Due Date Doctors Appointment

So as I mentioned yesterday I was given two different due dates (9/14 and 9/15 – wow, big difference right) well today was/is due date #2 and my doctors office insisted I schedule an appointment on my due date for a nonstress test, ultrasound and weekly check up.

We arrive and get started with the ultrasound, it was just a quick, maybe 10 minute long, ultrasound to check the baby’s heart, kidneys, stomach, bladder and amniotic fluid level – everything checked out perfectly!

They didn’t print pictures of this ultrasound but Alex took one with his phone. It’s a little hard to make out because it’s so zoomed in on the ultrasound screen but it’s a picture of his head.

Next we moved on to the weekly vitals check.

- My weight: 167.6

- Blood pressure: 120/80
- Baby’s heart rate: 140 bpm
- Dilation: 2 cm

After that we went in for the NST (nonstress test). It was a tough test let me tell you! I had to lay there for 20 minutes AND drink a strawberry juice box! LOL!

NST photo and description

Finally we had our visit with the doctor (midwife this time). She went over all the test results and said everything looked perfect! She measured my belly and checked my cervix. She said I was dilated 2 centimeters (so pretty much no change in the past 2 weeks). Then she did a procedure called membrane sweeping. So far I have had no signs/symptoms/side affects that the membrane sweep worked/will work, I haven't even had any of the uncomfortable side affects she said I would probably have weather it worked or not, guess I'm lucky...or not, I'm not really sure. lol She did say that the tests I had done today were scheduled too early and that they don't normally do them ON your due date so I'm not sure why they had me schedule this appointment in the first place. She wants the tests re-done on Monday, IF I'm still pregnant, I told her I would be. lol So my next appointment is scheduled for 9/20, just one day shy of 41 weeks, we will see what the next 5 days holds for us.

Wordless Wednesday

A nonstress test is a simple, painless procedure in which a baby's heartbeat is continuously monitored for 20 minutes or more and the details are recorded for evaluation. The logic behind the test is, that like adults, a baby's heartbeat should accelerate when it is active i.e. moving and kicking.

40 Weeks

(All photos are clickable) (Above photos courtesy of http://www.babycenter.com/)

Baby:

- He has now reached his due date!! He can really come ANY time now!
- The average newborn weighs about 7 1/2 pounds (a small pumpkin) and is about 20 inches long.
- His skull bones are not yet fused, which allows them to overlap a bit if it's a snug fit through the birth canal during labor. This so-called "molding" is the reason your baby's noggin may look a little conehead-ish after birth. Rest assured — it's normal and temporary.

Mom:

- Yes, we are STILL waiting. After months of anticipation, our due date rolls around, and...I’m STILL pregnant.
- I was originally given two due dates (at two different times), the first date was 9/14 - today, (later confirmed by ultrasound) and the second date was 9/15. I didn’t really think much of it because they were just one day apart, no big deal. I had been considering Tuesday’s as the day my weeks “switch over” so today, Tuesday 9/14, is the original/official “due date”.
- I have an appointment tomorrow (9/15) for another check up, an ultrasound and a nonstress test to see how things are doing in there and weather I can/should continue being pregnant or if it’s better to be induced. My doctor’s office will let me go 10 days past my due date before inducing as long as everything is happy and healthy with mom and baby. So in theory I could still be pregnant up until September 25!! Ahhhh, that’s seems so crazy!!
- He’s still squirming around in there, as much as he can anyway.
- Still swollen but still no signs of preeclampsia.
- The skin on my stomach is sooo stretched out that it actually feels like my skin is ripping in order to accommodate his ever growing body, very painful!