Hide and Seek and Baby's Test Results
Today we had our 41 week ultrasound and non-stress test for baby. We arrived early for our appointment, having misjudged how long it would take us to get to the hospital after brunch. The reception area was surprisingly understaffed for a Friday, so we had to wait to check in. It was a little unnerving watching the new mommas leaving the hospital; so many looked like they were walking with great pain and caution. I wondered, in a hospital with a 30% C-section rate, how many of these ladies had undergone surgery to deliver their little ones.
After I was "processed," we headed to the ultrasound area. Despite being 30 minutes early, the staff were kind enough to take us in with little delay. Dad opted to wait in the sitting area while Mom and Hubbs and I squeezed into the U/S room. I had to be properly positioned on the bed, which took some effort, before the tech began running her little sensor over my very bloated tummy. We could see the shape of baby's head (it looks pretty big) and we also saw her eyes (as much as a 2D U/S has to offer) ; she was lying on her back, head down, with her face and her limbs pointed outward. I suspect the tech had a bit of a hard time locating all of the details she had to check for, although in the end she seemed confident in declaring that baby has plenty of amniotic fluid to float around in, and everything still looks hunky-dorey.
When this first test was finished, we found Dad, who had bought himself a nice large cup of Tim Hortons coffee, sitting in the waiting area with a big ol' grin on his face. This explains why he didn't want to come in with us! ;)
Next, we trekked over to the waiting area for the fetal monitoring test. Again, the wait was blessedly brief, but this time only Hubbs and I went into the testing room when we were called. My folks opted to hang out together in the sitting area, which turned out to be a wise decision in the end since there weren't all that many seats for them in the assessment area anyway.
I was positioned (again with much effort) on the bed and then two monitors were elastic-strapped onto my belly. I was told to press a blue button on a hand-held device each time I felt baby move, and the sensors on my stomach would read baby's heart rate and chart it on paper. The test was designed to last 20 minutes. Unfortunately, my first 5 minutes were a bit of a wash because at some point, baby decided to flip over and suddenly the monitors couldn't detect her heart rate anymore.
Of course, this was also around the time when the other preggo in the room needed to be transferred to Labor & Delivery, due to some abnormalities with her NST and her very late-stage pregnancy (42 weeks). Like the reception desk, the fetal monitoring area was understaffed, so our nurse/tech had to call in a second nurse so that she could assist the other momma with getting from our room to L & D. This second nurse also had a rather tough time finding our baby's heartbeat, because baby kept shifting around and playing hide-and-seek with the monitors. In the end, this lovely nurse had to hold the monitor in place on my tummy for 10 minutes, shifting it each time baby decided to make another move or do a flip.
As I sat there watching the heart rate monitor display numbers, go black, and then display numbers again, I tried to distract myself with the other drama unfolding in the room. The lady who was being moved was being helped out of the bed by her husband, and she was moaning in what seemed to be tremendous agony. She looked like she was unable to walk on her own, and at first I thought perhaps she was going into labor. As I eavesdropped on her exchange with nurse/tech #1, I learned that this poor woman had some pelvic issue (Hubbs said "deviated uterine septum" is what he heard) that was giving her great pain and hindering her mobility, and she was desperately hoping that she would be admitted and induced rather than sent home. I silently said a prayer of thanksgiving that I have been spared such suffering. With great effort and moaning, this poor woman was moved from the bed to the wheelchair. Finally, she was escorted to L & D by her hubby and the first nurse/tech.
During this time, it seemed that whatever Nurse #2 was doing was working, because my readings were coming up consistently and the chart was registering peaks and valleys that the docs want to see. By the time Nurse #1 returned, I was good to go. I was scheduled for a second U/S and NST (Tuesday) and sent on my way.
When we rejoined my folks, they had already made a new friend in the waiting area - a Chinese lady who had just come to Canada a few weeks ago. Obviously God wanted to use my parents to encourage said lady because I can't imagine a better use of their time than blessing her with some information about paternity leave and answering her questions. God will use His people in His time for His purposes. Glory be to Him :)
And that, my friends, is all I have for news right now. Hoping that I won't still be preggo on Tuesday...
When this first test was finished, we found Dad, who had bought himself a nice large cup of Tim Hortons coffee, sitting in the waiting area with a big ol' grin on his face. This explains why he didn't want to come in with us! ;)
Next, we trekked over to the waiting area for the fetal monitoring test. Again, the wait was blessedly brief, but this time only Hubbs and I went into the testing room when we were called. My folks opted to hang out together in the sitting area, which turned out to be a wise decision in the end since there weren't all that many seats for them in the assessment area anyway.
I was positioned (again with much effort) on the bed and then two monitors were elastic-strapped onto my belly. I was told to press a blue button on a hand-held device each time I felt baby move, and the sensors on my stomach would read baby's heart rate and chart it on paper. The test was designed to last 20 minutes. Unfortunately, my first 5 minutes were a bit of a wash because at some point, baby decided to flip over and suddenly the monitors couldn't detect her heart rate anymore.
Of course, this was also around the time when the other preggo in the room needed to be transferred to Labor & Delivery, due to some abnormalities with her NST and her very late-stage pregnancy (42 weeks). Like the reception desk, the fetal monitoring area was understaffed, so our nurse/tech had to call in a second nurse so that she could assist the other momma with getting from our room to L & D. This second nurse also had a rather tough time finding our baby's heartbeat, because baby kept shifting around and playing hide-and-seek with the monitors. In the end, this lovely nurse had to hold the monitor in place on my tummy for 10 minutes, shifting it each time baby decided to make another move or do a flip.
As I sat there watching the heart rate monitor display numbers, go black, and then display numbers again, I tried to distract myself with the other drama unfolding in the room. The lady who was being moved was being helped out of the bed by her husband, and she was moaning in what seemed to be tremendous agony. She looked like she was unable to walk on her own, and at first I thought perhaps she was going into labor. As I eavesdropped on her exchange with nurse/tech #1, I learned that this poor woman had some pelvic issue (Hubbs said "deviated uterine septum" is what he heard) that was giving her great pain and hindering her mobility, and she was desperately hoping that she would be admitted and induced rather than sent home. I silently said a prayer of thanksgiving that I have been spared such suffering. With great effort and moaning, this poor woman was moved from the bed to the wheelchair. Finally, she was escorted to L & D by her hubby and the first nurse/tech.
During this time, it seemed that whatever Nurse #2 was doing was working, because my readings were coming up consistently and the chart was registering peaks and valleys that the docs want to see. By the time Nurse #1 returned, I was good to go. I was scheduled for a second U/S and NST (Tuesday) and sent on my way.
When we rejoined my folks, they had already made a new friend in the waiting area - a Chinese lady who had just come to Canada a few weeks ago. Obviously God wanted to use my parents to encourage said lady because I can't imagine a better use of their time than blessing her with some information about paternity leave and answering her questions. God will use His people in His time for His purposes. Glory be to Him :)
And that, my friends, is all I have for news right now. Hoping that I won't still be preggo on Tuesday...
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