Visit to High Risk Specialist (28 Weeks)

Thank God and all of you who’ve been praying for us! We finally received some really great news for once!

Before I share what happened yesterday, let me back up just a little to the results of my appointment with my regular ObG last week. She didn’t measure my cervix as I assumed she would. Instead, she checked my cervix to see if I had started dilating. She said I’m what’s called “fingertip.” Basically, my cervix has completely shortened, but it has not started opening up for labor. I also tested negative for gestational diabetes and anemia, but I wasn’t worried about those anyway.

Now back to the high risk specialist. This time, the doctor didn’t measure my cervix or even check to see if I was dilating. He explained this was because my last FFN test was negative and because I wasn’t exhibiting any major signs of preterm labor. Although I’ve had a few Braxton Hicks contractions (sporadic uterine contractions that give me slight cramps, make my abdomen feel real tight, but go away when I move around), the doctor didn’t think they sounded like true labor contractions which get longer, more frequent, and stronger in intensity.

So the only thing I had done was an ultrasound where the doctor measured the babies’ growth, based on the size of the baby’s head, abdomen, femur (thigh bone), and humerus (upper arm bone). The boy is roughly 2 lb 10 oz and the girl is 2 lb 9 oz. Although the scale hasn’t moved up for me in the past two weeks, the babies continued to grow and are perfect size for this gestation. On screen during the ultrasound John and I witnessed the babies blinking, opening and closing their mouths, and kicking one another. This wasn’t a 4D ultrasound so I was amazed at the amount of detail I could see of their facial features. They already have chubby cheeks and no longer look like skinny little aliens. I couldn’t stop smiling!

What surprised John and I the most was upon the doctor leaving and he said “I’ll see you in a month.” John said, “What, are you going on vacation?” The doctor said, “Nope, I just don’t want to see you again for another four weeks.” Up until now we’ve been seeing him every two weeks and at each visit he hasn’t exactly come across as being very optimistic. We asked why he wasn’t as concerned anymore and he said that before this visit, the babies had a very low chance of survival outside the womb, whereas now they have about a 90-95% chance. Plus I’m not showing any signs of preterm labor, so he believes that if I keep up with the strict bed rest I should be able to make it for several more weeks. If I do start having preterm labor contractions, he said to check myself right into triage in the maternal ward of the hospital where they would give me medication to delay labor for a few more days while they administer steroids to speed up the development of the babies’ lungs, increasing their chances of survival even more. I’m thankful to be continuing bed rest at home verses the hospital, which we were quite concerned was going to happen.

Thank you all again for your prayers… They’re obviously working!