Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Pre-natal doctor visit...36 weeks & 5 days

I am at the point now where I have to go to the doctor every week from this point on until Jacob makes his appearance.  Today was my 36 week visit.  I received a lot of information at this appointment - some good and some not-so-good. Unfortunately, I am still not dilated at all, still 50% effaced and the baby is at -2 station (same as last week).

Here are some good numbers/info from the visit:
  • Weight gain = 2 lbs
  • Baby's heartbeat = 151 bpm
  • Measuring at 37
Now for the not-so-good:
  • My Group B Strep test came back positive which means I will have to have IV antibiotics given to me when I am in labor so that bacteria is not trasmitted to the baby during delivery. There isn't anything I can do to help or change any of this....it just is what it is.
  • My blood pressure was high. It was 142/84 when the nurse took it at the beginning of my appointment and 145/90 when the doctor took it at the end. This is not good and now the doctor wants to monitor me closer. 
The plan of action to watch my BP closer is:

1. I had to go to the lab and give a blood sample after my doctor appointment today.  Since my doctor does not have office hours tomorrow, I need to call the office tomorrow to get the results. They are looking for markers in my blood that indicate pre-eclampsia.

2. I need to have my BP taken on Friday (which, luckily, I can have one of the Sports Medicine trainers do at work).  I need to call the results in to the doctor if it is near or higher than 140/90. 

3. The doctor wants to see me back on Monday for my next appointment to check my BP and urine to make sure everything is ok. She said that I may need to start going twice a week instead of just once if my BP continues to stay border-line high.

4. She told me to cut back on my salt intake and to drink more water. She said I also need to watch for vision changes, headaches, or pain in my upper abdomen. These are also signs of pre-eclampsia.

Hopefully this high BP thing was just a fluke thing (or a result of the Chinese food that I had for lunch today!).  But, since I am having a lot of swelling in my hands and feet, it is certainly better to be safe than sorry.

I will post another update when I have more news.  Until then, please pray that Jacob continues to do well and that I can get through this pregnancy without a lot of complications.  

2 comments:

Kristen said...

Praying for you both, and glad that you have doctors who are monitoring you to ensure your health and the health of your little boy!

Kristina H. said...

Sorry for more worries...may the elevated BP be just a blip!! I ended up with pre-eclampsia with Nicholas (now 7), at 39 weeks. I had gained a bit of weight, had protein in my urine and my BP shot up all in one day (a Friday) and they induced me Monday morning. At the time, I was shocked and horrified (the idea of being induced sounded scary to me) but it all turned out just fine. I was strep-B positive with my last child and the antibiotic in the IV did burn like crazy, but I was happy to take the pain if it meant my baby wouldn't be sick.
Enjoy this last bit of time before your precious son's arrival! It sounds like your doctor is taking great care of both you and baby! :)