I had an appointment my my OB/GYN today. Baby is doing great! Heart rate sounds great and my blood pressure was good. My weight is right on target as well. She is expecting me to go into labor around 37 or 38 weeks. However, she does not want me to go past 39 weeks. So, I'm assuming if it comes to that I will be induced, which makes me a little nervous since I believe the chances of having a c-section go up if the induction does not work. My doctor's want to avoid a c-section due to my blood clotting disorder. Any type of surgery can be a little riskier with this disorder and would require me to take blood thinners longer. I already take a blood thinning injection everyday in my belly (which will be changing to 2 injections everyday of a similar medication at 35 weeks). I currently take Lovenox injections which stay in my system for 24 hours. This medication is a low-molecular weight form of Heparin. The fact that it stays in the system for 24 hours can be an issue if I go into labor shortly after taking a shot. If a certain amount of time has not passed since my last injection, it may be possible that I would not be able to get an epidural. I definitely want an epidural! Sorry to all of you who believe in natural births. Natural is not for me. :) So, around 35 weeks, I will be switching to regular Heparin injections which I will have to take twice a day since they only stay in your system for 12 hours. This difference is important when going into labor. Especially since these meds thin my blood out and make it not clot as much. So, the extra shot will not be fun, but it's something that has to be done so no sense in complaining about it. We will just see what happens. Hopefully our little girl will decide to come around 37 or 38 weeks. :) Can't wait to meet her and see what she looks like!
I will be 32 weeks on Saturday, so my doctor is going to start me on Non-Stress Tests (NST) and Biophysical Profiles (BPP) every week until delivery. These will be happening every Tuesday and Thursday every week. I decided to do some research on these tests, since that is what I always do for everything! It's kind of an obsession! After we were given Eli's diagnosis when I was pregnant I swear that was all I did was research every bit of information I could find! Here is some good info I found on americanpregnancy.org on these tests:
The NST involves attaching monitors to my belly to measure baby's heart rate and contractions. The reactivity of the heart is measured in relation to movement for about 20 to 30 minutes. Basically it will help determine if the baby is any fetal distress. The primary goal of the test is to measure the heart rate of the baby in response to its own movements. Healthy babies will respond with an increased heart rate during times of movement, and the heart rate will decrease at rest. The concept behind a non-stress test is that adequate oxygen is required for fetal activity and heart rate to be within normal ranges. When oxygen levels are low, the fetus may not respond normally. Low oxygen levels can often be caused by problems with the placenta or umbilical cord.
The BPP combines an ultrasound evaluation with a NST. The ultrasound may take up to an hour, and the technician will watch for a variety of signs that are important in measuring the health of the baby. Usually, five specific fetal attributes are studied and “scored” during the BPP: breathing, movement, muscle tone, heart rate and amniotic fluid. The total score will help decide the overall health and well being of the baby and help the doctor determine if the baby should be born sooner than planned.
I have to have these tests done so often due to my history of miscarriages and neonatal loss and a few other problems that make me high risk. I was a little stressed about it at first, but now I think that the more monitoring the better. I want to make sure my little peanut is as healthy as can be! I should have some ultrasound pictures to post next week, so be on the look out! :) Also, my baby shower is on Sunday! I am so excited!
Take care everyone!!
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I had NSTs starting at 32 weeks, as well. They aren't bad. Mine were always paired with an AFI (amniotic fluid index) and I just really liked having all of the ultrasounds. The more I could see them the better! It sure feels like your pregnancy has flown by (probably not to you though) and I can't wait to see pictures of her and to hear her name!
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