Lots of amniotic fluid

I had my OB appointment today. The uterus measured 39cm today, and so the doc and I looked at each other, and he seemed worried. I asked if he thought there might be too much amniotic fluid, and he decided to send me down the corridor for an ultrasound. The ultrasound was fun. Baby measured right on for the due date of November 26, 2007. He appeared to be 6.5 pounds. My cervix measured a full 3cm thick (cast iron, remember?). His head circumference was right at the 50th percentile. The amniotic fluid measured 18.8cm, which is a high-normal measurement. Over 20 would be polyhydramnios. {Edit: a quick read around the internet states that over 25 is polyhydramnios. Normal measurements are between 5 and 25} I asked the doc what that meant, where it came from and what it would change with regard to the treatment of the baby and delivery. He said polyhydramnios could indicate diabetes, and the baby's blood sugar would need to be watched carefully after delivery. My blood sugar 2 mornings ago was 78, so I told him that. He said maybe I should take a few readings 2-hours post-meal, which I said was fine.

Otherwise, my blood pressure was 105/67, the baby's heartbeat was 153bpm, and the urine was negative for protein and sugar. I had read up on the meantime about the urine dip tests, and took the sample differently this time. They said that the urine should not be overly concentrated, so make sure to take a drink 1 hour before the test. I think my prior samples were concentrated because I usually have my doc appts first thing in the morning, only after eating cereal but having nothing extra to drink. Also, they said to make sure it is a mid-stream catch, so that the "protein" found isn't from any leftover pregnancy discharge in the area. It worked better, apparently.

I got one picture from the ultrasound. I will have to see if it will scan in. It is really hard to see what it is. There is a large circle on the right, the back of baby's skull, and a little of the spine from the neck. She could not get a face shot because he is locked into the pelvis right where I said he was, with his face to the back/right.

I was a little bummed to see my cervix was still 3cm thick and closed. I have SO many contractions. I guess this will be a typical pregnancy for me with little to no cervical changes until after 39 weeks. Except with my uterus measuring ahead, I'm lumbering around like I am ALREADY 39 weeks. Oh well. Just a few more weeks to go. I'll try not to complain too much. :-)

Today's OB appointment

The "bad" news (I use quotations because while I find it disturbing, my OB says it is standard) is that there was a trace of protein in my urine. No sugar. I looked carefully at the strip myself, and saw the one square was clear yellow, and the other square was yellow with a greenish tint around the leading edge. My blood pressure is 115/63 though, which negates any concern related to protein in the urine. As spilling protein and high blood pressure could indicate toxemia/pre-eclampsia, but that does not appear to be the case for me. So what *does* it mean? Doc says my kidneys are working overtime to filter for 2, and that they will tend to spill protein/sugar off and on no matter what I eat, and it is not related to what I eat. Not to over do the sugar, of course, but I don't have to completely stay away from it either. I mean, I HAVE to eat SOMETHING. I'm HUNGRY. OK, I'll stop shouting. But don't stand between a pregnant woman and her food. Really. ;-)

Otherwise, the baby's heart beat was 143 and the fundus measured 37 cm, still 1.5 weeks ahead. This is on par with the measurement of my youngest, who, at 2 days before his due date weighed a little over 8 pounds. That is good. Oh, and my Beta Strep was negative, so I won't have to take IV antibiotics during delivery. Yay!

I also had some questions for the doc. I mentioned the hypoglycemic episode last week and he didn't think it was a big deal. Just don't go hungry. And I asked him if I would be in danger if I went into labor so quickly that I didn't have time to skip a heparin shot. Would I bleed to death? He said no. That is not generally a problem, and if my uterus bleeds too much, they can inject some stuff called Hemabate directly into the uterus. This might be a type of prostaglandin, I'm not sure. I'll have to do a search and find out more about it.

So it was a good appointment. Baby is healthy, growing on schedule. My weight is good. Up 20 pounds since I started weighing in. I'm still on schedule for a 25 pound weight gain, which is perfect for me.

This weekend the 8-y-o and 4-y-o go to their sibling class at the hospital. They are to bring a baby doll or teddy bear for diaper changes. I am really excited about this. It seems so much more real to me with the family involved in going to the hospital to learn about the new baby. :-)

OB checkup

Everything went great at the OB checkup yesterday, by the way. My ffn test was negative. Good thing I avoided you-know-what before the exam, lol. My blood pressure was around 90 over 60, typical pregnancy bp for me. The urine had no protein or sugar. The heartbeat was 150. And the fundus measured 1/2 week ahead at 33cm. So all systems are go. Doc says if we can keep the baby in until after Oct 15, he will feel *very* confident about guaranteeing the baby's health. I don't think it will be an issue. My cervix was long and closed when he checked it. And my usual pattern is lots of practice contractions, no movement of the cervix until the last week, which should be around mid-November, not mid-October.

Organized my closet today. That is where I found the potty lid. Piled under loads of junk, bags, boxes and wrapping paper tubes. Here is what it looks like now. I think I'm "nesting". :-D