He is, certainly filling up the space he has in there. I still do not seem to be growing in my outward appearance, though! People look at me strangely when I tell them that I will be delivering soon.
Towards the end of our ultrasound, the tech got a second photo of Bryson looking straight at us. You can see the outline of his little round face, and it reminds me of Kaylee's when she was born! I can't wait to see if he is going to look like her!
Our boy's head is finally catching up to his body, too! This is the kind of thing a Mommy likes to hear. It's a little less than a week ahead at the moment!My appointment that followed my ultrasound wasn't until later in the afternoon, so Kaylee and I went to Walmart to kill some time and get a few Easter items. Little did I know, my afternoon appointment wasn't going to go as smoothly as I thought!
I went into my appointment knowing that she would be checking my cervix, doing a strep swab and performing a non-stress test. As usual, the nurse starts out by weighing me and taking my blood pressure. My weight was fine (something I'm always stressing over), but my blood pressure was the highest it has been so far. I told Dr. Cornett that I'd been having some contractions over the weekend, as well, which became evident when she checked me for dilation. I am, now, between a 1 and 2. She told me that it's normal to progress further with your second without any complications just because the body has done it before, and that she wasn't overly concerned. She was concerned, however, about my blood pressure because of my history. I think the part that worries her the most is that she is going to be out of town next week for Spring Break, and she doesn't want me to have to have Bryson prematurely and without her there. I don't blame her...I want her to be there, too! She said that, at this point, they do not adjust meds to bring down the blood pressure. Instead, they start with bedrest, and if that is not successful, then the only other option is to be induced. As she's telling me this, I'm flashing back to my pregnancy with Kaylee, and I know what she is about to tell me. We start with a "modified bedrest" where I am no longer allowed to do those things that I am known to do on a regular basis like clean house and yardwork. There's no more all-day shopping trips where I am on my feet for more than a few hours at a time. In Dr. Cornett's words, "Chill out, relax and put your feet up!" If there still wasn't so much to do, I would be more than inclined to do this. Fortunately, I am a stay-at-home-mom, which does make it easier this time around! The difference is that I have a five-year-old, a bigger house and yard, and a more dependent husband than I did five years ago. I find it difficult to sit around and watch the dust settle! I know, from previous experience, though, that the doctor knows what she is talking about. I wasn't the best listener with Kaylee, and I ended up on full bedrest within a week and a half of those original orders. I'll be at 36 weeks on Friday, and 37 weeks is considered full-term in the sense that the lungs should be developed enough to survive outside the womb without assistance. Dr. Cornett would like to get me to 38 weeks to be on the safe side. That is what we did with Kaylee, and she was perfectly healthy. So, right now, that is our goal. I need to make it 2 1/2 more weeks. I still hope to go into labor without having to be induced, though. That is one thing I don't wish to relive! There will be no other choice if my blood pressure doesn't maintain or go down, though.
So, that is where we sit! I have to have an ultrasound each week, now, to have my Amniotic Fluid Index (AFI) done. Hypertension affects the amount of amniotic fluid, and if the level gets too low, there will be no other choice than to induce, then and there. They will also repeat the non-stress test again next week to make sure Bryson is handling everything without distress. Yesterday, he did just fine, aside from falling asleep! They, literally, made me eat a piece of cake to wake him up. I can honestly say, I never thought I'd be eating cake in the doctor's office! Dr. Cornett told me to bring along a coke next time to make sure he is wide awake for the test. Perhaps, he will be his father's son and able to sleep through anything!
I am hoping and praying that this is a temporary setback, and with rest, the remainder of this pregnancy will go as smoothly as the last nine months have. Bryson and I had a heart to heart discussion last night, and I promised him that I would do everything in my power to help him stay in there to finish growing if he'd have the patience to wait a couple more weeks for his arrival! He gave me a few kicks to let me know that he was right there with me! I see Dr. Rickerhauser next Monday and will have my ultrasound at the hospital on Monday or Tuesday (due to Spring Break complications), and am looking forward to a clean bill of health to get us through the next week ahead! Until then, I will let you all know if anything new arises! Here's hoping that I don't have any new announcements before then!!!
Love and blessings,
Jessie
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