After Wednesday's flurry of blood-pressure activity, I was scheduled for a blood pressure check and biophysical profile ultrasound for Thursday, and then another blood pressure check for Friday.
For yesterday's BP check, they decided to go ahead and hook me up to the fancy machine that takes my blood pressure every two minutes over a span of fifteen minutes. I grabbed a book, settled into the chair, planted my feet flat on the floor, and watched my blood pressure settle lower and lower with each reading. My top number was back to normal - ranging from 122 at the highest to 118 or so at the lowest. My bottom number was still high - 80 to 83ish, but overall, things looked good.
Then off to ultrasound for the biophysical profile, which is basically a very specific ultrasound that looks for specific markers of baby's health: amniotic fluid levels, general movement, fine movements, and thirty seconds straight of baby's practice breathing. The deal is that you have half an hour to achieve all of these things, and each category is worth up to two points. It was fun to get another peek at Owlet, who at this point is too big to see all at once. (S)he was mostly cooperative for the test, except for the fine movement piece, because Owlet decided that this would be the perfect time for a nap. So we had to do a little shifting of position and poking to get him/her going again, but otherwise, everything went well.
Today I'm 36 weeks, which feels so much farther along than 35 weeks did, for some reason. It really really feels like we are in end-game. Crossing into December also makes Owlet's birth seem particularly imminent.
Sam and I headed off to breakfast, and then the plan was to pick up Matt from the mechanic (he was dropping his car off to get his brakes checked), and then head over to the clinic so that Matt could watch Sam during my BP check. Sam, in the last 15 minutes of breakfast, turned into an oppositional crazy-kid, which made me frustrated and upset, and made us late to pick up Matt, and left all of us feeling anxious and upset and on edge as we drove over to the hospital. A great way to prep for a BP check, right?
For whatever reason, the stress of the morning had no effect on my BP, and I was back to nearly normal. Yay! Every extra healthy day is another day for Owlet to grow and thrive and prepare for life on the outside. I don't have any more checks or appointments until my regular appointment next week. Let's hope that things stay uneventful.
Happy 36 weeks!
For yesterday's BP check, they decided to go ahead and hook me up to the fancy machine that takes my blood pressure every two minutes over a span of fifteen minutes. I grabbed a book, settled into the chair, planted my feet flat on the floor, and watched my blood pressure settle lower and lower with each reading. My top number was back to normal - ranging from 122 at the highest to 118 or so at the lowest. My bottom number was still high - 80 to 83ish, but overall, things looked good.
Then off to ultrasound for the biophysical profile, which is basically a very specific ultrasound that looks for specific markers of baby's health: amniotic fluid levels, general movement, fine movements, and thirty seconds straight of baby's practice breathing. The deal is that you have half an hour to achieve all of these things, and each category is worth up to two points. It was fun to get another peek at Owlet, who at this point is too big to see all at once. (S)he was mostly cooperative for the test, except for the fine movement piece, because Owlet decided that this would be the perfect time for a nap. So we had to do a little shifting of position and poking to get him/her going again, but otherwise, everything went well.
Today I'm 36 weeks, which feels so much farther along than 35 weeks did, for some reason. It really really feels like we are in end-game. Crossing into December also makes Owlet's birth seem particularly imminent.
Sam and I headed off to breakfast, and then the plan was to pick up Matt from the mechanic (he was dropping his car off to get his brakes checked), and then head over to the clinic so that Matt could watch Sam during my BP check. Sam, in the last 15 minutes of breakfast, turned into an oppositional crazy-kid, which made me frustrated and upset, and made us late to pick up Matt, and left all of us feeling anxious and upset and on edge as we drove over to the hospital. A great way to prep for a BP check, right?
For whatever reason, the stress of the morning had no effect on my BP, and I was back to nearly normal. Yay! Every extra healthy day is another day for Owlet to grow and thrive and prepare for life on the outside. I don't have any more checks or appointments until my regular appointment next week. Let's hope that things stay uneventful.
Happy 36 weeks!
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| 36 weeks - December 2, 2016 |
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