30 week check up

I'm actually almost 31 weeks, but we make the appointments when we can get them. Who's counting anyway, right?

I had a very quick check up yesterday with my OB. Everything is going really well. My blood pressure was very good, I think it somehow gets better when I'm pregnant than when I'm not. Either way, it's especially good to have normal blood pressure during pregnancy. The baby's heartbeat was very strong. I had assumed that we are not doing more ultrasounds, since we never heard back from the clinic, but I asked just to make sure. He said that if there was going to be a problem, the second ultrasound would have shown it getting worse, not better. So we are officially finished worrying about her kidneys.

He did say that they will probably watch especially closely for wet diapers when she is first born. As long as she is able to wet some diapers, she will not be considered to have any urinary tract issues. But he is leaving all of that up to the nurses and pediatrician, which makes sense.

I made my last bunch of appointments, which I consider a milestone. I remember making these the last time, and it felt like the end was near. I go back in 4 weeks, and then 2 weeks after that, then I start weekly checks. Yikes! I only went to 39 weeks with my appointments, with the hope that I won't need a 40 week one. However, my last one is scheduled 3 days before my due date, so it's close enough. Do you hear me, baby? It's close enough.

Thanksgiving, here I come!

We are having 3 Thanksgiving dinners over the next 3 days. I've been a bit concerned that my diminished stomach capacity will prevent me from enjoying these dinners the way they are meant to be enjoyed. Of larger concern, though, was the glucose tolerance test (for gestational diabetes) that I had at my last appointment. Would I have the results in time to know if I should be watching what I eat extra carefully?

I "passed" the test! So now I have a free pass to eat whatever I want this week. Until my stomach reaches its capacity, that is. So hopefully no one will feel offended if I only take tiny portions. It's not because I don't like the food, it's because I only have room for a little at a time!

27 weeks and a new position

On Friday night, I started feeling more than kicks and punches. This was squirming and flailing that made my belly move on its own. Then the squirming seemed to change to stretching, and I could feel it on both sides at the same time. Kind of uncomfortable, but it was always brief. Suddenly, my entire belly moved and I actually felt the baby move into a head-down position. I know the head is down because now I have tiny little feet kicking my ribs.

This sudden transition caused me to "grow" overnight. A baby lying sideways doesn't stick out as much as a baby that is vertical. I'm relieved because now the nerve in my back that was being pressed by the baby's head can go back to normal, but now I have to get used to the outward growth. Balance has been a little tricky the past couple of days, but it's getting better.

Depending on whose calendar you go by, I am either in the third trimester now or I will be next week. It's hard to believe that we only have 3 months left until the due date! Time is going to go really quickly, and we have a lot to do around the house before then. Where is that "nesting" instinct when you really need it?

Everything you never wanted to know about kidneys

I wasn't sure if I was going to post about this, but since we've received promising news I figured it's good information.

At our ultrasound last month, it was discovered that our baby had enlarged kidneys. The fancy medical term is renal pelvic dilation. Apparently, this is the most common "anomaly" that is picked up on routine ultrasounds, with about 50% of babies being referred for a follow-up scan.

In the picture above, the gray-colored section inside the kidney is the renal pelvis. It's basically the holding area for fluid in the kidney. When this area is enlarged, it often means that fluid is being retained in the kidney instead of emptying to the bladder. Depending on the cause of the fluid retention, it can cause urinary tract problems in the baby and possibly lead to infection after birth. Detecting the enlargement at 20 weeks does not mean the baby will be born with dilated kidneys, because ultrasound cannot tell us why the kidneys are enlarged, just that they are. We were referred for a follow-up to monitor the size of the kidneys.

In our case, the enlargement in each kidney was the same, which is supposedly promising. That was a sign that even though they were slightly larger than average, it could be completely normal. What you don't want to see are measurements that are significantly different. Anyway, we had our follow-up on Tuesday. We got promising results. The enlarged areas have gotten smaller, which is what they want to see. It is very common for the enlargements to correct themselves as the baby develops, and resolve completely before birth, so this is what we are expecting to happen.

The radiologist recommended another follow-up next month, but I am waiting to hear from my doctor before we schedule it. The current measurements indicate that they are right on the border between "normal" and "mild enlargement." They would be checking to see if they measure completely within the normal range next time. I'm expecting that my doctor will say to skip the follow-up and wait until the baby is born. They would do an ultrasound on her then, and if they are normal we have nothing to worry about. Even if they are still slightly enlarged, it won't necessarily affect her health. There are several options for treatment if needed, but right now we are encouraged by the decrease in size, and it is very likely that it will be resolved before she is born.

Congratulations if you read the whole thing. I warned you that it was more than you ever wanted to know!

It's a...

I didn't mean to wait this long to update. Sorry!
We are very excited to be having a girl this time. While 2 boys would have been a lot of fun, we think having one of each will be just as fun. We can't wait to see how Jacob interacts with his little sister.

Ultrasound Pictures

In case I forgot to mention it, we had our ultrasound this morning. The baby is healthy and everything looks perfect. We did find out the gender, but I'm not announcing it here until all the grandparents know. So for now, enjoy these pictures of the newest member of our family. Maybe it's just mommy's eye, but I think the nose and mouth in the first one resemble Jacob quite a bit.

For comparison, here is a picture from Jacob's ultrasound:

Voting ends tomorrow

It looks like everyone has put in a vote for our ultrasound on Thursday. As of today, the count is tied at 4. I guess that means our chances are 50-50!

My follow-up appointment is next Tuesday, so by then we will have any details that we don't get on Thursday. We can't believe we're over halfway through this pregnancy! Sometimes it feels like time is flying by. Don't quote me on that when January rolls around, though.

Pictures and details coming on Thursday!

Wiggle wiggle wiggle

I can feel the wiggles in my belly! It started awhile ago, I think, but a couple of days ago I felt some squirming that I was positive is the baby. So the good news is that the kicking era has begun. The bad news is that this baby seems to enjoy wiggling around as much as Jacob did/does. If you're wondering why this is bad news, please come and spend a week at our house. Really. I dare you.

Coming in February!

Our newest family member is set to join us sometime around 2/22/09. Until that time, I will probably post updates about the pregnancy, and any other news we might have. Jacob's page will remain just his until the family page really gets going. Then he will probably have to move over here (just like he's moving to a new room) because I won't have time to update 2 pages!

For now, the biggest announcement is that everything is going well. I just had a check up today, and the heartbeat is a "thump" instead of a "whoosh," so it's nice and strong. My ultrasound is scheduled for October 16, so you have until then to vote for what you think we're having! This is really different from last time, when we didn't find out. I'm not sure what it will be like to know for 4 months before the baby is born.