Trying not to be freak out...

[santoki77]

So I previously posted about our A/S results. Everything looked good but there was a "white spot" between the stomach and liver which caused a little concern. Fast forward 6 weeks later and we had our growth US today at 25w6d. The spot is still there but no longer a real concern as it hasn't grown.

The concern is that he's only in the 15 percentile growth-wise and there's some umbilical resistance (I forget the technical term). Basically, perhaps due to my pre-existing BP issues (pre-pregnancy), the umbilical cord is not as efficient as it could be, hindering some nutrients to my little boy. I am going to get blood work done (1hr glucose, etc.) on Monday so they added a few more tests like for CF (which would be rate bc I'm Asian and no family hx) and dinner other viruses/infections. .. Also, my BP had started to creep up so they increased my BP med dosage.

I now have to go in 1x/week to check size and umbilical resistance and if it gets worse, they are going to discuss inducing me early... they said, "right now, we just want to get you to 32 weeks." Also telling me to relax, and try not to stress is not helping either (nor is my job, I'm an attorney and it's bad enough that I was stressing about being out in 13 weeks..).

They reassured me that eating more or anything else would have changed where I am at this point. They just want to keep monitoring me.

Just mainly needed to vent bc I'm trying not to freak out. He's really active and I feel his kicks all the time. Anyone have something similar to this? Thx in advance.

[teenybird]

I've not been in the exact same situation, but have had my fair share of little unpleasant surprises lately. It sounds like your doc is really on top of things and has a set plan in place for how to get you and your precious bub where you need to be. It is so, so hard to relax when there is fear of something going wrong - especially in the mid-20 weekers. But the important thing to remember is that stress won't help you or your bundle, so it's better to channel that energy/focus into things that will. Get strict about resting when not at work, try for healthy meals, and visualize where you want things to go. Those are the things that have been keeping me sane and at least marginally more focused on the positives, especially in the last week or so.

Definitely not trying to preach, but thought I'd chime in and share a couple things that have been helpful for me! Sending lots of positive vibes your way; please keep us posted!!

[billyhorrible]

No experience, but I'm sorry you're going through this. I hope that with the BP under control maybe everything else will back down a little too.

[alayne926]

No experience, but it sound like you're in good hands.  Hoping you can de-stress a bit (easier said than done, I'm sure). 

[mrskblack11]

No experience but it is good that they are monitoring you. I hope your BP stays low, which I know can be hard when you have a stressful job. Hope you can try to relax. FX that everything turns out okay.

[tiffbot]

No experience, and I'm sorry for the extra stress it's causing. Glad you have someone watching it close!

[veggiemo]

Sorry you are going through this. Any extra worry can feel like a ton of bricks right now.

DS1 was measuring small my entire pregnancy. They had me go in for 2 extra ultrasounds because of it and the docs seemed to be mildly concerned. They were even calling him "little peanut" and said they would be surprised if he was 6 pounds at birth. They also thought that there might be cord issues and kept an eye on it. Ultimately, he came out 7lbs 4oz, right on time and my placenta and cord looked healthy. He was just really squished up in there. Just wanted to tell you my story to make you feel better and tell you to hang in there! Sometimes the docs are just way over-cautious which can be a good thing but can be hard on us!

[sully326]

FX that everything turns out okay!

[erbear]

No experience, but fx everything turns out okay!

[kemdupuis]

Thinking of you and your LO and praying that everything turns out fine!

[gilder40]

I also had high blood pressure prior to conception, and have high-ish blood pressure now. It's actually been a little lower than usual this trimester, but that will probably change. My doc had a plan in place for the first time we met. I start going in for weekly ultrasounds starting at 30 weeks, and if something is off, I'll go to the hospital. What BP meds are you taking? I'm on the lowest dose of Methyldopa twice a day.

[beersandweirs]

I am sorry you are going through this, fingers crossed everything turns out well!

[mnp48]

I don't have any experience with this but I hope everything turns out well! FX.

[noeliav]

FX for you and your little guy. It sounds like they have a good plan to keep an eye on it and you.

[Deleted]

No personal experience with this either, but I'm sorry you're having to deal with this. It does sound promising that the doctor is going to be keeping a close eye on you. Sending positive thoughts your way and hoping everything turns out ok!

[Widget123]

I'm sorry you are going through this but try to stay positive- at least they caught it early and are being proactive. DD was born at 38 weeks at the 5% and rapidly dropped much lower than that, so I know size can be scary, but all we can do is our best, and try to make up for any issues when they are outside. DD has been consistently over 75% in everything most of her outside life so I've seen the other side.

[santoki77]

Mar 6, 2015 14:31:33 GMT -5 gilder40 said:

I also had high blood pressure prior to conception, and have high-ish blood pressure now. It's actually been a little lower than usual this trimester, but that will probably change. My doc had a plan in place for the first time we met. I start going in for weekly ultrasounds starting at 30 weeks, and if something is off, I'll go to the hospital. What BP meds are you taking? I'm on the lowest dose of Methyldopa twice a day.

