Just a quick update from a medical standpoint: I went to the doctor's on Wednesday for my weekly check-up. As usual everything is just about the same and fine for me - my weight stayed the same, my blood pressure is fine, and I'm not having any issues with my kidneys being able to filter my blood. The baby's heart rate was exactly where it should be (140s-150s) and he/she continues to be in the right position with his/her head down. She also continues to say that she thinks the baby "isn't very big", but I have no idea what scale she is making that assumption on. Finally, the doctor did an exam for the first time to see if I am progressing at all yet.
There are three things that the doctor measures to determine when it's time for a baby to be born (when it's time to push!). The first is the one that everyone is probably most familiar with - dilation. The cervix goes from 0-10cm dilated in the course of labor. You need to be at 10cm to start pushing. The second is cervical effacement or thinning. Throughout pregnancy the cervix should be thick and it gradually becomes thinner in preparation for labor; it is measured from 0-100% effacement. The third parameter is called the baby's "station". This measurement explains where the baby's head is in relation to the mom's pelvis. It is generally measured as -2 through +2. -2 means the baby is still above the pelvis, 0 means the baby is settled right into the pelvis, and +2 means the baby is descended towards the cervix. From my first exam, the doctor said I am 1cm dilated, 80% effaced, and a -2 station. According to her, this is a good start.
Now that I am on maternity leave with nothing to do, my posts will probably be more frequent, so check back often for updates!
Friday, April 3, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
A few more weeks to go...
Tomorrow the baby will be 38 weeks! I just thought I'd post a quick update about my doctor's visit today. Everything checked out fine for me - I've gained just about 20 pounds, my blood pressure was 100/68, and there are no signs of protein spilling in my urine. The doctor also checked the baby's heart rate which was exactly where it should be in the 150s. She also measured my belly and said that she thinks the baby "isn't too big" (not small, but saying he/she hasn't grown bigger than they would expect). Finally, she checked and said that the baby's head is settled down in my pelvis where it should stay to be ready to be born.
The last time I went to the doctor's office I had a test done for an infection called Group B Streptococcus (GBS). Many healthy women are colonized with this bacteria without having any active signs of infection which is why they need to be screened for it between 35-37 weeks of gestation. Having this bacteria only is worrisome for women in labor because it poses an infection risk to the baby. Treating women ahead of time hasn't been found to be helpful because the bacteria are likely to come back once the treatment course is over. What this means is that women who test positive will receive IV penicillin during labor to protect the baby - in Pediatrics we consider the baby "safe" if the mom received at least 2 doses of Penicillin at least 4 hours prior to delivery. All of that said, my test was negative so I don't need to worry about treatment.
That's everything for now!
The last time I went to the doctor's office I had a test done for an infection called Group B Streptococcus (GBS). Many healthy women are colonized with this bacteria without having any active signs of infection which is why they need to be screened for it between 35-37 weeks of gestation. Having this bacteria only is worrisome for women in labor because it poses an infection risk to the baby. Treating women ahead of time hasn't been found to be helpful because the bacteria are likely to come back once the treatment course is over. What this means is that women who test positive will receive IV penicillin during labor to protect the baby - in Pediatrics we consider the baby "safe" if the mom received at least 2 doses of Penicillin at least 4 hours prior to delivery. All of that said, my test was negative so I don't need to worry about treatment.
That's everything for now!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Can't believe it's almost time!
Howdy, Matt here! Hard to believe that really, it could be any day now... or it could be weeks, who knows! I get pretty anxious thinking that any minute I could get a call from Melissa saying she thinks she's in labor... but, of course it's more exciting than anything!
Speaking of "the call", just wanted to fill you in on how we'd like to spread the news... As you all know, labor can take a long time, and Melissa said that there's wifi in all the rooms so I plan on sending out periodic emails about how things are going...
Because of this, we ask that you please don't gather at the hospital to wait for something to happen... Once the baby is born we'll let our parents know and have them and Katrina come to the hospital to visit to give them "first viewing" ... after that anyone that wants to visit is welcome to. I'll most likely have baby pictures up to send out via email right away as well.
Sorry if this seems harsh, we just know how well loved we are and how well loved the baby already is and don't want to be overwhelmed... Like I said before, I'm already having panic attacks just thinking of the process ;-)
Of course, for all we know this whole process could happen overnight and you could wake up to the news that Baby Veino has been born! haha... we shall see.
Speaking of "the call", just wanted to fill you in on how we'd like to spread the news... As you all know, labor can take a long time, and Melissa said that there's wifi in all the rooms so I plan on sending out periodic emails about how things are going...
Because of this, we ask that you please don't gather at the hospital to wait for something to happen... Once the baby is born we'll let our parents know and have them and Katrina come to the hospital to visit to give them "first viewing" ... after that anyone that wants to visit is welcome to. I'll most likely have baby pictures up to send out via email right away as well.
Sorry if this seems harsh, we just know how well loved we are and how well loved the baby already is and don't want to be overwhelmed... Like I said before, I'm already having panic attacks just thinking of the process ;-)
Of course, for all we know this whole process could happen overnight and you could wake up to the news that Baby Veino has been born! haha... we shall see.
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