31 Weeks

This is going to be a long post. Last week I had an OB appointment and he mentioned that I was measuring 2-3 weeks ahead and he wanted an ultrasound done next time to see if Ben is a big baby. He then had trouble finding the heart rate so he went ahead and did an ultrasound. He said that the reason he couldn't find the heart rate was because the baby is transverse meaning side to side and not head down yet. His heart rate looked good, and the doctor mentioned that it looked like I had a lot of fluid for him to move around in. During the ultrasound I got to see Ben yawn. It was so cute!

After I left I started wondering if I was measuring ahead due to the extra amniotic fluid. The doctors always told Lindsey that she went into labor early because she had too much fluid and was measuring full term. That had me a little worried so I called the doctor's office back to let them know. My doctor said that while I had a lot of fluid, it was not an abnormal amount so I shouldn't worry about it and we would see at the next appointment how big Ben's was measuring.

So now I will skip forward to today. Around eleven this morning I had noticed that I had yet to feel Ben kick all morning. Usually he isn't very active in the morning, but I still will feel about 4-5 big kicks before lunch. I decided to go ahead and call the doctor's office to see if I should come in. While I was waiting for them to call me back I had a large Dr. Pepper to see if that would get him moving. He still was not moving. I was scared, but thankfully I felt like everything was ok. I decided I wouldn't get worried or stressed out until I knew there was a reason to. I knew getting worked up wouldn't help the situation. Finally about noon they called me back and said for me to come in around 1:30. I met Lindsey for lunch and then headed up there. While at lunch, I did feel him move a couple of times. It wasn't strong kicks, but enough to reassure me that he was ok.

I met Shawn at the doctor's office and they quickly got me back there and hooked up to a monitor. I told them that I had felt him kick a couple of times in the last half hour. The nurses said they would go ahead and monitor him to make sure everything was ok. They were so nice and took me seriously. I was so afraid I would get up there and just feel like I was wasting every one's time.

They told me they like to see the heart rate from 130-150 beats per minute. The first couple of minutes it was only 110-125. I was nervous about that but then it started to go up. Ben kicked a few times and it went all the way to 145. I felt pretty good then. The last 15 minutes I think he went to sleep though because he didn't move at all and his heart rate was about 125-133.

Afterwards they decided to go ahead and do an ultrasound since his heart rate was low in the beginning. It was great to see him during the ultrasound. He was moving around and his heart was beating away. The cord looked great. The blood flow was good and it wasn't wrapped around Ben. She also said he was now head down. I think that that is the reason I wasn't feeling him move around like normal.

She decided to go ahead and see how big he was due to the last appointment. He now weighs 4 pounds which is average for his gestation, so he is not a big baby. She then measured the fluid and said it was a lot and the reason why I am measuring 2-3 weeks ahead. She agreed with the doctor though that it was not abnormally high and shouldn't cause me to go into preterm labor. Yea! She looked at Ben's heart one more time and his heart rate was down to 115 again. My doctor wasn't there today so she went to check with another doctor to see if I should be monitored again. The doctor told her that since it is a boy she wasn't concerned about it and I could go.

I was told that if I got worried again or didn't feel him move for a long time to not hesitate and come back in. That made me feel a lot better. I was very happy with how they handled everything today. It made me feel like I was getting great care. I am so glad that the cord looks great. I am still concerned though about his heart rate dropping so low. Thankfully he has been kicking and pretty active since I left. I am going to call tomorrow and see if my doctor is back in the office and see what he thinks about everything.

We would appreciate your prayers that everything will be ok, that I don't have anymore problems feeling him move, that his heart rate dropping isn't a problem, and that he will stay put until 37 weeks. I go back a week from tomorrow, so hopefully I will know more then.

Ben at 31 Weeks