medical update

This week:

• Yesterday/Monday: a Non-Stress Test (NST), which I passed. I get these twice a week now, usually on Mondays & Thursdays. Basically they strap a couple monitors on my belly; one monitors the baby's heartbeat and the other monitors whether I'm having contractions. Then they watch it for somewhere between 20 and 90-ish mins. They're looking for a "good" steady heartbeat w/in a certain range, that the heartbeat accelerates appropriately when the baby kicks, and that it doesn't randomly drop. I seem to pass these tests about 2/3 of the time. When I don't pass (once because the baby's heartbeat was too low, once because it dipped twice) they send me down for an ultrasound. Both times they've done that, the ultrasound tech has been looking for 4 things: enough fluid (I always pass), two types of movement (I always pass), and "practice breathing" which I've failed both times. (Also they monitor the baby's heartbeat at the ultrasound too.) Then, after I fail practice breathing, they tell me to come back the next day. Which is super fun. Once I came back for an ultrasound and NST the next day (passed both with flying colors) and one time I came back for just another NST. If they ever go poorly, that could mean time to have this baby now. Summary of NSTs: more eventful than I would have guessed.
• Today: K&E got sick last week. They're mostly better now, but Blake and I are sick. I've ruptured my eardrum, so today I get to go to my regular (non-OB) doc to have her look at my ear and make sure it's not infected because apparently that's bad when you give birth.
• Tomorrow: 3 appointments! In the morning, a full ultrasound with growth measurements. In the afternoon an appointment w/ the doc to check in and sign C-section paperwork (just to have it in order if it's needed), and then another NST.

In general, "the plan" is that, if I go into labor before 40 weeks (May 5), they will let me try a VBAC. (Their usual policy is 41 weeks, but given that I have gestational diabetes, they said 40 weeks for me.) I'd like this, but I don't expect it to happen. Perhaps I'm pessimistic, and/or just wrong, but the only data point I have for myself is that I carried twins to 38 weeks at which point they induced me and even then it took a darn long time to get Kaylee out and Ethan needed a C-section.

So for now, I have a C-section scheduled for May 5 (at 9am). However, now that I'm 37 weeks, I figure (and this is purely my own assumption) they're more likely to say "close enough" if an NST doesn't look good. However last night I had the fun of lots of contractions while grocery shopping after work and then while lying on the couch. It was my first thought of, "whoa, what if I actually went into labor on my own?" I don't think I ever had anything like that with the twins. I could tell it wasn't "real" but I don't think I ever had a contraction that I was sure was a contraction with the twins. Now, I say "think," because blake remembers these things more accurately than I do, so you can't always rely on my memory.

But that's the deal with me! There's my latest medical update. Could be any day, or could be May 5!

Step 1: Get both blake and I healthy
Step 2: Let's have a baby! I'm ready! (except for the not-healthy thing)

:D