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Originally Posted by chisub  I had my appt. with my midwife this morning (39w4d) and it was pretty discouraging. I gained over 5 pounds in a week, have swelling in my feet, legs and hands and trace amount of protein in my urine. Ok, so she wants me to take it easy and lay all weekend, stay away from the processed foods and make sure I'm drinking fluids and then check in with her on Saturday to let her know if that doesn't help bring down the swelling/weight at all or if I have any other pre-e signs. Then she did an internal which also sucked b/c she and I both aren't proponents of internal exams. However, she felt that she wanted to check just in case pre-e developed and they'd have to move towards an induction. No dilation, probably about 50% effacement and the baby hasn't dropped at all. When I asked her about a station, she said she'd venture to say -4 b/c he's REALLY high up there and hasn't dropped at all. I'm OK with going past my due date, I'm just concerned if pre-e develops and they'd have to do an induction b/c obviously with him being so high I'm at high risk for a c-section now. If this were my second baby I wouldn't be as concerned about him being so high b/c I know they can drop really fast, but from everything I've heard and read they really need 1st babies to drop first and he hasn't even started.  |
i have noticed similar questions and concerns a lot lately on the boards here about how "high" a baby is and this supposedly being a bad sign in later pregnancy. in my opinion: your baby will decend when it is ready. I am 37 weeks and my baby has been very low and very deep within my pelvis for weeks now, according to my midwives. but they don't do internal exams or ultrasounds or anything so this is just by feeling from the outside. however with my son i went to almost 42 weeks and he didn't drop until about 39/40 weeks. a baby is not technically psysiologically "postdate" or overdue until AFTER 42 weeks. there seems to be a trend in modern maternity care that babies HAVE to be born prior to being overdue but the evidence i have found and researched doesn't suggest this is more beneficial, ie. in my opinion and from my research induction or c-section carries with it risks that far outweigh the "risk" of being slightly overdue or within the normal 42 weeks.
my midwives said that with my second baby it will not "drop" completely until i am in labor.
you dont need a c section simply because a baby hasn't decended yet. you aren't in labor so the baby doesn't have to have yet done so.
also you do not technically meet the definition of pre-eclampsia simply for having trace protein. in fact i was told by a CNM that trace amounts of protien aren't even a warning sign at all. if you have 2 consectutive +2 protiens that can be part of a diagnosis for pre-e, but... pre-e diagnosis also includes blood pressure where the bottom number, or dyastolic number is 15 points above your normal or in some midwifery practices if you diastolic number is above 90.
