I had an appointment with my doctor on Wednesday. Now I will be seeing Dr. Quinn once a week. I only have 2 appointments left to go--next week and the following week. Unreal.
The appt. went quite well. It started with an ultrasound. We were able to see the baby (who is positioned properly with his/her head down) and hear the strong heartbeat (160 bpm). The baby looked fabulous and measured in the 85th percentile at 6 lbs 12 oz. The ultrasound tech reminded us that the weight could be 1 pound off in either direction. And, at this point the baby is growing 1/2 pound a week. So, with 3 weeks to go....we'll have a healthy size baby. Anywhere from 7 1/2 lbs to 9 1/2 pounds. I'm hoping for the lower end of that. ;)
While getting the ultrasound the baby kept moving around, even opening and closing his/her mouth. I loved it! Several pictures were taken (they are posted at the end of this post). One even showed us some hair. When I asked if that was the normal amount, the sonographer indicated that they usually only see a few wisps and it is quite possible that our baby will have a headful of hair when born. Wow!
After the ultrasound, we saw the doctor. We did the basics (measuring the uterus and Doppler), plus a group B strep culture. She also checked the cervix. It seems I am between 30-50% effaced and 1 cm dilated. I did notice this morning that my mucus plug seems to be coming out (lovely discharge). That means I'm probably getting more effaced. Also, when I walk, I feel like the baby might "fall out." I know that isn't possible, but it is a funky feeling. Anyhow, I guess that means the baby could come any time, from now until the scheduled c-section on April 14.
The last thing we discussed with the doctor was the c-section a bit more in depth than we had in the past. In my 20s, I had major trauma and internal bleeding which required exploratory surgery. So....I have a long scar going down my belly already. I joked for years that I would love to get the "normal" c-section cut (horizontal) so I could have an anchor on my belly. The doctor told me that she won't be doing that. She will need to cut along the scar tissue. The main issue is that if she makes a brand new cut (the normal cut for c-sections), it could further weaken the area of my abs and even make it more likely that I would develop complications (like a hernia). I did ask if I could have regular stitches instead of staples. Dr. Quinn said no. She did say that had this been my first abdominal surgery she probably would have done stitches, but since I've got the scar, they will need to do staples to best put things back together, essentially. Oh well. I tried. ;)
Our next appointment is this coming Wednesday. It should be a quickie appointment where she addresses any concerns, does the Doppler, and measures me. Nothing too exciting, really. The only excitement now is the knowledge that I will meet my baby very soon! I can't wait to hold and love on our baby! :-)
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| Baby G waving to everyone! Loving those fingers! |
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| A blurry profile shot...Baby G kept opening and closing his/her mouth! |
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| Face---I love that chipmunk cheek! |
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| Lots of hair, it looks like. |
