Wednesday, June 30, 2010

It's Just A Little Detail

Yesterday was my 36th week OB appointment. I'll have them weekly for the next three weeks, but then she's here.

Or. . . [insert dramatic pause - or perhaps a drumroll, your preference - here]

is she?

Way back in the very beginning on the second trimester, Dr. S's nurse and I scheduled the rest of my OB appointments for the entire pregnancy. She asked me what date I wanted for my c-section and I told her that I wanted the first date that she would be safe to take. That works out to 39 weeks, or Monday, July 19. K handwrote that date on the printed out piece of paper with the rest of my appointments.

Yesterday, K asked me when I was "deciding" on a VBAC vs. c-section. Since she and I have had many conversations about this and I have a date for my procedure, I was a little surprised. I asked her if she thought I should try for a VBAC after all (she has been staunchly pro planned c-section prior to this conversation) and she said, "Not at all, but I just think we should schedule your c-section if that's what you have decided."

For some reason, the order had never been put through and Dr. S's schedule is getting pretty filled up. Good thing that got taken care of. The order was put through and we'll get a call later on this week with the actual date.

Other than that, the onset of my swollen feet caused a bit of a weight jump this week. At 36 weeks, I have gained 29 pounds, which I know isn't off the charts, but it does mean I will gain more than I did with Will this time around. My blood pressure has leveled off, though it is still higher than it was for most of the pregnancy, but it didn't go up this week. I had trace amounts of protein in my urine, but that's normal for pregnancy. I had my Group B strep test, the "heartbeep" sounded great, and I measured 36 weeks.

So, in other words, I am a perfectly normal 9 month pregnant woman. Gotta love normal.

Edited: My girlfriend's daughter has to have a sleep study done at Children's in the next few days. The pediatrician is concerned about acid reflux but also some issues with her "resting" breaths (?). Anyway, for now, they have purchased one of these on their doctor's recommendation. I never got one because I had heard about false alarms, and kind of thought it was "over the top," but now I am highly considering getting one for Emma. Has anyone used one?

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Maybe by some magical destiny, you'll get a date of July 12. Only because that is the COOLEST date to have a birthday. Speaking from experience. Ahem. ;o)

HereWeGoAJen said...

Three weeks? Really? I simply find that incredibly difficult to believe. This time has gone so fast! (Well, at least for me, but my feet aren't swollen.)

Ms. J said...

As I started to read this I honestly thought you were about to tell us that Emma may not be Emma after all, LOL, but a boy instead!

And then I had images of you freaking out trying to re-paint and get Will's clothes back!

And me skipping my biz trip to come help you organize it all (cuz I don't paint, sorry).

Nicky said...

I didn't have one of those monitors, but I know several friends who bought them. They were *constantly* freaking out in the middle of the night because of false alarms. It made them constantly on edge. After a few weeks, they all got rid of it because the stress was too much. In your friend's case, it makes sense (you know, risk vs. reward). But for Emma, for whom you have every reason to believe that she's fine? It would probably cause more stress than it's worth. Just my two cents.

sophie said...

I had an angel care monitor for my very healthy and robust son, and had very few problems with it. I liked the added peace of mind, esp in the early yucky SIDS risk period. He was a really good sleeper, which was great but also meant more worry for me during those long stretches. It did help give me peace of mind. And it went off maybe twice when he had moved off the sensor area, no big deal.

Laura said...

So close! I hope your next few weeks are as comfortable as they can be!

Laura said...

So close! I hope your next few weeks are as comfortable as they can be!

Tracy said...

Katie, I love ya, girl, but I HATE when you post links in your blog posts. I have to click on the links to see what the heck you are talking about. Can't you just SAY what you are talking about and incluce a link if you want people to have more info?

Anywho...maybe it's just me.

I didn't use this monitor, but I do have a girlfriend that used them for her preemies, and she loves it. It scared the crap out of her a couple of times, because if the baby moves and gets off the monitor, it sets off the alarm (not sure exactly how it works, but that's the gist) but she figured better safe than sorry. Better to err on the side of caution.

For her, she just felt like she rested easier having that monitor.

You are SOOOO close! So excited to meet your baby girl.

Sandra said...

We used this one
http://www.amazon.com/Babysense-54965-Infant-Movement-Monitor/dp/B0039UEJCI

The two plates cover a wider area so there are less false alarms. We used it until our monkey was 14 months. Wouldnt live without it.

Mazzy said...

Uh, minor detail much? Glad they caught and corrected that scheduling error! I'm telling you... planned c-section is good.

I don't know about the monitor. I appreciate that some people prefer the comfort of the reassurance something like that might bring. Like a doppler in pregnancy, right? I just did my best to have faith that she would always be ok and healthy. You have to do what's best for you, though!

Anonymous said...

My aunt and uncle had to use a similar product for their daughter because she had apnea spells and wouldn't start breathing again unless she was awakened. It went off all the time, and was mostly false alarms. Either the baby was just sleeping really well and hadn't moved in a while, or she had rolled off the sensor, or the thing was just plain malfunctioning.

I'm sure the technology has improved a lot since the early 1990s, so maybe things have changed. But the scare factor of thinking your child isn't breathing, rushing in to wake her and give CPR if needed, and discovering it was just another false alarm was awful for them. Almost 20 years later when my aunt hears a beeping similar to the monitor, she startles and runs to where the nursery was, then cries.

If you do decide to use one, I'd love to know how it works for you!

Searching said...

Most parents I know who got one say they alarmed like crazy. Not sure if they slept any better or not and never heard of one alarming with good cause. Mostly when the baby rolled off the mat. Some have said a video monitor is better. For the reflux kid you can tell the mom to ask for a home health cardiac-apnea monitor if the reflux ends up being a big issue. The doc would have to send an order over and they are usually worn 24/7 for months, or only when asleep, naps, and in the car. Generally my reflux term kids have them 3-6mo. Good luck!