Pregnancy Update: 19 Weeks

Yesterday was a visit to the OB/GYN for yet another ultrasound. I was hoping for really, really good news. Which for me would be the word that I don’t have to SEE the OB/GYN again and could resume prenatal care with my midwives. (No offense Mr. Doc, but I know you understand.)

The ultrasound revealed that I still have a partial (also called marginal) placenta previa, but the subchorionic hemorrhage looks mostly healed. You could plainly see the blood clot, which to me resembled a large piece of liver, on the ultrasound. Even though it’s “dried up”, I’m still experiencing bleeding because the placenta is a huge mass of capillaries, and when it gets agitated, sitting so close to my cervix as it is, it bleeds.

The baby looks perfect and is on track in every way for growth, which means that the blood clot isn’t blocking his nutrient uptake (that’s what the Dr said, meaning that’s a possibility, frightening to contemplate).

I began feeling movement at about 17 weeks, but as this little guy is determined to keep me worried, I stopped feeling him move for several days last week. Even drinking hot chocolate (sugar + caffeine usually does the trick!) and lying in bed didn’t work. The things we suffer through for these babies!

So it was quite reassuring to see him punching, kicking, attempting to get a foot in his mouth and otherwise wiggling nonstop on the ultrasound screen. And I didn’t feel a thing. I’m not exactly new to this gig, so I can’t quite figure that out.

Of course baby has stayed plenty active since yesterday and I’ve felt lots of movement. The Dr. said that babies can have quiet periods in which they sleep a lot for a few days.

Physically I’m feeling ok. I still have bad episodes of nausea, mostly coming at night. But otherwise no problems. I was pleased to see that I’ve only gained about 15 pounds. Since I’m not exercising (ugh – but Doctor’s orders), I was concerned that I would be big as a house by the end. But since I’m halfway through and weight gain tends to slow down in the final month, I’m on track for a healthy 25-30 pound gain this pregnancy.

We got several really clear profile shots. Little man definitely has his Daddy’s jawline. Very square, not like mine at all!

I talked with the Doctor for a while about his (and the hospital’s) policies for Cesarean births. The likelihood is still good that the placenta will move out of the way as my uterus grows, and that I can have the homebirth I’m used to. But if not, it will be a scheduled C-section at 37/38 weeks, no exceptions. I told the Doctor I was concerned about a lengthy separation from baby and initiating breastfeeding right away. He told me that once baby was out, barring any emergency of course (like baby having difficulty breathing – a possibility with a baby that young), it would only be about 20 minutes until baby was naked and skin-to-skin on my breast.

“Things move very fast,” he said. It takes only that long for me to get sewed up and wheeled into recovery. Meanwhile, my husband could stay with him in the same room while the nurses checked him over.

I felt good about that, not knowing what to expect with a C-section birth.

I haven’t heard from any of my readers who may be pregnant… are you expecting, and when are you due?