24

Wow, where to begin?  I feel like so much has happened since I wrote last, but I don't want to do all these short little updates every time I feel something or have a doctor's appointment...but I might update after Tuesday appointments and again after Friday appointments so I don't forget anything. 

So I already updated about the "body check" Nugget did to my husband's hand last Sunday...fast forward to Tuesday's ultrasound:

Tuesday was my first of many ultrasounds to monitor baby's progress.  On these particular ones, they are looking for certain movements from baby.  My mother-in-law had the day off and had offered to go with me since my hubby couldn't go, so I took her along.  I had a sneaking suspicion that, although she has seen still pictures from ultrasounds that she may not have ever witnessed one live, and I was right.  I asked her if she'd like to sit in the room while they do it and she lit up like a Christmas tree and said she would love to.  During the appointment, the tech pointed out some things to us like the diaphragm moving up and down quickly, which means baby is practicing breathing, and the bladder looked good, which means baby is drinking the fluid.  Both of these are good things and signs of good progress.  The tech took her time and I liked that; I could watch my baby all day, so it doesn't bother me when they don't rush through it.  She pointed out a foot to us and you could see tiny toes.  :)  Then we got to see something really adorable:  baby yawned...twice!!  And the tongue was moving in and out of the mouth.  Frickin' cute, I tell ya!  Nugget also kept getting mad at the tech for pushing too hard, so there was a lot of kicking and retaliation, but definitely signs of appropriate responses. 

After the tech was finished, it was time to say goodbye to baby on the big screen and visit Dr. H.  I got some more clarification on my restrictions and terms of bedrest; basically, she told me she wants me to "stuff my face"; that I can go to dinner or to a friend's house for a visit, but I'm to put my feet up and eat a lot and then stop on the way home to get ice cream.  I'm not to lift over 10 lbs., but no laundry (I can fold, that's it), no dishes, no vacuuming, no grocery shopping.  Nothing much but lounging in my recliner eating.

Dr. also changed my visits a little bit; instead of ultrasounds twice per week, she wants to do ultrasounds (or biophysical profiles-BPPs) on Tuesdays and NSTs (fetal non-stress tests) on Fridays, except for the Fridays I see Dr. J when I'll have an ultrasound that day instead of the NST.  So today was baby's first NST.

They hooked me up to the machine, one monitor for baby's heartbeat and one for my uterus to monitor for any preterm contractions; the first nurse couldn't get much for baby's heartbeat so she went to get another nurse who used to work in Labor & Delivery so she's better at it.  The second nurse had a bit of trouble finding it but eventually got a lock on it...for a bit, until Nugget decided it was uncomfortable there and moved.  So the nurse and Nugget played hide and seek for a good 10 minutes at least before she got a lock on it again; this time, she decided to stand and hold it for awhile.  She strapped it down after she felt she had it well enough and left for a bit, during which time Nugget must've been moving to and fro because the "bump bump bump" of the heartbeat would fade for awhile and then get stronger and fade again.  Dr. H came in at one point and tried to get baby to wake up a little bit.  She had this "buzzer" thingie that looks like a telephone receiver; you push the button and it basically vibrates and gets the baby to move so they can judge response of the heartrate.  After all, that IS the point of the NST, to judge baby's responses to being startled and then again at rest.  During this time, she lost the "signal" or lock on the heartrate and the nurse had to come in again to find it and hold it awhile longer.  It was actually comical!  I knew baby was just fine because he/she was moving around, but just wouldn't cooperate for the monitors.  By what they told me, 24 weeks is a little tricky to be doing an NST because babies have so much room to move and it makes getting a lock on the heartbeat difficult, not to mention they could be facing any which way.  But overall, Nugget did good for his/her first time.  When nobody else was in the room, baby even kicked the monitor a few times, which makes a sound on the machine like someone blew into a microphone.  Sassy baby!  They didn't mention any signs of contractions, so that's a good thing!!  Our next NST will be in 2 weeks because next week is our visit with Dr. J.  My mom will be going with me; she wants to see Nugget on the "IMAX screen".  :P

I also found out today that I won't be getting my short term disability for a little while longer...apparently, the nurses get 5 or more forms (and when I say "forms", it's actually 2 pages of ridiculous questions) per DAY to fill out for people for STD to do in between all the other stuff they have to do, so it can take a week or more for them to complete mine.  Ugh.

Hmm...what else?  Yesterday was the first time I was able to feel a kick from the outside.  I'm super happy about this!  It's definitely a milestone and something you look forward to because it means baby is growing and getting stronger and that makes me smile.  I was able to get Nugget to kick my hand a few times yesterday; first, you have to press down through the chub to get to the uterus.  Then you press around in a circular motion and hold your fingers there until you either feel something or don't; if you don't, you move to a different spot.  I was waiting until I had gotten a kick in a spot before poking there and sure enough, I got a kick to the hand.  I could actually see my stomach move, too.  It was so cool!!  My baby's getting stronger!  Nugget may be smaller than average and weigh less than average, but there is no doubt he/she is making progress.  It's just so funny; it's like last Thursday, someone flipped a switch or put a roll of quarters in my kid because it went from a couple swimmy or bubbles feelings per day to a frickin' soccer game for hours at a time!

As much as frequent ultrasounds (and trips to the office that's an hour away twice a week) are sort of silly or superfluous in a way, it kind of puts my mind at ease.  Especially since some days, baby doesn't move as much as usual, which (I won't lie) tends to send me into a tiny panic.  Sometimes, it's kicking all day long; sometimes, it's nothing until afternoon or evening.  But knowing I'm not waiting a month between checks eases my anxiety about it.