37 Going on 40

Michelle had her 37 week check up today where we saw one of the midwives at the practice. She has been having some problems with swelling in her legs and feet and glucose in the urine, so after she saw her doctor last week at 36 weeks, she requested a sonogram for Michelle at this checkup.

The midwife measured Michelle's abdomen at over 40 cm, but normally this corresponds to the number of weeks pregnant you are, so Michelle should have been at 37, which she had been right on up until today. The midwife expressed concern and told Michelle to cut out carbs and sugar (tough to do on an already restricted diet). We then went to downstairs to see the sonographer, who told us that the baby was estimated at 8lb 12oz and that Michelle was polyhydramnious (excess amniotic fluid). So at this point we know that we have a big baby who is at 37 weeks in age, but showing a gestation age of 40 weeks, and there is concern about the excess amniotic fluid.

We then went back upstairs again at the direction of the sonographer and saw the midwife again, who, after consulting the doctor, set us up to go to another doctor to get a level two sonogram (better quality equipment and more detailed). She told us that the polyhydramnious could mean gestational diabetes (even though Michelle passed her glucose tests), could mean nothing, or could be an indication of a birth defect. At this point we were worried, but luckily we got an appointment right away at the other doctor and went there this afternoon.

So on our second more detailed sonogram, the baby was estimated to be 8lb 15oz and amniotic fluid measured at 32 cm (usually 22-25 cm is considered high). After speaking with the doctor, it was her opinion that all of the signs point to gestational diabetes, which was somewhat of a relief. After that doctor consulted Michelle's doctor, they decided the best course of action would be to do an amniocentesis to draw off some of the excess fluid and check to see if the lungs are fully developed. This was 5 hours after the first appointment, so it was quite a long and stressful afternoon.

Right now we are scheduled to do the amniocentesis on Monday morning at 7:30, and if the baby is ready to go, they want to induce labor. It looks like we will get to see our baby a couple of weeks earlier than expected. Definitely mixed emotions right now, but we are making lists and trying to get as much done the next three days as we can at work and around the house to prepare. Be sure to check back as I plan to update frequently as we get closer and closer.