labor and delivery visit: an update.
So they monitored me for almost three hours at the hospital. Andrew came for the last hour, which made it go a lot faster.
I could definitely see on the monitor when I was having what I have been calling Braxton Hicks contractions, but never could get anyone to tell me whether or not they were real or just BH.
A resident and a supervising doctor came in toward the end with the ultrasound machine, and they measured my cervical thickness again. It was up to about 1.5 centimeters, which is good! Apparently at the visit the night before, it started at almost two and went down to one by the end. The cervix is a muscle, so it is apparently pretty normal for it to change.
They wanted to do a fetal fibronectin screening. According to Baby Center: "Fetal fibronectin (fFN) is a protein produced by the fetal membranes. If more than a small amount turns up in a sample of your cervical and vaginal secretions between 24 and 34 weeks, you're considered to be at higher risk for preterm delivery." Essentially, it can tell them if you're not going to go into labor in the next two weeks, or something. But, any disturbance down under within 24 hours before the test, like from an ultrasound, disrupts the test and gives false results, so I couldn't have it.
Pretty much here's the outcome of the visit. They gave me a prescription for progesterone, and told me to take it easy until Tuesday when I'll have a follow-up ultrasound. Their instructions on taking it easy were pretty vague. He sort of left it up to me on whether or not to go to work. Kind of said don't, but didn't exactly forbid it, so I'm left not knowing what to do. Oh, and because the progesterone is a suppository (sorry for the TMI), that will further prevent an fFN screening.
We'll see what they say on Tuesday. If my cervix is shorter, I may have to have steroid shots and possibly a stricter bed rest, but I really don't know. Like I said, they were pretty vague about everything. The doctor said, lots of women in this same condition go full term with their babies, and lots go into preterm labor. It was kind of frustrating, but I'm just thankful that they caught this at all. I hadn't been enrolled in NuMom2b, I never would have had a vaginal ultrasound, and they never would have known my cervix was too short at 28 weeks. It truly is a blessing.
I ended the hospital visit with a quick shot in the bum (rhogam). It was delightful, I tell you.
I could definitely see on the monitor when I was having what I have been calling Braxton Hicks contractions, but never could get anyone to tell me whether or not they were real or just BH.
A resident and a supervising doctor came in toward the end with the ultrasound machine, and they measured my cervical thickness again. It was up to about 1.5 centimeters, which is good! Apparently at the visit the night before, it started at almost two and went down to one by the end. The cervix is a muscle, so it is apparently pretty normal for it to change.
They wanted to do a fetal fibronectin screening. According to Baby Center: "Fetal fibronectin (fFN) is a protein produced by the fetal membranes. If more than a small amount turns up in a sample of your cervical and vaginal secretions between 24 and 34 weeks, you're considered to be at higher risk for preterm delivery." Essentially, it can tell them if you're not going to go into labor in the next two weeks, or something. But, any disturbance down under within 24 hours before the test, like from an ultrasound, disrupts the test and gives false results, so I couldn't have it.
Pretty much here's the outcome of the visit. They gave me a prescription for progesterone, and told me to take it easy until Tuesday when I'll have a follow-up ultrasound. Their instructions on taking it easy were pretty vague. He sort of left it up to me on whether or not to go to work. Kind of said don't, but didn't exactly forbid it, so I'm left not knowing what to do. Oh, and because the progesterone is a suppository (sorry for the TMI), that will further prevent an fFN screening.
We'll see what they say on Tuesday. If my cervix is shorter, I may have to have steroid shots and possibly a stricter bed rest, but I really don't know. Like I said, they were pretty vague about everything. The doctor said, lots of women in this same condition go full term with their babies, and lots go into preterm labor. It was kind of frustrating, but I'm just thankful that they caught this at all. I hadn't been enrolled in NuMom2b, I never would have had a vaginal ultrasound, and they never would have known my cervix was too short at 28 weeks. It truly is a blessing.
I ended the hospital visit with a quick shot in the bum (rhogam). It was delightful, I tell you.
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