The Geer Family
 
We had another ultrasound on Monday and baby Christopher is an estimated 7lbs 2 ounces already!  My fluid levels were high which is unfortunate because that means that I am not only carrying around a big baby, but lots of excess fluid weight too.  No wonder my back and hips have been bothering me.  I started to experience swelling of the ankles, feet and hands for the first time last week too.  They look terrible!  I can no longer wear my wedding rings (tear) so I have it around my neck.  Following the ultrasound I met with the doctor who told me I was measuring 38cm so about 2 cm ahead of schedule.  This is most likely due to the excecss fluid.  She also tested me for Group B strep which came back negative and she checked my cervix for any dialation, which was still closed.

Following the appointment with the doctor, I was sent to Women's Hospital for a fetal NST (non-stress test) because of the large amount of fluid surrounding the baby.  The primary goal of this test is to measure the heart rate of the fetus in response to its own movements.  Healthy babies will respond with an increased heart rate during times of movement and the heart rate will decrease at times of rest.  When oxygen levels are low, the fetus may not respond normally.  Low oxygen levels can be caused by problems with the placenta or umbilical cord.  I was told this would take about 20 minutes.  Because I had been at the doctor since 1:30 and it was about 5pm by this time, I was exhausted and hadn't had much to eat or drink, Christopher wasn't reacting the way they wanted him to.  Soooo, after laying in a hospital bed for an hour with a bunch of stuff strapped to me, they brought me 5 large glasses of water and told me to drink as much as I could.  So I did and he responded immediately and they released me at about 6pm, when Ed was on his way to the hospital because I had been there so long.  After that, I had to pee about 5 times within the next 30 minutes...UGH!

I now have appointments once a week and may have to continue the NST monitoring weekly.  I'll be sure to ask for some water from now on!  Ed put together the changing table last weekend and we went and picked up the car seat/stroller last night.  We are getting there...The baby cookout is tomorrow and I am so excited to see everyone!



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