28 weeks

We are back from our 28 week appointment.  It went much better than I was anticipating (yea!).  Today was our first BPP - biophysical profile, an ultrasound test where they measure the maximum amount of fluid surrounding each baby, look for breathing motions in each along with signs of directed motions.  We will have a BPP every week from now on followed by a doctor appointment.  I am relieved about that since going two weeks in between being checked was getting a little nerve-wracking.

Now to the details!  Baby A was, as she has been, hard to see, but she has flipped over and now has her head facing up.  This was good since it allowed the doctor to see intermittent breathing motions for her and a normal amount of fluid.  Baby B was as always easy to see and they got full breathing motions for him and normal fluid. 

Baby C was surprisingly showing full breathing motions (woo hoo) but has slightly abnormally high levels of amniotic fluid.  This wasn't totally unexpected since we still haven't seen a stomach bubble for her.  Basically, the amount of fluid measured should be reduced by the amount in her digestive system from swallowing it and passing it though, but since she isn't able to swallow it into her stomach, the amount of fluid will start to increase.  In and of itself, this isn't of concern, however if the levels of fluid get high enough it can lead to pre-term labor or cause breathing problems for me.  If we start to see signs of this and it's too early to deliver than they can drain fluid off, relieving the problem. 

Given these findings I asked the doctor if we are still shooting for 36 weeks for delivery and she said yes - if everything remains as is.  Passing 28 weeks was a huge milestone but the risk of brain bleeds decreases dramatically after 32 weeks so that is another big one.  She did say that the risk will begin to decrease every week from now on though, so that will become less of a factor in the decision making process as time goes on.  As I said, I will now be monitored weekly, but they won't be directly measuring my cervix asoften since that can by itself trigger contractions.  So as long as I don't report any changed feelings or contractions, they might not check.

We saw the diabetes educator today as well.  She was pleased with my glucose levels on the whole and actually was a little concerned that I was eating enough!  Given that I have gained 5 pounds in the last two weeks I don't think that's really an issue though!  (If your keeping track, we think that's about 29 pounds to date.)  However, she said that I can take an extra insulin dose during the day if I am going to have a higher carb meal and that I could up my carb counts a little for snacks since my levels are doing so well and I still need to maintain my weight gain (which will become harder with my stomach getting more and more squished and meals getting smaller).  Not too bad.

On the homefront, Harry has finished his first year of day camp.  He absolutely loved it and we have already put a deposit in to hold his spot for next year!  We are getting things together for him to start Kindergarten (wow) in two weeks.  His school starts on September 2 with two half days.  He is excited and nervous about it.  Jon has been trying to get a routine down for working at home.  He's starting to figure it out, but it will probably really take shape once Harry starts school.  Having Jon home has been wonderful.  I don't think I could have handled the gestational diabetes without him here - he cooks me great food three to six times a day that allows me to enjoy it, but stay within the carb limits.  And that's not to mention everything else he has had to do while I am becoming larger and less mobile - down to shaving my legs for me!  I am thankful that I have been able to continue working at home for so long.  It has really kept me busy and my mind from obsessing on everything!  Not to mention that it has helped maintain our finances at a more normal level for longer than we had expected.  We are loving our "new" Odyssey and Harry gets annoyed whenever we dare to take the Matrix instead.

Our next appointment is Wednesday the 27th for a growth scan.  I will post again then!