There is No Such Thing as a Textbook Pregnancy

The New Year rolled around and we were getting excited! February 11th was getting closer and closer. Mary continued working to make some scrill (money) while she could. I was accused of spending too much time on the couch eating cheese. We decided that before the semester began, we should plan a fun day out for the two of us. We probably would not have another change to hang out as a twosome for quite a while. On MLK day we went geocaching at Kill Creek Park. Probably some good history behind that name. We also went to Dave and Buster's at the Legends in KCK. I got the second highest score at the free throw game. Pretty good day all around.

I found Justin Beiber!

Mary's baby bulge was growing rapidly, but she still looked perfect. No swelling and a great glow. We were ready to meet Baby Charlie, but time wasn't moving too slowly.

Mary at 36 Weeks

On Tuesday, Jan 17th, we had our now weekly check-up at the doctor's. Mary's blood pressure was pretty high (about 170 over 100), so they had her rest on her left side and rest. After 15 minutes, her blood pressure had dropped to normal levels. High blood pressure during pregnancy is a concern as it is one of the symptoms of preeclampsia (more info here). Basically, late in some women's pregnancies, they develop high blood pressure and can start having protein in their urine and reduced blood platelet count. There is no known cause and the only cure is to have a baby. It can develop into a more serious condition, known as eclampsia, but is rarely allowed to progress that long without inducing delivery.

We were told to go back to the doctor on Thursday, Jan 19th, for an ultrasound. At the ultrasound, a biophyscial test was performed. 8 different criteria were checked (such as ability to clench the hand into a fist and amount of remaining amniotic fluid) and Baby Charlie passed all of them within 10 minutes. They allow 30 minutes for the test. Already an overachiever. We also got another pic of the BC. Still looking cute, but now he is a lot bigger!

Baby Charlie at 36 Weeks

While Baby Charlie checked out OK, Mary's blood pressure was once again high and this time did not drop after resting for fifteen minutes. She was ordered to have her blood drawn and collect her urine for a 24 hour period. She was sent home with two jugs and a device to capture the urine. Mary was not too excited about this. She was also put on bed rest, which she was really not excited about.We would get the results from her tests the next Monday.

Mary does not like bed rest. I don't know why because it sounds pretty great to me. She was told to lay on her left side and I continued to catch her in other positions. She also would sneak off to do laundry or straighten something up. It was kinda exhausting just trying to keep her laying down. On Sunday, Jan 22nd, she had her baby shower in Lawrence. It sounds like everyone had fun and here you can find some pictures. I spent the time golfing, drinking beer, and watching football.

Today, we had our check-up at the doctor's. No protein was found in the urine and her blood work turned up fine. However, her blood pressure was still high. At this point, Mary is on bed rest until one of three things happens: 

1. Baby Charlie could decide to come on his own in the next two weeks.
2. Mary starts swelling, gets a constant headache, or if an ultrasound shows something of concern. If any of these things happens, they will induce her.
3. She could reach 39 weeks without incident, at which point they will induce her.

The doctor said it is a fine line between Mom's health and Baby's health. Baby Charlie is now at 37 weeks and is considered full term. The major concern is lung development. On the ultrasound, we saw his lungs moving as he practiced the breathing motion. There is a small chance that today his lungs would not be quite ready and he would spend a couple days in an oxygen tent. By 39 weeks, such a risk is effectively eliminated. So for now it is a waiting game. We will have weekly ultrasounds to make sure nothing is going wrong in Baby Charlie's world. The best situation would be if labor started soon without induction. However, Mary is still not dilated so I need to give Baby Charlie a pep talk and get him going!