Done Worse

So we now have ~ 28 days until Graglo is predicted to enter into the world. I can’t say that we have a lot of faith in the idea that the baby will come popping out in 28 days, but at least it’s something to mentally look towards as I get larger and more awkward.

I am still doing well, but I do have to agree with all of those who have stated that the last month is the hardest. I’ve tried all along to “positrate” about this whole thing- to have a positive view in my mind and tell myself that every thing’s going to be great, so you’re making another person, no worries. And I think it works somewhat, but then there’s also the fact that when you’ve gained 24 lbs and your belly protrudes and moves around thanks to a fidgety Graglo who frequently has hiccups, and you’re tired and you stupidly live in DC and it’s the end of July and hot and humid, well even if you’ve positrated your very best, chances are you’re not feeling so perky. Mostly you feel a tad wilted, like a hot and sweaty lump with a jiggling middle. So the thought of this ending in 4 weeks and not being a new permanent thing is very much helping me get through every day.

Fortunately- everything looks good in terms of me and the baby. My blood pressure has remained very low, my weight gain is within range, the baby is head down facing back still, ready for delivery and growing at the standard rate and my OB everything looks thumbs up.

How do we know you ask? Well since I do go to the ‘test everything’ OB, I’ve been getting a weekly non-stress test. What does that mean? It means that I get to go in to the OB for extra time every week -a true joy to be sure- and they put me on a big chair that leans back and they put 2 bands around my belly. One measures when I have contractions – which I’ve never felt although they claim I’m having- and the other measures the baby’s heart beat. When I feel the baby move, I push this little button, and they can track if the heart beat speeds up when the baby moves- which is what happens if all is going as it should- and that’s what’s happened each time I’ve gone in.  They also do a fast utrasound of your amniotic fluid to make sure you have the right amount- which I do.  Am I too good or what?

Anyway, the only problem with the test is if the baby doesn’t feel like moving when you’re all strapped in. And let’s just say that after a vigorous nite of bopping around and having hiccups and fidgeting fingers, Graglo frequently likes to nap on Tuesday morning when I’m supposed to be doing the test. Gee thanks kid. Mike came with me last time and actually got the movement started by sneezing -which startled Graglo- and got us enough movement that I didn’t have to sit in the chair for what seems like forever. Kudos to Mike!

Mike also took some photos of what the non-stress test looks like. Of course he took them in the *most unflattering* angle possible so I look like a giant weeble – removing Kudos to Mike- so I’m also including some photos from our baby shower so you can see that I don’t actually look like a pale Jabba the Hut most of the time.

I had lots of drama yesterday- I spent the day in the ER. Everything is fine, but it was a bit scary. After I went to the OB in the morning for a non-stress test for the baby (they want to make sure its heart beat speeds up when it moves, check the amount of amniotic fluid and see when I have contractions. Everything looks perfect with Graglo, which is of course good news. I did find out that I was having contractions all the time during the test but I didn’t feel anything. This rather surprised the nurse when she kept asking ‘but you felt that right?’ and I said ‘nope, nothing’.  This could be its own type of fun when delivery comes if I don’t notice until the very end!) When I got up to leave it suddenly felt like I had looked at a bright light with my left eye and I couldn’t see well. I took the metro to work but I felt dizzy and I couldn’t really see and I was confused and very spacy. I got to work and Rachel who sits next to me commented that I didn’t look good. Then my left hand, my nose and then my tongue went numb.

So I kinda freaked- this not being the norm and all-  and called Mike, he said call the OB triage nurse, I called her, she called me back and said this sounds very odd go to the ER. I asked if I could go to the nurse here she said “ma’am, GO TO THE ER”. I kept arguing, she kept saying the same thing, finally I said fine, Rachel went with me in a cab to the GW ER and Mike met us there.

So I was there from 1-5:30 pm. The did a CT scan, they checked for AIDS (I told them it would be negative, but they ‘strongly recommend’ people get the test, and the young med student who came in to administer it looked so earnest and puppy like that I said fine, I’ll take it, but it’s going to be negative, or Mike has some SERIOUS explaining to do. Surprise, surprise, it was negative) they did blood work, and they gave me an IV- the nurse was nice, but TERRIBLE with needles, I have a massive bruise on my right arm that’s only going to get bigger and uglier over the next few days. When she got the needle in my arm she shot blood all over the lovely gown and the sheets. Nice! I told her at least there was proof she got it in if anyone wasn’t sure. She smiled and said ‘yeah, thanks for that!’

They were worried I’d had a stroke- with being pregnant they said I have additional clotting factors that make it more likely- but the CT scan showed that my brain was fine. Based on everything the lead ER doc said it sounded like a migraine which apparently is not uncommon in pregnant women- AND DC is under ‘code orange’ weather which means it’s hot, humid and the air quality is low so it’s hard on ‘communities at risk’ which I guess probably currently includes me. She thought that might have added to me getting the migraine.

They called my OB – who is a member of the GW medical group so they all knew her and my records are in the system which is nice- and she said she was delivering a baby, but based on everything she thought it was safe to release me so they did. And thus ends my not-so-much excitement from yesterday.

The downside of the ER is that my cell and blackberry didn’t work, so I couldn’t even call people/do work- which would have helped with the extreme boredom since we were in an oatmeal colored room with nothing to do. Mike had his laptop, his cell, his BB – everything -and they were all dead. That’s when I knew he loved me- he was technologically cut out of all communication which makes him twitchy- and I told him he could go sit in the waiting room so his gadgets would work and he said with a small sigh ‘no, I’ll wait here with you’. Awww.

I feel much better today, and I’m trying to drink as much water as possible to make sure I don’t get dehydrated and repeat the joys of yesterday. Whew. It’s hard work being knocked up 🙂

We just had our final ultrasound today. Well unless my OB orders more, and with her, who knows. But the good news is that everything looks good!

The Russian tech looked at all the organs and the size of the head and
the stomach and the femur length and so on and as of right now Graglo
is estimated to weight 4 lbs 11 oz with a due date of Aug 22nd -which
is pretty darn close to the previous due date of the 23rd. After
telling us the due date she did say to us in a charming Russian accent
‘you know baby comes when baby comes’. Indeed

The ultrasound showed that Graglo is head down, facing my spine with
butt sticking forward towards the front of my belly. The tech pointed
at a bump placed higher on my stomach and said ‘that bump is butt’. So
apparently Graglo is already showing the world her/his best side 🙂

We did get some ultrasounds pics, so if we’re organized enough to scan them, we can post them too.