hungry most of the time.
Only had one real BH the other day and nothing since.
Tic toc...

[michanders4]

Originally Posted by nancy11

Peanut is still head down, but wig-wags between my hips.
Still posterior and now l suddenly have some stretch marks around my belly button.
Tap dancing is its new hobby.
Heartbeat was in the 120s and "fabulous."
And I'm "filling out nicely"... I really felt full a long time ago!!
Weight gain very close to 50 pounds. Insanity.
I'm tired a lot and hungry most of the time.
Only had one real BH the other day and nothing since.
Tic toc...

Nancy, do you have any guesses as to what you are having?? I have a guess .

[nancy11]

You know, I think I secretly want a boy just a little more. So I would guess a boy. But as for a real guess, I don't think I can make one. I don't know what to base it on. After all, I was (and still am) quite a tom boy and a mini-me is not out of the question. It's a very smart baby, from what I can tell -- very responsive and sharp with where it's supposed to be and what it's supposed to do. That leads me to girl. (haha)

If I had to be objective, I would base it on the personality of the dad (which is how I usually try to guess the first one for other people), and I would say girl. Dan is a sensitive guy and not nearly as sporty as me, though muscular and strong. He likes cars and tools and all that, but he's soft. Again, opposite me. I'm all like fire and ice over here.

So, I'm very excited to find out once and for all! I'm so glad we kept it a surprise, too. The anticipation will help me get it out without drugs... I hope.

[michanders4]

Well my completely uneducated guess is that it's a boy!!!! Can't wait to find out! Do you have names?

[nancy11]

Yep, had names from before I was married -- though slightly adjusted since then -- and I'm sticking with them. Nothing fancy, just normal names that I happen to like.

[FischK]

Just got back from my appointment. All seems to be fine, heartbeat, size etc. The doppler sounded a little funny though and made beeping sounds instead of thumping sounds.

I met another doctor in the practice and she seemed as cool as the other 3 I've met so far.

She did the Strep B test, but she won't check cervix until next week. She didn't "want to speed things up." Booh.

[michanders4]

Just had my 39 week ultrasound and appointment. They are guessing his weight to be 8lbs 1oz!! My fluid is still on the high end of normal and he was (and still currently is) a very active boy during our u/s!! The tech said she doesn't normally see full term babies so active . That's my boy!! He knew Mama needed to see and hear that. He is far from cramped in there with all that fluid and he is happy and healthy as can be :. That's obviously the ggod news. The so-so news is that his head is still far from engaged and an exit strategy is not exactly his priority it seems . I'm just so happy that he is healthy!! The tech said she could even tell he is practicing his breathing!

[nancy11]

It's nice when appointments go well.

[IncaMama]

well, at my appointment on tuesday the mw said i was 2cm and 50% effaced and that she was probably a bit smaller than my other kids were, so around 6.5lbs or so.

but then last night, when i thought i was in labor (but wasn't), the other mw said i was only 1cm and thicker than 50% effaced!!!

I'M CLOSING UP!! *sigh*

[wobblykate]

Originally Posted by FischK

She did the Strep B test, but she won't check cervix until next week. She didn't "want to speed things up." Booh.

Feeling ready, are we?

Originally Posted by michanders4

Just had my 39 week ultrasound and appointment. They are guessing his weight to be 8lbs 1oz!! My fluid is still on the high end of normal and he was (and still currently is) a very active boy during our u/s!! The tech said she doesn't normally see full term babies so active . That's my boy!! He knew Mama needed to see and hear that. He is far from cramped in there with all that fluid and he is happy and healthy as can be :. That's obviously the ggod news. The so-so news is that his head is still far from engaged and an exit strategy is not exactly his priority it seems . I'm just so happy that he is healthy!! The tech said she could even tell he is practicing his breathing!

wouldn't worry too much about the engagement/dropping issue...so many mamas on here have talked about how their babies never did until labor. And if he's got all that space...he may wait til your water breaks and then THUNK...like pulling the drain in the bathtub. Btw, 8 lbs is so doable, mama! You'll be fine .

