Last 2 Doc Appointments

I've procrastinated enough that I have 2 visits to update you on. I saw my OB on the 12th. We had the normal weekly ultrasound test and non-stress test, and everything was good. Syd had the hiccups during the ultrasound and it was pretty cute to see her little chest and abdomen jerking rhythmically. Apparently I registered as having some mild contractions, but I couldn't feel anything. Dr. Estrin said that even the slightest movements, like talking, will register on the monitor...so my guess is that's what they probably were. Jeff asked her how positive she was that I would have Syd in '06 and not '05 (it makes a $4,000 coverage difference on my insurance!!) and she felt fairly confident that I would make it into January. Then she surprised me by saying that she wanted to make sure I delivered by the 11th. I was so dumbfounded that I didn't even ask why. Jeff and I just sat there staring at eachother. The 11th was less than a month away!!! Yikes!! I was totally planning on her being late, like around the 25th or so. So, in my head, I'd just lost 2 weeks of preparation time. My external measurements were at 35 cm for the 3rd week in a row, which is normal for this stage of pregnancy. Babies don't get much longer now, just fatter so the growth is less noticeable externally. I was also tested for Group B Strep.

I saw Dr Estrin again on the 19th. Again, we had an ultrasound and we passed both that test and the non-stress. No contractions registered this week. I received some mildly bad news...I failed my Group B Strep test. But really all that means is that I'll receive an antibiotic when I go into labor. And since 25% of women are positive for Group B Strep at time of labor, its a pretty routine and normal thing. I asked her more about why she wanted me to deliver no later than the 11th (39 weeks) and her reasoning was that its better safe than sorry. Hypertension becomes more of a risk later in pregnancy, so she doesn't want to take any chances. She was hopeful that I would go into labor on my own between now & the 11th. I mentioned to her that no female in my family had ever had a baby ontime....so she thought for a minute and then said she might, stressing the "might", let me go until the 18th (40 weeks) depending upon my blood pressure, but absolutely no later than that. My pressure has been consistent since the beginning of my pregnancy, so that is a great sign that my body is handling the extra load well. And I haven't spilled protein in my urine, so that's a great sign. I'm really hoping that I go into labor on my own before being induced...so add that to your prayer lists. My external measurements were 37 cm, or 37 weeks, this time. I gained 2 more pounds, but I've lost track of what the running total is. I think I'm at 26 or 27 lbs. I'll just pretend that I would normally be gaining weight during the holiday season anyway, so I'll just get on the ball in '06 to get it off. Jeff has a head start on me...he's lost about 20 lbs since I got pregnant!