I still brace myself for bad news for almost every appointment. It was especially bad in the first trimester. After everything went so horribly wrong with Olivia, I had no expectation that it would go right this time and I didn't dare get my hopes up. I think I googled the miscarriage stats by week like every day. It was insane. I don't know how Joe put up with me. Every ultrasound, I held my breath until it was clear the baby was still alive. Even now, when they are looking for a heartbeat, I tense a little, even if I just felt him kick me moments before.
When I sat down in the comfy recliner for our NST today, I pretty much told her that the baby was probably not going to do very well. Even though I'd just drank a soda about a half hour before, he wasn't very active. It wasn't "I'm worried he's not active" because I'd still feel him moving every once in awhile, it was just he wasn't doing 10 movements in 5 minutes like he'd been doing earlier at 6 am. Much to my surprise, he did pretty well, after a slow first 5-10 minutes or so, he perked up. Best of all, there were no dips/drops/variables or whatever you want to call them. He had several 10 beat per minute lasting 10 second accelerations (which is the 28 weeker standard), and once a 15 beat per minute acceleration but I don't think it lasted long enough or whatever, for her to give him a "reactive" test since they have to go by the 15 x 15 standard. (She said it's like giving a 3rd grader a 5th grader test.) Instead of calling it nonreactive, she labeled it "reassuring for gestational age. "
Luke was especially good for the biophysical profile today. He got the movement and tone points quickly, my fluid levels are good, and then he even practiced breathing for longer than 30 seconds. I asked her if practicing breathing has anything to do with lung maturity, apparently it doesn't, it's just one of those things they start figuring out how to do around this time, but they don't actually *have* to breathe to be okay whilst in utero, they can be lazy and let their moms breathe for them. And it doesn't really have any influence on lung maturity.
Joe put Luke's dresser and crib together today which freaks me out and makes me excited at the same time. The dresser turned out much, much, better than I expected. We got a really good deal on a regular dresser at Big Lots, I just happened to see an ad one day and we got lucky with it, it was their last one left. I worried that it might be a little too short to use as a changing table but it turned out it's the perfect height and it matches the crib better than I expected too. So now we need to settle on wall decals (we're going to do a giant mural with them) and accessories and a mattress. (I'm picky about mattresses but am not too crazy about the prices for organic ones so I'm still deciding on a decent compromise.) But anyway, the room is coming along pretty nicely and I'll have pictures soon.
Friday, March 4, 2011
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3 comments:
I also want organic for the mattress, as apparently lots of chemicals in the non-organic ones, but I did not know that the prices were prohibitive.
At least I have more time to save. Glad baby is doing well. The breathing movements are more a sign of neurodevelopment, that is why you see more of it when baby is a little farther along. Indeed nothing to do with lung maturity, the only indices of lung maturity are the ones that have to do with the lung phospholipids (that they get from your amniocentesis).
Check Amazon for affordable organic mattresses. You can get free shipping (and no sales tax) too. So glad to hear that the tests are reassuring. I know you won't feel full reassured until you're holding him in your arms but you're getting closer and closer!
I recommend putting a mirror on the wall behind the changing table. He will be fascinated looking at himself while you're changing him and will be somewhat less wiggly, too.
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