Tuesday, September 30, 2008

36 Week Ultrasound

We just had our ultrasound a few hours ago, and the baby is guesstimated to be about 6.5 pounds.  I was asked if I was eating a lot of sugar, because there was a lot of amniotic fluid...and yeah, I have been eating a bunch of rainbow sherbet in the past 2-3 weeks.  It's funny, but I totally zoned on the amount of sugar in it, because all I was concerned about was, hey, it's fat-free!!!  But limiting sugar won't be that difficult for me, since I normally am not much of a candy person, and the sherbet and some pop was just because the sherbet was on sale, and Braden had bought some root beer.  It's the carbs that will be difficult to eliminate (she also said to really cut back on carbs), because that's like all we eat!  But anyway, I guess sugar makes the baby grow faster, which I want to curb, seeing as I have to eventually push her out!  :)

I saw the doctor (instead of my midwife) this time, who is Asian, and her mannerisms and what she's saying don't jive a lot of the time.  She'll be saying something, but her expression says something else.  It's not an accent problem, although she does a little bit of one.  I wonder if it's a cultural thing, or just a her thing.  Anyway, she said to eat a lot of protein (cottage cheese, eggs, meat) and vegetables. 

When she was doing the actual ultrasound and we saw the baby's face, you could definitely tell that the baby's nose is different from Jenna's.  The doctor said, "Looks like she's got your nose" to Braden right about the same time that I said, "Wow, she's got a big nose!".  To which Braden replied, "Geez, are you guys trying to tell me something?"  It's not big, though, just in comparison to Jenna's.  It was so neat to see her face, even though the whole HERE'S YOUR BABY'S SKULL is a bit off-putting.  She didn't stop sucking her thumb the whole time.  :)

On to the not-so-pleasant part of the exam: The doctor said that my cervix was soft but closed.  She then made several comments/asked several questions about whether or not Jenna was early and just generally delivering early.  I mentioned that I had been having some cramps both yesterday and today (nothing regular), and she said that it was normal, and that my body was just getting ready.  Both Braden and I got the impression that she thought that I would deliver early, but then when I asked her outright if she thought so, she hesitated and then said that I would probably deliver on my due date, and if I was early, it wouldn't be by much.  Here's where the whole mannerisms not matching her actual words comes into play, because we thought that her manner indicated that she thought that I would deliver early, especially considering her earlier questions/comments about doing so.  Maybe she didn't want to be pigeon-holed into saying yes if I didn't?  I don't know.  That's just the impression we had, and there's no way of knowing what will happen, anyway.  HOWEVER, the whole experience gives us the distinct vibe that I should get my hospital bag packed asap. 

Katie, if you could at least have the courtesy to wait until after your uncle's wedding, that would be much appreciated!  I'm not really down with going into labor while I'm in Portland, thanks!  :)

2 comments:

Carolyn said...

I hate when doctors say stuff like that. Sure, they have a lot of experience and maybe they've picked up on some patterns and such. But it's just not fair to get your hopes up that you might go early. It's nearly impossible to tell when labor will start.

When I was pregnant with Joel, I went in for my check up/exam when I was about 39 weeks pregnant. The doc said that I was 2-3 cm dilated. And then he said something like "You'll probably have this baby by this weekend." That weekend came and went and a week later I was induced. Joel was 8 pounds 12 oz. So he wasn't little. You just never know.

Having said all that, who knows what will happen with baby Katie! She might come before or after her due date. I just wish doctors wouldn't bother making guesses about it. It's frustrating.

Ker said...

Yeah, I know what you mean. It is impossible to tell when labor will start. It's certainly not on our timetable! Right now, I'm just holding on so the baby can keep developing as she should, but at this point, I'm considered full-term, so she'd be fine even if she were born tomorrow.