Due Date: Come and Gone!

We had a sonogram yesterday, Friday, June 15th, our due date. This is a standard procedure at the 40-week mark, and it's called a BPP (biophysical profile) to monitor fetal heart rate continuously for 20+ minutes, check the reflexes of the baby, measure amniotic fluid levels, etc.

According to measurements taken yesterday, the Bean is already 8 pounds, 8 ounces! The baby gains almost half a pound each week now.

The due date is the midpoint of the last 4 weeks of the pregnancy. Roughly 5% of pregnant women deliver on their due date according to Dr. Holden, and the rest come earlier or later. Senan (Emma's son) was born 5 days after his due date, Ben and I came after our due dates, and Bean is carrying on in the Renda tradition of being late.

It's funny to think I actually look forward to cramps and backaches. My parents and Michael ask "How are you feeling?" and I say "perfectly fine, unfortunately", and we all laugh. Ready to have the baby out now.

We saw the Bean's face and head even though it's down low. The radiologist said the Bean was making chewing/sucking motions. I hope that bodes well for breastfeeding attempts after the birth.

I find it emotional and difficult to look at our ultrasounds. We saw outlines of the external features, and the skeletal structure underneath, and he/she still looks like ET (!). I love the baby already whatever he'll/she'll look like, so I just want the radiologist to look on my behalf and tell me/us everything is ok. She said everything looked fine.

It is easy to get anxious at ultrasounds. Even though we had genetic testing and blood tests early in the pregnancy, there are a million other developmental issues that can happen along the way that can't be tested for in advance, that are unrelated to age and are out of the parents control (including things like cleft palate) so you find yourself shoving these worries to the back of your mind, hoping for the best, and watching the face of the radiologist very closely to insure he/she doesn't get a concerned look...

Last night, my parents and Michael and I walked to a restaurant in North Park Slope called the Chip Shop -- it's modeled directly on the UK Chip Shops and features meat pies, fish and chips, curry and chips, chips & butty, bangers & mash and more. We had great fish and chips and Michael tried a fried Mars Bar, which is a candy bar deep fried in batter (a donut!) covered in powder sugar. Heart attack on a plate. It reminded me of living in England.

We walked home and I had cramps for the rest of the evening, so we all went to bed optimistic that this might be real labor starting, but I fell asleep around midnight and woke up 8 hours later, so obviously it wasn't...

Today is my father's birthday! We were hoping the Bean would be born today, but unless something dramatic happens this afternoon, probably not. Mom made lamb chops for dinner, we had birthday cake and gave Dad a few presents. I'll post a picture here soon from our party of four (+1).

Above are two pictures from the two recent sonograms we've had - it shows the outline of Bean's head (June 15th), and one of Bean's feet (May 30th).

Weekly Checkup: No News & Weird Thing in Toilet... (Wednesday, June 13)

Vitals: 110/70
Weight: same as last week
Fetal heartbeat: good

We saw Dr. Holden today, and for the first time I was looking forward to him checking me out to see if I'm dilated (even though it hurts a bit). Was hoping that the cramping this week was a sign that things are moving along here. This is expected to be our last doctor visit before the birth.

He said I'm dilated ~2 centimeters and softer than last week, which are good signs but not necessarily indicators that we'll go into labor naturally soon, so I am a little disappointed. The cramps have diminished so doesn't seem like much is happening.

Our official due date is the day after tomorrow (Friday, June 15th). As per the discussion we had with Dr. Holden at last week's appointment, the latest we'll be allowed to wait for something to happen naturally will be next Thursday, June 21st. Since Dr. Holden is on duty next Tuesday, he recommended we formally book in to the hospital on Monday, and he'll deliver us either Monday or Tuesday (!). We can opt to wait until Thursday; the downside is we probably won't get Dr. Holden.

Michael and I would both like it if we went into labor naturally, so we're hoping something happens this weekend (but right now, it doesn't feel like much will happen...). We are scheduled to show up at Columbia Presbyterian next Monday at 6 a.m. eastern if nothing develops this weekend.

