30 Week OB Appointment

Today was our 30 week appointment.  And if you are wondering - I am currently on a 2 week appointment schedule.  My weight gain was still right on track.  Blood pressure and urine tests fine.  Measurements where they need to be.  We listened to Carder's heart.  It was what you would consider a normal OB Appointment.  After the normalcies of the appointment, he went on to discuss what we can be expecting in the next several weeks.

During my first visit with our OB (Dr. Marvelous - or Dr. M for short), he mentioned that he considered our pregnancy to be higher risk.  He has read studies (and has seen collaboration for these studies in his patients) that pregnancies achieved via ART tend to have a higher risk of 3rd Trimester Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes.  From what I understand, the majority of the time, this risk is associated with issues with the placenta.  The Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes are most frequently seen with babies that aren't getting enough nutrients from the placenta and aren't growing at the appropriate rate.  However, in some cases, the adverse outcome has been stillbirth.  Obviously, hearing this scared me quite a bit.

I am taking some comfort in the fact that Dr. M is aware of these higher risks and is going to treat me appropriately.  If  he feels that there is any risk that our son is not growing appropriately or that there are any other issues, he would rather give him a better chance to survive outside of me rather than chancing trying to get me to full term.  My OB office in Georgia didn't even consider me to be at any higher risk - so I truly believe we are in good hands.

So, his plan of treatment for the last 10 weeks of my pregnancy is to begin to see me weekly beginning with my next appointment at 32 weeks.  During these weekly appointments, I will be having a non-stress test at each appointment to monitor Carder's movement and heart rate.  There will be an ultrasound at 32 weeks to measure his growth.  And, according to Dr. M, "if" I make it to 36 weeks, there will be another ultrasound at that appointment.

I didn't think to ask him if he phrased it that way because he thought I wouldn't be making it to 36 weeks or if that was just a slight of the tongue.

Regardless, I will be spending a lot more time at Dr. M's office in the coming weeks.  I can't wait to see him on the big screen again in 2 weeks and see just how much he has grown.  And I will be treasuring every movement I feel and loving every last minute of the last few weeks of this pregnancy - the days are quickly passing and he will be joining us before you know it!!!