37 weeks

So I moved my appointment up to today because my blood pressure was a little elevated last night...110/90.  I spoke to one of my midwives, Molly, and she suggested I get checked today.  My blood pressure was fine, no protein in my urine, and labs that check for PIH, or pregnancy-induced hypertension, were normal.  She thought it would be a good idea to get an ultrasound because she said she was a little bit worried that he seemed too small.  She thought it could be because his head is already really low in my pelvis, but she'd feel better if we checked.  What she wanted to rule-out is what's called intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), meaning the baby isn't growing normally or thriving and he needs to be delivered ASAP.  The other alternative, which was more likely, was that I'm just growing a small baby.  

So I had my ultrasound at 5pm today and am relieved to say that he is growing normally.  Whether or not he is small we will have to wait and see, but proportion-wise, he is growing perfectly.  He measured 6 pounds 7 ounces, though this is a rough estimate and can be off by as much as 1 pound, plus or minus.  It was fun to see him again, though you can see surprisingly little at this stage.  There's very little room in there now, so he's pretty cramped and that means it's tough to get profiles or good views of anything.  What I did get to see was a chubby little head with what look like a full set of lips, 10 chubby fingers, a strong and healthy looking heart, a normal-appearing brain, and a scrotum that confirmed we are definitely having a boy!  Brad tried to race from work so that he could see the ultrasound, too, but it only took about 15 minutes and he got there just as we were finishing up.  He was pretty nervous when I mentioned that Molly was worried about IUGR.  I could see him let out a big breath of relief when I told him the ultrasound was normal.  Unfortunately, there are no pics to share...we will all just have to wait another 3 weeks to see him!

Molly is on-call August 17th, so she will induce me on the 16th if I'm "ripe".  Maybe I'll get lucky and deliver before then, but if not I think I can wait 20 more days!  Only 2 1/2 more days of work.  And Talitha and the girls will be here next Thursday...I can't wait!