Dr. Holden said it would be normal to spot or cramp up after the appointment. After dinner, I went to the bathroom (pee), and found something weird in the toilet. Sort of light brown and scalloped... I called my Mom in and we both looked. Maybe mucous plug?
http://www.justmommies.com/articles/mucous-plug.shtml
Not sure, but hope that's what it was.

Some of the best laughs Michael and I have had this pregnancy have been around bathroom issues in the last trimester. One incident (#2) happened at the old apartment; and another incident (#1) happened at a recent doctor visit when I was trying to provide a urine sample. I'll write separate entries later with a warning up front in case anyone wants to be spared the bathroom humor. It's worth recording to me because it will capture at least two times Michael and I couldn't stop laughing recently. The closer the due date, the less the dignity...

33 week check-up (Wednesday, May 2)

Weight: 175 pounds (same as last visit -- thank heavens); Vitals: 120/80

Michael and I saw Dr. Holden today. The Bean's heartbeat sounded good, and Dr. Holden said that we are on target and progressing normally. He indicated we'll have one more sonogram -- on or near the due date, and will start seeing him weekly around 36 weeks. Next visit, I'll be tested for Group B Strep (http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/pregnancy/prenatalhealth/1647.html). We will also meet two other doctors in the practice who share on-call responsibilities.

We went to our first Birth Preparation class tonight, taught by Fern Drillings, the woman who also instructed us in the Baby CPR class. There are about 15 couples in the class, all due this summer. One other woman and I are the two scheduled to deliver the soonest.
There is couple in the class expecting twins, and one couple that looks a lot younger than the rest of us -- in their early or mid-twenties -- and both women look great. No extra weight anywhere except their bellies.

I used to fantasize that it would be great to have twins so that we'd have two kids at the same time and could get all the vaginal deliveries/pain out of the way at once. Now that I've been through the drill with this single pregnancy, including digesting all the probabilities of potential problems for singletons, twins and multiples, I realized a singleton is plenty. There's a lot more to stress about with two in the oven at the same time... What if you only felt one move, and not the other, or the nurse could only find one baby's heartbeat and not the other's at an exam? etc.

There were some weird questions by some of the fathers in the class tonight:
+ Do I HAVE to hold my wife's hand during the delivery? (He was afraid his wife would break his hand by squeezing too hard during her labor. Fern's answer: You'll do whatever she tells you to do.)
+ Is there a sheet or barrier that shields her lower half during delivery? (He doesn't want to see the blood and stuff around the delivery... Fern's answer: No barrier, no sheet. It's all there and you'll be seeing it all, so if you can't handle the blood and stuff, ask for a chair and sit 'upstream' near your wife's shoulders, or leave the room.)

The winner of the weirdest question award goes to a father in Emma & Alan's birth class. Emma told me that when she and Alan went to Birth classes in San Francisco to prepare for Senan's arrival, one of the fathers in their class asked if he could breast feed the baby himself too, acknowledging he wouldn't be providing any milk, but wanting the bonding opportunity (!)...

8-month Checkup (April 20, 2007)

Weight: 175 pounds (40+ pound gain since getting pregnant!)
Blood pressure: 110/70

I met Dr. Hadden today as part of a rotation every two weeks to meet all 5 doctors that take turns being on duty for the labor/delivery ward at Columbia Presbyterian. By doing this, whichever doctor is on duty in the labor/delivery ward and I will be somewhat familiar when the time comes to deliver.

Dr. Hadden looks as though he's in his early or mid-fifties and said he's been practicing for 25+ years. He said there's a 50 - 70% chance that Dr. Holden will help me deliver versus one of the other doctors.

I assumed this visit would be a handshake and brief conversation, but for each visit from now on (roughly every two weeks), I'll get a pregnancy checkup including urine test, weight, vitals and monitoring of the the baby's heartbeat.

The nurse found the Bean's heartbeat low on my belly on the left side, but as soon as the monitor tracked the heartbeat, the baby shifted and we couldn't hear it anymore. She moved the monitor and found the heartbeat again, but the Bean shifted and heartbeat went away again. Finally, she trained it near the center and we heard the heartbeat for several seconds. We both laughed. The nurse said she hasn't seen a baby shy away from the monitor in a long time -- the monitor makes a loud crackling noise, and the Bean doesn't like it.

