***Pregnancy Mentioned***
So L and I went to the peri last week, I was 33 weeks then. Overall, things looked good and Lil' P is healthy. Very healthy- this is where the cause for concern is coming in. The peri told us that the she is measuring 1w2d ahead of schedule and weighing in at 5lbs. and 2 oz. This would place her in the 58th percentile. He also said I had a little more amniotic fluid than the average women.
He wasn't worried as all my tests have come back fine. I have since attempted to start eating a little better as more fluid can be an indication of gestational diabetes. I have been tested twice and passed both times but since I responded to the Metformin I thought it prudent to start keeping a better eye on what I eat (not how much). He also explained that he would not be changing in my due date and there was no need to make another appointment.
What makes me nervous is what happened at my ob's office today. I was seeing one of dr's (it's a large practice) and she was taking the fundal measurement (aka- measuring my belly with a tape measure) and said, "Wow... you are measuring 3 weeks ahead". Now admittedly, this ob said that she was not concerned as I had just had a u/s the previous week and the fundal measurement can be off for many reasons.
However, she also said that if I am still measuring large (which they consider to be 3 weeks or more) they will want to send me back to the peri for another u/s. When I asked what they anticipated to learn she said how big the baby is and the level of amniotic fluid. If Lil' P was large and there was more amniotic fluid that my regular ob may talk to me about induction.
Yikes!!! I do not want an induction!
I know enough to know that a u/s can be off, one way or another by a 1lb or more. I know that I can refuse to have the u/s. I really do believe that a women's body can give birth to a big baby- no matter how small she may be (isn't that why our pelvis is in 3 parts and the baby's head is not yet fused together?). I also believe that babies come when they are ready- not when we are. I don't think nature screws up a lot in this area.
I am afraid that I will get a lot of pressure to have this baby early if I agree to have this u/s. I am also afraid to not have the u/s because what if the baby is doing poorly and I don't know it? I know that I may be getting myself worked up for nothing- maybe things will resolve in the next two weeks. Anything could happen right? In the meantime, I will be making a call to my doula asking her about these things. Gotta love the doula :)
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6 comments:
Holy cats! Decisions, decisions. Saying lots of prayers that the right answer will come to you!
Wow, that is a tough one - hope everything works out so your little one can come exactly when she's ready.
Just a note to ease your fears... I was in the same exact boat with my son. Consistently measuring way ahead, high ratio of amniotic fluid... but my OB let us got to term, and he was born big (9lbs) but healthy! Much luck to you. I can't believe you are almost there.
First and foremost, please know that no matter how your little girl gets here -- induction, naturally occuring labor, vaginal birth, c-section, whatever -- you will be so thrilled to meet her that the manner of delivery will eventually take a backseat to the joy (and exhaustion, and overwhelmed feelings, etc.) that you feel.
With my daughter, I too was measuring big. Usually about 2 weeks ahead. All of the OBs in my practice were concerned and swore I was going to have a 10 lb baby. They sent me back to the peri at 36 weeks and he too swore I was going to have a 10 lb baby. In fact, at 36 weeks he was estimating that she was already close to 8 lbs! He did note that I had "extra" amniotic fluid but apparently it wasn't enough to warrant medical intervention. Although I was scheduled to come back at 38 weeks to check again.
Before I could go back, I went into labor on my own (37w5d). I had an incredibly tough labor. I had regular, wildly painful contractions for 74 hours. Yes, you read that right. SEVENTY FOUR HOURS. Yet, I never made it past 5cm dilation. At the time, they told me it was because she was so big that her head couldn't get through my pelvis (I'm average size). Meanwhile, I delivered her at 38 weeks so she wasn't even theoretically done growing!
About 20 hours after my water had broken, plus a couple of hours of concerning heart decelerations on the baby's part, plus the sheer exhaustion of being in labor FOR-EV-ER, plus the fact that she was supposed to be this GIANT baby, we all opted for a c-section. I couldn't have been happier and am still 100% at peace with our decision to this day.
If you trust your doctors, you need to do just that... trust your doctors. Hopefully things will resolve themselves on their own, but if they don't, then that will be okay too. A healthy baby and a healthy Mom are the goal -- if you believe that this group of doctors caring for you can deliver (no pun intended) on both of those things, then seriously consider whatever it is they recommend that you do.
By the way, want to know how much my giant baby weighed when she was born? 6lbs 15oz. Ha!
YIKES! That's pretty crazy. I will be praying for you and lil' P, hoping that he/she stays put until ready to come into this world! And I would LOVE any advice, tips, resources you have on finding a Doula. That has been a big issue for me. :)
LOTS OF HUGS!!!
Wow! Well, I'm due May 1st, and they say my little guy is about 6 lbs (75th percentile, for whatever that's worth).
Having talked to a couple of girlfriends who have given birth to large babies in the past month, I would *much* prefer an early induction to delivering a larger baby if I had to make the choice. The physical "trauma" my friends went through (and are still recovering from) was no joke!
Also, I'm starting to get pretty darn uncomfortable (and I have gained very little weight, just a big belly), so perhaps an induction is starting to sound like not such a bad thing : )
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