I had my 34 week checkup today! It was the first time I have gone to an appointment alone so I was a little nervous. Jon was in Louisville
I was excited to meet Meagan for lunch at Chik-fil-a before my 12:45 appointment! It was so good to catch up! The first thing she said was, “Carly, the belly is huge!” HAHA, yes, Mae it is!!!
After lunch, I headed to the hospital. First, I headed back for my weight, blood pressure, and urine check. I had gained 2 lbs since my last visit bringing my total pregnancy weight gain to 14 lbs! My blood pressure was 110 over 60, and my urine check showed that my UTI was finally gone (after 3 rounds of medication)!!! ALL good news! Next, I headed back to the exam room and waited for Dr. Ott to come in.
First, she asked if I was still having UTI symptoms. I told her that I felt better and hadn’t noticed them but I had just finished the last round of meds a few days before. Then she put lotion on my belly and we listened to Baby Jameson’s heartbeat! This is by far my FAVORITE part of doctor’s visits! It never gets old! This time she let me hold the monitor and read the screen while she took the wand and searched for his heart beat. As usual, Jameson was squirming around and we couldn’t get him to be still long enough to get a reading on the monitor. Dr. Ott was tickled by this and said Jameson was in there saying, “Leave me alone!” But, finally, he stayed still long enough! Dr. Ott said, “Sounds great! Let me take a guess before you tell me…..Umm, 131.” I started smiling and said, “129, you are pretty good!” We listened for a few seconds and his rate ranged from 125-129, which she said was great! The last time it was in the 130s so I asked why it had gone down and she said as he grows his heart rate slows down. Which makes sense because in the beginning his heart rate was always in the 160s!
Next, we talked about contractions! I was just telling Jess the other day that this scares me because all the baby books and websites I read say the same thing and they are ALL wishy washy! Basically, I could experience several signs of labor or no signs at all! This is crazy! I wish God would just send me a sign that says, “Carly, this is it! You need to get to the hospital now!” Unfortunately, it doesn’t work this way so I just hope that my water breaks and I feel my contractions and know that it’s time!
Dr. Ott told me that if I feel like I am having contractions and can’t tell if it’s false labor pains then I should drink a big glass of water and lay on my side. If I have more than 4-6 contractions in an hour then I need to come in. I told her that my only problem was that I didn’t know what a contraction felt like since this is my first time! Also, I’m afraid that they could be Braxton Hicks contractions instead of real labor pains! She discussed some of the ways to tell. For example, real labor pains will come in consistent intervals and last for 30-70 seconds and will increase in strength whereas Braxton Hicks are inconsistent and don’t get stronger. So, with all this information, hopefully I am able to tell the difference between what’s real and fake!
She made sure I was still counting kicks and everything was ok with that (yes, it is!) and then she discussed my next appointment. At that time I will be 36 weeks and I will start having weekly appointments and exams to check my progress. My next appointment is in 2 weeks (Wednesday, Jan. 12th) at which time they will perform a test to check for bacteria (Group B Streptococci or GBS) that is present in 25% of expectant mothers. GBS is usually harmless to adults but if it is passed to Jameson he could potentially develop pneumonia, meningitis, or a blood infection. If the test comes back positive then the only thing they do is treat me during delivery so that when Jameson is delivered the bacteria is not passed on to him. So, it sounds like things are going to start getting more exciting at the doctor’s visits from here on! Only 6 more weeks to go! We can’t wait to meet our little man!
Jameson at 34 weeks:
Jameson currently weighs 4 and ¾ pounds (average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long! He has been SUPER active and in a completely different way! Instead of feeling little kicks and punches I feel HUGE movement like he is rolling over or moving from one side to the other. There are times when you can look at my belly and see where he is more towards one side or the other and you can feel really hard spots on one side but not the other! Then, within a few minutes he moves again! My book says if I’ve been worried about early delivery I shouldn’t worry too much. Normally, babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who do not have other health problems may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery but are generally fine! This is relieving news!
Symptoms:
I told Dr. Ott that I have been feeling really well lately! I hope this doesn’t jinx me! I haven’t been as tired and I have been sleeping pretty well! I’m still taking Benadryl before bedtime as well as Tums for heartburn. I can, however, tell a big difference in my belly. It seems very tight and it just recently got to where I feel actual pain if I do certain things (instead of discomfort). At night time when I roll over from one side to the other I get a pain in my lower abdomen, but I am pretty sure it’s because I am using my non-existent abdominal muscles to roll over! Lots of mornings I also have pain in my lower belly when getting out of bed. I also feel like Jameson has dropped, as he no longer feels like he is up in my ribs and chest! Otherwise, I feel great, I’ve been pretty active, and haven’t had too many aches/pains! Bring on the next 6 weeks!
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