"Stressed" Out

Hey everyone. We have arrived at 31 weeks and 5 days and everything has been a bit crazy this week. On Tuesday, I had my 31 week OB appointment and my blood pressure was pretty significantly elevated. I haven't seen any of this for several weeks so I was immediately concerned with my kidneys and Max's safety. My OB decided to go ahead and send me to the hospital to do fetal non-stress tests. Since I have had a lot of questions aimed at me about these tests, here is a definition from the American Pregnancy Association:

How is a NST Performed?

The test involves attaching one belt to the mother’s abdomen to measure fetal heart rate and another belt to measure contractions. Movement, heart rate and “reactivity” of heart rate to movement is measured for 20-30 minutes. If the baby does not move, it does not necessarily indicate that there is a problem; the baby could just be asleep. A nurse may use a small “buzzer” to wake the baby for the remainder of the test.

Why would a NST be performed?

A NST may be performed if:

• You sense that the baby is not moving as frequently as usual
• You are overdue
• There is any reason to suspect that the placenta is not functioning adequately
• You are high risk for any other reason

The test can indicate if the baby is not receiving enough oxygen because of placental or umbilical cord problems; it can also indicate other types of fetal distress.

So, all of that to say...I have been high risk since the moment I got a plus sign on the stick so it was always going to be in the plans to have NST's done. It just so happened that we started a week early due to my blood pressure being elevated. We got to the hospital and everything went fine, although 20-30 minutes is not an accurate measure of time for me since Max is only in the 31st week. It took us an hour on Tuesday but eventually he passed the test for his gestational age. I had a Maternal Fetal Specialist appointment on Wednesday scheduled, however, I started to feel very sick on Tuesday night. Our specialist is located about 2 hrs away in Louisville, Kentucky so we decided to reschedule that appointment for when I felt better. I was very concerned that I didn't feel good due to the blood pressure because I started to be dizzy and have some nausea. 

The next morning, we had my blood pressure checked and it indeed had gone down so I didn't feel a need to be alarmed. On Friday, we had another NST scheduled and went as planned. It took over 2 hours to get Max to cooperate during this one as he was probably asleep. The night before, I had symptoms of illness again and ended up vomiting, being dizzy, and even having panic attacks. The underlying cause of all of this....(not kidding) peanut butter. The days I felt ill were days I had eaten peanut butter. It has been something I have been wanting recently but for some reason, it is making me sick. At his NST,my blood pressure was back to normal and I no longer felt badly. I guess I'm gonna lay off the peanut butter.

Max and I both are doing fine and we are trudging along and hoping for a great last 8 weeks. Sleep has still been pretty difficult but last night I had some sleepy time chamomile tea and that worked wonders. Other things we have done is massage with cocoa butter (love this one), listened to classical music, read books where Anthony reads to me and Max, and sat in low lighting in front of the fan. Anthony is such a great dad and great husband as he tries to keep Max and I in the best health possible. I am a very lucky woman! I am feeling positive that Max is doing well and that I am too. I am hoping he stays in as long as possible and gets the most development he can for labor and delivery.

Our next steps are Monday the 21st having a Maternal Fetal Specialist appointment where Max will have another ultrasound and we will talk about Anesthesia. This appointment will also involve a meeting with the diabetic team to make sure no adjustments on my pump are necessary. January 26th is my baby shower and I am super excited to celebrate with everyone that loves Max and really have an opportunity to enjoy this part of the pregnancy. We recently purchased Max's crib and that will be going in soon and hopefully a lot more progress done on the nursery. It has been hard to give that time with all of these appointments. I will be having NSTs done twice a week on Tuesday and Friday in order to make sure Max stays in a healthy place for delivery. We will also see my regular OB every two weeks and probably keep with seeing the Louisville specialist less frequently due to distance and inconvenience.

Some big changes are on the horizon in the Lewis household so stay tuned and if anyone's interested, the countdown is 8 weeks and 1 day to go!

Thanks for stopping in.

Anthony & Erica