Friday, July 04, 2008

I'm not calling Guinness just yet

Wednesday I had an ultrasound (pictures are below) but I couldn't have the follow-up appointment with the doctor because she was in surgery. They scheduled me to come back the next day (Thursday). That's not so bad but it's a 40 mile round trip and I hated to spend the gas to do that twice in two days. Also it's a little difficult scheduling that around hubby's work and my waning energy. In any case, I went yesterday for the follow-up and the doctor was delivering a baby. I chose to wait rather than have to come back yet again. My wait ended up being an hour and twenty minutes! That was pretty miserable because I can't sit still for long. I have had a lot of trouble this pregnancy with restless legs and trying to sit for very long is pretty impossible. I also cannot relax. It has made for many, many sleepless nights already and I still have five weeks to go....

So, my follow-up appointment. The reason I had the u/s in the first place is because my fundal height was measuring large and the doctor wanted to see how big the baby was and see if I maybe had too much amniotic fluid. I pretty much consented to the u/s because I wanted to have pictures taken like the ones below... :-) The technician told me that the baby has chunk on 'it' and I also have a lot of fluid but that neither of those things were dangerous. Yesterday the doctor said that, yes, the baby is big. Baby weighs 8 lbs 5 oz. right now and that if I go to my due date I'm looking at delivering a 9 to 10 pounder. She said I just may break my personal record which is 9 lbs. 9 oz. (Adam). I don't really know how accurate with these weight estimates and I kind of wish I didn't have those numbers in my head!

The doctor said that if I consented to an amniocentesis to check up on lung maturity then she would deliver me early. If you know me very well, you know that there's no way I would consent to that unless there was some kind of an emergency! BTW there's a really cool DVD called In The Womb put out by National Geographic. On that DVD I learned that when the baby's lungs are mature they secrete a protein into the amniotic fluid that triggers the placenta to decrease the production of progesterone and to increase the production of oxytocin. Either of those things can put one into labor and both of them combined would certainly do the trick! And so, since I like to keep things a natural as possible, I'll be waiting until the natural course of events unfolds.

Remind me I said that a couple of weeks from now if I start complaining!

Does anybody else have experience with the doctor's estimating baby's weight? Were they right or wrong?

5 comments:

Donna said...

Hoping that nature takes it's course and you can deliver a bit earlier so you don't break that record ;) Good for you for declining the test...I would have done the same thing. Too much risk for the info.

Anonymous said...

My doctor predicted Kensley's weight and she was right on.

Roberta said...

You'll be in my thoughts and prayers during this final stretch. I will specifically pray for your sleep and rest for your legs. Have you considered a chiropractor? You may have pinched nerves causing the trouble. I always get the pinched sciatic nerve. Ow!

For weight...guesses were never spot on. I've delivered (in order) 8.7, 9.13, 8.3, 9.6, and 10. The 8.3 and 10 were my best births.

Cindee said...

Thanks for the prayers! I've been to the chiropractor and while it's relieved other problems it's done nothing for my twitchy legs. :-(

Amy said...

Ultrasounds are more accurate in the early pregnancy stages, less in the later. I wouldn't worry about size. The baby will come when it's ready. I'm sure your anxious to meet your little one. I know I am.