WEEK 35 - TO AMNIO OR NOT TO AMNIO

I figured a mid-week update was in order this week, given the current up-in-the-air state of affairs. :)

First of all, my husband and I got lots done this weekend in preparation for the baby - her room is almost completely ready now and all her clothes are washed (some of which may actually be too small when she comes out, the way it's going). So we're starting to feel quite ready.

Today was another fetal assessment. My obstetrician assumed they would do an amniocentesis at this one, but they didn't. They said that there was virtually no way the baby's lungs would be ready already - particuarly because often babies of diabetic mothers do take a little longer to mature - so there was no point in doing an amnio yet. Instead, we have one scheduled for Friday morning, at which point the baby will be 36 weeks. So no baby this week (barring the unforeseen), but perhaps next week.

The doctor at fetal assessment was actually quite happy with the results of the fetal assessment. They baby's still big (almost 8 lbs now), but she's steady at the 90th percentile - not still rising, so that's good. Everything else about her looks great - heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, brain, etc. She's not showing any signs of problems. In fact, her responsiveness to touch (she kicked the ultrasound machine numerous times), and the practice-breathing she's doing are very good signs of both physical and mental developement, so that's good to hear. We even saw her make sucking motions with her mouth! So there's definitely no cause for immediate concern, but we/they definitely want to keep an eye on her.

The resident doctor doing the fetal assessment said that the baby had moved since last week. She's still breech and her head is still in the same place, but instead of having her back along my right side, her back is now along my ribs and left side. How she has room to move around in there, I have no idea! That said, she also mentioned that I have a LOT of amniotic fluid in there, which is part of why I have gotten so big and uncomfortable, and also part of why I'm having so much swelling in my legs/feet - I guess my heavy belly puts a lot of pressure on the veins in my hips and doesn't let things flow around between my legs and my body the way they're supposed to, so it all gets stopped up in my legs. Fun fun.

It's interesting with all these doctors' appointments how often I'm hearing phrases that start with "babies of diabetic mothers often..." or "babies of diabetic mothers usually...." It's starting to get a bit old, honestly. I keep feeling like I need to say, "But I'm a WELL-CONTROLLED diabetic mother!" I keep feeling lumped in with all the poorly controlled diabetic moms they see - and if good control really does make a difference during pregnancy, I shouldn't have to feel like that! It was especially frustrating today because I actually had high bloodsugar when I went in there. It was just "one of those things". I guess I underestimated my carbs at lunch, or haven't been active enough today, or the stress of the appointment got to me....but before I went in, I was 14.0. I took a correction bolus, so at a break in the appointment I quickly checked it to make sure it was coming down, but not too fast. It was still 14.0 for some unknown reason. Of course the resident doctor wanted to know what my bloodsugar was and why it was that high, and of course "I don't know - it's just one of those things. I'm almost never this high! (I'm really not!)" just doesn't cut it. Instead, I get a note in my file. Super. :P Then, of course, when I say "but I'm well-controlled, so these 'diabetic mother' comments shouldn't all apply to me" I feel like I have no way to back that up. I'll tell them what my A1C is, and they ask, "Ok, but what's your bloodsugar like right now?" or "Ok, but what is your bloodsugar usually?" Huh? Really? Define "usually". Do we mean an hour after I ate, or when I first wake up in the morning?? I truly don't feel like they get it. So when I get the "most diabetic mothers" spiel, I just smile and nod, and make a mental note to discuss this with the people who actually understand me and my diabetes control - i.e. my endocrinologist, my CDE (Michelle), my doula (who has been Type 1 for as long as me), etc. Anyway - it's just another hurdle, I suppose. Ok, rant over :)

So, for now we're still in this "wait-and-see" mode. I'll post an update after Friday's amnio.

Here are two pictures from today's F.A. They're both a nose & lips shot. Look at those lips!