I had another doctor's appt at Wilmington Maternal yesterday for an ultrasound to check the fluid around the baby. Everything was fine there -- as a matter of fact, the levels are on the higher end of average and normal so it appears that the kidneys -- something they're keeping an eye on, remember -- are still working just fine.
They also did another biophysical "test" on the baby and he scored another perfect score: 8 out of 8. George was our ultrasound tech and he remarked, just as everyone else has, that he is breathing really, really well. Perfect.
My blood pressure was 138/90 -- elevated higher than they prefer, but not any higher than it has been, and, with my history of hypertension, not at an alarming level. Just something for them to mention to me in the consult room afterward, as they always do. :)
The only downside, really, to this appt was the fact that the kid is still breech. Yes, he is. Grrr. However, George, gave us hope -- he said he's seen babies turn even later than this. Yay. Our doula, Kelley, told us about a few positions, some exercises, that I can do to, um, encourage him to turn. So we will set about doing those. For sure.
So due to the blood pressure issue, they wanted to take some more blood and test for anything that looks preeclamptic. Well, sure, it's been what, a week since they did that? Go right ahead. Let's see what the labs say.
Everything came back normal -- platelet counts were fine, urine creatinine was normal (also no protein in my urine which is always a warning sign), liver function is fine. Just a caution from Cindy to keep watching my blood pressure and report any serious spikes, and to keep an eye on how I'm feeling. Roger that. That good lab report bought us 4 more days to wait it out.
That's what we want. My concern at this point is that my care providers are going to start pushing me to start making decisions about "this or that" before I'm ready. As long as I'm fine and everything is healthy with the baby, then we're fine to wait. Not so much on the medical front -- it's just more convenient to go ahead and schedule induction or a c-section so that my docs don't have to worry about my blood pressure or risk of preeclampsia or the baby turning on his own anymore. I see their side -- I really do -- but I also have my preferences and those take precedence for me, as long as nothing turns into a dangerous situation for me or the baby.
All my docs are now hinting around about bed rest but also suggesting that it's maybe something I can avoid them ordering if I take my own precautions like, for example, limiting my hours at work, etc. It's not as if my job is real strenuous or anything, but I think the thing that works against me is that in those last few hours of the day before bed, after working 8 hours, I'm trying to cram a lot of things in and not really taking time to put my feet up. Maybe if I can figure out a way to limit my workday hours, I can spread those "after work things" out a little bit and find chunks of time to put my feet up and rest more. You think?
It's worth a try to avoid the doc's official order of bed rest. So we're gonna try it.
My next OB appt is Monday for an NST and they will probably want to discuss the whole "your-baby-is-breech-and-your-blood-pressures-have-been-elevated-and-we-just-think-we-need-to-get-this-baby-out-of-you" thing. So we'll be going in with guns to stick to. Just sayin'. :)