Originally Posted by IncaMama

well, at my appointment on tuesday the mw said i was 2cm and 50% effaced and that she was probably a bit smaller than my other kids were, so around 6.5lbs or so.

but then last night, when i thought i was in labor (but wasn't), the other mw said i was only 1cm and thicker than 50% effaced!!!

I'M CLOSING UP!! *sigh*

Same mw? If it's a different one, they may just have slight variations in how they measure dilation. My mw said that everyone has to learn how big x amount of centimeters is with their fingers, which isn't exactly fool proof science. Don't fret!

[emmaegbert]

so... after my bellyaching about refusing the NSTs and routine induction... (I have extremely well-controlled GD, and I am actually planning a HB, but I'm seeing a hospital-based practice for shadow/co-care), I had a great appt with the diabetes-in-pregnancy people. The nurse educator really obviously did NOT like my attitude (though she LOVES my diet logs and blood glucose numbers). Then the doc came in, was very respectful and friendly, looked at my chart and said he agrees that I am at no higher risk than anyone else and didn't recommend NSTs before 40 weeks (the nurse was even like, "she should have started them last week at 36 weeks" and he said, "put in her chart that I recommend them starting no later than 40 weeks"). He did say that he still recommends induction but in my case at 40w4d, but that he does agree that it is his role to make recommendations and mine to make decisions about my care. He said "this isn't just American OBs who recommend this you know, because we love to do C-sections, this is an international opinion". So, lol, he had me figured out!

I really wonder if I wasn't being a bit of a PITA if they'd even have looked at me carefully enough to change the protocol, but then I think that its also good for them to have patients that care and are self-advocates (reminds them that we are individuals not just statistics!).

Oh and the interminable size-check/BPP ultrasound was also normal and estimates baby at a shrimpy 7lb7oz at 37w0d (thats seriously shrimpy in my family!). My husband is worried that I am stunting our baby with my strict diet and that we are going to have a thin, weak little thing. I know I make gallons of breastmilk so I hope it can catch up to big brother quickly (actually, he wasn't so big- born 9 days later gestation than this one right now he was 8lbs6oz). My weight gain seems to have stalled but then again, all their scales are a little different so its hard to tell.

As the HB MWs and I suspected, placenta is anterior and slightly to the left (baby has been ROP for MONTHS. I'm not going to stress myself about it anymore, b/c its not going to start lying right on top of its own placenta. It will just have to rotate counter-clockwise as it descends into the pelvic outlet-- hear that baby??)

Sorry for the novel. I hardly have to remind MDC moms to self-advocate, but its nice when it goes well. I was actually kind of scared to go up against the doctor, but he really seem to be a decent sort. The HB MW predicted he wouldn't be flipped out about me- she said that since he actually specializes in high-risk pregnancies, he'd see right away that I am NOT high risk.

[wobblykate]

emmaegbert - sounds like a good appt!

Mine was fun...not much change (that I know of, since we're not doing cervical checks, yet). I did have a bh while mw was doing the doppler, so something's going on. I only really feel the bh when I'm walking, otherwise it seems to me like the belly's always tight with all the baby in there, but mw said she could see the shape change and baby's hr went up then back down after the squeeze the way it's supposed to.

If I make it to next thursday (41 wks) then I have a longer appt where the do some fetal monitoring...hope I don't even need to call monday to make the appt!

[EdnaMarie]

ND they want to do an ultrasound every week to check amnio fluid levels.

They are insane. You might have to pay out of pocket for that- I know I did even though I got one because I was measuring small and had to get the AF follow-up one because my AF was very low (last pregnancy, not this one) and I had to pay for it!!! And mine was strongly indicated! And they never suggested weekly ultrasounds- they were going to go by measurements from then on.

Re: late ultrasounds for weight: I do not know a single person who had a late ultrasound that was within 2 lbs for weight. Not ONE person. Those are also bull. Heartbeat, position, organs, yes. Size- no. You can actually feel the baby in there so why estimate using the u/s?

