34 Week Appt

I had an OB appointment yesterday. It took forever to see the doctor since the office was so behind but I finally got to see him and here's what he said.

First he told me that my blood pressure and weight gain is all great. I gained back 2 lbs since last appointment and now I'm at 11 lbs gained for the pregnancy. Then he looked at my blood sugars and told me that they are still too high. I am now on medicine at night and in the morning. I have to take a 2.5mg tablet at bedtime to help my fasting number and a 1.25mg tablet when I wake up to help my breakfast reading. I'm glad we are getting it under control but I really wish I could do it on my own without medicine. Next he looked at my ultrasound results from November 21. He told me that the baby was smaller than he expected...?? I don't really know what that means. I don't know if that's a bad thing, like the baby is measuring too small? Or if he just means that the baby is smaller than he thought a 5'9" girl with GD would be carrying? Either way, he told me that he doesn't want me to wait 2 weeks to come back. He wants me back next week for another check.

All in all, everything is going good but he wants me to be ready for a few things. I start the bio-physicals this week. My first one is Friday. At the end of this post I'll explain what a bio-physical entails but if anything looks out of whack, I'm supposed to be ready to be induced or have a c-section. Also, he told me that even though there's a 70-80% chance I'll go into labor on my own, he won't let me get too far along before he wants to talk induction. I think this is because of my blood clotting disorder. So I need to be ready for that.

Of course my OB's schedule doesn't match up with the ultrasound and monitoring schedule so this week I was there yesterday and I'm back at the hospital on Friday morning. Next week I have an appointment Monday at 1:00 and then I do monitoring on Tuesday and Friday at 8:30 a.m. The week after that I have an OB appointment on Wednesday at 9:40 and I have monitoring on Tuesday and Friday at 8:30. I am going to be at the hospital three days a week now!! I know it's for a good reason and I'm totally willing to do it. That's just a lot of time at the doctor's! I hope Dominick decides to cooperate and not stay in too long. As soon as he's healthy enough, I hope he makes an entrance. I don't know how long I can do all that!!

Here's what web md says about biophysicals:

Biophysical Profile (BPP)

A biophysical profile (BPP) test measures the health of your baby (fetus) during pregnancy. A BPP test may include a nonstress test with electronic fetal heart monitoring and a fetal ultrasound. The BPP measures your baby's heart rate, muscle tone, movement, breathing, and the amount of amniotic fluid around your baby.

A BPP is commonly done in the last trimester of pregnancy. If there is a chance that your baby may have problems during your pregnancy (high-risk pregnancy), a BPP may be done by 32 to 34 weeks or earlier. Some women with high-risk pregnancies may have a BPP test every week or twice a week in the third trimester.

How It Is Done

Most often, a biophysical profile (BPP) is performed by your obstetrician. But it may be done by an ultrasound technologist or radiologist. A BPP can be done in your doctor's office, hospital, or clinic.

A nonstress test with electronic fetal heart monitoring and a fetal ultrasound are done as part of a biophysical profile. See a picture of fetal ultrasound and external monitoring.

Some doctors may use a modified biophysical profile, which combines a nonstress test and measurements of the amniotic fluid.

Nonstress test

External fetal heart monitoring records your baby's heart rate while your baby is moving and not moving. It is usually done just before a fetal ultrasound.
External monitoring is done using two flat devices (sensors) held in place with elastic belts on your belly. One of these uses reflected sound waves (ultrasound) to keep track of your baby's heart rate; the other measures the duration of your contractions. The sensors are connected to a machine that records the information. Your baby's heartbeat may be heard as a beeping sound or printed out on a chart.

If your baby moves or you have a contraction, you may be asked to push a button on the machine. Your baby's heart rate is recorded and compared to the record of movement or your contractions. This test usually lasts about 30 minutes.

Fetal ultrasound

Often you do not need to remove your clothes for the ultrasound test; you can lift your shirt and push down the waistband of your skirt or pants. If you are wearing a dress, you will be given a cloth or paper covering to use during the test.

* You may need to have a full bladder. You may be asked to drink 4 to 6 glasses of liquid, usually juice or water, about an hour before the test. A full bladder helps transmit sound waves and pushes the intestines out of the way of the uterus. This makes the ultrasound picture clearer.
o You will not be able to urinate until the test is over. But tell the ultrasound technologist if your bladder is so full that you are in pain.
o If an ultrasound is done during the later part of pregnancy, a full bladder may not be needed. The growing fetus will push the intestines out of the way.
* You will lie on your back on a padded examination table. If you become short of breath or lightheaded while lying on your back, your upper body may be raised or you may be turned on your side.
* A gel will be spread on your abdomen.
* A small, handheld instrument called a transducer will be pressed against the gel on your skin and moved across your abdomen several times. You may watch the monitor to see the picture of the fetus during the test.

When the test is finished, the gel is cleaned off of your skin. You can urinate as soon as the test is done. Transabdominal ultrasound takes about 30 to 60 minutes.

Ultrasound technologists are trained to gather images of your fetus but cannot tell you whether it looks normal or not. Your health professional will share this information with you after the ultrasound images have been reviewed by a radiologist or perinatologist.

That was a lot of information! If you want to see the site, just click here. Sorry that was a lot. If you read that whole thing, then you are good! I'll update more after the first one and let you know how it went.

Wish me and Dominick luck!