33 weeks- an interesting checkup

(Might include too much info for some...stop reading now if you don't want to know the nitty gritty.)

Yesterday I my 33-week checkup and ultrasound. I have been slightly irritated about having to go in for these bi-weekly checkups lately, because they seem so pointless! I go in, wait for over an hour, step on a scale, pee in a cup, have the doctor come in for about 2 minutes, measure my belly and the baby's heartbeat, and say, "everything looks good- see ya in 2 weeks!" Fun.

But yesterday, I was very anxious about going to see the doctor. Last week, I started feeling a new pain very, very low in my pelvis and even the tops of my thighs. I first noticed it when I would stand up from sitting, sit down from standing, or try to roll over in bed. It was bothersome, but nothing to panic about. I did some online research and it said it was common of ligament pain and stretching. I did not have that with Ryleigh's pregnancy at all, but frankly, this pregnancy has been very different, so who was I to question another difference? Well, the pain continued, grew more frequent and severe, and on Monday I literally had to take Tylenol throughout the day to even manage-- and I typically have a high pain tolerance!

So, needless to say, I was anxious to see the doctor and ask about it. Also, they had scheduled an ultrasound for growth of the baby, and since Jesse could not come in with me, my mom and Julie went with me. :)

The ultrasound was first. It was much harder to see cute features this time, as he is getting quite squished in there, but it was fun nonetheless. The ultrasound technician commented on how much hair he has, and then pointed out that it was standing straight up, down the middle of his head-- my boy was sporting a mohawk!! HA! Already a cool kid, I'd say.

When the technician got to the measurements of the cervix, she said that it looked nice and long, but then kind of paused. I asked if it was still holding strong because I have had a lot of pain the past week. At that point, she wrapped up the ultrasound pretty quickly and asked my mom and sister to go back to the waiting room. She called the doctor and asked about doing an internal ultrasound to check the cervix, which the doc agreed to.

I was sent back to the waiting room, but then called back pretty quickly, which was a miracle! (Seriously, I normally wait an hour!) The nurse tested my blood pressure and weighed me, and told me that I had not gained any weight from the last checkup (almost 3 weeks prior). I looked at my big belly and wondered how in the world that could be true! She took me back to the checkout room and there informed me that I was not actually going to get to see my doctor, because she was called to the hospital for a delivery. UGH. All this weirdness, and no visit with my doctor? (She had been out of town for the previous visit on vacation, so I did not get to see her then either.) I was visibly frustrated. The nurse assured me that the other doctor who was going to check me out was in communication with my doctor about the circumstances.

Sure enough the other doctor came in, and had the ultrasound in hand. Baby Boy is weighing a little over 4 pounds, but he should be weighing closer to 4.5 or 5 pounds by now. And considering I have only gained a total of 9 pounds and 4 of them is the baby...she told me I need to gain weight. She asked if I have been getting sick or had another reason why I might not be gaining, to which I answered no. I have eaten normally and have not been sick. She measured my belly, and it was measuring right on track. Weird. So yeah, my goal these next few weeks is to gain some weight!

Next she brought up my pain issues and the internal ultrasound of the cervix. She wanted to do her own internal exam and see what was going on. First she checked for any infection that might cause pain, and said there was no infection. When she checked my cervix, it was already softening and dialated to a 1. Not really a cause for concern, but the fact that I was having so much pain made her cautious. She spoke with my doctor who asked them to hook me up to the contraction monitor for 45 minutes. I told them I had not felt any contractions yet, but they were being cautious, just making sure there were no signs of labor, since we do not want to drive in from College Station in labor! Luckily, there were no contractions during that time.

SO, to sum up, the baby is measuring small and the cervix appears to be getting ready. Sure, I could stay dialated with no change for weeks. I'm not really worried about it, just perplexed because it is so different than my pregnancy with Ryleigh. With her, I literally did not have ANY cervical change until about 4 days before she was born. No softening, shortening, or dialating...then all of a sudden I was in labor. I think this time my body just "knows the ropes" and is getting ready a little sooner.

The pain has lessened but not stopped. I'm just being very cautious and not doing anything that could cause issues.

I go back on the 1st, and we'll check things out again at that time. Hopefully, my doctor is there this time! :)