The appointment was fine, it was just a basic antenatal check for 37 weeks, which I'll be tomorrow. My blood pressure was 120/74 - a bit higher than normal for me, but still healthy and normal. She didn't test my urine. Elijah's heart rate sounded fine, although it was slowing down loooads and then picking up again, which always worries me! I asked her about it and she said that was healthy and fine - variations like that are normal and acceptable apparently. Still makes me nervous to hear it though! :/
I'm writing about it because it wasn't all as expected. She measured my bump twice with different tape measures, and I only measured 33 or 33.5 weeks. I know I've had this before, with measuring 2 weeks behind and having to go in for a growth scan very recently, but now it's more like 4 weeks behind. It's partly the amount behind, partly the fact that I've had 5 babies who have measured on dates or a couple of weeks ahead, and partly the trend. At 32 weeks, I measured 32 weeks. At 34 weeks, I still measured 32 weeks, and so was sent for a growth scan at 35 weeks (he measured 34.5 weeks). I was measured again at 35 weeks and was 33, still 2 weeks behind but at least some growth. That was my last appointment. Today I am still measuring what I measured 2 weeks ago, and so the trend continues with a bigger gap as it goes along. That really does unnerve me now.
If a baby's head engages into the pelvis near the end of pregnancy, you can lose a couple of cm in the measurement, and seem smaller. But Elijah's head is SO high. She commented about it. She could get her fingertips right under it, through my tummy - he's floating that high! So if anything that should increase the measurement of my bump, not decrease it. She did me a big favour by phoning right away to book me a growth scan, rather than like last time when I had the palava of going to the Day Assessment Unit and being measured AGAIN and then having a scan booked for another day to come back again. The scan is tomorrow at 4.30pm. She said I might also get to see if there's a reason he is so high up, like if he has his face turned up or his head to one side or something wacky like that. That thought doesn't thrill me either :S
She did tell me that since I'm 37 weeks, if my waters break and his head is this high, I need to watch for the umbilical cord prolapsing. :( I'm SO nervous, especially now that it's evening and the boys are in bed. I have been usefully distracted since the appointment, although not really focusing that well on the boys to be honest. If his head is still this high and my waters break, she told me to go into a knee to chest position on my front, so with my head down and my bum in the air, because that's the best position to relieve the pressure of his head on the umbilical cord if it has prolapsed. And obviously to phone the hospital immediately. I asked if I should/could check myself, and she said not to, because sometimes touching the umbilical cord can make it go into a sort of spasm which could restrict the blood flow to the baby. It's just advice for precaution, and I would have asked her what to do if it happened anyway, if she hadn't mentioned it, but just the thought of it makes me so nervous.
Thankfully Neil's work said he can come home early to cover the appointment, but that's so he can stay home with the boys while I go for the scan. I phoned Heather this evening and she is unable to go with me tomorrow, and for some reason I got really tearful about it. I didn't expect it at all, because I thought, "Oh well, just another scan then!" and didn't particularly think I was anxious about it. I still think I'm not actually ANXIOUS about it, and my little one is probably fine, but when I heard she couldn't come with me (she was terribly apologetic but she has something on that she can't get out of) I had a hard time keeping my voice steady, and then had a good cry once I was off the phone. I just feel so worried and upset all of a sudden, even if everything is going to be fine tomorrow. I guess it's just the ruffled nerves of a very pregnant mummy who loves her baby and only needs to hear 100% positive things about him right now if she's to stay sane! ;)
So, I will update tomorrow. I hope so much that he's fine, and not starting to tail off in his growth. Even if he IS, I shouldn't be anxious about it. It's not like he's going to have to come early or anything, since I reach full-term tomorrow. Scans can be off by a fair bit when it comes to weight prediction and such, I know that too. But I will still trust the scan I should think, because the others have been accurate with him measuring right for dates. He measured a tiny bit smaller (only by a week, if that!) last time, but if he's a bit smaller still this time I think it will pull at my heart a bit - even if everything will be fine and a million people tell me how their little one was growth restricted way more severely and was FINE, I will still feel it. He's my baby, and my hormones practically command me to want nothing but perfection for him, otherwise they are going to get jangly about it! ;)
Now that's all off my chest, I am going to eat dinner with my hubby, who is patiently waiting while I offload here (knowing that it's probably a good thing to do right now), having listened to me and been as reassuring and lovely as possible just a bit ago. And watch something funny on DVD or something. And pray. I'll update tomorrow if I get chance!