Thx gilder40. I was on methyldopa pre-preg but my BP went crazy when I first became pregnant. My OB immediately changed my Rx but it gave me really bad headaches. I'm now on labetolol? and was on a lower dose. My BP was then regulated until earlier this week. Now that my BP is creeping up, they are slowly increasing my dosage. When I first met with MFM, the original plan was growth US every 4 weeks starting at 28 and weekly non-stress tests starting 32 weeks. Bc of the spot they saw at 19/20 weeks, they decided to do an US at 26 (instead if 28). I'm now having weekly doppler/amnio checks and growth US every 3 weeks. I'm thankful that I'm being closely monitored but still super nervous.

[leenziepops]

Sending lots of positive thoughts.

[trixi282]

I'm glad the spot hasn't grown any and they're not showing concern with that.  But I'm sorry to hear about the umbilical cord issues.  I hope your continued monitoring goes well, and baby makes it to 32 weeks and beyond!

It's definitely easier said than done, but take it easy and try not to freak out. Use this weekend to rest up if you can, and try to just focus relaxing for you and baby. 

Sending lots of T&P your way.

[nicolec78]

Sending t&ps your way

[clairencub]

I'm sorry to hear that your going through this! Keeping my fx and sending positive vibes, thoughts and prayers your way.

[lunalovegood]

So sorry you are going through this. Hopefully you can try to keep the stress to a minimum. Thinking of you.

[holliberry28]

Sending you lots of positive thoughts!

[gilder40]

santoki77 You're so welcome! Don't freak out about your blood pressure. It'll only make it higher.

It sounds like your doctor has a plan in place and is monitoring you quite closely. I know high blood pressure can cause issues with the umbilical cord, so that's why my doc is having me go in every week...just to double check to make sure everything is flowing and growing. If something isn't right, I'm sure they'll make the right choices for you and your baby. I'm very open to all possible birth experiences...induction, c-section, etc. In the end, I told my doctor I just wanted a healthy baby and a healthy me.

I'll keep thinking about and praying for you! It's scary, but it's not the worst situation to be in. Lots of women have high blood pressure and have healthy babies.

[turtletyme]

Thinking of you. I'm taking a crap ton of methyldopa (500 mg 3x a day) so I know all about the BP game. For now it's working. Monitoring and being proactive is key.

[tahitiandreamin]

I can't suggest that you not freak out because I know that whenever I've had issues during this pregnancy, I've freaked out. But, my suggestion is to focus on what you can control. There is so much that you can't do anything about. As tough as it is, focusing on what you can control is the best thing.

I understand the pressures of law firm life... I'm there myself right now. I found out in early January that I could be hospitalized at any point for a severe bleed. I could have this baby very early. There is so much that can't be predicted and I can't control. What has really helped for me is keeping a super updated docket and having very regular communications with the person who will take over my work while I am out. I make notes every few days on my progress on any given file so that this person can pick up in the middle without a problem. This is baby #2 for me in a law firm and I was freaked out like you about leaving for any period of time with my first. Life goes on, and clients can be amazingly understanding. It also really helps to have people around that you trust. I did loose work while I was out last time and it did take me a bit to fully rebuild my practice again. But my time with my baby is so much more important in the grand scheme of things. I'm taking longer off this time around. I know that it will take time again to rebuild my practice. I'm ok with that, my priorities are different now. It might if you can talk to other women who have gone through mat leave in the past. They might be able to help you ease a bit of the stress that goes with the job. Good luck!

[megd893]

Going through something not exactly the same, but with the chances of baby being small.
I hope your doc can get and keep bp under control, and if you eat right and stay relaxed... hopefully baby will grow! Also, I keep telling myself that there is nothing wrong with a small baby. Small doesn't mean unhealthy, just means small. So as long as our wee ones are healthy, they may just be easier for us to deliver FX for you

[santoki77]

Mar 9, 2015 9:57:49 GMT -5 megd893 said:

Going through something not exactly the same, but with the chances of baby being small.
I hope your doc can get and keep bp under control, and if you eat right and stay relaxed... hopefully baby will grow! Also, I keep telling myself that there is nothing wrong with a small baby. Small doesn't mean unhealthy, just means small. So as long as our wee ones are healthy, they may just be easier for us to deliver FX for you

Ty megd893. I had a long vent email with my MFM nurse who reassured me that there is no official dx yet and to try to keep my stress level down. The update dosage for my BP meds have seemed to help over the weekend. I really freaked myself out this weekend with "Dr google" which probably didn't help. So now I'm going to try to do what I can do at work and take it one day at a time...

here's to small but healthy babies