We had our weekly appointment with Dr. Echt this morning.
I did the fetal non-stress test first. My apologies to the little girl. I did a good amount of poking and prodding... "Come on little girl, move!" "Come on baby, no napping... you've got to dance around!"
After 15 minutes, the nurse came in and said I should drink water to get her to move more. So, after a little water, she continued to move - Tom & I though, both thought she was moving a LOT! My entire stomach was moving. Apparently, they look for rapid changes in heart rate close together to determine fetal well-being, i.e. going from 130 to 160 bpm frequently. Hence the no napping for baby...
Then, we went in to see the OB.
She checked the fluid and we got a pass for another week! The fluid this week measured around 7.5/7.9. Frankly, I can't remember what number she said exactly but it was "good." When you hit 5, you're on the way to the hospital.
She checked for any changes down below and apparently, the baby is comfortable where she is and said everything was sealed up tight. This may be more information than some of you want/need but it's a helpful reminder for us!
She then gave me the highly coveted, much desired H1N1 vaccine.
My father has been calling me every single day a couple of times a day for the past 2 weeks and asking whether she had it to administer, when I was getting it, etc. Seriously.
He even called her yesterday to tell her I needed one and that I had a long history of bad asthma!
This morning, she mentioned that he'd called... and I said it was just because he was concerned and wanted her to know about the asthma and she said "oh, don't you worry, you're going to get stuck today!"
Dr. Echt received one allotment of shots yesterday at 4:45 PM. The demand for this shot (and also now the regular flu vaccine) is insane. Just while we were there this morning, it seemed like the receptionist fielded at least a dozen calls from patients wanting the shot. The OB department at Cottage Hospital held a meeting yesterday and determined the priority list. Third trimester pregnant women are first in line followed by 2nd, and then 1st etc. Anyone with any prior history or condition (i.e. asthma) is also at the top.
And this doesn't even include the rest of the 'at-risk' population such as 2-6 year old children (i.e. Cyanne - she's on a waiting list of her own to get the H1N1 vaccine AND the regular flu shot which is all gone for the moment too!) or individuals with some underlying condition waiting to receive the shot.
Dr. Echt certainly seemed frazzled. She had one patient at her door 5 minutes after they'd called her last night demanding the shot. The injections hadn't even been pulled out of the shipping boxes yet...
All that said, I am glad I got mine. Now we just need to get one for Cyanne (as a 2 year old) and Tom (as someone who is higher on the list as he'll be living with and caring for an infant under 6 mos. of age).
BP was good: 100/70.
All else is progressing well. Still retaining water hence the sausage-like fingers and toes... Ah, water retention. Not a fan. Feeling good but large and unwieldy.
We were very happy to get another week. Another week to prepare. Another week to get her bigger and stronger. Another week to pass along the passive antibodies from the injection to her. Another week to spend with Cyanne. Another week to progress on the upstairs project - we may even get it painted... And much more.
Dr. Echt said I should see her in a week and we can then schedule the date to induce me (assuming nothing has happened on its own). She said based upon my history and current facts (she noted the placenta was mildly calcified which means that the fluid will continue to drop), she did not want me to go past my due date and hoped to set a date to induce me.
She said likely the week of November 9th. If the fluid is super low (i.e. at 5 or lower) when we go in for the check-up on Friday the 6th of November, we might end up in the hospital over the weekend. Otherwise, my guess is that we'll be going in on Monday or so to have the baby.
Yay baby! Good job. Keep up the good work!
Now we just need to decide on a name for you!
No comments:
Post a Comment