NST, AFI and 33 weeks and 4 days

I had my first round of testing done today. It looks like I signed up for bi-weekly tests due to the fun that is gestational diabetes.

First thing this morning was a non-stress test. I really had no idea what to expect. I've read about women having this done before, but no one ever posted about what is involved. For some reason I had it pictured that I would be on a treadmill hooked up to all of these wires and walking/running with my belly bouncing up and down, but alas, it does not involve really any physical activity.

For the non-stress test (NST), I was placed on a table, on my back (oh how comfortable) for about 20-30 minutes. They monitor the baby's heart rate with one probe and monitor for contractions with another probe. Both of which are strapped tightly to your belly. Then they give you a clicker button (finally the situation is reversed! I'm always giving my patients the clicker for their hearing testing), which you are to press when you feel the baby move/kick. They like to see that the baby's heart rate rises and falls with movement and does not drop too low with contractions (which are much easier to feel when you can see them on the screen).

All was apparently ok with the NST.

Then I had an amniotic fluid index (AFI). Basically it is an ultrasound where they measure the fluid around the baby by dividing the uterus into 4 quadrants. They want to make sure there is enough fluid to be certain that the baby is swallowing and excreting fluid as he should. This meant that we got to see the baby and got a few pictures from it. They have been added to the ultrasound tab at the top. We also got confirmation of boy parts (and no tail, per the husband's request). She also checked for practice breathing which she said she saw right away and that sometimes she has to wait 10 minutes or more to see it.

There was a good amount of fluid around the baby per the AFI.

We then met with the doctor and he confirmed that I had the due date right and that it had in fact been entered into my chart wrong. However, he said that there is no way to fix this at this point. We will just have to be careful in the case of an induction. Officially back to an October 31, Halloween due date.

I also requested a letter that clears me to fly. I'm headed to Las Vegas on Wednesday afternoon, but not before another round of testing. This time it will be a true bio-physical profile (NST, AFI and weight/size measurements)