Friday's Post #1 - Modified Biophysical Profile

So why the "Post #1?"  Well, I may go a week or two at a time with not much to say or not enough time to say it.  But today....I got stuff to post!  I've got three comin' at ya today, all things that I think are either important - or sweet - or just plain funny.  And I would have gotten them out earlier today - but Sean and I are being lazy!  We both slept in, both are still in our jammies/lounge clothes, and given the cold wind, not sure we're going to make it anywhere today.  And I'm OK with that!

First things first.  Yesterday was my first Modified Biophysical Profile - or baby monitoring appointment - and I'm happy to say the results were outstanding AND I got more (better) information about what this all means - and it's all good!  We were there for two freakin' hours, but luckily my first born is a champion, and Sean earned rave review from the nursing staff on what an outstanding kid he is.  Of course, Momma knew that already!  He played with his toys, ate his snackies, and only occasionally tried to do something bad -like push buttons on the monitoring machine!  

We had our own little room, I sat in a nice, cushy rocker/recliner, and they strapped the baby monitor onto me.  This was a first for me - I did not have this with Sean's birth, and actually hope to minimize the monitoring with Ryan as well.  So I could hear Ryan's heart beat fill the room (love it!), and Sean even started dancing at one point to the rhythmic beat!  Every time I felt Ryan move, I pushed a button.  So the baby monitoring machine was continually spitting out Ryan's heart rate information, and it almost always corresponded with when I pushed the button. Ryan did not disappoint - he moved like a freak show as always, and gave the doctor lots of good stuff to look at.  

Then we headed over to the ultrasound room so Dr. Matuszek could measure my amniotic fluid - yet another amazing thing they can do with the ultrasound machine.  Dr. Mat is pretty no-nonsense on the machine, so I only saw small glimpses of my little man.  What did I learn?  Well, Dr. Mat got what she wanted - my kid, at least for the next week, is super active and healthy, and at minimal risk of stillbirth.  So I asked her to clarify what this is all about.  And I was wrong in my first post about his lower birth weight.

It is NOT so much that his weight percentile dropped.  It IS just because he's at 11th percentile, and is projected to be a smaller baby.  She is only doing this to make sure there is no risk of stillbirth.  She said that if I deliver and he's perfectly healthy, then all of this was not necessary.  I guess I can tell her all day long that Ryan moves constantly, but now she has printed-out proof that he's a madman in my tummy.  And she said that these results are good for a week, which is why I'll do it again next week.  

And she said at this point, she would not stop me from delivering if I went into labor.  Her only concern would be feeding issues, but otherwise, Ryan would be good.  And, my mom noticed this week that I'm dropping (and then someone at MOPS, and then my stepdad, and this morning, I could tell!).  Dr. Mat said that usually means a good 2-3 weeks to delivery.  Thanksgiving, anyone?

So - my instinct is right, my kid is just fine.  You have to have small babies and large babies so they can come up with these percentiles, and I certainly am not upset that my little guy is going to be little - easier for this Hypnobirthing Momma to deliver!  Now, I do still feel that I've been too stressed, and I am still learning to say NO when I need to.  And I am spending time sleeping or resting when I could/should be organizing piles around the house.  I have not taken great care of myself, and even though my concerns/fears have been alleviated, I by no means regret the wake up call.  I'm a calmer person this week - and that can only mean good things for me and Ryan (and Sean and Trey!).