We had our 34 week appointment today and it came back with some mixed results. Blood pressure was good - 110/68 - the lowest ever! But I gained 4 pounds since my last appt.. .yikes! Chalking that up to a really rough week last week and easy access to Easter candy.
Today we had our third trimester ultrasound and got to see little Harper! This morning I made sure to drink a caffeine-filled Diet Coke, ate some breakfast and drank some orange juice to be SURE that she was awake and active to put on a show. Do you think she cooperated??? Just like every other time, nope! Harper was completely asleep the entire time. Just laying back, enjoying a little nap while we looked at her beautiful face. Today wasn't just for spying, though. The tech had to take measurements of her head, stomach and thigh - all of which ranked in the normal range. She also estimated her weight to be at 4.3 pounds, which the Doctor said was just a hair over normal (4 pounds). The tech also had to actually measure her breathing and heart rate. She also needed to see her hands and feet move, which obviously being totally conked out, Harper wasn't doing. So she used the vibrating stimulator on my tummy to sort of wake her up. It worked, and she got what she needed so Harper could go back to dreamland.
The only alarming part of the ultrasound was finding out that I have low amniotic fluid. Well, technically what the Doctor said is that it's on the "low side of normal", so while it's not cause for alarm YET, it does need to be monitored to make sure nothing is leaking and that everything is progressing along as it should be. He doesn't want us to worry, but he does want to see us again in 2 days to see what the fluids are measuring at then. If they're the same level or higher, then he'll send us on our way. If they happen to be any lower, then we need to talk about the next steps, which could involve an early delivery eventually. But Jon and I are going with the assumption that everything is fine until we hear otherwise. No sense in getting worked up over nothing. I'll be sure to update on Friday once we know something.
Other than that - nothing new to report. I did talk to him about the new stiffness in my hands, which, as expected, is just a side effect of swelling in pregnancy. He compared it to arthritis and said it won't get better until after delivery. Fluid is gathering in my joints, which squeezes the tendons and makes it harder to move. I have to really be careful at work since carpal tunnel syndrome is common in pregnancy, so I make sure to stretch all the time when I'm at my computer. It's annoying and uncomfortable, and other than finding it hard to grip most things, I suppose I can live with this for another 6 weeks! Although Jon is sure to remind me that swelling gets worse as pregnancy gets further along.... thanks for that, Honey!!! I've lived with numb fingertips and an entire numb left thigh for this long - not to mention my hands falling asleep at night or when I'm on the phone too long. :) So this just seems like another thing to chalk up to "deal with it".
Here's another ultrasound picture of little Harper Belle. You'll probably think I'm crazy, but I swear she's got Jon's mouth! I have never been a believer in being able to tell by an ultrasound who a baby looks like... EVER. But this mouth just looks so unmistakably like her daddy's, I love it!!!
1 comment:
You're in good hands. My friend, Melissa, was told she had low amniotic fluid right about at 35 weeks...the doctor monitored her with ultrasounds and stress tests 4 times a week. Her due date was actually today... but she was induced yesterday... giving birth to a very healthy baby girl. (Kayla's picture is up on my page.)
On a side note:
I do think it's funny that Harper slept through the ultrasound even with all that you consumed in an effort to wake her up. =)
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