Jessica's Pregnancy

28 weeks

Cord Compression Managment

Fetal Focus 4D Ultrasounds

Jessica at 5 weeks 2 days Yep, that's a sac.	5 weeks   I wanted to go back and add this.  When I was very early, I was having a constant, dull pain in my right side.  I was worried about ectopic and didn't want to wait for it to get bad before checking it out.  That's why we had this US.  The great news was that it wasn't ectopic.  The pain was a small cyst on my ovary.  The scary news was the subchorionic hematoma (small bleed) that was near the implanted sac.  Thankfully I never started to noticeably bleed, however we continued a few early USs to make sure it was not going to get worse.  It got bigger at the second US, and then smaller at all the rest.  I was also very scared to only see a gestational sac.  At 5 weeks most USs will show the yolk sac as well and if you look closely, you can MAYBE see one, but the US tech claimed there wasn't one.  Thankfully, Jess kept growing and all was well.
Jessica at 7weeks 2 days Baby and yolk sac	12-2-2003, 10 weeks 3 days    I FINALLY got to hear baby's heartbeat on my doppler!  I've been listening nearly daily since I got the doppler around 8 weeks and I've heard nothing.  This morning I was expecting no difference but there it was, nice and strong!!  Sprout's heart was beating around 160-185 BPM.  I'm SOOOO relieved to know baby is still growing and thriving in there.  I've been concerned with no confirmation since the ultrasound.
Jessica 17weeks 5 days Baby profile	1-22-2004, 17 weeks, 5 days   I just got back from my big ultrasound.  Aside from a huge hassel getting there and being extremely stressed out and frazzled and already crying by they time I even found the office.  (Hormones are wonderful and when you think you're about to miss the US that will tell you if your baby is doing OK or not... well...)  They were very nice though and got me in.  Baby measures 18 weeks 0 days and all the specifics are looking wonderful!  Clean bill of health for our sprout.  The placenta is anterior (tummy side) and near the upper part with the cord inserting in the MIDDLE of the placenta!  We saw no vessles near the cervix and things looked clear.  BIG relief on that front.  Also, little Jessica did NOT have a penis. :)  So now I can safely tell everyone our Jessica Ann is on her way.  Now she just has to be careful with that cord in there and NOT get all tangled up in it.
Jessica at 25 weeks 6 days Yes, I'm HUGE!	3-19-04, 25 weeks 6 days    Yikes baby is big!!  She is measuring at 2 pounds, um, 8 or so ounces and 27.something weeks on everything at my US yesterday.  She was nearly 2 weeks ahead, which is in the "normal" 3 week range... but YIKES!  I would truely not mind going early, and the US dated my EDD at June 14th, but what it could be is that Jess is just going to be BIG like her brother.  I really don't want to give birth to a 10 pound baby.  Hopefully she just finished a growth spurt and is going to even out as time goes by now.  The good news is that everything else looked good on the US!  We spent a lot of time looking at the cord and where it was and all that and it seems so far she's not tangled up in it.  She also moved completely from head up to head down DURING the US and I didn't even feel it.  That makes me feel better about not feeling much movement if she can pull that big of a flip with nothing being felt on my side.  SOO, now to see how mommy's willpower is on eating a better sugar-reduced diet to keep a better handle on how big this girl gets.
5-5-04 32 weeks, 4 days    I had my first OB visit yesterday after my major provider change.  The midwives would not provide anything more then a visit every 4 weeks and they would not give me a referal to an OB other then the perinatalogists.  Since the perinatologists did not deliver at a hospital anywhere near me, I did not want to stay with them.  SOOO...  I went with the peri group for the last few weeks in April and changed my insurrance primary care provider which took affect May 1st.  I then transferred care again from the peri group to the OB group near me May 1st.  I LOVED the peri group.  The nurses were really nice, all the doctors were open and available and understanding, and the office staff was SOOO accomodating.  Too bad they don't deliver at any hospitals closer.     My new OB was very nice and understanding and I do like him.  Hopefully this will be as nice as the peri group.  I've been given monitoring twice a week and weekly appointments now.  So far the monitoring has been going really well.  We talked about the game plan for the rest of this pregnancy and the OB said they'd be willing to induce at 39 weeks.  Anything earlier would require an amnio to test for lung maturity.  Now, once you have a stillbirth, your risks of having another go up like, 3 times.  I know what happened to Anily was not one that typically repeats, but I'm just not willing to take any chances.  I just don't want to be 39 weeks again.  Then again, if Jess ends up with permanent issues because of being induced early, I'll feel really badly about that.  I just can't help thinking though that the risks of being premature are much better to handle then the idea of losing another baby at full term.  Dr Lawson told me to give him a call on Thursday after he's had a chance to talk with the peri group about it all and we'll figure it out then.  I am encouraged that he is understanding and not totally opposed to anything earlier then 39 weeks.   Oh, and yes, I've been getting more US pictures but honestly, at this point she's so big that the pictures are not that great.	5-16-04, 34 Weeks 1 Day     A couple days ago, Friday, I was at work when I started to be in horrible pain.  I headed to L&D where we found out I was having contractions.  I was there for 4 hours and since we couldn't stop them (they didn't want to give me drugs if they didn't have to) they just confirmed that while painful, my cervix seemed to be staying put.  I got to go home with instructions to take it easy.  Doing just about anything now sets off contractions.  Jess needs to hold on for just a little bit now though... I'd really prefer her to be at least 35 weeks along.  I can say that I am SOOO ready for her to be out and alive and born already though!  Everytime I get a little nervous about when the last time she moved was, I know how much I wish that she was out and SAFE.  Oh Jess, it's not long now...   We did decide with the peri group that we will check on an amnio on June 4th and if all comes back well, we will go ahead and inuce then.  That's 37 weeks so hopefully all will be well.
5-23-04 35weeks 1 day      We made it to 35 weeks!  I had been having a number of contractions yesterday that were getting big so I almost thought something might happen today, being a Sunday and the 23rd and all.  But nothing yet. :)  We did find out that Jess has turned breech again.  She was head down until 29 weeks when she turned breech.  She turned head down again at about 32 weeks, and then breech AGAIN at 34 weeks.  I do want her head down but all this flipping makes me nervous.  I woke this morning and could've sworn she was head down as I didn't feel her egg-head on the top of my tummy.  (Not to mention the foot jabbing itself into my ribs.)  I'm not sure now though so I guess we'll see.  My doc has done normal breech deliveries and considering the ease that I've given birth to two large babies, thinks it would be a very viable solution with me if Jess is frank breech.  I haven't really decided though.  I would like her to just be head down.  I wonder if it is different pushing out a breech baby rather then a head down one?  My next NST is on Tuesday and then the BPP ultrasound is on Thursday to see if we can find a good amnio spot.  They've changed my due date to June 22nd now rather then June 26th so I'm gonna see if we can move the amnio up 4 days if she IS head down.  I'm a little freaked she's gonne keep flipping.  (According to that I'd be 35 weeks, 5 days now.)	5-27-04 35 Weeks 4 Days     Wow, baby is an estimated 8 pounds already!!  (+ or - 1 pound as per the machine's specs)  She is also head down again, thank goodness.  Of course, Jess has proven that she could just decide to flip again at any time so I'm trying not to jinx it by celebrating too much.  Doctor Lawson said that if I go into labor at this point, they wouldn't try to stop it.  So much for having that 7 pound baby at 37 weeks.