My fundus (the top of the uterus) is now 29cm high/long (measured from the top of my pubic bone). The midwife also squished and mushed my belly and determined that Sophia is already in a head-down position. Now, this could still change several times in the next couple weeks, but once I'm 32 weeks or so, then we don't expect her to change position, and we want her head to be down, as it is now. I weighed myself and stuck the indicator strip into a cup of my pee, and for the first time my protein levels actually registered on the strip. So, the fact that there's protein in my pee could mean several things: 1) my kidneys aren't functioning well and I might be developing pre-eclampsia; 2) my pee was contaminated by the general discharge that is always on my female parts lately; or 3) some other, similar explanation. This was alarming at first, but since my heart rate and blood pressure were excellent, we're not worried at all. I'll be seeing them, and testing my pee, every 2 weeks now, so we should be able to catch anything early. Also, she told me other symptoms to be aware of for pre-eclampsia: a headache in the front and/or back of my head, blurred vision, puffy hands, head, etc.
I got the rhogam shot in my bum -- not fun, but at least I didn't faint. There are no kown side-effects. This is really happening. For the first time, we were able to hear Sophia's heartbeat with a regular stethoscope! Her heart rate is a healty 140 bpm. I think the reality of all of this is really setting in for us. If she were born tomorrow, she would need some care in the hospital, but my body is now ready to produce milk any time, and her body would more than likely be totally fine. I can't believe there's a fully-formed human in me! And Ben and I have decided to drop classes this summer, so that we can enjoy these last days of a 2-person family. We found a changing table at a thrift store the other day for $15. It's well-used, so we're hoping to paint it and get that set up in the next week or two (right now it goes everywhere with us, as it's being stored in our car). Oh, and I'm feeling MUCH better (thank you for your prayers and encouraging emails!!)! The midwife thinks that Sophia was just in a different postion that was squishing things around and she must have moved. My heartburn is basically gone, her movements bother me less, my swelling almost negligible, and as long as Ben and I go for walks, my back feels great and I sleep really well.
In a lot of ways I feel like I'm just in a phase of waiting now -- waiting for Sophia. But I'm also in a phase of preparation -- preparing our home, our hearts, our finances... And I'm in a time of savoring -- our first anniversary is less than a month away (July 20) and Ben and I are both recalling some of our favorite memories from the past year to each other. Last night we cuddled in bed for a while and remembered our first kiss. In some ways it feels like those were different people, like teenagers in love, wild and free. In other ways it feels like that could have been just last week, and there's no way that we're about to have a baby join us in our wildness. I pray that we will be good parents, and good lovers/friends, and be able to really enjoy these amazing changes even though they seem to be so tightly packed.
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