I am worried fear is starting to take over....

[tribord]

38 weeks now, baby has been moving much less over the last couple weeks which midwives reassure me is normal although it makes me nervous. But I'm starting to feel so scared and panicky and just keep thinking if something goes really wrong it will be my fault for not having it checked out.

On Monday at my regular appointment his heart rate was down in the 90s for a minute or so which freaked out the midwife a bit. She had me do a NST right away and he totally aced it. Then today I just feel that he is moving even less than he had been (he had stopped moving much in the morning but for the most part still had an afternoon active period, but not today). So I call and midwife says as long as he has 4 movements in an hour it is fine but it is up to me if I want to come in. Even though I know he is moving 4-5x hour I still end up going in for another NST. He just passes this time, but midwife (different one) says my fluid feels low and recommends an u/s to check fluid and possibly a full BPP. So now I'm going in tomorrow for an u/s.

I'm worried that I'm letting my fears get the best of me and I'm putting myself on the road to some interventions that I don't really need. I mean, if I hadn't gone in today for the NST (which he passed) I wouldn't be having an u/s tomorrow. Anything other than a perfect u/s tomorrow will just give me and everyone else something else to worry about. Now of course if something ends up being really wrong, I'll be glad I did this. But I alternate between being afraid of something being really wrong and between being afraid that I'm screwing up my own chances for a normal, natural birth. None of the midwives at my birth center seem like total "medwives" but I know when you go looking for something to be wrong you will often find it. I guess I just need some talking down.

Oh, and also tonight I find out that after over a month of being in the *perfect* position for birth he has suddenly turned posterior. Although I haven't been doing as much hands and knees as I should have I was being so, so careful to avoid bad positions and have been doing chiropractic as well. I am just so, so bummed out about that.

[RedOakMomma]

He can easily turn out of a posterior position. In fact, if he's spent so much time in the perfect birthing position, it's probably his most comfortable. He'll turn back.

I don't think you're doing anything wrong in getting the ultrasound. You're worried, you have some reason to feel worried, and you should follow your gut. An u/s is not going to make that big of a difference in your plans for birth, UNLESS there is truly something wrong--in which case you'll be glad you found out. Plus really, there are enough worries in these last weeks...if the u/s will give you and your mw some reassurance that everything's okay, then take it. Sleep easy. Enjoy seeing your healthy, beautiful boy.

We had some late-term worries with our first, and got an ultrasound and NSTs. I'll always be glad we did it, though at the time I worried the same way you did--with this lead to interventions? In fact what it did was give me the reassurance I needed to go into labor (all natural!) and not worry the whole time about the health and fate of my babies. You'll labor better if you know your baby is okay. That's powerful.

[AustinMom]

I'm kinda partial against u/s for fluid stuff, because I think that they don't necessarily measure the pockets of fluid, and may measure an area in the uterus that has low fluid, but the uterus has much more fluid else where. So...If your midwives have been doing this a while, I'd trust their hands more when they do the belly jostling to see how much fluid there is. Also, fluid levels can change spontaneously. Since amniotic fluid is basically the baby's pee, he may have just not peed recently and that would show your fluid 'low' and then as any mom, I'd be concerned.

This is what I would do if I were you. Your fears are real, and it is a good idea to check things out, especially if you feel there is a need. I'd get the u/s tomorrow, if the fluid levels are low, consider maybe the baby hasn't peed in a little while, rehydrate WELL, like a MINIMUM of a gallon of water a day till your next u/s appt. and have them check fluid again. That's what I would do, and that's just me, yes that is adding another intervention and another u/s, but it's a more accurate way of diagnosising if something really is wrong or not.



Oh, and he'll move positions, I wouldn't worry much about that.

[jenifera2]

I talked myself into being comfortable with weekly NSTs and BPPs (suggested by my midwife because of my age - 36 - and my antithyroid antibodies) by asking her what happens if these tests show problems. I was concerned they'd be too quick to jump into induction if anything looked slightly amiss, and she reassured me that there are multiple other steps of testing they would do before jumping to that, but these are good, non-invasive places to start getting information that, more often than not, is reassuring.

Might be worth a call or talk in person with your midwife to understand what they're looking for on the BPP and what the next step will be if that's not what the results show.

And I'll add on to what the others have said - my LO rolls over frequently. She spends a lot of time in a great position, but sometimes does roll to mostly posterior. She always rolls back. I just figure it's so tight in there that sometimes she needs a break from her favorite position to relieve a few pressure points.

[tribord]

Thanks for your replies. They made me feel so much better and calmer as I passed the morning waiting for my appointment.

The doctor did a full BPP this afternoon (except for the NST which the midwife did last night) and baby did fine on everything which was very reassuring. My amniotic fluid measured on the very low end of normal (which was after drinking a *ton* of water since last night) but the doctor didn't seem concerned. Also, like the midwife I spoke to on the phone last night he said as long as the baby has 4-5 movements an hour that is fine and unless movement goes less than that he doesn't recommend any followup. So overall I'm glad I went as it was very reassuring and a good reminder to keep up my fluid intake.

I think I now have it in my mind now that this lowered state of activity is the baby's new "norm", so as long as he doesn't drop his activity level much more than this I should be able to stay pretty calm for at least another week or so.

[jenifera2]

I'm so glad the tests went well! Before the nurse did any measurements for me she explained that anywhere in the normal fluid range is just fine. Hydration does affect results but baby's position can make a big difference too, especially if they move during the test since each measurement they take is only a snapshot in time.

[gradstudentmommy]

I'm glad everything turned out well. So is it 4 baby movements EVERY hour? What if baby is sleeping?

[Galatea]

Also, fluid levels drop as you get nearer to labor, so don't stress.

[tribord]

Originally Posted by gradstudentmommy

I'm glad everything turned out well. So is it 4 baby movements EVERY hour? What if baby is sleeping?

I think it is technically something like 10 movements every two hours, but for me it is easier to think of it as 4 or 5 an hour (which is a number the doctor and midwives have also told me). I sometimes don't notice any movement in a given hour but it tends to be when I'm busy so (1) I might be lulling the baby to sleep and (2) I'm busy so I'm not really paying as close attention. I would also imagine that a baby in utero could sleep for more than an hour at a time as well.

And the handout I have that kind of freaked me out earlier this week says any change in movements should mean a call to your provider. Which is why even though I could still feel 4-5 movements an hour I called the birth center.