I had another really crappy Monday. Seriously, I am starting to dread Mondays ... aside from the fun I have with All About MEme. Because CPV is home on Mondays to provide childcare, I schedule my doctor's appointments for that day. Great way to start my week ... like the great glucose debacle of two weeks ago ...
I interrupt this post to bring you two apologies:
This post is ridiculously long. I am sorry about that ... but yesterday was rather action-packed.
I have not had the chance to visit the All About MEme participants. I will do my best to do that in the next day.
I now return you to your regularly scheduled post :)
Because this pregnancy has been a bit out-of-the-ordinary, I had two appointments yesterday.
The first was a routine OB appointment with Dr. M. I gained a few pounds - woo hoo! My glucose tolerance test came back normal. Baby's heartrate sounded great. My uterus was measuring a bit small, which came as no surprise and didn't worry either of us too much. And somehow, Dr. M talked me into getting a flu shot ... not the H1N1, just the typical flu vaccine. I've never actually had a flu shot before, and my arm is throbbing and painful ... like 16 hours later. Next year I think I'll just take my chances.
The second was with the specialist at Maternal Fetal Medicine. The doctor there has been monitoring my pre-term labor symptoms, checking my cervical length every chance she gets, and making sure baby isn't been affected by all this excitment. My visit started with a twenty-minute NST (non-stress test) during which I had three contractions. The baby's heartrate was very reactive - lots of highs and lows - and compared to the heart of a 32 weeker ... at just 29 weeks. Way to go, Baby Girl 2.0!
I was feeling so proud and assured as I waddled across the hall for my ultrasound; despite the multitude I've already had, I couldn't wait to get a good look at my baby girl. With my nagging fear of "not looking" as pregnant as I am, I was anxious to get measurements of the baby's growth. Foreshadowing. She looked great on the screen - brain, heart, adorable profile - and did her best to allude the technician, which just made me smile.
Next was the most painful fFn test (fetal Fibronectin) I've had thus far - it's like a pap smear - minus the lube and speculum - that checks to see if my body is releasing a protein substance. It's a predictor of pre-term labor, and it was my 4th swab this pregnancy. Well, I don't know what the heck that nurse was doing down there, but instead of a swab, it felt like she was digging around down there - with a tampon - sans lube. I was none-too-happy about that procedure ... and I think I made my feelings quite clear. The nurse was apologetic but I still considered kicking her in the face ... not really, but it did feel good to type that ... kind of wish I had thought of that at the time!
The poking and proding ended with the ceremonious checking of my cervix of steel ... which is, in deed, making good on its name. My cervical length has been unaffected by all these darn contractions ... good news!
Very good news considering what I heard next from Dr. K.
In a month's time, Baby Girl 2.0 went from the 30th percentile for growth to less than the 10th percentile. This was not good news, and I was a little shell-shocked and confused and upset. It could be that she's just small ... and that's okay ... but it's a significant enough change and low enough percentile that rigorous monitoring will be required. (The following list is really for me to get all of this straight ...)
Bloodwork done tomorrow to check my thyroid level and meet with my endocronologist to discuss what effect (if any) that level could be having on the baby's growth.
Additional vitamin containing more folic acid, B12, and B6 ... a little growth cocktail.
Increased protein in my diet - balanced with "good" carbs.
Twice weekly non-stress tests.
Weekly ultrasounds to check on baby's well-being, especially blood flow in and out of the placenta and umbilicial cord.
Ultrasound in two weeks to evaluate baby's growth.
Dr. K also talked about steroid shots but wants to wait as long as possible before administering; they are most effective when given within two weeks of delivery. We are still hoping this little nugget is going to cook for many more weeks.
I left the office in tears ... and the stupid receptionist took like 10 minutes to schedule my next appointments. I couldn't get out of that parking garage fast enough. Once cell phone service was available, I called Chitown Momma ... and through my sobs explained what had happened. She was the calm, collected, empathetic rock that I knew she would be.
I drove home in a daze. Trying to be optimistic. Trying to remember that this wasn't - by any means - the worst news I could've received. Baby Girl 2.0 is still happily in utero. Her heartrate looks great and she's active ...
But I still needed reassurance, so I called my primary care physician / OB to discuss the results of all this testing. Dr. M is amazing! Her number one concern was getting my stress level down. She's a firm believer in the connection between mother's stress and fetal well-being and does not like the idea of me getting worked up. Just hearing her voice made me feel more calm. (Perhaps I'll write more about that conversation in another post ...)
I finally arrived back home - almost four hours after leaving for my MFM appointment. Natalie had just woken up from her nap. We had a snack and read stories ... while CPV went to have the flat tire fixed. Oh yeah, I started my day with a flat tire! And then I headed upstairs for a quick snooze. I spent the next two hours in a deep sleep and woke up to a delicious pasta dinner. CPV took care of Natalie and everything else; I am so grateful for him!
My head is still spinning (and my arm is still throbbing) ... but I am making peace with the fact that this pregnancy is going to be a pain in the ass ... but totally worth it in the end!
Baby Girl 2.0
I love you so!
Please, please, ...
Grow, Grow, Grow!
