Very Positive Dr. Appointment!

We had my 38 week appointment this afternoon.  IT had been snowing lightly all morning, so we figured this would be a nice trial run to get a good sense of the time to drive there.  The roads were plowed and the traffic was moving well at noon on a Wed, so the trip only took maybe 10 minutes longer than usual (there abouts).  So that's good to know.

At the appointment, my Dr. looked at the results of my Strep B test (negative).  This is a bacteria that many people carry around, and are immune to, but newborns wouldn't be.  They can be exposed to it during birth which can lead to blindness and other complications.  So if I had tested positive, I would need antibiotics at delivery to help boost the baby's immunity.  But I tested negative, so Yay!

She also told us the results of our latest ultrasound.  Baby Girl is measuring at about 7 lbs (as the technician suggested) which puts her in the 39% for fetal growth.  Doc says this is great, not too small, not too big.  My weight is great (actually lost 2 lbs in the last 2 weeks), as are my blood pressure, sugars, and Baby Girl's heart rate.

Today was another squirmy day so Baby Girl kept "popping" the heart rate monitor and it was really neat to hear her heart rate speed up and slow down as she moved and quieted.

My next appointment is for Fri, Jan 6th, Baby Girl's due date!  At that appointment (assuming she hasn't made an arrival), Doc will check for dilation.  She offered me the option of stripping my membranes at that point.
************ TMI Detail Warning **************************
Stripping membranes occurs when the woman is dilated and the doctor uses her finger to separate the amniotic sac from the cervix, without breaking the sac.
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Apparently when this is done, it begins the release of labor hormones and contractions, which can speed labor along.  I asked why this would be necessary and she said it's not really, if everything is going well, but some woman are very "due date" oriented.  She mentioned that there is no guarantee that this will start labor, especially in a first pregnancy, and it can produce strong, painful contractions that are just as likely to fade away in a few hours as they are to start labor.   The potential risk is accidentally rupturing the amniotic sac at which point, I would Have to be induced and deliver that day.

We've decided not to take that option, unless there's some medical reason that I have to deliver then.  Assuming Baby Girl doesn't show up by Jan 9th (the following Mon), I have another Dr. appointment, followed by a Non Stress Test at the hospital.  The NST is when they monitor the baby's heart rate continuously for about an hour to see how it fluctuates.  Apparently, placentas have expiration dates and as they breakdown, the baby gets less blood flow and would display more fluctuating heart rates (I *think* I got that right).  We'd have another appointment and another NST on the 13th (that Fri) as well.

If we still haven't seen sign of Baby Girl and she's still testing healthy, I would probably be induced the next week.

So, we're "down to the wire" but I'm still feeling relaxed and happy.  As long as both Baby Girl and I are healthy at at no risk, I'm happy to let things progress as they do.

Hopefully, these posts will get more interesting once Baby Girl is here and I have some fun pictures to go along with them. :)

But for now, that's all for us.  Thanks for Reading! :)