29 Weeks: Another Ultrasound

What a week! Since my last post, I:

• started kick counts (I usually get to 10 movements in 5-7 mins, although it’s been in as few as 90 seconds or as much as 14 minutes);
• took an infant CPR class;
• noticed that my belly button is extremely shallow;
• have self-diagnosed diastasis recti (separation of the “6-pack” muscles);
• unpacked a fabulous box of all sorts of hand-me-downs from my dear friend Momsicle;
• decided I have a craving for orange juice / oranges / citrus-flavoured ice lollies;
• emailed my parent-friends to ask them about what I need to get for a baby;
• emailed friends and family to ask them to contribute a hand-written note / message / drawing to a memory book;
• have totally embraced the idea of — and am looking forward to! — a caesarean birth;
• referred to Baby V by her full name;
• and DH and I took the plunge and bought a crib, which arrives tomorrow, eep!

Here’s what I look like today, at 28w6d:

This was taken in the bathroom before this morning’s second follow up ultrasound. (If you remember, I have regular ultrasounds to monitor the placenta previa and succenturiate lobe and to ensure that Baby’s growth isn’t restricted.)

Long story short?  The placenta still completely covers my cervix, so it still looks like I’ll almost certainly need a caesarean — it was funny, it seemed like the perinatologist thought he was delivering bad news, but I was like Oh, yeah! I’m totally at peace with having a caesarean! He seemed even more surprised when I remarked that it was good that I had placenta previa as, in this case, it reduces my risk for vasa previa.

But he seemed very happy to hear that I haven’t had any bleeding or spotting (but if I do, I must go straight to L&D). I guess that’s unusual for someone whose placenta is so firmly fixed over something as unstable as a cervix… Go me! (I love you, uterus. Keep doing what you’ve been doing, girl!)

So, nothing much has changed, except for Baby’s size. That fat little belly we saw at the last ultrasound is even bigger, measuring at 95th percentile. I was slightly worried about that, but the perinatologist shrugged and said it wasn’t anything to worry about, especially as I don’t have gestational diabetes. She’s only measuring a couple of weeks ahead, he said. Nothing to worry about. In fact, given that your Inhibin and hCG levels were borderline high [which are markers for growth restriction], it’s very good that she’s growing so well. However, he did say that because she’s on the larger size, if I didn’t already have placenta previa I might be looking at a caesarean for that reason too — her size might indicate that she could get stuck in the birth canal.

All of her measurements are above average, ranging from 58th (head circumference) to 81st percentile (femur length — which I think were about 6cms). Even though they knew this baby was conceived via donor eggs, both the tech and the perinatologist asked how tall I am and said Baby must have inherited my long legs, so I guess there is something to epigenetics! (Not that I doubted it, but it’s fun when it applies directly to you.)

To recap, here’s what Baby looked like on June 17th:

And here’s what she looks like today, 10 weeks later:

(That’s her hand stroking her chin, my little philospher ♥)

My word, Baby V has filled out. It must be all that milk I can’t stop drinking…! She weighs a whopping 3lbs 9oz / 1616g — I think most babies at this gestation are 2.5lbs / 1kg — so no wonder her kicks make me jump! That’s my girl! I just love how chubby her cheeks have become. Her face shape looks like DH’s, but her nose and mouth are Nellie’s. They’re similar to my own, so I find this quite pleasing!

The perinatologist spent all of two minutes in the room with me. Everything looks good, all things considered. In fact, her doesn’t think I need to have another ultrasound for six weeks — although he said Dr. Deak may prefer one in four. Things are stable. I am happy and healthy. The placenta is holding up. Baby V is a growing weed.

I can’t believe she’ll be here in only eight weeks’ time!

♥

I am feeling so very lucky to have made it this far when I know so many women haven’t… YET. There are a few ladies in particular who I’m thinking of this evening: please send your sticky vibes to HopefulFor2014, MercurialMom, IVFpincushion, and WithoutBaby; and send your love and healing light to ArwenRoseMRKH.