Dr. Hadden measured my abdomen from pubic bone to fundus (top of uterus) and said I'm tracking at 32 weeks, in line with the other measurements taken over the past couple of months confirming mid-June for the due date. He felt my abdomen and said he could feel the Bean's head down near my pubic bone and back/butt up and to my right, all of which is normal.

His only warning to me at the appointment was to try not to gain any more weight. He said "Anything over 35 pounds is yours to keep" (meaning it will be harder to lose after the baby is born) and there's also a risk that if I gain more weight the baby will also get bigger, creating a harder labor situation. I'm embarrassed to write about this today, but am trying to be honest for the journal.

Attached is a picture from about 3 weeks ago (week 28)... [Demi Moore/Vanity Fair copy cat shot - Take 2]

7-month Checkup (April 4, 2007)

Weight: 173 pounds, a 36-pound gain since the start of the pregnancy (!)
Blood pressure: 110/70

The fun news at this appointment is that Dr. Holden and his wife had their 2nd child - a girl - on Saturday (Mar 31st). He and his wife have a 2-year old boy too. We asked him how he and his wife got to the hospital, and he said they took a taxi -- same strategy as for their first child. He also said that another doctor delivered the baby; Dr. Holden was there as a husband/father only. He said his wife doesn't like getting advice from him when she's pregnant, which was funny.

This appointment went quickly. We listened to the Bean's heartbeat and it sounded good. The monitor that the nurse used this session did not provide a digital readout of the number of beats per minute, so I am not able to record that data for this entry, but in general, the Bean's heart rate is faster than mine.

He said I look good, all signs are good, and we can keep on truckin. Because Dr. Holden is part of a team of 6 doctors that takes turns being on call at nights and on weekends, I will meet each of the other doctors every couple of weeks so that regardless of who is on call when the Bean finally arrives, the doctor who assists will not be a complete stranger if the time comes and Dr. Holden is not available.

I received a shot of Rhogam in the rear end to prevent any blood incompatibility issues with the Bean, and then we all went back to work.

6-Month Checkup (Wednesday, Feb 28th, 2007)

25 weeks

Weight: 160 pounds (!)

Vitals: 110/60

Bean: 132 beats/minute

Visit went quickly. I took a sugar test -- will get results next Wednesday. Doctor said he thinks my risk of gestational diabetes is low, and although I'm heavier than I've ever been, he said I'm within 25 pounds of my original weight, and has no worries. I'm ok to travel to San Jose in March.

Bean's heartbeat was 132 and my blood pressure is low, both of which are positive.

Next visit is in April, and I'll get a shot of Rhogam (becuase of potential differences in my blood type vs Michael's). No other blood tests will be needed now until it's time to deliver. We will have one more routine ultrasound at week 36 or 38.

--------------------------------------

Rhogam: Rh0 immunoglobulin, also called anti-Rh or anti-D immunoglobulin. An injectable blood product used to protect an Rh-positive fetus from antibodies by its Rh-negative mother. The idea underlying Rhogam is if anti-Rh antibody is given soon after delivery, it blocks the sensitization of the mother and prevents Rh disease from occurring in the woman's next Rh-positive child. Rhogam is now given routinely to Rh-negative women after pregnancies in which they carried Rh-positive fetuses to prevent the mother's immune system from reacting to the Rh-positive blood of any subsequent fetus. Rhogam was developed in the 1960s by Dr. Vincent J. Freda (1927-2003), professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Columbia University.Source: MedicalNet.com http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=11961

5-Month Check-up

20 weeks: weight 153 pounds; blood pressure 117/70.

Dr. Holden said everything looks good. Last week's sonogram at 19 weeks was normal so no follow-up tests or ultrasounds are scheduled at this point. True to form, the baby moved around so much it was difficult for the nurse to find the heartbeat with the monitor, but we found it eventually. **I love this little bean.**

Next month I'll go back for 6-month check-up (early March) and will get the standard sugar test. All pregnant women get tested in the US at 6 months for signs of gestational diabetes. The test will take an hour, and will involve drinking sugar water, waiting sixty minutes, and then giving blood for testing purposes (insulin levels).

