What exactly was I saying about wanting to go to the ob and NOT have some issue? I think this has happened exactly twice now.
We went to the high risk doc for ultrasound #6 to check the baby's heart. Happy to say that the baby's heart, anatomy and genetic profile are all looking super.
The space surrounding him though? Not so great.
The reason I am measuring large (at my last ob appt on 12-26) and that my back aches, my legs ache, I have shortness of breath, still throwing up on occasion and monstrous heartburn? I am polydyramnios.
My amniotic fluid is presently sitting at 26 and 24 is considered high end for 29 weeks (I think he said 12 was average?).
A bit of confusion surrounding all this. They reviewed the ultrasound results and none of the "observable on ultrasound" physical markers indicate a problem with the baby (i.e., no swallowing of amniotic fluid, blockages, etc.). And the genetic tests all came back clear.
About 2/3 of the cases of polyhydramnios don't have an apparent cause. They just happen and the doctors can't figure out why. 10% of them are caused by gestational diabetes and are therefore considered manageable. The remainder are typically a physical or genetic issue with the baby (which in my case have been ruled out as best as they can).
But I passed my gestational diabetes test just fine... Given my "advanced maternal age" the high risk doctor thinks I may be flying under the radar with GD. Apparently women in their 40's don't usually just pass the one hour test...
So his recommendation is that I go straight to glucose monitoring after seeing my ob on Tuesday morning, maintaining my same diet so as to not obscure the results, in an effort to identify GD as the cause of the polyhydramnios.
All of this got me thinking, "so I have a bit of extra fluid, so what's the big deal?"This is where I started looking up on the internet... which is not always a great idea. But anyways...
Apparently a large percentage of women diagnosed with polyhydramnios before 32 weeks end up with ruptured membranes (broken water) or preterm labor and if not stopped, deliver by 32 weeks. Of course in order to stop the preterm labor and keep it maintained, that means bed rest. Other complications include placental abruption, umbilical cord prolapse, hemmorhaging post delivery and the doctor may recommend a c-section delivery to avoid potential complications with a vaginal delivery.
Either way (GD or not) it probably means weekly non-stress tests and every other week ultrasounds (according to the high risk doctor). If it gets bad (according to the internet) they will drain off fluid through an amnio. Or there is a medication that can be used up to 31 weeks, but has some not so great side effects for the baby - so risk benefit needs to be assesed.
So hmmm. This is where we sit now.
I don't want this weekend to fly by exactly - I have loads of things to do (buy baby stuff, paint - provided we can decide on a color which isn't looking terribly likely, finish his quilt, and start washing baby boy clothes so I can assess what I have and what I need). But at the same time, I am really looking forward to Tuesday morning for my ob appointment, which AB will be attending with me.
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