39w Update

At my perinatologist appointment last Friday, blood pressure was 120/78, BPP was perfect. No push for an induction at this point. I honestly get the feeling that the perinatologist is slightly annoyed that I am still a patient taking up his time, I am not an interesting case and will need no special procedures to give birth. I mean, I get it. In the medical world, boring cases are, well, boring.

Sunday night I got very sick, vomiting and diarrhea for most of the night. Blood pressure at the OB Monday morning was 130/90, not great but not bad considering I was likely a bit dehydrated despite my best attempt to stay hydrated through the vomiting. NST still looked good and the OB I saw was very reasonable. He moved my due date back to the date of my LMP which essentially buys me 4 more days before I know they will start pushing hard for an induction.

As my due date draws closer, I am excited but increasingly more anxious about going into labor. I am confident I will be able to buy time until 41 weeks, and as long as the baby looks good, my placenta is still functioning optimally, and my blood pressure is stable, I would be fine to continue on past the 41 week mark. However, I cannot say the same for my husband, and I do believe he does have some say. He is pretty easily scared into "well, there's a chance..."

At the end of the day, we both want the same thing, a healthy baby. I just hope she cooperates and decides she's done cooking before the OB team does!

38w0d Update

BP this morning was 118/86. No protein. NST was perfect. As expected, the OB was pushing for a 39w induction and essentially dismissed my desire for a natural birthing experience. However, since my perinatologist is supportive, I am not concerned since he is the decision maker at the end of the day. I am also not concerned because I really have no markers that put me at high risk for developing pre-eclampsia, but am unfortunately being lumped into that category due to a few isolated incidents that could have been the onset of pre-eclampsia, but has become clear that it is not.

This is the problem with the modern obstetrics system. While there are undoubtedly women that do have markers and should be delivered to prevent obstetric emergencies, there are many, many more women who are bullied into falling in line just because they have a few mild markers for a problem, and even if those markers dissipate, it is often too late because they've already been put on the induction train.

It doesn't help that my OB and perinatologist both seemed shocked I am not in a rush to get this baby delivered, as I've been told multiple times that I am not the norm, most women want to be induced ASAP. Sad to me. So, while I would hope that this would make me stand out and easy to remember, unfortunately I just seem to be forgotten because I'm not jumping on anyone's induction schedule.

Next appointment is Friday, and hopefully everything will still be looking great and I will get another go ahead to keep trucking on until I go into labor naturally.

37w3d Update

My 24hr protein analysis came back, my protein level dropped to 315. While this is still slightly over the threshold of 300, the most important thing is that over the course of 3 weeks, the protein level DROPPED, which reinforces that this is not pre-eclampsia. In pre-e cases, protein levels steadily increase. Crisis numbers are 700-800+.

Had it not been for my perinatologist really listening to me and not jumping to quick conclusions the way the midwife in the OB office did, I would have already been induced by now, and unnecessarily so. 

My NST from Monday, 12/31 was reactive. My blood pressure that day was 144/82. Happy with that diastolic number for sure, as diastolic is what is really considered the "important" number in pregnancy/delivery.

Going for a Biophysical Profile (BPP) tomorrow with my perinatologist. Expecting nothing but a blessing to carry on until this baby decides she is ready!