Today I had my last OB exam for this pregnancy before the induction this Thursday. My mom told me on the phone last night that I ought to pack and bring my bags with me "just in case." I assured her that nothing was going to happen until Thursday, to which she responded, "you never know..."
Well, wouldn't you know that the baby's heart rate registered a bit on the low side (about 108 bpm) when the nurse practitioner was listening for it, then went back up into the normal range shortly after that. My O.B. walked in to check for himself and the baby's heart rate stayed in the normal range. To play it safe, he sent me across the hall to have a sonogram and make sure everything looked normal. If the baby passed the biophysical exam, then I could go home. If not, then I would be marched straight downstairs to Labor & Delivery, which is exactly what happened the day Hannah was born. Needless to say, I was getting nervous.
I called John to be "on alert" and then called his mom, who was watching my kids to also be prepared to watch the kids a little longer. John called back and wanted to stay on the line during the sonogram so he could hear the play-by-play. Thankfully, our baby girl passed 10 out of 10 tests (measurements, fluid levels, heart rate, activity level, etc.) with flying colors. Judy, my sonographer, even said that she seemed more active than most babies at this stage. This is probably an indication that the increased activity trend in my children is going to continue. Oh dear. But I was very thankful for this baby's high activity level today! Judy said the only thing she could see that might be the culprit for the slight dip in heart rate was that our little girl was squeezing the umbilical cord in her hands. We actually got to watch this on the sonogram and I wish I knew how to upload the video from the sonogram DVD onto the blog because it was very cool to see her little fingers opening and closing around that cord. There's nothing else to play with or squeeze in there, so it's no wonder she grabs what's right there in front of her! No wonder babies like to squeeze their parents' fingers and clench tightly to rattles.
So I am home and relieved that I didn't end up in Labor & Delivery with an emergency c-section or worse yet, a baby in distress. Yes, I have finally packed my bags and am ready for what I hope will be a textbook labor and delivery this Thursday morning! We are indeed thankful to the Lord for our healthy and highly active baby girl.
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