4-Month Check-up (Wednesday, January 3, 2007)

16-week checkup: weight 148 pounds; blood pressure 117/70.

Today was our 4-month visit. My weight has gone up 10 pounds (what?!). Blood pressure remains low. My trousers fit the same so hope the extra weight is due mostly to bigger breasts, the bump and the clothes I was wearing. The results of the blood tests from the last visit were all negative (HIV, anemia, STDs, etc).

It took awhile for the nurse to find the Bean’s heartbeat but she found it low in my abdomen. The heartbeat would fade as the baby moved away from the monitor, but the nurse tracked its movement and charted the heart rate between 145 – 152 beats per minute, which she said was good.

The fetal heartbeat sounds ike a "sh sh sh sh" sound (vs. thump thump thump). The nurse said it's fetal bowels we're hearing.

Dr. Holden told us there was a mix-up with our final CVS test results (!). The preliminary lab results that were given to us were accurate. The first set of final results that the geneticist gave me via a phone message were actually for a different ‘Melissa’. However, during the follow-up phone call to discuss final results in person, the results she shared were ours, and were normal as well. Although there was a mix-up, there has been no harm done.

Mentioned to Dr. Holden that it is easy to wonder about the health of the baby since I can’t feel anything yet. He said this is a common concern for women in the early part of the second trimester -- ‘no mans land’ -- since there are no direct signs of progress other than the bump getting bigger.

We can expect to start feeling the Bean move in the 5^th month (February). At the next visit, he will teach me tactics to feel the baby and look for signs that things are ok.

We are scheduled for an ultrasound on January 19^th and the next monthly visit on February 1^st.

They took blood before I left the office to test spinal cord development in the baby. This time I laid on a table during the test and had no problems.

I noticed that another woman who had gone in for an appointment ahead of mine was laying on the floor with her feet propped up on the wall after having just given blood. Happy to see I'm not the only one who struggles to stay upright for blood tests.

On to more interesting news: an article published by Finnish scientists in New Science Magazine reported that women who eat chocolate regularly during their pregnancies are more likely to have placid babies. Big thanks to Carey -- a friend in Australia and new mom for the 2nd time -- for mentioning this study! www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn4854

"Six months after birth, the researchers asked mothers to rate their infants' behaviour in various categories, including fear, soothability, smiling and laughter.

The babies born to women who had been eating chocolate daily during pregnancy were more active and "positively reactive" - a measure that encompasses traits such as smiling and laughter. And the babies of stressed women who had regularly consumed chocolate showed less fear of new situations than babies of stressed women who abstained.

The researchers point out that they cannot rule out the possibility that chocolate consumption and baby behaviour are both linked with some other factor. But they speculate that the effects they observed could result from chemicals in chocolate associated with positive mood being passed on to the baby in the womb."

Journal reference: Early Human Development (vol 76, p 139)

Ate some Hersheys Dark Chocolate tonight in support of the research. :-)

What's Happening In There? (Tuesday, 2 January 2007)

Tomorrow is the first of ongoing monthly check-ups with Dr. Holden to track progress. Am keen to hear the Bean’s heartbeat. Can’t feel any movement yet, so wonder if everything is ok. When I bend over quickly with a full stomach, does he/she get squashed?

We are approaching the 4-month mark and the bump is starting to show. I can wear my normal trousers and jeans as long as I pull the waistband below the equator.

Kim (friend in Australia) is pregnant too, and her due date is two weeks after mine. We received pictures of their recent 3-D sonogram, but I decided not to look at them… Not eager to see pictures of other babies or watch documentaries of other women giving birth because it provides more data by which to worry if our own experience isn't similar.

There was an hour-long documentary on TV the other day tracking the experience of a woman going into labor with her second child. She checked in at the desk and was put onto a hospital bed with an IV that included pitocin to accelerate contractions, which looked like it made her uncomfortable. A doctor came in to assess how many centimeters she was dilated by putting a glove on and putting her whole hand up the women's v***** (ouch). Then they discussed an epidural and I saw the woman sitting up in bed hugging her husband while an Anesthetist advanced behind her with a very big needle (ouch again).

Got queasy and turned the TV off. In my case, less information is better, so there is less to fret about.