My first appointment was for the non-stress test. They let Scrappy come in with us for this one since he was being pretty mellow. For those who have never had one, a non-stress test is one where I sit back in a recliner with my feet up. The nurse puts 2 straps around my stomach with monitors on them. One was put at the top of my stomach to monitor for contractions and the other is placed over Baby to monitor movement. During this I also had a blood pressure cuff on that would periodically monitor my blood pressure. The test can last anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes, depending on how the baby responds.
We seem to have a pretty stubborn baby. I was hooked up for the entire 40 minutes. Baby's heart rate was in the lower 150's. During the test, the nurse monitors how many times the baby moves and what the baby's heart rate does. The goal is that when baby moves, his/her heart rate is supposed to go over 160 and stay there for a short period. Baby did NOT want to cooperate. We listened to hiccups for a while, which was the extent of the movement we were getting. The nurse pushed on my stomach and had me change positions, rolling over to my left and rolling over to my right side. I pushed on my stomach. Scrappy yelled at and talked to Baby and pushed on my stomach. Daddy pushed and shook and rubbed his hands on my stomach. In spite of my carb restrictions, I even ate part of a granola bar to see if the sugar was going to get Baby moving. We got a few kicks here and there, but not a lot. Baby is most active around supper time and bed time, or really early in the morning and is pretty mellow throughout the day. I was concerned, though, when I saw what my blood pressure readings were. Throughout my pregnancy, my bp has been about 110/65-70. My last appointment, Dr R said it was running a little high. At this appointment, it varied with the top ranging from 128-138 and the bottom running from 83-92.
My second appointment there were no kids allowed, so Daddy and Scrappy had to wait in the waiting room during that one. The ultrasound tech didn't do any measurements on how big baby was, just concerned about checking how much fluid there is and a few other measurements the doc needed. She said Baby was 'face down' so she couldn't get a good profile shot. But here you can see Baby's face, shoulder, and hand.
Then it was on to my third and last appointment - seeing the doc. We didn't see my normal doc, but we got to meet another (Dr W), which is good just in case mine isn't there when we go in. She was very brief and to-the-point. I don't think we were in the room for more than 10-15 minutes with her. She looked over my glucose readings since the medication started and looked over the non-stress test and bp results. She was not happy with my bp being up since it's been so low until recently. Of course she said she was concerned about pre-eclampsia and now wants me coming in twice per week. Normally, she said, she wouldn't be so concerned about my bp since it's not horribly high, but because of the gestational diabetes AND the bp, she'd rather I come in more often. She said if it stays high, she would like to induce me at 36 week. I told her that Dr R had talked about induction at 34 weeks if it was high. She didn't agree with that. But I guess in the end it's up to what the two of them decide. We're going back to see Dr W on Friday for a follow-up. I'm not sure how she wants me to handle 2x per week after that since my next 2 appointments after that are on Wednesdays to coincide with Scrappy's. We'll just have to see what happens. On the 9th, we're scheduled to see Dr R again.
And after some discussion, my husband and I decided to stop down and change my registration. We upgraded to a private room. I'd rather not have someone else's newborn keeping me up all night or have to deal with their family visiting if I wanna nap during the day.
I guess I'm as ready as I'm every going to be for this baby to come. I'm kind of nervous because so many things have gone wrong already and I'm afraid of what else can go wrong. I'm excited to see the little angel that's been kicking and hiccuping and growing in me for the last 32 1/2 weeks. I'm terrified of the possibility of Baby needing surgery. But we're seeing some of the best doctors in the country at Mayo. We just need to put our trust in them.... We really can't do any more to prepare...
I'm getting restless and sore and craving everything I can't eat because of the diabetic diet. I swear if I could, I'd chug a gallon of high-pulp orange juice right now!!!
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