[acp]

I agree that it seems totally crazy to want to do ultrasounds every week for AF levels at that stage of pregnancy! I've never heard of a practice that does that routinely. My last baby was a hospital birth, and when I went past my due date, they did have me do a NST and a quick u/s for amniotic levels, and I think if I had made it to 41 weeks I would have come in for another one, but definitely nothing before 40 weeks.
This time around, with a HB midwife, she asks me to do a NST and u/s at 41 weeks. I'm hoping I don't make it that far...

Had an appointment on Friday - due date is Monday. Everything good, hb around 130, bp low. Only negative is that he's still posterior facing - after a LONG posterior labor last time, I'm really hoping he turns! She hasn't done any internal checks yet, so I don't know what, if any, progress I'm making, but I'm certainly having TONS of bh contractions and occasionally more painful ones. I feel bigger than I was at this point in my last pregnancy (and DD was 8 lbs 9 oz), and also more uncomfortable. This was actually a pretty quick appointment - I sort of feel like by this point, we've covered all my questions about home birth, and I'm just waiting for things to get started.
Hugs to all the first-time mamas getting antsy - I know what it was like last time when I hit my due date and still nothing. I agree that the best thing, especially if you've stopped working, is to keep planning things to fill up your days and be busy and productive so you don't feel like the days are dragging - it's a great time for special treats like a pedicure or dinner out or a movie or things you won't be able to do easily for a long time. You might not end up getting to do any of the things you plan if you go into labor tomorrow, but at least you're not sitting around wondering when labor will start...

This time, I'm actually glad I've held off - my mom gets here Monday morning, and I would *really* like this baby to wait until then, since she would be by far the best person to watch DD and to be here during labor. But I hope he doesn't wait much longer than Monday!

[Bexo]

I am 39 weeks today! My midwife doesn't check dilation or effacement, so I can't tell you anything about that...but I have had some cramping which I think is the baby's head becoming fully engaged (at my last appointment, which was last Tuesday, the baby's head was 2/3 engaged). My next appointment is this coming Tuesday, so we'll see if my guess was right! And the baby is still posterior, which is kind of a bummer, but oh, well. I am birthing in an out-of-hospital birth center with an excellent midwife. Other than the mild cramping, I've had no other signs - no mucous plug, no contractions (except for Braxton-Hicks), so I'm guessing I'll probably go close to my due date or a little beyond

[emmaegbert]

Originally Posted by EdnaMarie

Re: late ultrasounds for weight: I do not know a single person who had a late ultrasound that was within 2 lbs for weight. Not ONE person. Those are also bull. Heartbeat, position, organs, yes. Size- no. You can actually feel the baby in there so why estimate using the u/s?

Oh I know the weight checks are BS. I was asking the technician about how they even do it, and how big is the error range, etc, and it seems impossible that its all that accurate- they take a bunch of measurements, then a computer calculates an estimated weight based on the known averages for fetuses with similar morphology. It pops out a number with a +/- range (which I've now forgotten, but that part I think gets generally ignored). Also, when I look at the list she made of what parts were "suboptimal" (and that means her picture of them, not the body parts themselves) its pretty much every single large body part other than the stomach! Cerebellum, spine, arms, legs... I mean, how accurate can this be!?!

I have GD so the medical folks I am seeing are really intent on "ruling out" macrosomia. I really don't care about the size of the baby that much, and I agreed to it to basically be compliant with their protocols, and then it worked out b/c I got the doc to waive the rest of the testing for 3 more weeks. Basically I get things covered better by my insurance if I do prenatal care through the hospital-based practice, things like tests and screenings (and the prescription for my blood glucose monitor, which has allowed me to totally control my GD with diet).

I already knew the baby's position, though I didn't know where the placenta is (my guess was right though).

Oh- and yeah- no internal checks for me either, nobody has offered but I'd prefer not to have them until I am in active labor anyway, and keep them to a minimum then. Its not like knowing I am effaced or 2cm is going to change anything if I'm not in labor. (Or even if I am). I think with my son I had a total of 3 or 4 internal checks the whole time, and they were all after I started labor.